Collections: Anubis & Osiris Luxury Playing Cards by Steve Minty

With so many choices and so many new projects popping up in the Playing Card community, it seems like the burning challenge for designers and artists is about building a better mouse trap. While I strongly believe that originality and creativity is still the key, many still put a lot of emphasis on something unique, different and that has never been done before. But there are those themes that have been around a while with varying successes and failures. Maybe not as persistent as Zombie decks, but Egyptian themed decks have been done numerous times, much like the Zombie decks though, we haven’t really seen an Egyptian themed deck taken to the next level, as it were.

That, I’m happy to report has changed for the Egyptian theme…..we can only hold our breath on the Zombie decks. Just a few months ago I received my Egyptian tandem from Steve Minty who launched a Kickstarter featuring two decks, the Osiris and the Anubis Luxury Playing Cards. I’ll be the first to admit that with any Kickstarter project you have to take the creators concept with a grain of salt, what the creator see’s in his mind’s eye sometimes falls a bit short of expectation. Not that the finished product is bad, but I’ve heard from creators themselves that it fell a bit short of their expectations. When I saw the Anubis and Osiris project I truly liked the design, the color palette’s being used and all the intricate line work and iconic elements of Egyptian culture that were being used throughout the two decks.

But what I received in the mail was just amazing. It doesn’t happen often that I’m really blown away by a deck the minute I take it out of its shipping package, but this was one of those times. While Steve described and detailed the decks perfectly on the campaign, including the gold foiling that was to be included on the back designs, its one thing to describe something, something completely different to see it in your hands. 

Osiris and Anubis feature two unique back designs, a beautiful set of custom court cards as well as custom spot cards, Ace of Spades and Jokers. The details across both decks are stunning and the color palettes are perfectly used on this theme. Both decks are presented in nice heavy stock tuck box, both featuring similar designs on the front, except the name of course, and on the back you have mirror versions of the actual back design. The detailed line work continues over the tuck flap and the decks are sealed with a striking custom “Stamp” like seal. Both decks have eye popping gold foil accents and a subtle embossing that makes them feel as luxurious as they look. The Anubis deck has an earthy color palette using browns and blacks as base colors and gold details that just pop off the cards. The hearts and diamonds do retain some red details in the pips on the spot cards as well as the royalty.   

The Osiris deck uses more of a bluish/turquoise color palette, again using brighter teal and gold colors to make the details jump off the cards. Just as the Anubis deck, the Osiris deck also retains that splash of red on the hearts and diamonds. While foil stamping card backs is becoming more readily seen in recent times, I have to say that the way it’s been presented on these two decks is nothing short of perfect. The detail coupled with the standard ink line work in the background is just stellar. It’s so amazing that honestly words can hardly do the decks justice. 

In a world of collectors who want to keep their decks sealed, I implore you, if you own either of these decks and haven’t opened them you’re really missing out on the overall beauty of these decks. And if you don’t own either, for the $18.00 price tag you couldn’t ask for more “Bang for your buck”. Steve did an amazing job with this project. The end result is just stunning, so much so I wonder if he even anticipated how well this Egyptian tandem turned out. Osiris and Anubis are most certainly on my top decks of 2016, pick a couple of these up, open them and enjoy them, you won’t regret it. 

You can keep up to date with everything Steve Minty is working on by following him on Facebook as well as his main site, which also features his store and all his wonderful works, past and present. 

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. 

Kickstarter: Ascension Playing Cards by Steve Minty

Since the epic Season 8 started this week, though we would feature this awesome deck! There's something special about Steve Minty decks, and his latest deck, currently funding on Kickstarter, is no different. Ascension Playing cards are epically designed and illustrated as an homage to his beloved TV series while giving it a spin in his style and interpretation. On how the deck came to be, Steve said on the project page,

To me, the aspect I wanted to focus on were the diverse "families" depicted in the series as opposed to individual heroes, villains and so forth. Each house has its own agendas and values that they live (or die, a lot) by and I couldn't help but find that intriguing. I thought to myself, how could I represent each family visually and voila, "Ascension Playing Cards" came into existence.

