News: Encarded Starts Design On Tendril Ascendant Project

Just when we thought Paul Carpenter of Encarded would take a breather after his massive Bicycle Deco project, Paul has presented to the card community an upcoming project that is in very early stages of design and development.  The news came late this afternoon on Encarded's Twitter account in less than 140 characters....

The design of Deco has been done for a long time & we don't just sit around doing nothing. http://t.co/9ARXlpOywI pic.twitter.com/w7Gw2QG4Ys

— Encarded ♠ ♣ ♦ ♥ (@encarded) September 4, 2013

The project is called Tendril Ascendant and according to Encarded's website, this is not a recolor of the first Tendril release. The website then went on to say....

...we have embarked on a new design that will try to do all these things; Use the shadow borders in new ways, increase the detailed geometric line work, include the face and border patterns of our newer decks, explore radical tuck box designs, be bright and dynamic but also be more sophisticated and elegant.

While the design is still in very early development and there is no release date set on this deck, Encarded shared a glimpse into what we might expect. Here is a larger version:

As Paul from Encarded is known for documenting his releases on his website, click here to read more about the project as it unfolds.

This announcement comes only a few months after Encarded and Jackson Robinson announced a project collaboration for later this year. Given the nature of this release paying so much homage to Encarded's first release, it does not seem as if this is the collaboration that was announced.

Designers: Encarded's Paul Carpenter

Name: Paul Carpenter
Age: 36
Location: Sarasota, FL
Career title: Creative Director at an internet development firm, Founder of Encarded
Company: Encarded Custom Playing Cards
Years In Design: 20+
Years Designing Playing Cards: 2
Playing Card Decks Created: Tendril, Aurum
Upcoming Project: Deco (printing July 2013)
Favorite Playing Card Decks: I have a lot, but a few that come to mind are Seasons, JAQK, Curator, Artisans, and Bohemia
Website: www.encarded.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/encarded
Twitter: www.twitter.com/encarded

In just 2 years, Paul Carpenter has carved out a nice section for himself in the playing card industry with his company Encarded. Paul has designed and brought to market not only custom playing card decks with unmatched design but collector's items and playing card accessories of the same caliber. In March 2012 on Kickstarter, Paul raised over $40K or 200% of the original goal when he launched his company's first deck, Tendril. Tendril eventually paved the way for Encarded's second and most luxurious deck yet, the mystical "Aurum." The success of Encarded's first two playing card decks lead to the upcoming Deco playing cards, which are set to be released this summer. Deco pays homage to casino-style decks of the past, such as the highly in-demand Jerry's Nugget. Along with playing cards, Paul is also at the forefront of technology, marketing and overall branding strategy when it comes to companies in the industry with Encarded's fully branded e-commerce website and involvement in social media and industry forums.

"I like to pursue new ideas, trying things that other designers might not have thought of. Holding a deck of custom cards in your hands is a wonderfully tactile experience, and I want to bring a little sense of wonder to each deck I make." - Paul Carpenter on playing card design.

Upcoming Project Photos: Deco

Collections: The return of the Tendril by Encarded

The original Tendril’s have always been one of my favorites, bold, colorful……….and hard to find. Encarded has a knack for really re-inventing itself so to speak with each deck, their completely different, but you know it’s an Encarded design. So after 4 other amazing projects Encarded decided to bring back it’s “Modern Classic” for new collectors as well as those who were around for the original Tendril campaign.

The return of the Tendril’s came in a few versions, one true “Companion” deck to the original and a few close relatives. The easiest way to define Nightfall, it’s a “Colorful Negative” version of the original. Nightfall features the same design as the original, but in a bright and bold Blue color scheme. The face cards also mirror the original with a variation in color, a blue background that fades to black edges replaced the white bordered black background and the reds have taken a more “Orange” direction in color, while the blacks have gone with a slightly more intense blue to yellow color variation. One of the features I like most, and it’s a small thing at best, is the Nightfall tuck is the same as the original Tendril tuck, in material and design, which solidifies the connection between the two perfectly.

