Have a Look at the 52 Plus Joker 2023 Club Deck

This year’s 52 Plus Joker club deck is a collab between the talented Brendan Hong and Will Kalush of the Expert Playing Card Company. The 2023 Club Deck has been masterfully crafted and is a true embodiment of the world’s greatest playing card collector’s association.

This is no ordinary deck; it’s a piece of art with features that will delight any card enthusiast. It includes a full deck of 52 cards, accompanied by two Jokers. The deck showcases fully custom court cards, each infused with timeless motifs.

Also, each deck bears a unique sequential numbering on the Ace of Spades, making them even more exceptional.

The cards’ backs feature stunning foil accents, adding a touch of luxury to your card games. If you look closely, you’ll find several “Easter eggs” hidden within the deck, adding an element of surprise and delight.

The tuck box is a work of art itself, adorned with spot UV embossing and two different kinds of hot foil. Both the interior and exterior of the deck’s foil-stamped sleeve feature impressive embossing, elevating its aesthetics. Each tuck is sealed with a custom 52 Plus Joker numbered seal.

Printed by the Expert Playing Card Company in China on Classic Finish stock with a print run of 1000 numbered decks. Available to members (limit of 3 decks) on 52plusjoker.org for $35.

Cartamundi Announces Strategic Move to Elevate Playing Card Production

In a recent statement from Cartamundi, significant changes in their European production were revealed, impacting customer experience. The decision entails moving ALL European production to their Fournier plant in Spain, starting January 2024. Despite challenges, Cartamundi aims for smoother operations, improved efficiency, and quality.

The transition acknowledges concerns and ensures quality standards at the Fournier plant will either match or exceed those in Belgium. Amid this shift, Cartamundi anticipates faster cutting, consistent quality, and superior finishes. The team behind the B9 true linen finish will guide the transition process.

Due to capacity and unforeseen factors, there will be a temporary production pause until January. Cartamundi prioritizes minimizing disruptions and maintaining timely deliveries. Regular updates will address project feasibility and progress.

Cartamundi acknowledges the uncertainties surrounding this shift and welcomes customer inquiries. The company is dedicated to innovative solutions and expresses gratitude for continued trust. The communication concludes with an appreciation for customer partnership.

UC X Jack Brutus Penny- Nazo Nazo Playing Cards

After acquiring the United Cardists forum last year, Portfolio52 released the successful Odd Fellows playing cards series in collaboration with Stockholm17 as part of the UC annual deck. This year, the annual deck will be designed by Jack Brutus Penny. Based in Japan, Jack is known for his artwork inspired by animals and Japanese culture.

Nazo Nazo Playing Cards shows the fantastic Japanese inn crowded with anthropomorphized animals integrated into a large-scale mural. You would see all the cute characters doing some activities within the interiors of the inn done in large illustrations segmented as small pieces of cards. The name of the series, “Nazo Nazo” literally means “puzzles and riddles” in Japanese – this deck of cards has a lot to offer: jigsaw puzzles, word puns, proverbs, stories, and visual scavenger hunts.

There are three editions of Nazo Nazo available during the Kickstarter campaign – Guest House, Tatami Room, and Onsen. Each edition will have completely different artwork on both the cards and the tuck boxes, but everything is all Jack’s heart and soul.

The Guest House is the standard edition of the series, which is only printed on standard stock and finishes. The Tatami House is called the puzzle edition, promising a deck of cards fashioned to be full of puzzles and riddles. The Onsen House is the exclusive Kickstarter edition featuring cards gilded with beautiful gold foil.

The tuck boxes for the series themselves are masterpieces of their own. It is made with premium stock with the unique shape of a tongue flap and die-cut windows across faces and sides. These windows allow you to view the integration of the card back design with the artwork on the tuck box.

The artworks on the box are intricate and full of details, showing the beautiful rooms that represent the name of the edition. It does have customized embossing on the artwork, and most prominently, the holographic foiling for the clouds on the box. The artwork on the side creates an interesting display – getting one of each of the editions, you create half of the building; combining two sets altogether and you will have the full picture of the Nazo Nazo inn.

The characters who appeared within the large mural of the cards featured pets owned by various people who are experts in some of their fields in Japanese culture, like origami, pottery, horseback archery, calligraphy, and more. The profits from the project’s outcome will be given to Animal Refuge Kansai (ARK) to help rescue and rehouse abandoned and displaced cats and dogs in Japan.

All of the cards will be printed with Expert Playing Cards Co. Pledge starts at $16 on Kickstarter.

