Lance Mountain Doughboy Skateboard Playing Cards

Another collab playing cards between Fulton's Playing Cards and skateboarding legend and artist Lance Mountain. Lance brings his iconic Doughboy character to life in this unique deck celebrating skateboard art history.

Known for designing his own board graphics since the 1980s, Lance reimagines legendary skaters like Tony Hawk, Jeremy Klein, Ray Barbee, John Lucero, Matt Hensley, and Natas Kaupas in his distinctive style across every custom court card.

The back design is an all-new illustration inspired by Lance’s first pro model for Variflex (1980), created in honor of his 60th birthday.

The deck packaging features an embossed tuck box with UV gloss elements and is printed in China on cardistry-grade stock. Available for $20 from Fulton's Playing Cards.

Now on Patreon, Kardify Magazine Issue 92

Kardify Magazine Issue 92 is now on Patreon! Patrons who pledged $3 or more will be able to download the latest issue from our Patreon page. This issue compiles selected articles published from mid-December to mid-January. Deck images, articles, and news to keep you informed and up-to-date with the latest playing card news, releases, and previews. If you love playing cards, you will love Kardify Magazine!

Also, don’t forget to check out our other cool reward tiers on Patreon! The tiers include monthly desktop and smartphone wallpapers, a mystery deck shipped to you every 4 months of ongoing contributions, social media shout-outs, and multiple sponsorship tiers! Check it out!

Funds received from the magazine will help us keep the site running and growing, and bring new quality content to you. Our aim is to support designers by backing crowdfunded projects and supporting magic and playing cards retailers with their new releases. If you want to support us, please head over to our Patreon page. If you have an idea for an article you would like us to pursue, do get in contact with us. We hope you enjoy the read. In this issue:   

+ Tavern on the Green Red Edition: This fully custom limited Red Edition of Tavern on the Green designed by Kevin Cantrell features a rich red back adorned with regal gold foil. Find out more!

+ Deck of the Year 2024: Another exciting year in the playing cards industry! We’ve wrapped up our annual review, find out who won our biggest recognition ‘Deck of the Year’ award. 

+ Sleep Walk: This vintage-inspired deck showcase the artistry of Lunzi, blending elegant hand-drawn illustrations meticulously crafted with dip pen illustrations.

+ No Borders 2nd Edition: Joker and the Thief celebrates 10 years of innovation with a collection of 6 playing cards inspired by decks from their back catalog. 

+ Star Wars: Year of the Dark Side: Theory11’s latest Star Wars deck is designed for those ready to embrace their inner Sith. This fully custom deck bring legendary Dark Side characters to life with stunning, custom artwork. 

+ Detective Conan 25th Anniversary: These commemorative cards by TCC are a heartfelt tribute to the series, bringing its beloved characters and unforgettable scenes to life in exquisite detail. Check it out!

+ Lance Mountain Skating Skeletons: Have a look at Fulton’s latest deck featuring hand-drawn illustrations by skateboarding legend and artist Lance Mountain. 

… and more! 40 pages of articles and deck images. Enjoy!

Lance Mountain Skating Skeletons Playing Cards

Fulton's Playing Cards latest deck release features hand-drawn illustrations by skateboarding legend and artist Lance Mountain.

Using rapidograph pens, Lance recreated skeletal renditions of iconic skateboard photos of himself, transforming them into captivating works of art. Each custom court card is uniquely illustrated, with hand-crafted suits that have been meticulously aged for authenticity.

The tuck box, printed on textured paper, is inspired by a vintage British motorcycle booklet from Lance’s personal archives, adding a touch of nostalgia to the design. 

This deck is printed on premium cardistry playing card stock in China and available NOW from Fulton's Playing Cards for $20.

First Look at Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise Playing Cards

After the huge success of the Azure Dragon, the team from ARK playing cards has released the equally stunning follow-up, the VERMILION BIRD and BLACK TORTOISE playing cards.

Both decks draw inspiration from one of the mythical guardians of the East. Taking shape in a uniquely designed tuck box, which magically doubles as storage and display of art.

The Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise are two of the Four Devine Beasts with a long history in China, and it is also the most representative theme of Eastern culture. The design of the decks pays tribute to and reproduces the classic image of the mythical beasts.

From the tuck box to the playing cards, and other design elements of the beasts and the Warriors on the court cards. 

The court cards portray generals and officers of different military ranks, wielding traditional Chinese weapons: Spades- Spear, Lance, Sword, Diamonds- Halberd, Bow, Axe, Clubs- Warhammer, Glaive, Trident, and Hearts: Dagger-axe, Dual Swords, Crescent Blade.

