Cardistry: You have to watch these AMAZING cardistry video from the ICO Top 4!

Here are the four amazing videos from the third season of International Cardistry Open (ICO) where the top 4 cardists go head-to-head to make it to the finals. The match-ups are:

Tran Tien Thanh v Nguyen Xuan Hoang
Alex Ricci v Samuel Pratt

Enjoy!

Also, don't forget to get the official commemorative ICO decks from our Kardart store for a discounted price of $10 for the duration of the tournament. This bold and eye-catching deck has been meticulously designed by artist Brendan Hong with cardists in mind, embracing the movement and beauty of motion of each card in the deck.

Tran Tien Thanh v Nguyen Xuan Hoang

Alex Ricci v Samuel Pratt

ICO3 SemiFinal - Deck Switch from Samuel Pratt on Vimeo.


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

News: AURELIAN Playing Cards. The most detailed deck Ellusionist ever made!

Ellusionist has just released what seems to be the company's most detailed deck they've ever made. Based on the leader of the Roman Empire, the Aurelian Playing Cards was conceived by Geraint Clarke and designed by Oban Jones.

This exquisite deck features hypnotic card backs, re-worked courts draped in gold, a bold Ace of Space with gold-ink swords, whips and spears, and the jokers are an homage to the Tally-Ho Cowboys.

The eye-catching tuck is coated in gold foil, leaking into layers of embossing. An oak leaf detailing that resembles the Emperor's Civic Crown can be found inside the tuck box.

Currently available from Ellusionist for $10.

Deck Watch: October 2016

While we'll be the first to say that Playing Cards as an investment is not the wisest of choices, the value of certain decks is an interesting thing to take note of. With anything deemed to be a "Collectible" value comes into play for various reasons, from just knowing to gambling on the possible return on your investment.

Deck Watch is just a look at what some items are actually selling for in the market. Over time it should be interesting to see how values hold and or fluctuate month to month and what trends develop. Each month Deck Watch will feature the top 5 Playing Card decks, in terms of selling price*,  in both the Modern, as well as Vintage categories.

Guide:
David Blaine Create Magic (3) - $450.00 / 300.00
(3) = Indicates the number of this deck that sold
$450.00 / 300.00 = Indicates what the highest selling price was for the 3 (450) and the lowest of the 3 (300.00)
Average High End Selling Price= Indicated with a -/+  and red or green, depending on if the total has gone up or down from last month. 

Top 5 Modern Playing Cards

5. Bund 18 - $225.00 (Sold as a set at $450.00)
4. ICONS Imperial Edition - $225.00
3. Carbon Wolf Cardbon Fiber Playing Cards - $250.00
2. David Blaine Create Magic - $265.00
1. Federal 52 Unbranded Reserve Note Signed - $280.00

Average high-end sale price for October Modern Decks: - $249.00 for a single deck.

Top 5 Vintage Playing Cards

5. Unusual Single Ended Playing Cards - $293.00
4. American Indian Photographs Souvenir Playing Cards c1900 - $310.00
3. Memoires de Casanova Erotic Art Playing Cards c1960 - $360.00
2. Antique Circus No.47 Playing Cards c1900 - $404.00
1. Wide Michigan Travel Souvenir Playing Cards. c1900 - $750.00

Average high-end sale price for October Vintage Decks: + $423.00 for a single deck.


* Methodology: Items are filtered from ebay under the heading of  "Playing Cards" for the prior month and only include actual Sold Items and not "Offer Excepted" listings. Selling price rank is based on a single deck listing unless the per deck price on multiple items ranks appropriately. Items that would normally occupy multiple slots will be consolidated into one listing which will include the number of times it sold and its highest/lowest selling price.

Deck Watch is intended to be purely informational entertainment. Kardify by no means is setting or guaranteeing posted values to specific items. The value of anything is based on your own personal opinion. 

News: Imperial Gold by Midnight Playing Cards

In  2013, Randy Butterfield launched his Imperial Playing Card campaign. The decks were inspired by the beautiful Imperial Eggs created by the House of Fabergé from the late 1800's to early 1900's. Randy set out with a goal to create his own unique Egg designs.

One of the stretch goals, that unfortunately didn't come to fruition, was the Imperial Gold Edition. A Limited Edition deck with a completely unique design from the standard decks, featuring an embossed and foil accented tuck and custom seal.




Now, 3 years later, the Imperial Gold Deck has come to life. Self funded by Randy, the Imperial Gold deck is now available for purchase from Midnight Cards. Randy's done a little updating to the original design, making the cards indices more player friendly along with some tweaks to the design elements, but all in all the Imperial Gold has never looked better. Offered in a limited run of only 1000 decks and printed by the Expert Playing Card Co., Imperial Gold is sure not to disappoint. Now available at Midnight Cards!

The Imperial Gold Deck is a luxurious Deck of Playing Cards that's inspired by Fabergé Eggs and Imperial Russia. Designed by Midnight Cards and printed by Expert Playing Card Company, it is LIMITED to 1,000 Decks. The Deck features 100% custom artwork that was created as original 3D Models and then Rendered for rigorous Photoshop compositing, including the PIPs.  

 

The Tuck Box is stunningly printed on a Gold Luminescent paper stock. The Imperial Gold Tuck features 4-Color Process + Red Foil + Gold Foil AND Embossing. Each Individually Numbered Seal Sticker design is printed with a Dark Red Pantone on a Gold Foil material. Everything is top notch and gorgeous! 

The Cards utilize Expert's exceptional Classic Finish. The Back Card is a borderless design with the Russian 2-Headed Eagle as the focal point. The yellow bleed on the sides and red bleed at the top and bottom provide opportunity for some spectacular spreads, fans and many Cardistry techniques! 

The DIAMOND Eggs all have a Nature/Fantasy/Elfish vibe. The CLUBS are inspired by Greek mosaics, colors and geometric shapes. The Russian Double-Headed Eagle is the focal point for the HEARTS and Back Eggs. They also draw inspiration from Ancient Rome. And lastly, the SPADES all have a Baroque/Gothic look and feel. - Randy Butterfield

To differentiate the hierarchy of Cards, the JACKS are the "Warrior" Eggs within each suit. The QUEENS are simple, elegant and use light colors. The KINGS are the most decorative and ornate of the Court Eggs. Also, each of the KING Eggs contains a "Crown" at the top. The Index Fonts and large PIPS on the Numbers Cards have been given a facelift from the original Imperial Decks. All changes to make for easier gameplay. - Randy Butterfield

We want to thank Randy for sharing the Imperial Gold deck with us and our readers.


To keep up to date on everything going on at Midnight Cards you can follow them on Facebook as well as visit the main site at www.midnightcards.com, where you can also shop Randy's superb catalog of work, past and present.