EXCLUSIVE First Look: 52 Plus Joker Club Deck 2014

We are honored to be able to bring you the first look at what is sure to be one of the most sought after decks in recent history, The 52 Plus Joker Club Deck.

The Club Deck is being offered to attendees of this years 52 Plus Joker Convention being held in Charleston, South Carolina at the Charleston Plaza Hotel. 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.

52 Plus Joker is headed up by such notable names as world renowned playing card expert Tom Dawson, author of the definitive guide to playing cards "Hochman Encyclopedia of American Playing Card" which he worked on with his wife Judy, and teacher, author, creator and magician extraordinaire Lee Asher.

This years convention goers will have the unique and enviable opportunity to own the 1st 52 Plus Joker Club Deck. The deck was designed by Jackson Robinson of Kings Wild Project and is being produced by the Expert Playing Card Company. To be one of the 1st to own this magnificent deck all that is required of you is, one, be a member of 52 Plus Joker and, two, be an attendee of the convention.

The deck itself is just amazing, a bright white two piece "Slip Case" accented by silver foil houses the just as spectacular cards. The Slip Case's outer cover is elegant and simple, sporting the number "52" to represent 52 Plus Joker on the front and a completely foiled back that matches the card back design. The inner part of the slip case has a repeating "52" foil design pattern set on a light grey repeating background pattern, the look of the inner slip case is very eye-catching as it's angles hide and reveal the "52" in the design pattern.

The cards themselves are just as impressive with a mirrored and foiled back design of the "52" script. The deck also features a custom Ace of Spades, beautifully rich custom court cards and two custom Jokers depicting the 52 Plus Joker Logo. The Club Deck will also feature a custom numbered seal.

The 52 Plus Joker Club Deck will be available in very limited quantity. The deck will have a print run of ONLY 500 decks available to Club Members who are in attendance at this years convention.

But fear not, non convention goers will have an opportunity of their own to own part of this 1st offering. Once the convention has wrapped up, the remaining supply of the Club Deck will be available to Club Members ONLY on the 52 Plus Joker web site while supplies last. Keep in mind that only 500 of the Club Decks were printed, so they will be limited and most likely not last very long once available....what a better time than NOW to become a member.  Also, later this year Conjuring Arts Research Center will be offering the 52 Plus Joker Deck in a Gold version. The cards are identical to the Club Deck with just a shift in color from Silver to Gold and the deck will be presented in a side-ways tuck constructed of a synthetic water proof paper. The Gold version has the same elegant and simple design as the Club deck and features the same full foil back design on the tuck case, as well as the foil accented "52" pattern on the cards back design.

Needless to say, either deck will be an amazing addition to any collection.

If you would like to find out more about 52 Plus Joker and how to become a member, please visit their website for more details and information. You can also visit the Club's forum, the Discourse at playingcardforum.com, and share and converse with other collectors about the hobby we all know and love.

I hope everyone enjoyed this sneak peak to what is sure to be THE talked about deck for quite some time.

The 52 Plus Joker Club Deck- The Entertainer

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.

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A post shared by Encarded Inc. (@encarded) on Oct 11, 2019 at 5:25am PDT

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.

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Have a Look at the 2024 52 Plus Joker Club Deck

The 2024 52 Plus Joker club deck, designed by Elettra Deganello, is a tribute to the original work of Andrew Dougherty, one of the most iconic playing card makers in history. The 2024 club deck masterfully updates Dougherty’s classic designs with a contemporary touch, offering a mix of tradition and modernity.

Unveiled at the 52 Plus Joker convention held at Sheraton Niagara Falls, this limited-edition deck celebrates the art of playing cards in a truly unique way. The 52 Plus Joker Club features reimagined custom court cards with motifs that reflect Dougherty’s timeless influence.

The deck’s luxurious foil-backed classic borderless cards are visually stunning. The face cards are equally remarkable.

The courts inspired by Dougherty’s first court cards, are adorned with intricate foil accents, giving them a luxurious touch that elevates their aesthetic appeal. 

Housed in a unique wrapper-made tuck box, the 2024 Club Deck features textured & foiled by Boschiero & Newton. The custom seal bearing the 52 Plus Joker logo completes the package.

Printed by the Legends Playing Card Co. Available exclusively to members (with a limit of three decks per member) at 52 Plus Joker website.