The deck features fully custom artwork from the gorgeous Aces, to the pips, indices, and courts featuring characters from the series. However, Steve points out that if backers are expecting specific characters, that's not happening. Steve explained,

While the characters are fantastic, I felt it was a disservice to the series and myself as it wouldn't be an inspiration, but rather a copycat. The face cards will follow a straightforward system of a patriarchal figure, matriarchal figure, children, advisors, and helpers.

When it came to designing the decks, Steve had to boil down the essence of the families into a couple of words to use as a foundation. The Wolves were dark, brooding and stalwart whereas the Lions were opulent, lush and ornate.

In addition to that, Steve felt that it was obvious to incorporate the moon and sun motifs as wolves have been synonymous with howling at the moon and lions basked in the warmth of the sun. The motifs visually contrasted with both families. Steve added,

Once I had figured this out, my final goal was to tie these decks together so that it would be obvious to a passerby that they were designed to be in the "siblings". One solution is to color swap and call it a different edition, but I felt it wasn't enough. I decided that I didn't want that and so I walked a fine line to make it different enough so it embodies the essence of my distillation while making sure it was similar enough to each other that it wasn't jarring. I hope I was able to achieve that.

Also available in this campaign is the Signature Edition decks. These incredible decks are able to stand out from other decks by incorporating a large 3d sculpted figurehead on a subdued tuck.



The tuck itself will also be metallic foiled but done in a way where it does not lose focus from the figurehead. The Signature Edition decks will come with a numbered edition seal as well as handcrafted edge gilding.

Printed by the United States Playing Card Co. and pledge starts at $15 for an Ascension deck on Kickstarter. Only 4 days to go... don't miss out!

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Kickstarter: 7 Questions with Steve Minty about Anubis and Osiris Playing Cards

Artist Steve Minty brings us a new look to an old but rich era, the Anubis and Osiris Playing Cards draw their inspiration from ancient Egypt. The bold decks combine a striking design with classic elements from Egyptian culture.

For those of you who may not know Steve very well, he was traditionally educated in the illustration and design field. He's also done branding and design for major sport stars and celebrities but that was a stepping stone and a steady income at the time. His goal, like many artists and designers was to work for himself one day and so he took that leap of faith to pursue his dream. He's lived abroad and has had the opportunity to experience cultures that many don’t have the opportunity to and he's drawn on all of those experiences to cultivate his sensibilities.

The journey is long, full of bumps and pits but nonetheless it is a very fulfilling journey and I can’t wait to see where it continues to take me!

This is Steve's 3rd project and Anubis and Osiris are currently Live on Kickstarter, and I'm happy to also add the project has already fully funded. The project has some great stretch goals and surprises in store between now and it's closing day. As with any project, it involves a ton of work and dedication, and we're thrilled Steve was nice enough to take a bit of time out of his schedule to talk about his current project.

Did the experience with your previous projects give you a better vision of how to approach the Anubis & Osiris decks?
I believe that I learn best through challenges and failures. In my previous projects I faced some complications and speed bumps with printer issues, shipping and etc and have grown immensely from them. My Muertos campaign allowed me to learn how to handle a large volume of orders under immense pressure. My Olympia campaign taught me the value of having a backup system after my files were wiped due to a hard drive malfunction and the importance of packaging. There’s still a lot more for me to learn but I'm confident that I'm even more prepared this time around.

Do you have a routine when coming up with a design concept?

I’m not sure if I would call it a routine but I always approach a concept by being myself. I ask myself what I like, what catches my eye and I work from there. I’m peculiar in that if I don’t like what I am doing, I simply don’t do it. I trust my sensibilities enough to incorporate it into the concept and it seems to have worked so far.