Genoese Tarot Playing Cards by Elettra Deganello

Designed by Elettra Deganello, the Genoese Tarot is a deck of playing cards crafted for card games that were still played in several European countries. The card design combines the elegance of the traditional Genoese 40-card deck with the iconic vivid imagery of the French Marseilles tarot. This deck will have a total of 88 cards: 56 suit cards, 21 trumps, 1 fool, 2 jokers, and 8 extra cards. Everything will be fully customized with Elettra’s artwork.

The court cards feature beautifully drawn two-way courts, complete with iconographies and visuals based on historical references. Each court will have an index as well as the name of the card in Italian. For this tarot deck, the courts include an extra figure: the Cavalier (or knight), a character figure with a horse, is added to all four suits and ranks between the Jack and the Queen.

The Number and Aces are based on traditional French playing cards with a clean minimalistic design. Two of the cards have a special design. The Seven of Diamonds has a subtle ornament on the center pip which referenced the card that plays a special role in a trick-taking card game.

The Ace of Hearts features a linework art of a historical allegory of Genoa, a griffin prevailing over an eagle and a fox. The Jokers feature an illustration of Janus, the two-faced Roman god as well as the ancient symbol of Genoa.

The Trump cards are the main distinguishing feature of the tarot deck. Both Fool and the rest of the Trumps feature beautifully detailed two-way artworks that have subtle differences between the two sides. You can see how these illustrations resembled the iconic Marseilles Tarot. These cards will have a big number index along with their Italian name.

The extra cards in the deck are 6 game cards, an extra third Joker, and an extra trump card. These game cards are “cheat sheets” to help you remember the rules of some of your favorite card games. The third Joker is used as an acknowledgment card. The extra Trump card is called “butterfinger”, described as a wild card in case the deck is missing a Trump card.

The back design is inspired by the traditional Genoese laggioin, the colorful ornamental glazed tiles that decorate the staircases and interiors of many local palaces – these are inspired by traditional Iberian and Islamic art.

It is a symmetrical geometric pattern with flowers and diamonds. The color of the back is green with hints of gold and white. The gold color on both faces and back will be printed with metallic ink. The cards will be produced by Cartamundi on a superluxe board with standard varnish.

There are two editions of the deck: Standard and Deluxe. The Standard Edition will have cards tucked inside a classic box that mirrors the card back design. The Deluxe Edition will have cards gilded with gold foil and tucked inside a specially-produced tuck box with a detailed illustration of 15th century Genoa cityscape done in bronze and gold hot foil. Both tucks will be produced by Boschiero & Newton.

Pledge starts at $22 for a single Standard Genoese Tarot on Kickstarter. Don’t miss out!

52 Plus Joker 2022 Club Deck Revealed!

The Joker Plus 52 2022 club deck was revealed yesterday by William Kalush of Expert Playing Card Company on the first day of the 52 Plus Joker Convention 2022 held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The elegant deck is created by Jody Eklund exclusively for 52 Plus Joker. This limited edition deck is a superb deck that embodies the world’s greatest playing card collector’s club.

Inside, the deck features a borderless card back design, fully customized regal and refined courts, and jokers.

Stunning full flood foil has been used on both sides of the cards, making them look incredibly stunning.

The deck is kept secured in a tuck box made of soft-touch stock that has pillow-like embossing. You will notice a special laser-cut, custom-shaped band wrapper with gold foil around the tuck box.

Printed by the Expert Playing Card Company and available to members (limit of 2 decks) on 52plusjoker.org for $30.

Final Week! Mechanimals Playing cards on Kickstarter

Celsius Pictor together with our friend Max of Max Playing Cards is currently seeking funds on Kickstarter for a deck with a unique and meticulously crafted universe that honors the history of playing cards.

Mechanimals Playing cards is a true work of art with 100% custom design without neglecting deep respect for the history of traditional playing cards based on the following narrative,

July 25, 1880. In a small inn on the Spain-France border along the Way of Saint James, an exhausted pilgrim recovers his strength with a jug of wine after his journey. He takes a deck of well-worn playing cards out from his bag and invite his table companions to play a game. The deck was printed in England, with the tax mark on the Ace of Spades. Each card, from numbered to court, reproduces the already centuries-old printing traditions. The pilgrim deals the cards, and the game begins.

Celcius is passionate about details, elegance, and storytelling. Mechanimals is a personal project that brings together all his passions, developed over the last years of his career, and which he intends to share with the playing cards community.