Card Radar: The 52 Plus Joker Club Deck 2017 by Alex Chin

The stunning 52 Plus Joker Club Deck was unveiled by Alex Chin at this year's 52 Plus Joker annual convention in Enlarger, Kentucky. Meticulously crafted, this club deck is the fourth in the annual deck series.

This limited edition deck has been designed with the concept of pulpwood in mind. The idea of paper creation as a starting point to create playing cards has always intrigued Alex and this deck tells the story about it.

The luxurious box design features a Mulberry bark tree covering through 3 of the four sides. The unassuming design references the need to peel bark to create paper. The fourth side that faces out reveals a beautiful gold foiled latticework and a representation of the designs inside.

The face cards are fully custom. with the Ace of Spades featuring the Mulberry leaf and the Joker, a wood block stamp. The court cards feature the classic Seasons court cards in a green color that matches the color palette and the theme of the deck.

The back design features Expert Playing Card Co's Perfecta Foil which allows for a two-color foil which turned out spectacular! The 2017 Club Deck is only available to members of the club. Previous club decks are almost impossible to find in the aftermarket and go for a substantial premium if available.

The 52 Plus Joker playing card collector's club has been around for over 30 years and the members hold some of the finest and complete collections of playing cards from every period of history. For more information about joining the 52 Plus Joker, click here!

News: The 52 Plus Joker Club Deck 2015

This elegant 52 Plus Joker Club Deck was unveiled at this year's 52 Plus Joker annual convention [Fox35 Orlando video], held in Orlando, Florida. Beautifully crafted by renowned playing card designer, Paul Carpenter of Encarded, this club deck is the second in the annual deck series.

Just 1000 decks were printed, and it comes with almost every luxury feature available, including a tuck with holographic gold foil, a die-cut viewing window on the back, and a custom numbered gold seal, the cards feature metallic inks, classically inspired custom faces and pips, and holographic foil on the card backs!

Currently, the 2015 Club Deck is only available to members of the club. If there are any decks left over, Encarded.com will have the deck available to the general public in mid-November, but prices will be higher and there is no guarantee they will still be available in a month. The 2014 Silver Club Deck, designed by Jackson Robinson of Kings Wild, is almost impossible to find and goes for a substantial premium, and we expect the new 2015 deck to be the same.

The 52 Plus Joker playing card collector's society has been around for over 30 years and the members hold some of the finest and complete collections of playing cards from every period of history. For more information about joining the 52 Plus Joker Society, click here!

News: A Look at the 52 Plus Joker 2018 Club Deck

The fourth 52 Plus Joker Club deck was introduced at the 52 Plus Joker Convention in Cleveland, Ohio by designer by Randy Butterfield from Midnight Cards. Randy might be familiar through his previous deck designs that include the Draconian series, Oculus, LUXX, the Ornate series, Rome, and Grinders.

This year, Randy has designed a superb club deck that honors not just the club, but also the city of Cleveland. The tuck sports a brown colorway, a nod to the Cleveland pro football team, and the back of the box displays a gold silhouetted view of the Cleveland skyline.

Unlike previous club decks, Randy used gold foil only on the box, not on the cards. The cards themselves are subtle but still eminently elegant. The card backs and the joker feature the 52 Plus Joker logo, a jester, in brown. The color brown is also used in all the court cards.

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.

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Designers: Designing the 52 Plus Joker 2017 Club Deck with Alex Chin Part I

It's been awhile since we had a designers series article. This month, we are honoured to have a guest post by Alex Chin, creators behind the stunning 52 Plus Joker Club deck for 2017. In part one of this two-part series, Alex shares with us the inspiration and the design process behind creating the club deck. 

I designed this year's 52 Plus Joker Club deck with the concept of pulpwood in mind. The idea of paper creation as a starting point to create playing cards always intrigued me and this deck tells the story about it.

Inspiration
The running theme throughout the deck really emphasized texture so this entire deck goes above and beyond to highlight those aspects on the deck. The box design features a Mulberry bark tree covering through 3 of the four sides so that it looks unassuming. The fourth side that faces out reveals beautiful gold foiled lattice work and a representation of the designs inside.