The Ascendant version comes across as a very close relative to the original Tendril, still keeping the beautiful organic feel of the original, but incorporating a bold green color scheme with some new spherical line work. Greens and Blues blend nicely together on the face and key cards with the Greens taking the place of the Black spots and a light Blue the Red spots. The Court cards hold true to the Tendril originals and the Jokers get an update to the intricate sphere design from the tuck case. Speaking of the Tuck case, that too got a bit of an update in material, this time in a soft touch Black stock with a black foil to accent the Tendril’s and a bold Green Foil for the new spheres, suite markers and print. Overall a beautiful deck that fits right in with the “Family”

The Project did offer backers a few treats, one in the way of a handmade “Mega-Tuck” that housed 3 decks, one of which was the original Tendril along with its new additions. Those were limited to 32 and no doubt due to the scarcity of the original deck. The other was the Tendril Ascendant Special Edition. This was another handmade tuck witch featured a flecked black tuck with gold foil accents and Paul Carpenters Signature, the decks were also limited to only 50 and are truly stunning.

The Tendril series is eye-catching, functional and collectible; Encarded covered all bases with the new release by giving collectors another opportunity to enjoy the design and concept of the original without having to break the bank to do so, but also gave die hard collectors something to add to their RARE category. If you can, find the original Tendrils for your collection, but this is one that is very scarce and will put a ding in the wallet, but if you really just enjoy the concept and presentation of the organic feel of the Tendril concept, pick up Nightfall and Ascendant, they’ll more then fill your needs.

Both decks are available on the Encarded site along with a few cool add-ons, the 3 deck bamboo stand is one of my favorites. Encarded did an awesome job with the Tendril follow up and Paul is one designer who always has my attention with each new release.

You can visit Encarded on their web site as well as follow them on social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

The Collection segment is produced by Anthony Ingrassia of Kardify. No part of this article, images or video can be reproduced without written permission from the author and Kardify.com. To see more of Anthony's (Sparkz) collection please visit sparkzcollector.com .                    

Encarded 10-Year Anniversary Special

Today (March 10th) is the tenth anniversary of Encarded! The first Encarded deck, the now mythic Tendril, was successfully funded on Kickstarter on March 10th, 2012. An entire decade of playing card decks has come and gone, and to celebrate Encarded is giving everyone 10% off anything PLUS free decks! 

With Priory released recently and a small number of previous decks in stock, now is the perfect time to add a few more Encarded decks to your collection. From March 10th – 17th, use the promo code “ENCDECADE” to save 10% off your order on Encarded.com. Also, ALL ORDERS OVER $35 will automatically get a pair of free decks, one Tendril: Nightfall, and one Tendril: Ascendant.

ONE very lucky random customer will get an original Tendril deck, sealed and in perfect condition added to their order. The original Tendril is hard to find and shows up on eBay occasionally, but this is a great chance to get one straight from the source. 

Check out the sale on Encarded.com.

News: Encarded Just Announced RADIA Playing Cards, And It Is Stunning!

Paul Carpenter has just unveiled RADIA, the latest limited edition release from Encarded and a bold new vision in playing cards. RADIA is the first modern deck to combine the finest traditional paper stock with a complete coating of metallic foil and the highest quality printed details. According to Paul at the 52+Joker convention,

By printing an intricate design right on the foil, RADIA has unparalleled shine and visual dimension, but with its high-performance coating it also handles like any modern playing card should, fanning and shuffling beautifully.

RADIA is the spiritual successor to the highly-regarded Aurum deck and incorporates the beautiful purple, gold, and pearlescent white found in the Aurum Sovereign and White Gold versions. RADIA is packed with incredible detail in the back design, inspired by a 19th-century Spanish gold engraving.

Housed in a beautiful tuck with pearlescent paper, purple ink, gold foil, embossing and a custom die-cut, RADIA is the perfect combination of simplicity and complexity. Only 1000 decks were printed, each individually numbered and sealed.

