If you’re any kind of Playing Card Collector, Aficionado, Magician, Cardist or anything in between, there is only one place to be this October and that’s in Orlando celebrating the 52 Plus Joker Club’s 30th Anniversary at their 29th Annual Playing Card Convention.
Headed up by arguably one of the most knowledgeable men in Playing Cards, Tom Dawson and his wife Judy. The event is always a ton of fun and getting to meet so many wonderful people from the community and industry is truly worth the trip.
Our friend and VP of 52 Plus Joker, Lee Asher, will fill in some of the details of this amazing event.
With the 30th anniversary of our annual convention upon us, the buzz is starting to rise to a boil. Various private emails and threads on the Playing Card Forum are asking questions about who’s attending, speaking, and launching new decks at this year’s convention. So instead of fanning the rumor fire, let me tell you who you will see at this year’s 52 Plus Joker Convention.
It’s a long laundry list of ‘who’s who’ in attendance, so here are a few highlights:
Lenny Schneir – For those who don’t recognize this name, he officially member #1 of the 52 Plus Joker. That’s right! He started all this 30 years ago, and now he’s back to see the progress we’ve made in his absence.
Kostya Kimlat – Known in the magic world as one of the best with a deck of cards, he’s going to perform his brand of sleight of hand during one of our events, but he’s also going to attend the convention as he’s become a new member of our club.
Rhonda Hawes – She’s going to share her vast knowledge about Art Nouveau with Art Deco playing cards during one of the speaking sessions. She’s going to show some imagery that will blow your mind.
Wait until you see what she has in store.
Mark Stutzman – You might recognize him as the famed artist known for his work with David Blaine, Conjuring Arts, Legends Playing Cards, and most recently the Whispering Imps. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, please stand and up make some noise for this guy. He plans to speak at this year’s convention, so arrange your travel plans now.
In addition, both Expert Playing Card Company and United States Playing Card Company will be in attendance this year. I’m sure they’ll each have amazing new goodies for all to enjoy as well as fresh thoughts about the continued innovation of playing card production and manufacturing.
Registration for the convention is only $100 for three days of playing card awesomeness, and that also includes a table to sell, trade, and promote your decks in the dealer’s room. Where else can you meet legendary collectors & designers, hobnob with premier card manufactures, and talk playing cards with other enthusiasts all night long? Only at a 52 Plus Joker Playing Card convention!
Want to join us this year? The convention will be held in the Doubletree Hilton at Orlando Seaworld on October 7th, through October 10th, 2015. For more information, please visit the convention page on the 52 Plus Joker website.
We look forward to seeing you in Orlando.
– Lee Asher
If you’ve been to the conventions in the past you know what to expect, if you haven’t, you really need to try and be there, it’s sure to be a great time for all attending!
Here’s to seeing you in Orlando!