I liked this because it helped tell the story of how people harvested the paper from Mulberry trees back then. The box design is the first of its kind to utilize a dual layer tuck box. There have been sleeves before but this was an actual two-layer tuck box.

This was important because we were able to create two different textures without using any embossing plates. The top layer texture features a bark/wood feel that is highlighted on the face with the gold foiling. The bottom layer features the offset detail.

The back design features Expert's Perfecta Foil which allowed me to do a two color foil on the back which turned out spectacular. The gold lattice work with the green shimmering leaves really helped highlight the hierarchy of the back design.

Design
Composition Study: I typically start with the back design and start out with sketching.  This is the composition item that I ended up using.

Depth Testing/ Contrast Models: The important part to note here is that this was based on landscape architecture- a bird's eye view. The idea is that you're looking down at a garden that supports the Mulberry Tree that is going to provide us with this paper. I'm playing for balance here because typically I'll do contrast models of what looks correct.  What is going to be light, what is going to be dark. Because we have plants, growth is a thing so depth became a big focus.

Join us next week for the second part of the designer series with Alex where we look at textures, vectorizing, face cards design and the tuck box of the 52 Plus Joker Club deck.


This exclusive guest post is written by Alex Chin for Kardify. No part of this article can be reproduced without written permission from the author. You can check out Alex's work at Seasons Playing Cards.

Top 12 Playing Cards of 2022

Another great year for playing cards! We’ve compiled our favorite decks for 2022 right here. This will be the third of four articles counting down to our Deck of the Year reveal later this week. If you think we’ve missed your favorite deck, let us know in the comment section below.

Note that the selection expressed in this top 12 are solely those of the author and the list is in no particular order.

Victory

Joker and the Thief’s Victory playing cards are crafted for those who seek Victory, in any endeavor. This stunning deck comes with an embossed tuck box with letterpress inks and foil both interior and exterior. The borderless card back comes with a repeated JT logo design with metallic inks. The court cards are modeled in classics to create a distressed vibe associated with the brand.

52 Plus Joker Club Deck 2022

The elegant 2022 52 Plus Joker Club 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.

Mastermind

Mastermind playing cards by Keymaster games features an embossed and foil-stamped deck box, custom card backs, and royals planning and executing elaborate strings of heists. The deck is based on the board game Caper: Europe, a game where players recruit a crew of skilled thieves to outmaneuver, steal valuable goods, and dominate the most famous landmarks across Paris, Rome, London, and Barcelona!

Sterling

Sterling playing cards is the latest addition to the Legal Tender series by Kings Wild Project. Inspired by the beautiful artwork of British currency, the stunning Sterling features both holographic foiling and hot-stamped gold foiling on the cards and tuck case. 

MEDCHA

MEDCHA playing cards is a thematic deck by Hyuga & Mijiko that centers around tea and its usage in healthy meditation. The deck is an infographic deck designed to teach you how to enjoy your tea and use it for healthy meditation. The cards have stunning foil on the card back and features graphic artworks of tea. Also, the cards are gilded with sharp orange metallic foil.

Devotion

Thirdway Industries designed this exclusive deck that tests the loyalty of its followers. The tuck box for this deck is made of premium black matte paper stock with embossing on the artwork and metallic hot foiling for both the inside and outside of the box. Inside, the cards featured metallic hot foiled artwork on the back design and metallic inks on the card faces. Also, the cards will be gilded with metallic foil!

Tale of the Tempest

The Gentleman Wake’s Tale of the Tempest Playing Cards features artwork by Lotrek. The courts of the deck are based on 19th-century courts that feature beautiful royals that are classically inspired and artfully refined. The card back showcases waves of intricate filigree and Victorian-inspired design along with the elegant TGW monogram. 

The Illusionist

The Illusionist by ARK is an incredible-looking playing cards set with meticulous hand-illustrated and intricate details. The box set depicts a fantasy theater for magic with unprecedented structure and design for the Illusionist playing cards. The entire design concept adopts a classical and luxurious visual style to restore the classic and mysterious art form of Magic. The illustrations on the entire deck of cards are very intricate and littered with fine details.

Vivid Kingdoms

Vivid Kingdoms is the most successful ever in Kickstarter’s history for a playing cards campaign. This fully custom transformation deck features beautifully illustrated artwork, vibrant colors, and unique characters. Ten Hundred’s artwork is inspired by cartoons and anime, street art and graffiti, childlike imagination, comics, world cultures, religions, and folklore.