Radia revealed. The first production deck that combines traditional paper stock, a complete metallic foil coating and traditionally printed inks. Only a handful of the limited edition 1000 decks remain, get yours at Encarded.com now. #playingcards #limitededition #collector #encarded

A post shared by Paul Carpenter (@encarded) on Oct 13, 2017 at 4:38pm PDT

A handful of RADIA decks are still available for pre-order at Encarded.com and all decks will be shipping near the end of October.

Review: Encarded's Aurum Sovereign and Aurum White Gold

Encarded is a staple in the playing card community. It didn't take them long to get there thanks to releases like Aurum. Aurum was launched on Kickstarter in October of 2012 for early supporters and then released to the masses (5,000) shortly after. The deck comes in a few editions with the flagship deck being the purple "Sovereign" edition (4,500 released) and a special "White Gold" edition  also being released in very limited quantities (500). Both decks will be reviewed here on TuckCase.com in this post. There was also a very, very limited release of 90 Aurum Laser Cut edition decks.

To get started here is what Encarded.com has to say about Aurum:

Aurum is designed to be intricate, elegant and fit for the Venetian royalty that inspired it. Every card is intricately designed and features multiple metallic inks and was also carefully crafted to be "purposefully imperfect." The court figures are all based on the familiar Bicycle court but were painstakingly redrawn to have many subtle imperfections and asymmetric features. 

The specs:

Name: Aurum Sovereign and Aurum White Gold
Company: Encarded
Release Date: October/November 2012
Stock: Bee Casino Stock
Finish: Magic Finish
Colors: Deep purples, Gold
Face: Standard
Size: Poker

Before we go in depth, most are probably wondering what makes Aurum Sovereign different from the Aurum White Gold playing cards. The only difference in these two decks is with the tuck cases or card boxes. Sovereign features the purple tuck and White Gold features the pearlescent white tuck. As stated previously, Aurum Sovereign was released with 4,500 decks and the Aurum White Gold edition only released 500. The actual playing cards are not different.

On to the review...

The strongest element that both Aurum decks have over every other deck released in the playing card industry are their tuck cases. Aurum's tuck case features gold metallic inks, embossing, custom colors, pearlescent finish (White Gold edition) and custom diecut on the back.

Both tuck case designs features an intricate gold swirling centerpiece design reminiscent of the design/patterns on a Venetian mask.  This centerpiece design wraps around the front to the right side of the tuck case, which forces you to examine the entire case. You are eventually greeted with the unique diecut element on the back revealing the inside of the deck and the actual playing card.   While a lot of today's modern decks feature metallic inks and embossing, Aurum is taken an extra step further by adding the custom diecut element.

Although an incredible design style, the diecut feature does leave the actual cards more exposed to the elements so be mindful of that. If you put this deck in your pocket make sure the edges of the diecut do not get caught on anything before you take it out. You may want to use a card clip if you are going to take these over a friend's house for a weekend poker game.

The White Gold Edition features the white pearlescent finish as seen here:

Once you can get yourself away from admiring the tuck case, you will open the tuck case to a deck of 56 cards. The standard 52, two jokers and 2 gaff cards. The back design is a white bordered, purple back with the Venetian swirl design in the center creating the two way design. There is a continuous line that swirls in the background of the cards. This is more of a secondary but up-close design feature found while examining the cards beyond a glance. The background is then bordered by a gold line with an inside shadow. The line work combined with the border creates a depth to the cards that would not be there if it was just a solid purple background to white border.

Notice in the photo below you can see the swirls within the back design of the card:

The Ace of Spades features a spade in the form of what looks like a Venetian fan. The spade shape is in black with the more intricate design elements of the fan in gold. The spade pops out as the primary design element, while the gold creates the depth and ties the entire design in with the Venetian theme. A downside to the Ace of Spades is that the company's name is located on the card in an illegible small font in gold ink. Since the Ace of Spades also features the continuous line work in the background, it fights with the name. Ultimately, the name ends up getting lost.

