DeLand Centennial Now Funding on Kickstarter

Currently funding on Kickstarter, the DeLand Centennial project brings two decks of marked playing cards back to life. Originally printed in 1919, the Daisy Deck and Nifty Deck were created by Theodore DeLand. In celebrate their 100th anniversary, the team at Penguin Cards has recreated these ingenious decks from the ground up.

Theodore was a genius creator and innovator in the magic world. DeLand lived from 1873 to 1931. Before departing this world, he left behind an enormous collection of mind-boggling creations. His best-known work is the "Dollar Deck", a groundbreaking marked deck of cards. Few are aware that DeLand actually created many marked deck designs in addition to countless magic tricks. Originally offered in 1919, the Daisy Deck and Nifty Deck appear to be simple, innocent cards at first glance - but each deck holds many secrets waiting to be decoded.

Renowned magician, graphic designer, and marked deck expert, Phill Smith re-create these stunning Centennial Editions. We were told on the project page that these are not simply reprints - each deck has been painstakingly redrawn and enhanced by Phill with new art and new features.

Each deck has a full-bleed borderless back design which have been recreated to be faithful to the original, while making small changes to make the decks more useful for the modern performer. The Daisy Deck has been designed in a deep Burgundy and the Nifty Deck is dark Blue.

Both the Daisy Deck and Nifty Deck have gorgeous custom vintage faces based on designs from the early 20th century. The faces have been completely redrawn for modern printing, but completely capture the essence of vintage designs, including subtle asymmetry and small imperfections. The Ace of Spades and Jokers are faithful recreations of DeLand's classics.

The tuck boxes feature all-new designs. The Classic Edition tucks will be printed with ink on a traditional stock. The Collector's Edition decks will have their tuck stock upgraded to a natural Kraft paper and will have the design stamped in foil. Each tuck delivers a vintage vibe that has been elevated with a touch of modern elegance.

Every deck comes with an instruction card that will teach you how to decode the markings. The systems are hard to detect but are simple to learn and can be mastered with moderate practice. All backers will also receive a video download that teaches the marking system and the special stack order.

The decks will be printed by the US Playing Card Company on a Classic stock. The decks will be traditionally cut. Pledge starts at $24 for a pair on Kickstarter!

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Deck View: DMC ELITES V4 in Forest Green

Magic. Marked. Green.

The ELITES are a unique collaboration between DMC and designer and magic creator Phill Smith. The new edition ELITES now sport a forest green colorway and feature the latest revision of the unique OPTICAL MARKING SYSTEM (OMS), a powerful 'reader' system designed specifically for the use of magicians and mentalists.

All faces are standard USPCC faces to maintain familiarity with your audience. One thing that stands out is the ingeniously hidden marking mechanic that is readable with extreme speed, at great range and even in poor light. It hides the value and suit of the card in plain sight with no decoding necessary - the back of the card literally says the value and the suit.

The DMC ELITES V4 is printed by the United States Playing Card Company. Available from your favorite Murphy's Magic Retailers.

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Bee Cherry Casino Red Playing Cards

Released by Cardtopia, the “Bee” Cherry Casino Red Playing Cards is a limited-edition deck that brings together the iconic Bee back design with the vibrant energy of Cherry Casino. Designed by Phill Smith, this deck is a masterpiece of craftsmanship, showcasing a striking red colorway that’s both passionate and bold.

Limited to just 6,000 decks, the quintessential Cherry themed jokers and the Ace of Spades are custom while the face cards including the courts are standard. The deck is versatile enough for Card flourishes, routines, and game nights.

Available in red and blue colorway. Printed by the USPCC and limited to 5 decks per customer on Cardtopia Shop for $18.

Card Radar: DMC Elites V5- Phantom Finish 1st Edition

The fifth generation of Magician Drummond Money-Coutts' (DMC) is the best deck DMC have ever produced and now, they come with a new finish and colorway. The limited Phantom Finish DMC ELITES V5 now sports a Cobalt Blue colorway and a slightly thicker stock. According to the product page,

...this finish is both more robust and long-lasting than many of the slimmer cardistry decks of today, and promises a much firmer handling of the cards.

When combined with Phill Smith's world-famous 'Optical Marking System', which now includes full four-corner markings, Juan Tamariz's genius MNEMONICA numberings, and a unique one-way back design, this is truly the most powerful, comprehensive, and usable deck ever created for magicians! 

 

The system hides the value and suit of the playing card in plain sight, with no decoding necessary, no mental working out to do to process some binary signal – including the new stack markings for mnemonica - the cards are supplied in the stack and come with an instruction card explaining the system and a two-way crib to help you with the stack. 