The design of the Aces is an extension of the vines and frame patterns on the back design and combines delicate armor and weapons according to the color and shape of the suits. The Joker takes the Chinese Yin Yang Tai Chi model, combining the shapes of the sun and moon with armor-like designs.

3 versions are available for both editions, Classic Collector’s Box Set (Limited to 1000), Black Gold Box Set (Limited to 500), and Walnut Box Set (Limited to 300).

Pre-orders are available at tccplayingcard.com on 24 October and a collector set starts at $59. Also, more incredible images are on the online store. Check it out!

First Look at ARK's Azure Dragon & Time Machine Playing Cards

Just when you think the team at Ark Playing Cards can't get any better, they release the teaser for the Azure Dragon & Time Machine Playing Cards. This series will probably be one of the most elaborate and brilliant playing card set ever designed and produced. 

The Azure Dragon & Time Machine Playing Cards Kickstarter campaign will be the fourth project by ARK. According to the campaign page, 

It took us a full year to bring this deck of playing cards from conceptualization to reality. We believe Holding such a beautiful deck filled with creativity would make anyone’s heart race with excitement. The process of bringing this to life was filled with challenges. Nevertheless, we consistently maintained our strict standards and pushed forward. Through repeated attempts and adjustments, these playing cards are now finally presented to you. 

Azure Dragon Playing Cards draws inspiration from one of the mythical guardians of the East. Taking shape in a uniquely designed tuck box, which magically doubles as storage and display of art. 

The Azure Dragon is one of the Four Devine Beasts with a long history in China, and it is also the most representative theme of Eastern culture. The design of the Azure Dragon Playing Cards pays tribute to and reproduces the classic image of the mythical beast. From the tuck box to the playing cards, and other design elements of the Dragon and the Warriors on the court cards.

Golden vines interweaved with the black frames embellished with dragon pearls are the main elements of the back design, which further enhances the exquisite details and holistic sense of each playing card. There are many details of cultural elements waiting to be uncovered, from the abstract fish swimming in a Tai Chi Yin and Yang pattern in the center of the back design, the wishful cloud patterns surrounding the dragon, and more...

The court cards portray generals and officers of different military ranks, wielding traditional Chinese weapons: Spades- Spear, Lance, Sword, Diamonds- Halberd, Bow, Axe, Clubs- Warhammer, Glaive, Trident, and Hearts: Dagger-axe, Dual Swords, Crescent Blade.

The design of the Aces is an extension of the golden vines and black frame patterns on the back design and combines delicate armor and weapons according to the color and shape of the suits. The Joker takes the Chinese Yin Yang Tai Chi model, combining the shapes of the sun and moon with armor-like designs.

The Azure Dragon playing cards will only be sold in the form of box sets. 3 versions are available, Classic Collector’s Box Set (Limited to 1000), Black Gold Box Set (Limited to 500), and Walnut Box Set (Limited to 300).

Meanwhile, the Time Machine Playing Cards are inspired by "The Time Machine" by H.G Wells, published in 1895. The design style ARK selected was based on the 19th-century industrial machinery at the time to pay tribute to the early depiction of the time machine by mankind.

In terms of design, the deck features a fusion of baroque-style design and steampunk elements, creating a free-flowing design. Clocks and hourglasses were incorporated to reflect the passage of time. Gears and cogs reflect the operation of machinery, and compasses reflect the direction one was to travel.

When the back of the card is riffled, due to the subtle differences of each back design of the cards, they work together to form what appears to be a delicate and beautiful flip-book animation. The rotating clock hands and gears, the sands of time falling in the hourglass vividly reflect the flow of time.

Like the Azure Dragon set, the Time Machine playing cards will only be sold in the form of box sets. There are 3 versions, the Classic Collector’s Box Set (Limited to 1000), Dark Flare Box Set (Limited to 500), and Walnut Box Set (Limited to 300).

The cards are printed by APCC on Italian black core paper stock. Available on Kickstarter from 20 November and pledge starts at $85.

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Kickstarter: 7 Questions with Andrew Dodds of Diffractor Playing Cards

Currently funding on Kickstarter, the London Diffractor Playing Cards is a mesmerizing deck by VXD International in collaboration with Lance T Miller, Vrijdag Premium Printing and Cartamundi. This is the second edition in Diffractor city series, which will comprise of 10 cities, to be released one edition per year. What makes this deck series so unique is the patented transparent holographic on the face cards and the eye-catching luxurious metal cases.