The court cards are an interesting and exciting bunch. Although the court cards are in the Anglo-American style as your standard cards are, they are completely redrawn and recolored. If you look closely on each court card you will notice that there are minor differences in the faces, hands and dress. All of these differences make these court cards somewhat flawed but it is not a bad thing by any means. According to Paul this subtle design element was intentional. The differences just add to the amount of detail Paul puts into these cards. To the untrained eye, one will not notice a thing but if you are really paying attention to the detail you will be pleasantly surprised by this differences Paul decided to add.

With that, since this deck is inspired by Venetian royalty it would have been exciting to see some of the Venetian masks incorporated in with the court cards. Imagine a King of Spades designed to look like a Medico della peste or Plague doctor!

It should be noted that the court cards have somewhat of a wax-like or foggy look to them when compared to other standard court cards. It could be the line work + the matte like appearance due to the finish/stock + the color combos + the grayish background. At any rate, this is not a bad thing but it does not add to the design. It just exists on the cards. With that, the cards are not wax-like by touch or handling.

The number cards were given all new custom pips as seen in the image below:

The borders on the pips utilize the same type of line work found on the background on each and every card. This takes the pips from being somewhat standard recolored pips to pips with depth and character. These pips may even make you want to hold onto a 2-7 off suit starting hand in Texas Hold 'Em.  Actually, it may be exaggerated to say these cards will mess up your poker game (that is on you) but it proves the point that these cards are something to be admired. Just make sure you do it when you don't have money on the line.

Here is a close up image of the continuous line work found on the background of each and every card:

The Jokers feature two different colored Venetian Jokers that you may find at the Carnival of Venice. This is the biggest tie in to the theme of the deck given that not only do you see the line work but you will also see the elaborate masks that have been famous since the Renaissance.  A very nice touch and a great deck to use if you plan to use the Jokers.

The cards handle much like a standard Bee Deck of playing cards. These cards are great for playing poker and various card games as they stood the test of time after many shuffles, dealing and handling. They seemed a bit stiff at first but after a few passes at handling they become more comfortable but they never lost form.

Notes on Encarded's Aurum Playing Cards:

• Aurum is the latin term for gold. 


• The Carnival of Venice was actually banned in the late 1700's by the King of Austria. [source]


•  This is Paul Carpenter's second deck with Encarded. The first deck was the Tendril deck, inspired by the rain forests of Costa Rica.

Final Assessment: Encarded's Aurum is hands down a beautifully crafted deck with subtle elements for the designer type or for anyone that appreciates great design and detail. In other words, this deck holds more than what the average eye can point out. It is simple, yet detailed and elaborate. It is historical, yet in style. Designers should get this deck for inspiration, poker players should bring this out to spice a game up and collectors will want this deck for not only it's limited releases but for it's total beauty. Encarded is hot right now and they are only getting hotter.  Aurum is the deck to have and without it, your collection is incomplete.

Final Score: 9.7

News: Encarded Celestial Playing Cards Available for Pre-Order Today!

Celestial Playing Cards is the latest limited release from Encarded. Inspired by the astronomical instruments of ancient times, the charts of the sky and the limitless bounds of imagination, Celestial comes in two beautiful editions, the Red Edition and the Black Edition.

The rich Red Edition features a simple and bold designed red back incorporating dynamic edge detail that makes spreads and fans look amazing. The tuck showcases both pearlescent white and metallic red foils, detailed embossing, custom numbered seal and adorned with details you've come to expect from Encarded. Only 1000 individually numbered Celestial Red decks have been printed.

The dramatic Black Edition features full-bleed black backs and faces, with the back design produced in metallic red foil! The eye-catching shimmering red design line on the backs will be perfect for cardistry. The Celestial Black box comes with dramatic red foil, glossy UV spot ink and large blind embossing on a thick matte black stock. Only 500 individually numbered Black decks are available.

Like all Encarded decks, the faces are custom yet familiar and perfectly playable. Celestial is printed by the EPCC on the popular Classic Stock. Available for pre-order, November 22nd at 12pm EST exclusively on Encarded.com. If it's anything like its predecessors, it won't last long.

Don't miss out!

