The fifth 52 Plus Joker Club deck was presented at the 52 Plus Joker Annual Convention by none other than Lotrek! This year, the 2-time 52 Plus Joker Diamond Award winner has designed a stunning deck- The Entertainer.
The Club Deck is being offered to attendees of this years 52 Plus Joker Convention held in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Hilton Charlotte University Place. The convention draws a huge following from all corners of the globe and you would be hard pressed to find a larger collection of vintage playing cards and related items under one roof.
The eye-catching deck features an embossed tuck case with gold and silver foil accents. The cards are just as spectacular, with the same gold and silver foil used on the intricate card backs and face cards. On the inspiration, Lotrek said,
Because of the time period, I found the perfect wrapping for everything was my love for American typography and graphic design of the late 19th – early 20th century. More specifically, as typography appeared in sheet music covers. This artistic guideline gave me the freedom to use a lot of text all over the deck yet in a way that hopefully people will like and appreciate.
The suits are custom and showcase the intricate design work within the symbols. Silver foil is used to decorate the black suit, while gold foil is used on the red suit. According to Lotrek, this deck feautues and “industry first”,
Imagine combining both cold and hot foil printing. Yes, both foils shine. But they have different characteristics and limitations. This was purely experimental. But from my experience, I find the result to be beautiful. At the very least, hopefully you’ll find it interesting. In any case, to my knowledge, this has never been done before.
The deck also features a custom Ace of Spades, beautifully rich standard court cards and two custom Jokers depicting the 52 Plus Joker Logo.
For the courts, I trusted the long-loved standard scheme with some degree of customization. Initially, I thought to use my
own take on the standard courts as a base. After some time in designing the deck though, I realized they should feel more unique and related to the era of the deck. So, I transformed them and made them look engraved to give a 19th century vibe.
Like all 52 Plus Joker club decks are available to club members only. To join 52 Plus Joker and be eligible to purchase one or more of these find decks, head to 52plusjoker.org.
