Dan & Dave Quietly Releases the Vintage Plaid No. 2 California Blue Edition

The new California Blue Edition of Vintage Plaid Playing Cards was quietly unveiled in conjunction with Dan and Dave's 33rd birthday celebration releases. The Vintage Plaid series remains one of our favorite decks in terms of quality, aesthetics, and value. Hence, we are quite excited to see these being released.

Vintage Plaid No. 2 features a brand new letterpress-printed and embossed white tuck box complete with gold-lettering, and all-around printing within.

The face-cards comes with a similar typeface to the Arizona Red Edition (released last year) that adds a sleek component to the decks already rugged yet refined feel.

The courts are standard, but the Ace of Spades along with two jokers are custom.

Precisely printed by the United States Playing Card Company with D&D's trademark thin stock, and a premium finish for superior handling. Available NOW from DanandDave.com for $10

Kickstarter: AMBASSADORS Playing Cards by Lotrek

Fresh off his win at the 52 Plus Joker convention for Golden Oath Playing Cards, Lotrek has just released AMBASSADORS playing cards on Kickstarter. The AMBASSADORS is a classic looking deck with Lotrek's take on the standard courts and an intricate back design.

The idea for AMBASSADORS was conceptualized during Lotrek's travel to Venice 2 years ago. Lotrek told Kardify,

The initial idea was quite different from what it eventually became though. This is often happening: An idea goes through many transformations until it gets the final shape which may be totally different from what it was at the beginning.

Lotrek first printed a more luxurious version, the Collector's Edition (pictured above) crafted for the card aficionado in mind, which is available now through UCDeckSales.com. The deck features metallic inks were used for the faces while the back was gold foil stamped in amazing detail and clarity.

For the Player's Edition on Kickstarter, Lotrek wanted to create a follow-up to the Collector's Edition and make it more affordable and a practical. A deck that would be a combination of elegance and simplicity with a touch of luxury for the demanding player. Lotrek continued,

It is a deck meant for collecting but also for use in a game, as I wanted the customization to be such that would not overwhelm the traditional look of a deck. Ambassadors courts are my own take on the standard courts but everything is designed from scratch in an effort to achieve high detail and elegance, while keeping them relatively simple and immediately recognizable.

A subtle pattern printed in gold metallic ink can be seen on the background of the face cards, which adds to the visual appeal of the deck without being "loud".

Generally I tried to find a balance between complete customization, intricate elements and a light and pleasant appearance. Ambassadors is one of my favourite decks because it has a lot of artistic potential despite its simplicity. I'm already working on a very limited version of the deck but I don't want to say more right now. It's too early!

There are 2 versions available on the project- the Standard (Red) and the Limited (Green) Editions. Both printed with metallic gold ink on the faces and back of the cards by the Expert Playing Card Co. Now on Kickstarter, pledge starts from $15 and the very limited Collector's Edition is available as an add-on.

News: Dan & Dave Releases Antler Playing Cards in New Colorway

To celebrate their 33rd birthday, Dan and Dave Buck have released a slew of new merchandise just in time for the holidays, of which 2 are playing cards. Antler Playing Cards is back with an all-new colorway! The new Tobacco Brown color makes the deck look rugged and refined. A perfect outdoor traveling companion as well as game night by a fireplace.

The back design features two Twin Bucks enshrined within beautiful flourishes that mimic the lush forest of Yosemite National Park.

The Ace of Spades features a noble Buck with herbaceous ornamentation crowning his dignified antlers, and each Joker offers the Antler name. The face cards are a variation of the standard court designs. The new color blends in perfectly with the deck design and offers both familiarity as well as usability.

The tuck case is letterpress printed on premium craft paper with foil accents and sculptural embossing by Clover St Press, capped with a vintage stamp.

Precisely printed by The United States Playing Card Company with D&Ds trademark thin stock, and a premium finish for superior handling. Available now on DanandDave.com for $12.

Kickstarter: Angelarium Trilogy Playing Cards by Albino Dragon

Albino Dragon has just launched their Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for Angelarium Trilogy Playing Cards. The deck is officially licensed based on Angelarium, with beautiful artwork by Chicago-based artist Pete Mohrbacher. According to Pete,

Angelarium is a place where experiences, ideas, and archetypes exist as real living entities. It’s the domain of angels and emanations.

Taking inspiration from the apocryphal Book of Enoch and the Kabbalah, he illustrated the personified physical experiences we all share as angels. On the collaboration, Erik Dahlman of Albino Dragon tells Kardify,

We had previously done a couple decks with Pete, but he's a machine when it comes to making new content. After a few years, he had categorized all of his creations in a different way than the original decks were designed. We worked with him to make a set that reflected those changes and injected some new elements so that it was still familiar, but would stand on its own as Pete continues to build the Angelarium mythos.

Angelarium is divided into three series, Watchers, Seraphim and Emanations and is represented by 3 different decks in the campaign. From the card backs to the Aces, pips and beautifully painted courts featuring surreal angelic figures, all 3 decks are fully custom.

The Angelarium Trilogy Playing Cards will be Bicycle branded and printed by USPCC. Pledge starts from $12 for a single deck and add-ons such dealer coins and card sleeves are available.