Kickstarter: Encarded's Bicycle Deco Playing Card Project Launches, Instantly Reaches Goal

Bicycle Deco Playing Cards, the highly anticipated project from Paul Carpenter and Encarded, launched today on Kickstarter and instantly reached it's goal in under 10 minutes. The project will accept funding for another 27 days until July 29th when Kickstarter will officially fund the project. Shipping is expected to occur this September.

Click here to visit the Bicycle Deco Kickstarter project. 

Bicycle Deco is a two-deck playing card project that features a silver and a bronze deck. Inspired by classic casino playing cards like Jerry's Nuggets and Golden Nugget Gambling Hall playing cards, these two new Deco playing card decks are fully custom cards designed in an Art Deco style of the early 20th century.

Paul goes in depth about the design of Bicycle Deco on the Encarded Blog - Click Here!


Because it is in Paul's vision to guarantee Kickstarter backers their decks, Deco was set at a low goal of only $1K. These decks will be sold on Encarded.com once they are available but Encarded is giving Kickstarter backers an early stab at it. Because once this deck series is gone, it is gone - Only 2,500 pairs will be printed.

Here is a quick look at the Bicycle Deco Playing Cards courtesy of the project's Kickstarter page:

All The Decks Announced at the 52 Plus Joker Convention

Playing Cards collectors, designers, magicians, producers, and cardists have gathered in Hilton Charlotte University Place Charlotte, NC for the annual 52 Plus Joker convention last weekend. At this year's event, a few stunning decks were announced. Check it out:

Image above by @encarded. Used with permission.

Exquisite Fortuna

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The Exquisite Fortuna is a triple foil beauty published by @expertpcc and designed by @thirdway_industries That back is stunning! #52plusjoker #playingcards

A post shared by Encarded Inc. (@encarded) on Oct 11, 2019 at 10:57am PDT

Chronos

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Another beautiful item from @lotrek_oath called Chronos. Limited to 220 decks with an “aged” box, each unique. The pearlescent card stock is a great touch.

A post shared by Encarded Inc. (@encarded) on Oct 11, 2019 at 5:43am PDT

52 Plus Joker Club Deck: The Entertainer

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THE ENTERTAINER: 52Plus Joker club deck 2019

A post shared by Oath Playing Cards (@oathpcc) on Oct 14, 2019 at 6:43am PDT

NPCCD 2019: Palace

More images in our first looks published a few days ago. Courtesy of Seasons Playing cards.

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⏱️//CONTEST TIME//🏺⠀ ⠀ National #CardCollectionDay is just 3 days away! To celebrate the holiday we're asking all of YOU👊 to join in on the fun by sharing photos of your collection with the event tag and get multiple chances to win this year's 2019 NPCCD Palace Edition Deck.⠀ . 3 Categories To Enter. 3 Chances To Win:⠀ . 1) 'ONE AND ONLY': Take a picture of your single FAVORITE deck and explain why it stand out above the rest for you! Only posts with a single deck are eligible. 2) 'URBAN PLANNING': Show off your FULL collection. The bigger, the better! Dealing with big card collections take time and EFFORT. Show us how you store or display your collections. Any picture with more than 24 decks will be eligible. 3) 'CREATIVE DIRECTION': Get inspired and take a photo that'll catch someone's eye with your card collection. Be crazy with your videos and your shots. ⠀ *Be sure to label in your post which categories you are entering for. Winner drawn randomly from each category so feel free to share multiple photos.⠀ . Entry Rules:⠀ 1) Must be following @seasonsplayingcards ⠀ 2) Tag #CardCollectionDay in your entry⠀ 3) Post can be photo or video.⠀ 4) Only posts dated in the month of Oct 2019 will be eligible for contest. You are allowed to reuse older photos but must republish them as new with event tag to be seen for judging.⠀ 5) Contest ends midnight Oct 21st

A post shared by Alexander Chin (@seasonsplayingcards) on Oct 14, 2019 at 5:26pm PDT

