Deck View: Archangels Playing Cards

Intricate. Good. Evil.

The Archangels Playing Cards are Inspired by mythology and illustrated by hand. The elegant deck was produced by theory11 and illustrated by Tom Lane in the United Kingdom. The Archangels Deck showcases a juxtaposition of good and evil, darkness and light, night and day, angels and demons.

The deck design required six months of intricate, pen-and-ink illustration. The card back is the crown jewel of the Archangel Deck. A close look at the back design reveals a tale of two opposing forces. The angels on the left, and the demons on the right - locked into an eternal stalemate. The Archangels contains original artwork on the ace of spades, joker, back design, and tuck. On the tuck, debossed ridges provide a unique feel that accent majestic gold foil across each face.

Printed by the United States Playing Card Company on premium quality papers, stock, and finish.

Available from JP Games.

Antler Deck Now in Juniper and Persimmon Colorway

Born from the wild forests, rolling hills, and snow-capped mountains of Northern California, the Antler Playing Cards showcase the majestic beauty of the great outdoors.

 
Designed by Tom Lane, Antlers were Originally released in 2014 with a collection of four colors. Several years later in 2017, Dan and Dave released the Tobacco Brown Edition followed by a Black Edition in 2020. With the continued popularity they've announced two brand-new colors for 2021 - Juniper and Persimmon.

 
The fully custom deck is hand-illustrated in the style of early 20th century playing cards. The back design and Ace of Spades both feature a male deer wreathed in ornate flourishes.

 
Printed by USPCC using an exclusive “crushed stock” and available from DanandDave.com for $15.

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Kickstarter: 7 Questions with Ace Collectable Cards of the Four Seasons Playing Cards

The Four Seasons Playing Cards are a beautifully illustrated deck of cards inspired by the mythology of nature and how the seasons change over the year. Created by Ace Collectable Cards, the deck is a celebration of each season of the year and captures some fascinating mythology and folklore behind them.

Each suit represents a different season: Spades - Winter, Clubs - Autumn, Diamonds - Spring and Hearts - Summer. The enchanting design of the backs are illustrated beautifully, each of the court cards are custom and the standard fifty two cards are used to represent each week of the year, which exemplify the uniqueness of this deck.

We reached out to Ace Collectable Cards and we had a chance to talk to them about the Four Seasons deck, and their decision to fund it through Kickstarter.

For those of us who don’t know, tell us a little about yourself and Ace Collectable Cards.
That's a great first question. Simply put we are a team with a love for beautiful cards. It's our passion that brought us together to create Ace Collectable Cards and this passion that leads us to create the very best cards that we can to share with you all.

Can you describe the Four Seasons Playing Cards and why you’re passionate about it?
We were all really inspired by the mythology of nature and how the seasons change over the year. We really wanted to try and capture the essence of change with these cards and use the fact that there are four suites with fifty two cards to our advantage.

When did you first start thinking about using Kickstarter for the deck? What made you decide to take the plunge?
We've supported a couple of projects on here ourselves, and seen what a difference a strong kickstarter launch can make for a project like ours. Community support can really make a project like this, and when you are really passionate about something I think the community responds to it.

What was your most brilliant breakthrough when designing the deck?
Although we knew we wanted to explore a seasons theme, when we hit upon using fae mythology for the royal cards that was a great breakthrough for us. They have been the faces of the seasons since the beginning of Celtic mythology and it seems fitting for a deck based on the seasons to feature them too.

Walk us through the process you took to design this beautiful deck. How did you get to this finished product? 
The thought process was really simple. First, coming up with the idea, followed by researching deep into it, then making many sketches and after many attempts until I could feel and capture its beauty.. Then I knew the card was ready. Finally,  repeating this process for the rest of The Four Seasons playing cards until I was very happy and proud of them.

With so many playing card projects competing for funding, why should potential backers choose your deck?
Another great question. It's true there are a lot of fantastic projects out there, but we feel that these cards really speak for themselves. From how well the project has done already it's clear the theme speaks to others as much as it does to us. With the truly beautiful and intricate artwork and the high quality production of the cards, by supporting us people know that they will be receiving the very best available. And that's a great reason to back us.

Finally, what are your favourite playing cards? 
That's a tough one! If I had to choose just one, my favourite at the moment would have to be the Archangels deck by Tom Lane. This deck really is a great example of how everyday things like a deck of cards can be turned into 52 genuine works of art.

Thanks guys and all the best! At the time of writing, the project is 73% funded with 10 days to go. If want to support Four Seasons Playing Cards, you can find it on Kickstarter here. 

Four Seasons will be printed by EPCC and pledge starts from £9 (~USD$13). There are multiple add-ons available such as limited edition Rosewood wooden case, uncut sheet and a poster of any card.

Deck View: Antler Limited Edition Playing Cards

Outdoors. Majestic. Buck.

Designed by Tom Lane, Antler Playing Cards is Dan and Dave's first playing card deck following the very successful Smoke & Mirror series. Inspired by the wild forests, rolling hills, and snow-capped mountains of Northern California, the Antler Playing Cards showcase the majestic beauty of the great outdoors.

This Limited Edition features two fully colored back-designs: Hunter Green and Deep Maroon. Everything was hand illustrated in the style of early 20th century playing cards. The Ace of Spades features a noble Buck with herbaceous ornamentation crowning his dignified antlers, and each Joker offers the Antler name.

Also, each Limited Edition deck is hand-wrapped in parchment paper before boxing and is sealed within by a perforated stamp for easy opening. Printed by the USPCC.

Available now from JP Games.

Dan and Dave: Antler Playing Cards

Born from the wild forests, rolling hills, and snow-capped mountains of Northern California, the Antler Playing Cards showcase the majestic beauty of the great outdoors. Designed by Tom Lane, Antler Playing Cards is Dan and Dave's first playing card deck following the very successful Smoke & Mirror series, and they shed light on D&D's endless commitment to producing the finest playing cards in the world.

The Antler deck is offered in two editions, Standard and Limited, each available in Hunter Green or Deep Maroon, as well as a two-deck Collector’s Set featuring a custom leather case. Each Limited Edition deck is hand-wrapped in parchment paper before boxing and is sealed within by a perforated stamp for easy opening.

Everything was hand illustrated in the style of early 20th century playing cards. The back design and Ace of Spades both feature a male deer wreathed in ornate flourishes.

Printed by USPCC and available from DanandDave.com.