What was the inspiration and motivation behind the concept of Anubis & Osiris?
I was immediately drawn to Egyptian design during social studies class when I was a young lad. Something about the decadent and bold nature of that culture held my awe. I knew there was a huge craze with the Egyptian Revival but I hardly see it anymore. The decadent ornateness fell away in favor of modern sleek lines and my motivation was to bring back some of that luxury and blend it with my design sensibilities.

With a project so cemented in a rich culture, did you do any kind of research for this project?

Absolutely. I believe in order to offer something of quality, preparation is needed and but more importantly, a comprehension of what I want to tap into. Doing that requires a large pool of data and knowledge so I've been to the library, read up using the Internet when convenient, visiting museums and other sources. That the research I have done allows for me to bring out the essence of the whole theme through my art. I’ve done it with all of my designs and I will continue to do so in the future.

Most designers get very excited about an idea, what excites you about the Anubis & Osiris Decks?

That’s a good question. I’m excited about whether or not people share my tastes but I suppose the thing that I am most excited about is that I want to prove that good design doesn’t have to be a lot of white space, gridded and entirely too clean. Establishing my presence doesn’t hurt either.

Was it challenging to maintain some of the “Standard” deck features with the design style of the Anubis & Osiris deck?

It is, but at the same time, it’s fun to have some design challenges. 

There are certain aspects to deck design that I feel are necessary in order to call it a set of “playing cards.” By incorporating these standard features, I get a better sense of accomplishment when I get a deck I am comfortable with releasing to the public. I could have easily disregarded these features but as a newcomer, one of my goals is to stay true to the medium of playing cards to the point of fully understanding the medium.

Could you tell us about the two variations available for this project?

Originally, the decks were two colorways of the same deck called the Scarab Deck. Unfortunately, I found out weeks before release that another Scarabs Deck was released on kickstarter and that sent me into a panic mode.I reached out to my supporters to help me find a new name for the decks and it was then that I decided that I would differentiate the decks more than just colors. I discarded the original back design and redesigned it so it would be different for both decks. Not just that, I differentiated the Ace of Spades and vastly improved the original jokers. This was done partly with my supporters in mind as I figured they would become bored with just a simple color swap. Perhaps one day I’ll release the originals from the Scarab decks, but in the meantime, please enjoy the Anubis and Osiris deck!

We want to thank Steve Minty for his time and insight into his current project. As mentioned, the project is currently funding on Kickstarter, so go check out some of the deck details and pledge for a deck or two. Pledge tiers start at $15.00. 

If you would like to keep up to date with Steve's projects you can follow him on Facebook, and visit his website if your interested in picking up his previous products, Muerots and Olympia.

Kickstarter: Steve Minty's Thorns and Roses Playing Cards Unlocks All Stretched Goals

Steve Minty launched Thorns and Roses Playing Cards on Kickstarter earlier this month and the project was quickly funded with all stretched goals now unlocked. Inspired by the works of William Shakespeare, Steve sought to approach this deck based on the themes prevalent in Shakespear's work: Life and Death. According to Steve on the project page,

The themes of life and death are represented with the motif of Thorns and Roses. Thorns embody the pain of loss and death found in these works, while the Roses the sweetness of love and life.

The decks feature four of Shakespeare's best-known works: Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, and King Lear. The Roses deck interprets these characters with an item of significance while the Thorns deck depicts their method of death. Both fully custom decks are beautifully illustrated and feature gorgeous ornate design adorned with metallic ink.

In addition to the standard decks, the Thorns and Roses Limited Edition decks will be available during the campaign. The limited edition decks feature double foiling on colored stock paper, a 1-inch diameter metal stamped seal, numbered sticker seal, and handcrafted edge gilding.

Available now on Kickstarter, pledge starts at $15 for a single deck.

Kickstarter: Steve Minty's HANA Playing Cards Campaign Underway

Just launched on Kickstarter, HANA luxury playing cards is an original set of decks designed by Steve Minty. These decks are inspired by the unique elegance of traditional Japanese culture.