Dogwood

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Back from the @52plusjoker convention with a small beautiful collection in tow and wanted to share. I think I even see the new 2019 NPCCD deck in there as well. :D . Oct 17th is around the corner. Share a picture of your collection with the hashtag #CardCollectionDay for your chance to add a deck to your own collection! A new contest announces tomorrow. . . . . . #cardart #cardistry #cardcollection #playingcards #cardporn #theory11 #artofplay #uspcc #customplayingcards #playingcardcollection

A post shared by Alexander Chin - Card Artist (@seasonsplayingcards) on Oct 13, 2019 at 5:33pm PDT

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Kickstarter: Tendril Ascendant and Tendril Nightfall Playing Cards

Here's an exclusive first look of what is sure to be one of the most coveted decks this year, Tendril Ascendant and Tendril Nightfall by Encarded. Both worthy successors to the highly sought-after original Tendril playing cards.

[Update] Project is now LIVE on Kickstarter.

The first deck is called Ascendant. Its design incorporates all the refinements that Encarded have learned over the years and mixes those with the organic symmetry first seen in the original Tendril. The colors are bold, the borders are intense, the faces are dark and the level of detail has been increased.



Second is called Nightfall, a mirror of the original with much the same art and layout. Encarded designed the original to be as if you were in the tropical rainforest, peering up at the sun through the natural habitat. Nightfall is that same view, but time-shifted to the evening, when the moon is glowing and the light is cool and dark. Encarded subtly refined many aspects of the original design and added some visual texture and detail.

The most eye-catching item in the project is the MegaTuck. This never seen before tuck will hold one of each deck in the Trilogy: Tendril, Ascendant and Nightfall. It is hand-crafted of fine papers, with precision cut viewing windows that will show the three holographic signature seals from each deck, as well as a top window to get a small peek inside. There is a contrasting belly band with a hand foiled Tendril design and the individual edition number. The box will be signed in silver ink. Because these are handmade, and because Encarded have only a handful of original Tendril decks left, this is a VERY limited item.

Tendril Ascendant and Nightfall will be available on Kickstarter from 1 December 10am EST and will be printed by USPCC. There are a couple of add-ons available, including a coin, uncut sheets and a holographic signature panel which can be added to any deck.

Don't miss out!

Exclusive First Look at Priory Playing Cards

It's been a while since we've featured an Encarded deck on Kardify. Paul Carpenter is back with Priory playing cards featuring bold colors and modern sweeping lines. Like all Encarded previous releases, Priory is truly eye-catching.

The design of Priory is inspired by a small fresco motif found in a French church built in the 13th century. On the design elements, Paul told Kardify,

It’s amazing how design can transcend time and allow us to reinterpret the long past into the current day. While there are only a few elements in the back design, the repeated and rotated combination creates a visual riot of movement that draws the eye back and forth across the design. 

Edge details mean that fans look amazing, and the unique coloring combination will certainly stand out from the crowd. The faces are fully custom, with unique pips and a modern typeface, while the courts feature a bold “reversed” look with intense pinks, reds, and blacks. No matter how you look at it, the cards explode with color and movement.

Priory will be available in three editions, each more limited than the last. The Primary Edition is numbered 1-1500 and sealed with a custom holographic seal. The tuck box is printed on a heavy-duty gloss white cardstock with embossing and full coverage inks that highlight the bold, primary colors of the Priory. 

The Nave Edition is numbered 1-500 and sealed with a custom holographic seal. The tuck box has no ink and uses silver holographic foil and embossing on a custom, rich blue cardstock to create a purposefully minimalistic version of the Priory design motif. The Nave edition is clean and composed on the outside, with a burst of colorful cards inside.

Finally, the Premiere Edition features an exclusive, silver holo gilding on the cards. Only a few dozen of these decks will be available to the public. The tuck box is handmade by Paul Carpenter, with the design printed on a metallic quartz white cardstock, and then laser cut and assembled. The intricately cut box is designed to provide glimpses of the gilded cards inside. The deck will be delivered in a protective clear sleeve from Carat Cases that is sealed with an Encarded holo seal. A certificate of authenticity will be included.

Priory is printed by Expert Playing Cards with their Stud finish and a very snappy, thin stock. They will be available exclusively on encarded.com on 6th February at 10AM EST.

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