The deck features standard faces to maintain familiarity for the performer and audience but upgraded to an ultra-high-definition rendition of the standard faces!

Available NOW from store.dmcmagic.com for $20.

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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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On Kickstarter DJ DeLand Playing Cards by Penguin Magic

Designed by Phill Smith and Kevin Reylek for Penguin Magic, DJ DeLand Playing Cards remix one of the most ingenious marking systems in magic history with a playful vinyl-record twist. Inspired by DeLand’s Donut Shop Deck and developed from a concept by Seth Race, this deck brings classic deception into a modern retro groove.

Each card hides a multi-layered marking system that reveals not only its suit and value, but also the neighboring cards in Mnemonica stack, allowing seamless memorized-deck miracles. The system is explained in a detailed digital tutorial by Kevin Reylek, along with an instruction card right out of the box.

The artwork is fully custom, from the hypnotic record-back design packed with hidden information to the vintage-styled faces and breakdancing joker jesters. Even the tuck box and seal echo the retro vinyl aesthetic, with textured details and record-store flair.

Two editions are available: Standard Edition comes in Mnemonica Stack Order with the complete marking system and custom tuck. While the Gilded Edition features holographic silver foil edges that shimmer like spinning records, plus circular tuck cut-outs showcasing the shine.

Printed on Penguin Magic’s UltraLux Finish with AquaFlow Coating, the deck offers smooth handling, crisp snap, and exceptional durability for performers and collectors alike. Pledge starts at $14 on Kickstarter.

Twelve Terrifying Playing Cards Perfect For Halloween 2021

It's that time of the year! We have painstakingly compiled the best playing cards for All Hallows' Eve just for you. Behold! The 2021's Kardify Top 12: Decks for Halloween! This year with enough monsters, bones, ghosts, skulls, quirky characters, and pirates to keep your spine tingling through the night. If you have one that we haven't discovered. Do feel free to share.

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

Little Deck of Horrors

From Ellusionist, the Little Deck of Horrors is a celebration of the nostalgically scary 'Ghost Train' with faces haunted by ghouls, goblins, and ghosts. This whimsical deck features evil characters from the yesteryears in bright neon colors with a retro graphic design. If you are looking for a cool monster-themed deck for your magic routine or a nostalgic deck for game nights, Little Deck of Horrors will definitely do the job.

2021 Trick or Treat

The 2021 Trick or Treat deck is a fully custom hand-illustrated deck featuring a monochromatic design and a nostalgic feel. Ghouls, Goblins, Werewolfs, Zombies, Skeletons, Pumpkins, and more...! Designed by Jackson Robinson, these spooky characters are completely updated with color palette and design elements to fit the theme. Definitely, a fun-filled deck brimming with artistry and ingenuity for All Hallows' Eve.

Fulton's Day of the Dead

Fulton's Day of the Dead Playing Cards is the ultimate deck of cards for the Halloween Season. The deck features original illustrations by Jeff Trish and weaves a personal story of the afterlife, Halloween, and Day of the Dead into one of the most profound back designs ever illustrated on a deck of playing cards.

Carvers V2

From Organic Playing Cards, these pumpkins won’t go bad after a few days! Sporting a fun orange border Carvers V2 looks amazing in packet cuts and fans. This semi-custom deck now comes with skeleton Kings, the Queens are witches, and the Jacks are all JACK-O-LANTERNS! This fun deck comes comes in a sealed candy wrapper.

Bicycle Monsters

A fully custom Bicycle-branded playing cards inspired by the classic monsters from stories and myths, created in a fun style that will appeal to all ages! Each set of courts represents a different type of monster, from the Water Dwellers to the Undead, Shape Shifters, and creatures not of this world. The retro feel of the deck adds to the deck charm. Definitely a great deck to use for Halloween.

Campy Creatures

The Campy Creature Deadluxe Playing Cards are designed by Keymaster Games featuring twelve unique hand illustrations of notorious B-movie horror monsters including The Blob, The Invisible Man, The Man-Eating Plant, The Swamp Creature, and many more.

Wicked Tales

Wicked Tales by the Italian designer Giovanni Meroni is the fourth deck of the Tales series inspired by Fairy Tales, Fables, and Fantasy Books. The decks offer a vast array of characters of the most popular fairy tales, from Capt. Hook, witches, to giants and orcs. Definitely a fun deck for Halloween!

Fear

Designed by Alex Pandrea, the FEAR deck was created for his favorite season and time of year! The deck sports a vibrant orange card back and features a simplistic tuck design with the caption "The Only Thing We Have To Fear, Is Fear Itself" on the front, and "...And Spiders" on the back. 