Every aspect of this deck is thought out and illustrated in great detail to create an atmosphere that carries you to a unique historical universe, blending the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution in a bunch of imaginative and surprising characters.

Each face card features beautifully illustrated characters that honor the heritage and history of European playing cards in a unique and fantastical way. Celcius continues,

We could create a story between them, imagining how King David, the lion of the Judah tribe interacts with the knight Lahire or the beautiful lady of clubs in that medieval city in which they all live, but I would love if you could create yourself a new story each time you spread out all the cards.

For the card back design, four warriors distributed around a pond guard the card. Arriving in Europe from Jerusalem under the command of the great Sultan Saladin, these four warriors stand guard in an environment inspired by the medieval Arab art and atmosphere of the ancient kingdom of Al-Andalus.

TWO editions are available during the campaign- the limited edition and DeLuxe Gilded edition. The limited-edition deck is housed in an embossed tuck case with a design reminiscent of a luxurious skyline from the European Middle Ages. The tuck back is an elaborate coat of arms that combines the mechanics and heraldry typical of tradition. The inside of the tuck hides a secret,

As a surprise in this collectible deck, the inside of the tuck case hides a surprise: an image of the moment in which the first cards were possibly designed, and that can only be seen in its entirety if the case is disassembled. An inaccessible design just as the artisans of the Gothic cathedrals carved figures on the inaccessible roofs to delight only the sight of God.

The DeLuxe Gilded edition deck comes with a stunning die-cut tuck case sleeve. It enhances the elegance and beauty of this deck and shows Domenico Gonzaga, one of the first condottiere who fought in Italy during the Renaissance.

From this luxurious sleeve, this Renaissance great man sponsors and protects the Mechanimals deck, with a metallic blue reminiscent of ultramarine blue, the finest and most expensive pigment used by artists from the Renaissance to today!

Printed by Legends Playing Card Co. and pledge starts at $18 on Kickstarter.

David Blaine' BLRD Playing Cards Drops Today!

After a successful drop of their first two decks last year, Red Black is here with yet another stunning deck, BLRD. This first edition deck will be released today (July 4th, 1pm EST) for $25 and like the previous drops, this deck will go FAST!

Over a decade in the making, this optical illusion-marked deck has quickly become a favorite among David Blaine and his closest magician collaborators. Mathieu Bich presented this design to David and he instantly understood the strength of this marking system, and this incredible deck was created.

BLRD playing cards are a stealth magic deck. This ‘reader’ system is not easy to learn, once it’s seen, it can’t be unseen. The BLRD system allows for a deceptively fast read of the value and suit of each playing card, even from a distance. 

This edition of BLRD features cold foiled card backs, numbered seals, and an embossed and foiled tuck. Only 52 decks have been signed by David Blaine and will be sent to randomly selected customers. If you miss out on this release, the standard editions will be coming soon.

Printed on Viper Finish from Legends Playing Card Co., this ultra-thin, soft card stock is engineered to be long-lasting and handle smoothly in varying climates. Limited edition of 2000.

This deck will be released today (July 4th, 1pm EST), don’t miss out!

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.

Theory11 Releases Yellow Submarine Playing Cards

Theory11 has just released the special edition Yellow Submarine playing cards inspired by the 1968 Beatles animated film. In this musical comedy-adventure film, Paul, John, George, and Ringo takes a journey on a yellow submarine to Pepperland to save the music-loving inhabitants from the Blue Meanies!

 

The eye-catching deck takes fan-favorite characters and artwork from the iconic animated musical adventure. 

The tuck box, the back design, and all face cards have been meticulously crafted to pay tribute to Yellow Submarine. The decks are illustrated with remarkable details and colorful, vibrant imagery. 

The deck is packaged in a yellow tuck box dressed in the iconic style of Yellow Submarine, perfectly representing the character and life of both the film and album. The tuck box comes with tactile embossing and deep black foil accents. 

Available now from theory11.com for $12.95. Take a dive into the wonderful, whimsical world of Yellow Submarine and become a part of the experience that revolutionized the art of animation. 

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Now on Kickstarter, Red Rising Playing Cards by Midnight Cards

The officially-licensed Red Rising Decks are designed by Randy Butterfield of Midnight Cards and feature character illustrations by Briana Crotinger (Instagram: @pb.doodles). Everything within is based on the first trilogy of Red Rising books from author Pierce Brown.