Diffractor Playing Cards incorporate transparent holographic that are normally only seen on security and identity documents, such as passport or driver's license. The technology allows an additional layer of eye-catching custom holographic artwork over and above the standard playing card ink artwork, via carefully aligned and detailed transparent holographic foils, stamped with heat and pressure into the card front and back faces. With that, four new detailed artworks have been designed for the transparent holographic that are stamped into all the pips in this London edition.

Last week, we had a chat with Andrew Dodds, co-founder of VXD International, about his design background, inspiration and design process behind the Diffractor Playing Cards series.

For those of us who don’t know, can you tell us about yourself and how did VXD International come to be?
My name’s Andrew Dodds and I’m the co-founder of VXD International and the inventor of ‘Diffractor’ playing cards. Prior to founding the company, I worked for 17 years professionally as a bridge design engineer in the UK, having graduated from Sheffield University in the UK with a Masters Degree in Structural Engineering and Architecture.

The concept, which led to the eventual foundation of VXD International came about in 2009, while sat on an airplane. Across the airplane aisle, I was watching someone play Solitaire on their laptop and thought ‘why are playing cards always so bland’. Bearing in mind, I wasn’t aware of the (relatively fledgling) custom playing cards industry at this point, so I’m not taking anything away from the designers who were pushing the boundaries back then. I had grown up collecting sports trading cards (Michael Jordan cards specifically) in Germany, so I knew a thing or two about flashy cards already. A few weeks later I was sat in a restaurant, under some bright lighting on our table, with my then-girlfriend and she passed me her new UK Driving License to ask me a question about it. It had new transparent holographics built into the card, over the personal information and pictures. Seeing those detailed transparent holographics and how they can basically float above the existing printed part of an ID, I instantly thought that seemed like something new. That was the light-bulb moment for the business and eventually led to the development of Diffractor playing cards and the foundation of VXD International.

I am a co-founder of the business, with my brother’s best friend at school, a Dutch national named Joris van Wees (who also happened to collect basketball trading cards back in the day). He was always a very creative person and we complement each other very well, with our mix of creative and technical skills.

Can you describe the London Diffractor deck and why you’re passionate about it?
The ‘London Diffractor’ deck is the second in a series of 10 decks that we have planned. Once per year, for 10 years, we will release an edition of the ‘Diffractor City Series’. Last year that began, with the ‘Vegas Diffractor’ edition and this year (currently) we have the London Diffractor edition released to the public. I’m passionate about it for a many reasons, including the amount of time we have taken to bring this new playing card technology to market and incredible efforts that have required, the fact that London / the UK is a place close to my heart, the fact that this product has come about due to my invention, etc.

Walk us through the process you took to design the deck. How did you come out with the idea and how did you get to this finished product?
Firstly we plan a timetable to make sure we deliver the last city edition to our loyal backers before we launch the next. We’ll always do that. Leading up to launch, we design for approx. 9 months or so. It starts with a concept, which comes from Joris and myself and then we communicate this to Lance. Lance and I then set out a timetable for the design work and set up weekly design progress meetings, done via Skype, so we can steer the artwork together. In the meantime, I am working with our factories on the technical details of how we actually get the ideas we are having manufactured. That involves me traveling quite a lot to Holland, where our specialist printer, ‘Vrijdag Premium Printing’ is located and to China, where we manufacture our metal cases. We’ve recently also formed a partnership with Cartamundi, who sort and cello-wrap the decks for us and also produce our tuck boxes. That all culminates in deliveries to our warehouse in Germany, from where we fulfill our backers worldwide.

What was your most brilliant breakthrough when designing the deck?
Absolutely no doubt, the biggest breakthrough driving each deck was and will always be the invention of the tech itself.

How did you and Lance Miller end up collaborating together?
Joris and I were not originally playing card designers, but when the idea came about for Diffractor playing cards, we of course set about researching playing card history and design. We were looking at examples of playing card backs that we liked online and came across a card drawn by Lance Miller (his business card it was, in fact) and we used it for inspiration for many months/years, referring to it always as the ‘Miller Card’. This was around 2011/12/13 before we had even got the patent granted for the technology. After another 3 or 4 years of trying to find a factory that was willing to take a chance in the development and printing of the first deck (the ‘Vertex Deck’) and the production of that deck (designed by Joris and I), we reached out to Lance (via Instagram I think) and asked him if he’d like to collaborate with us on the first edition of the planned city series, which gave rise to the Vegas Diffractor.