Elements from aspects of textile, art, and social structures are incorporated into this deck along with Steve's design sensibilities to make these different from what he has done before.

According to Steve,

As always, I work on projects that I have a connection to on a personal level. I knew since I first started designing playing cards that I wanted to work on a deck that revolved around Japanese culture. To do so, I traveled to Japan to research as well as gain some insight and inspiration. It was an unforgettable experience but I merely scratched the surface. In the span of 3 years, I spent countless hours on research, scoured through books ranging from Japanese society to samurai armor and even attended a few museum exhibits for the sake of this project.

The end result is truly beautiful. It draws upon the history of playing cards in Japan as well as the art that makes them special. Aspects of Feudal Japan, Hana Fuda, Kimonos, Ikebana, Ukiyo-e among others are incorporated into the decks.

HANA Playing Cards will be available in two editions: Silver and Gold. Both decks are unique and fully customized. Available NOW on Kickstarter. Pledge starts from $15 and add-ons such as uncut sheets and dealer coins are available.

Don't miss out!

Over 900% Funded! Anubis & Osiris Shadow Playing Cards by Steve Minty

Steve Minty has just released the Anubis & Osiris Shadow Playing Cards, an Eyptian themed limited edition custom deck. The campaign has hit over 900% of its funding goal of $20k with over 2400 backers. The brand new set is a follow-up to the original Anubis and Osiris Decks released 5 years ago. 

Demand has been high after the original sets were sold out but to keep the value of the original decks, Steve has decided to make a new set instead of just a reprint. 

The decks are inspired by the luxurious reverence of Egyptian Gods and Kings of the past. Elements from classical Egyptian era and the Egyptian Revival incorporated into this deck along with modern design make these decks truly special. According to Steve on the campaign page,

I have always been drawn to the luxury of Egyptian design and I knew vaguely of how people used to incorporate its elements into modern day life outside of Egypt but I could only guess on why it went away.

Osiris and Anubis Shadow Edition feature two unique back designs in stunning gold coil foil, a beautiful set of custom court cards feauting a select pantheon of Egyptian Gods as well as custom spot cards, and fully custom Aces, pips and indices. 

Rather than standard white borders, these decks are full color backgrounds and stand out from the usual. The details across both decks are stunning and the color palettes are perfectly used on this theme. 

Both decks are presented in stunning tuck boxes, both featuring similar designs on the front, and on the back showcase the actual back design. The detailed line work continues over the tuck flap and the decks are sealed with a striking custom “Stamp” like seal. 

They have eye popping gold hot foil accents and a subtle embossing that makes them feel as luxurious as they look. The Anubis deck has an earthy color palette using green as base color while the Osiris comes with a gold foil on rich purple tuck box. Stunning! 

The decks will be printed by Cartamundi and pledge starts at $17 on Kickstarter.

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Ascension V2 Playing Cards, Only 3 More Days on Kickstarter!

There's always something very new and exciting with Steve Minty's decks, who launched the Ascension Playing Cards V2 on Kickstarter last month. This time around, the Ascension decks focus on the Blood Dragons and the Dark Abyss.

Steve crafted Ascension V1 last year after a certain personally beloved series ended. He was inspired to create these decks as an homage while giving it a spin in his style and interpretation. Steve said,

Like last time, the aspect I wanted to focus on were the diverse "families" depicted in the series and culminated in the Blood Dragons and the Dark Abyss.

The campaign features two custom decks with different card backs and court cards. Additionally, the campaign has the Limited Edition decks that will not be sold in stores and Steve will not be making much more than what will be pledged on Kickstarter.

Steve once again use the essence of the families into a couple of words to use as a launching point for the design element of each deck. The Blood Dragons were powerful, strong and noble with the red/black colorway whereas the Dark Abyss were death, chaos and menacing depicted with a blue/dark blue color palette,

For the Blood Dragon, Steve approached the Blood Dragons design with heavy-looking thick scale-like motifs. 