Utilizing Briana’s beautiful character drawings as the centerpiece, the design for the Red Rising Decks is meant to let them shine and to complement PB’s drawing style. The 12 Court characters depict the following characters:

HEARTS: Darrow / The Reaper, Virginia / Mustang and Sevro / Goblin

SPADES: Ragnar Volarus, Aja / Protean Knight and Cassius / Morning Knight

DIAMONDS: Nero au Augustus, Octavia / The Sovereign and Roque au Fabii 

CLUBS: Fitchner au Barca, Victa au Julii, and Adrius / The Jackal 

Each Court lists the character’s name in a location that doesn’t detract from the rest of the design. The Jokers feature Darrow O’ Lykos and Eo of Lykos.

The corners for each Face Card contain either Red or Gold imagery. Both sets of corner coloring subtly fade to Black at the edges, which means gameplay will not be compromised. 

The pips each feature some of the Red Rising iconography: House Mars for the Hearts, Gold Sigil for the Spades, Red Sigil for the Diamonds, and The Society for the Clubs.

The card back for the Red Rising Deck features the black wings from the Tuck Box and also utilizes a combination of the Gold, Red, and House Mars sigils.

The tuck box for the Red Rising Deck is an inverse of the original Red Rising book cover. Black wings are featured over the red textured background. The top, right, and bottom panels are designed to look like the edges of a book. The left panel is the book’s spine. When assembled together, the Red Rising Tuck Box will look like a mini version of a book.

The tuck will be printed on a premium paper stock. The Exterior will be printed with 4-Color Process + Silver FOIL. The Interior pattern design will be printed in 4-Color Process.

Meanwhile, the House Mars edition deck prominently features the House Mars sigil on both the tuck and the card backs. It has rough texture imagery within the wolf head and is set off nicely with the contrast of the black rock texture background. Scattered throughout the Tuck Box and Back Card are elements of gold leaf designs. They symbolize an Iron Rain.

The tuck will be printed on a premium paper stock. The Exterior will be printed with 4-Color Process + Silver FOIL + Clear UV Spot Ink on the House Mars and Red sigils. The Interior will be flood-coated in PANTONE Black and the pattern will be stamped in Red FOIL. It will be extremely luxurious.

The Red Rising Decks will be printed by Legends Playing Card Co., with their China printer (and with  Classic Finish) and pledge starts at $20 on Kickstarter.

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Final Week on Kickstarter! The Great Creator Playing Cards

Following the success of the Devil's in the Details playing cards, Widakk Design in collaboration with Riffle Shuffle has launched the Great Creator deck on Kickstarter.

The ancient Sumerians believed that it was the primeval sea that created heaven and earth, then came the moon and the sun. These cards embodied the two canvases that represent the universe- the land and the sky, represented by the Earth Edition and Sky Edition.

The intricate back design features symmetrical decorations of the Greek architecture surrounding the borders. At the center of the canvas lies two guardian lions for the Earth Edition. Lion is often represented as the king of the jungle. While the Sky Edition follows the same design pattern, the center guardian animal is now a majestic eagle watching over the entire deck.

The number cards follow the same classic pattern as regular number cards. The Earth suit symbols are infused with beautiful flower petals with gold borders surrounding them. While the Sky suit symbols embody the vast skies in the form of a star-shaped icon.

Every single one of the custom court cards are holding an item that helps the process of creating the world. Some court cards are holding farm animals that are essential for human survival. 

The bold Ace of Spades is guarded by two ancient guardians side by side, with the spade symbol in the center. Below the symbol is a totem of the god and goddess. The Earth edition reads the banner: “Goddess of Earth”, while the Sky edition reads “God of Heavens”.

The Jokers of the Great Creator Deck showcase the Goddess of Earth herself creating what seems to be a silhouette of a woman and the God of the Heavens creating a silhouette of a man. 

The two editions complete the picture by forming an entire globe on the tuck case. In the front of the Sky Edition tuck box, the creator is holding his hand above the globe, while the tuck back showcases the creator placing a star onto his canvas while standing in the clouds. 

The Earth Edition is also a canvas to Mother Earth herself. The front of the tuck case features the creator and her guardian lion, carefully protecting the globe with life surrounding it. The back of the tuck case is viewed with the creator nurturing the land around her.

Both tucks feature a Green/Blue and Gold hot foil stamp with precision embossing. Also, the inner tuck case is printed with sophisticated Green/blue and Gold hot foil stamp artwork. Each comes with a custom foiled number seal.

Printed by Taiwan Playing Card Company with their Luxury Paper Stock. Available NOW on Kickstarter for $12.

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