With so many playing card projects competing for funding, why should potential backers choose your deck?
We value our customers tremendously. I spend a lot of time speaking to anyone who contacts me, no matter what the query, wish or criticism. We clearly offer something truly unique as well, as is evident from the patent that was granted to us.

Finally, what are your favorite playing cards?
Lotrek’s playing cards. Golden Oath – it has to be.

Thank you for your time Andrew and all the best! At the time of writing, the London Diffractors are only 67% funded with 21 days to go. If you like what you've read here and want to support Andrew you can find it on Kickstarter Here!

The London Diffractors Playing Cards will be available in two editions: Emerald and Ice Blue. Pledge starts at $29 and the decks will be printed by Cartamundi. Don't miss out! Add flair to your collection, game nights, magic routines, or cardistry!

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News: FREE Second Issue of Kardify Magazine Now Available!

We just released the second FREE issue of Kardify Magazine. We will be moving to a subscription-based model on Patreon from Issue 3 onwards. If you find value in this monthly magazine, please head over to Patreon and help support us.

With the funds, we would like to be able to support the site, keep it running and growing, with new quality content, features and deck reviews each month. Also, support designers by backing crowd-funded projects and magic & playing cards retailers with new releases.

We aim to help you stay on top of playing card news. The monthly magazine will be a compilation of selected articles we’ve published. If you have an idea for an article you would like us to pursue, do get in contact with us. We hope you enjoy the read.

In this issue:

+ Lance T. Miller: 5 things you didn't know about Lance's Fox Targets Playing Cards.

+ Sybil Deck of the Year: Find out who won the annual Sybil Deck of the Year was announced in Los Angeles.

+ Kings Wild: Busy month for Kings Wild. Legal Tender shipped and new project, Intaglio Playing Cards now funding on Kickstarter.

+ Cardistry-Con: Images from the biggest cardistry ever held in Los Angeles, July 7th-9th.

+ The Burger Playing Cards: First look at Australian designer Nick Zaitoun's new fun and dynamic deck.

… and more! 30 pages of articles, deck images and more!

News: 5 Things You Didn't Know About Lance T. Miller's Fox Targets Playing Cards

The Fox Targets Playing Cards by Murphy’s Magic Playing Card Company are an exquisite new deck of cards masterfully hand illustrated and digitally remastered by the one and only: Lance T. Miller. Teaming up with art direction from Jason Brumbalow of Murphys Magic, the Fox Targets spring to life with an exciting array of icons and clever minimalism that’s really anything but ordinary. Here’s 5 things you didn’t know about the Fox Targets.

1. The Fox Targets feature over 250 hours of illustration work. Each court card has about 25 hours of illustration and was hand illustrated and then digitally remastered by Lance T. Miller to scale perfectly to the size of the cards.

Here's a glimpse at the process of the art for the Fox Targets. Each court card had over 25 hours with of illustration work and then I digitally remaster each one.

A post shared by Lance T. Miller (@lancetmiller) on Jun 15, 2017 at 9:40pm PDT

2. The decks were printed by Expert Playing Card Company, but were supposed to have been printed by USPCC. Originally the decks and tucks were all designed to be printed out using the standard US Playing Card format. The designs were all sent in and ready to go and at the last minute Lance got a call to change the packaging and card template over to EPCC standards.

3. There is a puzzle built right into the deck! It may take forever to figure it out but Lance says he’s not worried. He says: “I won’t be upset if people don’t figure it out right away or ever for that matter. I wanted to create something that would last throughout time; that people might pick up 25 years from now and still be trying to solve. There are clues buried throughout all of the artwork and the entire deck itself is the puzzle. I almost hope no one ever solves it and that it brings many years of adventure to those endeavor to work on it.”

4. The design is simple yet deceptively magical. Nothing was left to chance in this deck. Some people have reported spotting one-way elements in the design and Lance says that’s the point. “Magicians will know what they can use in this deck. Lay people won’t even suspect the magical devices being used. The deck is not marked, but is designed so that it can easily be marked in a most devious manner. We (Jason and Lance) wanted to put something in a magician’s hands that could be easy to master but devastatingly awesome to witness in action. I can’t wait to see all the things people do with this deck.”

5. This may not be just a one-off production run. Based on the response from the community, there may be other editions with other wicked puzzles and built in magical elements. The courts may even vary slightly as well as the deck color. Whatever happens, it’s exciting to hear that Lance is back in action as one of the world’s premier deck designers.