I felt it invoked the essence of a powerful dragon without being obvious. This is reflected in the characters in terms of what they wear with and additional slight Asian influence.

Meanwhile, the Dark Abyss design features crystalline elegance and delicate peril like the sharpest sword made of ice. 

I designed it so some would be able to see it as ice while not being obvious. The characters are lead by the 3 generals (represented by spades) and the rest are the army of characters who have been "converted".

Steve has designed Ascension V2 in a way that it would be obvious that they were designed to be in the same series as V1. For the Dark Abyss deck, however, Steve had to push the differences a bit more as he felt they were beings that were otherworldly. This is most evident in the pips.

While the Silver Wolves, Golden Lions, and Blood Dragons decks use the same outline for the pips, I made the Dark Abyss pips sharper, more crystalline. 

Also available are the signature sets, similar to that from Ascension V1. The 3d sculpted figurehead of Blood Dragon will be RED CHROME finish on metal.

As for the Dark Abyss, the tuck itself will also be metallic foiled but done in a way where it does not lose focus from the frost figurehead. As usual, the decks will come with a numbered edition seal as well as handcrafted edge gilding.

Only 3 more days remaining, pledge starts at $15 on Kickstarter.

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Kickstarter: Hana Luxury Playing Cards by Steve Minty

Coming from Steve Minty, the Japanese inspired Hana Luxury Playing Cards! These decks will be launching at 12:00pm Central Time on Kickstarter Friday February 3rd. 

Make sure to mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information on Hana as the launch date approaches. 

Top 12: Playing Cards of 2018

This is a record year for playing cards! We have a record number of decks released and delivered this year. To celebrate, we've compiled 12 of our favorite decks for 2018 right here. A very challenging list to put together due to the number of decks in the market. We realized that the benchmark is increasing each year with designers and producers putting out stunning decks, trying new innovation and design styles. So, if you think we've missed your favorite deck, let us know in the comment section below. :)

Note that the selection expressed in this top 12 are solely those of the author and the list is in no particular order.

LUNA

Luna Decks by Bocopo Playing Cards Co. (BPCC) and Kevin Yu of Riffle Shuffle is an eye-catching deck with a revolutionary fanned deluxe tuck case. The deck has been inspired by the historical significance of the moon and sun in both Western and Chinese culture.

Cartomancer

Alain Benoit's Cartomancer Playing Cards won 52 Plus Joker's 'Deck of the Year' award for a very unique deck that fully incorporates themes of cartomancy into the deck design. Each card tells a story with an original illustration made with vintage engravings and prints. The whole deck paints the landscape of our lives in a beautifully nostalgic style. The result is a thought-provoking synergy between significance and design.

Illusion d'Optique

Seeing is not necessarily believing! Illusion d’Optique is the most jaw-dropping collection of optical illusion playing cards ever assembled. From Art of Play, the deck features 54 eye-popping original designs created by a master of visual perception, Gianni Sarcone. Watch closely as colors change, shapes transform and static, printed ink seems to come alive. The deck is housed in a wild, rainbow-sheen holographic tuck-case.

Junkanoo

This is an Uusi exclusive commission for Baha Mar Casino, "Junkanoo" is a playing card deck that pays homage to the storied, folk festival of the same name held every year in the Bahamas by the local island residents. The deck is fully custom with original artwork by Uusi and reflect the beauty and creative abundance of this local community and truly embody the Baha Mar catchphrase, Life Spectacular. The deck is packaged in a gorgeous tuck box, with gold foil details and embossed.

Hana

The Hana luxury playing cards is an original set of decks designed by Steve Minty. These gorgeous decks are inspired by the unique elegance of traditional Japanese culture. Elements from aspects of textile, art, and social structures are incorporated into this deck along with Steve's design sensibilities to make these different from what that has done before.

