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The Ad Lucem Playing Cards project was recently fulfilled after successful funding on Kickstarter, and I just got mine in the mail yesterday.  It's a Renaissance themed deck that was produced by the collaborative efforts of Christian Buss (project visionary and art manager), Ritu Bhattacharva (lead artist/illustrator) and Bivas Bhattacharjee (digital artist and designer).

This project turned out magnificent, especially the Sovereign Edition.  The gold foil on the card faces really looks stunning, especially in combination with gilded edges.  This deck was printed by WJPC, and they've done a great job with the quality.  It turned out exactly as good as you see in the pictures below.

The artwork is beautiful, and it's a picture of class all round.  Amazing work once again from Bivas and Ritu, and from Chris!



























The special 3D rotating Renaissance coin also looks fantastic.

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A Cellar of Fine Vintages / Re: Mrs. Robinson?s bicycle card collectors handbook 1955
« Last post by I on March 04, 2024, 04:37:57 PM »
That's the site that got me into collecting! Best resource out there for all things Bicycle.
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Thanks Toby - great info.  The Colombiano deck continues to elude me after all these years...
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For those interested, Bicycle has a full scan of this handbook on their website: https://bicyclecards.org/mrs-robinsons/

That's Joe Pierson's website, fyi, not the official Bicycle website.  Joe's is way better!
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Design & Development / customize name memory flash card for kid
« Last post by bearbrick on February 29, 2024, 09:55:23 PM »
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A Cellar of Fine Vintages / Re: Mrs. Robinson?s bicycle card collectors handbook 1955
« Last post by ecNate on February 29, 2024, 12:59:03 PM »
For those interested, Bicycle has a full scan of this handbook on their website: https://bicyclecards.org/mrs-robinsons/
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Playing Card Plethora / Kickstarter: JOY - A Different Deck of Playing Cards
« Last post by EndersGame on February 28, 2024, 10:23:14 PM »
 Kickstarter: JOY - A Different Deck of Playing Cards by Brian South

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/teachbymagic/joy-deck-a-different-deck-of-playing-cards

Creative playing cards that hide hundreds of words and numbers in the pips - can you find "JOY" on every card?

Project ends: Friday, March 22, 2024



Brian South is from "Discover Magic", and it's already been a decade since he produced two wonderfully creative decks of playing cards.  These were the Mazing Deck and the Different Deck, which I covered in detail in this article

The Different Deck was a huge hit, with over 1500 backers on Kickstarter generating nearly $75,000 in funding.  This novel deck immediately caught my attention at the time due to its unique approach: each card had a single pip that is composed of illustrations and words corresponding to that card's rank.

 So instead of a standard 3 of Clubs, the Different Deck depicted a single Club made up of threes; instead of a 5 of Diamonds, there was a single Diamond made up of fives; and instead of a Queen of Hearts there was a single Heart made up of Queens.



The cards were also filled with hidden elements, including historical and pop culture references.  For example, if you look closely at the Queen of Spades shown above, you will not only see the word "queen" written in several languages, but also a queen chess piece, and even a Queen Elizabeth signature. The result is that each card has a single pip that is a unique piece of art that can be carefully explored and enjoyed. 

It took a number of years and a lot of work to turn this idea into a reality, but with the help of artist Nike Meyer, in 2014 the Different Deck finally saw the light of day. 



And that brings us to the present, which is the tenth anniversary of the original Different Deck.  Since the release of the Different Deck, Brian and his wife have experienced a lot of joys but also trials, including a failed adoption, financial loss, and even cancer.  But with the strength of their personal faith, they decided to approach these hardships with a positive perspective, by choosing joy. 

The Joy Deck is a brand new version of the Different Deck that captures this attitude to life.   The basic artwork of the original Different Deck has been retained on the card faces, but the word "JOY" has been added onto each and every card. 





The card backs feature a new design which revolves around an ambigram of the word JOY. 



And there's a new colour scheme, with a bright pink and blue producing a sense of vibrancy and energy. 



A sunburst around each giant pip also reflects the positivity exuding from this deck.



As a special touch, the cards will have gilded edges in bright purple.  How can you not feel joyful when you open a deck like this?



The deck is being produced by WJPC on their 310gsm stock.  This reputation of this playing card manufacturer has been growing in leaps and bounds in recent years, and folks in the world of playing cards have been speaking very highly of their quality, even comparing it very favourably to USPCC produced cards, which is high praise indeed.

Brian's goal is to spread joy, and to encourage us to look for joy - and we can literally do that on every single card. One of the extra cards included also gives a list of other things to look for in the deck, so it's certain to keep you busy for a long time.