Available right now from your favorite Murphy’s Magic retailer or from Lance T. Miller’s Website.

Cardistry: Season 3 of the International Cardistry Open is Back!

Introduction

Welcome to Season 3 of the International Cardistry Open (#ICO)! The highly anticipated tournament is back, bigger and better featuring cardists from around the globe showcasing their talents and skills.

This tournament is jointly organised by theflush, Kardify, supported by The New Deck Order (NDO) and Lance T. Miller.  The ultimate goal is to determine the cardist who excel in all aspects of cardistry. The tournament will begin in 18th September. Registrations open on the 5th September.

Rules and Terms & Conditions

Please head over to the ICO page to read the full term and conditions of the tournament.

Tournament Format

#ICO Season 3 is a knockout tournament. Each will compete in 5 rounds (preliminary, round 2, round 3, semi-finals and finals). Unsuccessful cardists will be eliminated from the tournament while winning cardists advance to the next round.

Head-to-head elimination (1v1) will be the new format for the semi-finals and finals. The winner of the final round will be the #ICO Season 3 Champion! Cardists will be asked to produce a 60sec video for each round. The format or content of the video will be announced on the first day of each round.

September 18: Preliminary
October 1: Round 2
October 14: Round 3
October 26: Semi-Finals
November 6: Finals

ICO 2014 Champion Eliot Slevin's video

Judges 

The judging panel for the 2016 tournament consists of:
+ Jaspas Deck, World Kardistry Champion 13/14 and founder of NDO.
+ Eliot Slevin, Creator of viral hit Run Rabbit and winner of the inaugural International Cardistry Open, 2014.
+ Nguyen Hoang Duy, Spingod and Inagural Cardistry-Con Champion, 2016.
+ Andrew Avila, Assorted Works and World Kardistry Runner-Up 13/14

Contestants will be judged on best demonstrated overall mastery of all aspects of cardistry, which includes Smoothness & Control (Execution), Difficulty, Originality and Presentation.

Sponsors

We have the biggest prize pool of any cardistry tournament to date and this does not happen without our very generous sponsors.

+ Expert Playing Card Co.
+ Thirdway Industries
+ Cardvolution
+ Joker and the Thief
+ Jetsetter Playing Cards
+ JP Playing Cards
+ Metropol Cards
+ theflush.com.au
+ New Deck Order
+ Kardify

ICO 2015 Champion Matt Beaudouin's video

Prizes

Champion: Half gross (72 decks) of the Limited Edition ICO deck from Expert Playing Card Co., 1 Brick (12 decks) of J&T Playing Cards from Joker and the Thief and 1 Brick (12 mixed decks) from Cardvolution.
1st Runner-up: 1 Brick (12 decks) of from JP Playing Cards and 1 Brick (12 decks) of from Jetsetter Playing Cards.

+ Most Voted Cardist (Sponsored by Thirdway Industries)
1 mixed Brick (12 decks) of Thirdway Industries Playing Cards and a chance to be Thirdway Ambassador.

+ Viewer Giveaway
1 mixed Brick (12 decks) of Metropol Playing Cards.

Prizes will be delivered to the nominated address of the respective winners directly from the sponsors. Join us and cardists from around the world over to compete, share ideas, and become the Season 3 ICO champion.

Can't do cardistry? Head on over to the ICO group page and enjoy: leave comments and feedbacks on videos to support your favourite cardists. Participate in the giveaways! So, don't miss out!

News: International Cardistry Open Season 2 Champion Named

After months of competition, the International Cardistry Open (ICO) Final has come and gone. A dramatic 3-minute cardistry video determined who would emerge victorious as the champion of the second season.

The 5 finalists — Alvin Herp, Amsyar Fikri, Matthew Beaudouin, Phuoc Tran and Sam Wheeler — seemed evenly matched coming into the Final after displaying strong season performances, but it was Matthew Beaudoin who was the most consistent throughout the season with Alvin Herp coming in as runner-up. Matthew wowed the judges with his cardistry skills and his amazing continuous shot video! There was no denying that Matt had put a lot of thought, planning, hard work and thereby claiming his place as the Season 2 ICO Champion.