Damask

Lotrek Oath's stunning Damask Playing Cards is printed with two inks plus 4+1 foils on the face cards, 2 foils on the back, printed on a striking paper stock! Incredible! The deck features a floral design pattern throughout, from the borderless card backs to the Ace of Spades and the beautiful borders of the face cards.

El Recuerdo

Created with the spirit of freedom in mind, El Recuerdo Playing Cards by Sviatoslav Pashchuk are dedicated to Mexico’s heroic struggle for independence. The decks beautifully combine the modern attributes of Mexico with the history and traditions of the Incas and the Maya. The idea is to make El Recuerdo decks more graphics, similar to the old money used in Mexico in the 17th century. The face cards have a large number of symbols. Each suit has a unique armament of that time, the ancient Incas symbol, which symbolizes the suit, Mexico most recognizable plant, an integral part of the national cuisine. The center of each card contains Maya golden calendar and a decorative plate.

NPCCD 2018

To celebrate the 2018 National Playing Card Collection Day, Alex Chin has released the Official NPCCD Deck, a truly remarkable deck featuring the world’s first light filter that literally changes the design of the deck based on the filter of the tuck box. The chess-themed deck is fully custom and meticulously designed. The back design incorporates a mobius strip that reveals a sphere of 2 heads. The beautiful tuck box features gold and silver intaglio engraving onto astral pearl stock that exudes a feeling of luxury. Each box contains 2 large die-cut windows featuring either a red or blue “worldview” that shows the deck inside.

VIEWS

Luxurious and unique in design. VIEWS Playing Cards are an illusion-themed deck of cards designed by Yves Krähenbühl and produced by Nick Earl of Got Magic?. The cards are fully custom and designed from the ground up. The back design features the motion-like bending VIEWS dots with a mint undertone to create the illusion. The face cards have custom pips, and the modern clean-looking courts have Pantone metallic inks. The eye-catching tuck case is crafted out of a synthetic soft-touch paper by Clove St Press. It is surrounded by the mind-bending illusion card back design, hot-stamped in white and mint foil.

RIPNDIP Fontaine

Sold out in 10 minutes! Zach Mueller's highly anticipated Fontaine collaboration deck is the best collaboration deck yet. RIPNDIP is a Los Angeles based clothing brand that has a very specific voice and it often focuses on eccentric designs that aren't afraid to stray from the norm. This is clearly reflected on the FULLY custom RIPNDIP Fontaines. The tuck features RIPNDIP's iconic white cat, Lord Nermal. In fact, Lord Nermal is featured prominently throughout the deck. From the card back patterns, Aces to the pips, courts, and jokers.

Deck the Halls

Initially released as part of Kings Wild Shorts, the Deck the Halls: White Christmas Edition Playing Cards are designed to look like a sweater. The courts, face cards, Ace of Spades and card backs features embroidery artwork with three color thread. Definitely a unique deck for the holiday season and will surely put a smile on someone's face.

House of the Rising Spades

House of the Rising Spades Playing Cards are richly detailed and features Lorenzo Gaggioti's incredible artwork. The exquisite decks begin on the outside with a stunning tuck case and finished with breathtaking face cards inside. There's just so much to like about this deck!

Honorable mention: Delirium Lost Decks by Thirdway Industries, COBRA by JP Games Ltd, Untitled v1 by Adam Borderline, Maduro by Kings Wild Project, Maidens by J&T Playing Cards, Ragnorak by Design Imperator, Tigers by Kings Wild Project, Off the Wall by Art of Play, Orbit V5 by Orbit Brown, Red Cherry Casino by Pure Imagination Projects, Planets by Vanda, Papercuts by Art of Play,  ULTRA by Toomas Pintson, Odissea by Thirdway Industries and Alice in Wonderland by Playing Card Decks.


The selection expressed in this top12 are solely those of the author. 

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