Parkin Email Premonition (P.E.P.)

Send a photo prediction to your spectator's phone in advance, and always get it right!



Overview

Imagine this scenario.  You send your spectator an email with a photo you took the previous day at the beach.  He checks to see that it arrives in his inbox, but for the moment doesn't open it.  Then you get him to select a word.  Any word.  A legitimately free choice.  He then opens his email to find your photo, where you had written that very word in the beach sand.  Yesterday.

Or this: You send your spectator an email prediction.  He rolls six dice, using any combination of arithmetic, to produce a completely random number.  And opens his email to find that you've predicted that exact number.

Maybe you want to take it to another level. Imagine you could send an email in advance of the Superbowl, and predict the winner.  In fact, the exact score. With  Parkin Email Premonition (P.E.P.), you can do all that and more.  And it's good as it sounds.  Because an email is like a sealed envelope.  We all know that once an email is sent, you can't get it back, and you can't change it.  And yet your prediction is right.  Every time.

If you want to get an idea of how powerful an email prediction can be, take a look at these two routines from the shows Fool Us and America's Got Talent.  In the Fool Us episode, Brazilian magician Guilherme Silveira travels forward in time, and then back to the present, to predict a freely selected animal, the cumulative total of freely selected dice, and a freely selected colour and US state.  In the America's Got Talent episode, the judges freely select details like a date, a name, and a word, all of which appear in a photo that was taken and sent in advance of their choice.

I'll emphasize the word freely selected, because that's what makes this so baffling.  And yet this is exactly the kind of thing you can do with Parkin Email Premonition (P.E.P.).  So let's tell you more about it.  NB: Right now you can take advantage of a special offer to sign up for a free 10 day trial.



The history

Some magicians may already be familiar with Inject, which is highly regarded as an amazing app that can be used for a large variety of remarkable effects using a phone.  Inject is a separate product from a totally different creator, but P.E.P. does integrate with some Inject effects, and combine them with an email prediction.

But what if you're like me: you don't have Inject, and you don't even know how it works?  Then this write-up is especially for you, because P.E.P. is also a stand-alone product that allows you to do email predictions, and that's what I wanted to do.  Now if you have Inject, you'll already be familiar with some of the concepts that Inject lets you do, so you'll immediately understand how P.E.P. lets you make an email prediction as well as the Inject effects you are using.  In fact, that's how P.E.P. originated.  The creator, Thom Parkin, wanted to find a way to use some Inject effects, but make them even more powerful by being able to predict them in advance via an email.    So P.E.P. started as an add-on for Inject.

But Thom didn't stop there.  He continued to develop what he'd created, and turned it into a stand-alone product that enables you to do email predictions completely independent of Inject.   And that's the aspect of this product that particularly interested me, because that's what I wanted to do.  So let's completely forget about Inject for a moment, and assume you're a reader who isn't familiar with Inject, and you want to be able to do amazing email predictions.   That's exactly what P.E.P. lets you do.

As the ad copy says: "Reveal ANYTHING (image or text) in an email message with a timestamp proving it arrived before the selection was made."  The beauty of having something with a timestamp proves that the email was sent in advance (and it really is!), before anything that happened and yet is correctly predicted.  And that's the real strength of P.E.P.



The effect

Here's how that will look, if you break down the steps involved in using Parkin Email Premonition (P.E.P.) to successfully make an email prediction:

● You make a prediction by email.  Your spectator witnesses you composing the email message, which you can tailor to the situation, but you keep the content secret for now.
● Your spectator confirms receipt of the email.  They don't yet open the email, but can confirm on their device that they have received the prediction message.
● The spectator makes a truly FREE choice.  No force is involved whatsoever, and it is a genuinely free choice.
● Your spectator opens the prediction email, which is 100% correct.  The email reveals (with photos or text) exactly what the free choice was, and timestamps prove it was sent before the choice was made.

That's pretty much how it looks to your spectator. And amazing as it seems, the choice made by your spectator is truly a free one.  It need not even be something chosen by your spectator (e.g. a random playing card) but can also be the results of a sports event, what the weather will be like, or genuinely anything you wish.   And the headers of the email can be checked thoroughly after the fact: the prediction really was sent in advance of the event that was predicted.

I should mention from the outset that no app is used to accomplish any of this.  All of this is simply accomplished with a phone, mobile device, or even a desktop computer with an internet connection.  If you have access to the internet and a web browser, then you can do this.



How it works

The best way to explain what P.E.P. can do is show you how it works.  I have also run this by the creator, Thom Parkin, to make sure he is okay with the level of information I'm sharing, and he's given this his blessing.  Unlike a lot of other tricks in the magic industry, what you're buying with P.E.P. isn't so much the secret about how it works.  From the advertising copy on the product page, that should be pretty obvious: after you send the prediction email, there's a way in which you or a confederate can input the information that will show up in the prediction email when it is read after the fact.  So it's really the technology that is doing all the work for you, and this requires skills and resources that none of us will otherwise have access to without P.E.P., and it's access to this technology that you're paying for when you become a subscriber.