Joey Heininger, ICO co-organizer, theflush said,

Congratulations to the finalists and to everyone else that entered, a very big thank you! Ivan and I are extremely overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people that joined us this year, without all of you there is no doubt the ICO could not continue, every single one, from the earliest Novice to the seasoned Veteran and even the spectators, you are what make the ICO what we are, 

Kardify would like to thank the generous sponsors who have helped make this year’s tournament possible. Please tell these companies that you appreciate their involvement in the ICO:
+ Expert Playing Card Co.
+ JP Playing Cards
+ Metropol Cards
+ Cardvolution
+ Kairos Playing Cards
+ Choice Playing Cards
+ theflush.com.au
+ New Deck Order
+ Kardify

Also, it is time to recognise the hard work, time, and dedication put in by those that have organised and judged the ICO this year.
+ Jaspas
+ Lance T. Miller
+ Rama Dimasatria
+ Claudia Seow

To keep up to date with the #ICO, follow us on Facebook. For more performance video from the season, including both the novice and veteran, check out the website here.

Collections: Gargoyles by Lance T. Miller

The Gargoyles deck by Lance Miller has a bit of history to it. The decks concept made its debut in 2010 at the Label Expo Americas show in Chicago. The deck was 100% plastic and came in a fully illustrated cellophane wrapper. The “Expo” deck had standard courts and was actually produced to test the capabilities of the flexography printing press. The Expo deck had a few more features and secrets and has become quite scarce. With only 300 decks available for purchase and the rest of the remaining 2200 given away to the people attending the Expo, they seem to have dried up over time. That “Expo” deck did accomplish one more thing, it drew a lot of attention to the design and the artist behind it from the playing card community, and people wanted a Gargoyles deck of their own.

In 2011 Lance T. Miller took the original Gargoyle Expo design and gave it a bit of “Re-Tooling”. The design of the deck is dark and rooted in “Gargoyle” mythology and numerology. There’s a paragraph on the Gargoyle ad card that I’ve always liked, and it reads as follow:

“The card is a reminder that evil is all around us and that the very nature of humans and their “silver tongues of deceit” are what often challenges us most. Believe it or not I am actually a Christian Artist. I simply choose to showcase the beauty of the struggle between good and evil rather than focus heavily in one direction or another” 

The deck is just beautiful, it’s well designed and has some cool features that I’ll discuss, but, once I read the “Artists” intentions behind the deck, I liked it even more. You look at it with a different perspective and the elements and design not only make sense, but fit together so well.  There are decks that are cool for the sake of being cool, and then there are decks that just embrace their own concept. Gargoyle’s color pallet is for the most part void of any vibrant color, the deck and tuck is done in shades of grey, black and white. The only splash of color you’ll find in this deck is the color red, which stays intact for the Hearts and Diamonds, but also appears on the Gaff card as well as the eyes of the Gargoyle’s featured on the back design, Jokers and tuck case. 

Within the deck, silver metallic inks replace pretty much everything else; minus some hard black accents in the court design that just pop when the card is held at an angle. The court design itself is pretty much standard, but the inks and that bold black work well with the overall look of the deck. The custom Ace of Spades has a nice “Classic” feel, with just enough customization to make it unique to the deck. Gargoyle’s also features 2 Jokers, both with identical metallic Gargoyle’s images, complete with bright red eyes. The only difference between the two is size; one Joker has a slightly smaller image size than the other. The deck also includes a Gaff card as well as an ad card explaining the concept, mythology and numerology used in the deck……probably the best ad card ever. 

The back design is beautifully designed and balanced, not only in terms of symmetry of the elements, but also the concept of the struggle between good and evil. The outstretched wings of the opposing Gargoyles protecting the center “Emblems” along with a small cross in the center of the back really work well together. The framework of the back design also features stylized skulls in each corner and some intricate design work to tie it all together. The grey tone continues on the back design, as well as the red eyes of the Gargoyle’s and the use of stark white on the emblem cross and center elements really add that bust of contrast that’s appealing to the eye.   

The tuck case mirrors the imagery and design elements of the back design, and continues the use of the stark white to add some contrast to the look. It is Bicycle branded and features the words “Artists Edition” at the top. The Artist’s Edition indicating the "re-working" of the Expo version.   

The Bicycle Gargoyle’s had a print run of 2500, but this deck was one of the first crop of “Custom Playing Cards” and one of the first to use metallic inks. Both decks are collectable, and while the Expo deck is the harder to find and will put a bigger dent in your wallet; I still like the Artists Edition of the Gargoyles better. Now, that being said, both of these decks will test your patience if you add them to your list of decks to look for. Hardly ever seen on eBay and when they are they do command quite a premium. Gargoyle’s definitely gets a spot on my “Must Have”, if your a true collector, at leas one of these should be on yours.

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 and work please visit sparkzphoto.com .