Kings Wild’s The Lord of the Rings

The beautifully illustrated deck by Jackson Robinson is based on the works of J. R. R. Tolkien and The Fellowship of the Rings. Every aspect of this deck of cards is uniquely illustrated and designed with as much detail as possible to create a deck of cards that will be loved by Tolkien fans all over the world. Each of the characters from The Fellowship of the Ring deck is pulled from the text and brought to life in a new and fresh way

RX Almanac

Meadowlark Pharmacy‘s Rx Almanac Playing Cards is designed to look like a vintage pharmacy almanac of the mid-1900s, with advertisements of medications along with other types of items from milk to bird seed. The face cards illustrations are hand-illustrated by Italian designer Elettra Deganello features display pages from the almanac and the tuck box would be the leather cover of the almanac.

Black Requiem

This special edition Black Requiem Counterspell by Lorenzo Gaggiotti comes with fully custom artwork and features darkness and pain as a theme. All court cards and aces have a magick sigil overprinted with cold foil application on the center (gold for hearts and diamonds, silver for clubs and spades). The tuck box features white foil, black foil, embossing, and inner color in deep shiny red on black paper stock.

Honorable mention: Mechanimals by Celcius Pictor, Odd Fellows by Stockholm17, Vacuum Tube Space by Vitaly Sinkevich & Deallez Pro, Four Clans by Docs & Native Tongue, Mistborn by Kings Wild Project, Memoria by Thirdway Industries, Eye of the Ocean by Stockholm17, Ghost of Kyiv by 3rd Dominion, Singularity by RedBlack Inc, ICONS Anniversary by Oath Playing Card, 3 Musketeers by Kings Wild Project, and Stratosphere Meteorite by Legends Playing Card Co.

Note that the selection expressed in this top 12 are solely those of the author and the list is in no particular order.

The Four Decks Announced at the 52 Plus Joker Virtual Convention

For the first time, playing cards collectors, designers, magicians, producers, and cardists can participate in 52 Plus Joker's 2020 convention virtually. The event started on October 14th and will conclude on October 17th, 2020. Head to 52 Plus Joker's Instagram (@52plusjoker) for daily updates on the schedule and details to join the virtual convention.

Yesterday, FOUR incredible decks were announced:

Screams at Midnight (Penguin Magic)

Designed by Phill Smith from a concept by Kevin Reylek, these horror-themed cards have a fiendish secret built-in, allowing you to know the identity of each card without ever seeing the face. This brand-new Occlusion Marking System lets you perform absolutely brain-busting magic with no sleight of hand! The deck comes with standard recolored faces, bold custom Ace of Spades and Jokers. Also, the deck comes with 3D glasses. Available now for $14.95 on penguinmagic.com

Jerry's Nugget Double Deck Set (Expert Playing Card Co)

Bill Kallush announced the double deck set of these stunning new Jerry's Nugget. What makes these deck set so special? They are printed with Expert's new double foil process! That means double hot stamp foil (red and blue) are applied on the embossed tuck and card backs... no ink. The face cards are standard and only 500 sets will be produced. The deck set is scheduled to be released on Black Friday.

NPCCD 2020 Hindsight (Seasons Playing Cards)

Another STUNNING deck to the NPCCD collection announced by Alex Chin. This time, the theme is about the choices we make and the consequences that follow set in ancient Greece. Like previous NPCCD releases, the 2020 edition sports a unique tuck box with greek sculpture artwork in breathtaking gold foil. Inside, the court cards artwork features characters from ancient Greek mythology with artwork as if found in a lost greek temple. This will be a 6 deck set each with a different story. Pre-order starts on Oct17 and will be priced $235 for the first 48 hours on nationalcardcollectionday.com. Check out the epic trailer above.

52 Plus Joker Club Deck (UUSI)

One of the most highly anticipated deck this year! This year's club deck was revealed by UUSI's Peter Dunham. The deck is fully custom features original hand-drawn artwork by Peter using just 2 colors, black and red. The deck comes with a bold Ace of Spades, custom jokers, old-style suit symbols, and traditional courts inspired from full figure courts popular before the 1900s. The deck does have a vintage look and feel but with a modern simplistic touch.

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