Extra bonus items available with the project include JOY stickers, and limited edition decks with foil tuck boxes.  Some of the previous editions of the Different Deck and their related items are also available as add ons, as are magic tricks from Brian's Magic Explorers program.



I'm pleased to see this lovely project, and especially appreciate the thinking that underlies it.  Many new collectors may never have heard of the Different Deck, so this is a great chance to get this creative custom deck, now dressed in upbeat and positive new clothing.  Choosing this deck is a great way to start choosing joy in your own life!



Project link

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/teachbymagic/joy-deck-a-different-deck-of-playing-cards

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A Cellar of Fine Vintages / Re: Ask the Experts at 52 Plus Joker
« Last post by Bruce on February 24, 2024, 10:40:29 AM »
Bicycle card question...

There are hundreds of Bicycle back designs (if not more) but reference material seems to be almost universally limited to 82 vintage backs. I know there are vintage decks and modern decks but today's modern is tomorrow's vintage. What's defining that specific cutoff point?
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I thought I would share what I believe to be some new information concerning the Spanish playing card decks listed as SX12 and SX14 in the Exposition and World's Fair souvenir chapter in the Hochman/Dawson encyclopedia. The year shown for each listing states that they date from 1893, which was the year of the Columbian Exposition held in Chicago, but I do not believe this to be the case based upon notes from the April 15, 1897 meeting of the Price Committee of USPC whose members consisted of John Omwake, Stanley A. Cohen and R.H. McCutcheon. In this meeting, two resolutions were put into effect concerning the introduction of two new brands of Spanish playing cards as follows:

Resolution # 69, Cincinnati, April 15, 1897
Resolved, that Branch 1 be authorized to engrave plates and make a new brand of Spanish cards called No. 71, Los Leones, same to be listed in Class "C."

Resolution # 70, Cincinnati, April 15, 1897
Resolved, that Branch 1 be authorized to engrave faces and backs for a new brand of Spanish cards, for Colombia and other South American countries, same to be called No. 81, Colombiano, and listed in Class "C."

This would seem to be all of the proof needed to certify the origins of these two brands of Spanish playing cards. Apparently, the creation of new brands of playing cards takes some time before they can be offered for sale, thus, it is not surprising to see that both of these brands are not listed in the USPC price list for the season beginning on July 1, 1897 but they do appear in the price list for the following season beginning on January 1, 1898 in the Class C section at $42 per gross which is the same for all of the other plain edge brands in this class with the exception of Capitol # 188, Skat # 2 and Gaigel # 3 which were cheaper.

The description for the Colombiano # 81 (Spanish Cards) from the January 1, 1898 Wholesale Price List reads as follows:
"Specially engraved faces, after the style used in Colombia and adjacent countries; genuine parchment stock; possesses all the finest Spanish qualities; permanent colors; made in three sizes - 2 7/16 x 3 11/16, 2 3/8 x 3 5/8 and 2 1/4 x 3 1/2; hard surface finish; full packs, 48 cards."
The middle size is referred to as Barcelona size.

Pictured below are the front and back of the original box for SX12, the back design from the deck in my collection which took me many years to find, and the two of Earthen Bowls which is most interesting because it provides the name of the designer of this deck, Eduardo Espinosa Guzman, who appears to have been a Colombian printer although I would recommend that those interested readers with superior research skills to mine try to unearth some more information about him, perhaps, even enough to write a separate article. The back design is known as "Tangle" and was available in Black, Blue and Red.

The top and bottom sides of the OB read as follows:
 "Premiado en Cuantas" on top followed by "Exposiciones se ha Presentado" on the bottom which, when combined into one sentence, roughly translates into "Awarded in many Expositions where it has been Presented."
One of the side panels reads "Superiores a los Mejores Naipes Espanoles" which translates into "Superior to the Best Spanish Playing Cards." The remaining side panel simply reads USPC in English. Although the back of the box reads "La Gran Exposicion Universal, Chicago", I believe that this refers to the fact that USPC was awarded medals at the 1893 World's Fair for their products at that time and not for this particular deck which did not exist then.

Given all of the above new information, it may be the case that both the SX12 and SX14 designations should be changed to new "US" designations now that neither of them is shown to be directly connected to the Columbian Exposition. Of course, this may create confusion where none currently exists but it would be a treatment similar to the former SR13 designation being given the new S84 designation once it was proven that that deck was not a souvenir made for the Great Northern Railway but was, instead, made as a souvenir of The Great Northwest.
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