Screams at Midnight

Designed by Phill Smith, Penguin Magic's Screams at Midnight playing cards celebrate the creepy, fun monster movies of the past. Devilishly delightful creatures adorn the back design. Just like many of your favorite horror flicks, these cards use 3D technology to make the monsters jump right out at you when you wear the included glasses! The deck is also fully marked for Halloween-themed magic.

Play Dead V2

The stylish Play Dead V2 from Riffle Shuffle features mixes of bold line and shape patterns with the 3D forms, but this time with a teal-green colorway. Designed by Steven Harrison, the Skull theme pops with complementary colors and lines. 

Art of Steampunk V2

The Art of Steampunk Playing Cards Vol. 2 features a unique fantasy version of nineteenth-century Victorian England imbued with today's technology, resulting in devices and contraptions that seem to have sprung from the mind of a mad twenty-first-century scientist. The fully custom deck features iconic imagery and lots of metal detailing. The courts follow the characters in Steampunk outfits with heavy weaponry, bowler hat, goggle, and military-inspired garments with garments from the Victorian era.

Vengeance of Witches

By Nicolai Aaroe, Vengeance of Witches is a 17th-century witchcraft playing cards, manufactured with deluxe features in two limited editions. The artwork on the full bleed card backs feature intricate artwork printed with metallic copper inks and blood red accents in pantone. The face cards are hand-illustrated and feature archetypes inspired by the 17th-century witch-hunts.

The selection expressed in this top12 is solely those of the author. 

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News: Westminster Playing Cards from Penguin Magic

Launching today from Penguin Magic, Westminster Elite Playing Cards. Penguin has been doing a pretty nice job on their in house deck releases. Spotlighting some great designers and their fantastic work.

So the information we've been given from Penguin on their new deck:

Westminster playing cards are the ultimate collaboration between England and the US.  Designed by Phill Smith (creator of Stegosaurus and the DMC Black/Gold Marked deck), the Westminster deck is inspired by the gothic architecture of Westminster Abbey and offers a timeless look combined with a premium feel.

Printed by USPCC on high-end Bicycle stock with top-of-the-line finish, traditionally cut, and with metallic green ink on the back design, these cards are just as amazing to handle as they are to look at.  The deck features a custom Ace of Spades, custom gargoyle jokers with a built-in reveal effect, as well as a duplicate 2H and a versatile gaff card.

Classic enough for any poker table or magic routine, yet beautiful enough for cardistry with its intricate design and metallic backs, this is a deck that you will love to use!

 Westminster also features some nice details in quality, design and finish.

• Limited 1st Edition
• Custom Back Design in Green Metallic Ink
• Custom Ace of Spades
• Custom Gargoyle Jokers with Reveal Effect
• High-Grade Bicycle Stock & Magic Finish, Printed by USPCC
• Traditionally Cut for Easy Shuffling
• Duplicate Card and Gaff Card Included

Westminster should appeal to a wide range of Playing Card aficionados. The intricate design coupled with the familiarity of a poker deck keeps it unique enough without distraction. At the time of publication we did not have an exact release time or price. Once we receive the information we'll be sure to update it here for our readers. I would suspect, in what's become a pattern at Penguin Magic, a nice discount on brick purchases for early buyers.

Keep up to date with information on Westminster, along with everything Penguin Magic on social media. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram and of course their main site at Penguin Magic.

We want to thank our friends at Penguin for the opportunity to bring our readers some info and images of their new products.

Check Out Penguin Magic's Bicycle Wranglers Playing Cards

Can you believe it?! Three Wild West-themed decks in a row! The Matt McCormick Fontaines, Rattler Gorge, and now travel back to 1874 with Penguin Magic's Bicycle Wranglers playing cards! 

It is estimated that in the mid-1800s up to 25% of factory-printed decks with back designs were marked. The Wranglers are no exception. Unlike the coded systems that would have been used in the 19th century, the Bicycle Wranglers have openly readable marks designed by Phill Smith. 

Fully custom artwork by Ovidiu Stoica, the card back design adopts a familiar mirrored layout prominently featuring a galloping rider. The court cards have cowboys and cowgirls with subtle touches of metallic ink. The number cards have a vintage style with rope-outlined pips that are easily recognizable and highly playable. 

The deck is packaged in a custom Bicycle-branded tuck box that prominently features the galloping rider in a black/white colorway. Capped with a vintage custom sticker seal. 

The deck is printed by the US Playing Card Co on Thin-Crushed stock with a linen "Magic" finish. Available as a single deck or in 6-packs with custom half brick box. Available now from pengiunmagic.com for $10 (usually 12) for the next 48 hours. 

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