Step 1: Making the email prediction

Once you join up and become a subscriber of P.E.P., you get two special personalized links.  The first personalized link brings you to a starting screen on whatever device you are using to make the prediction.  The Inject Effects only apply to Inject users, and what I'll be using are the "Dynamic Effects".   From this screen all I need to choose is "Email Fallback".  Basically this lets me choose the image that my spectator will see if they open their email too early. There are around 10 different options you can pick from, such as a blue spinner, a "failed download" message, a Queen of Hearts, and several others.

Next we go to a "compose email" screen, which is deliberately designed to look like a basic email editor, and lets you enter the email address of your spectator. You can even enter multiple email addresses, as long as they're separated by a comma. Some working professionals use this to enter the email address of 100 audience members or more, to get them all to receive the prediction email.  With P.E.P. that's no problem, and the creator does offer a few special provisions for stage performers, including a system to easily enter many email addresses.   You can also customize the subject line, and the initial text of your prediction.  If you prefer, these last two values can also be pre-populated by the standard text of your choice, to help expedite the process and save you time.

Pressing "Send" will ship off your prediction email to your spectator, and at this point you can have them check that they've received it - as long as they do not open it, otherwise the trick won't work.  If they do open it too early, you do have a fail-safe measure in place - they'll see the "Email Fallback" image you selected instead. A blind copy of this prediction email is also sent to you automatically as the performer, which has the advantage that you can reference the exact reveal and date of the performance when you are doing follow-up marketing.

Step 2: Sending the secret information

Now for the hocus pocus.  After sending the prediction email you'll click a button to go to a special "Browser Thump Helper" page.  Alternatively you (or an accomplice) can use your second personalized link to go directly to this page, even if it is on a different device than the one used for making the prediction.  On this page you will enter the "free choice" after your spectator has made his choice, or the results of whatever event you have predicted.  You can have a confederate do this if the spectator is going to make his choice under your nose, and you are busy with the spectator.  There are ways for Inject users to enter this information by special patterns of swipes, but another alternative is to sneak away to another room and enter it yourself.  I predicted the results of a sports event, and so I had more than an hour to do this after sending the prediction email.

From this page you choose one of more than two dozen "Helpers" that you'll use for revealing the prediction in the email you have already sent.   Most of these "Helpers" take advantage of dynamic images created by Photofunia, which is a separate service that Thom partners with to make this work.  Each of these reveals has its own look, and depending on what you choose, you'll have a different number of fields to fill in for your revelation.  For example, the "Airline" Helper lets you make a revelation of a word (up to 10 characters) on the side of an aeroplane, in the colour and font of your choice.

Other options include a having the revelation of a word or short message appear on a yacht or hot air balloon; on two arrow signs; on a sign on a beach or street; on a number plate, birthday cake, book, bracelet, cross-stitch, type writer, or tree carving; or as writing in sand, snow, or water.  Further creative options that give some wonderful presentational possibilities include revealing the information as part of a diploma, cinema ticket, newspaper, or gravestone.  And that's just a sample of the many options available to you!

Step 3: Revealing the prediction

Let's say we're going to reveal a playing card, and opted for the "Hot Air Balloon" as the dynamic effect to use.  Let's enter "8 of Clubs" and press "Thump it" to send it to P.E.P.  Now we're all set, and that's all we need to do!  In the example below, I predicted the result of the recent 2022 Giro d'Italia cycling race, which was won by Jai Hindley.  I opted for the "CrossStich" Helper, entered the relevant information about Jai Hindley being the winner, and selected the other options for that Helper, such as the colour of the text, and the colour and pattern of the frame above and below the text.

After pressing "Thump It", P.E.P. will give us a preview of what the created image looks like.  In my case, using a photo of a cross stitch gives presentational possibilities, because I could even say that I was so confident of my prediction in advance, that I had my wife make a cross stitch with the winner's name the previous evening, and I took a photo to prove it.

Now everything is ready for the prediction email to be opened up and read by the spectator, because P.E.P. together with Photofunia will do all the hard work for us.   When the spectator opens up the email, they'll see the initial text that we composed, along with the image that P.E.P. has incorporated, with the revelation built into whatever image we have decided to use.  This prediction image is permanent, and will not be changed, so if your spectator forwards the email to someone else, the prediction image will be preserved intact just as we created it.

If you want to see screenshots of all the steps involved in making this particular prediction, see the official User's Guide for Making A Prediction With P.E.P., and to see examples of some of the Other Reveals.



 The technical side

The beauty about P.E.P. is that you don't need to install any app or software, because everything works with the help of the two custom links provided to you.  So all you need is a device with an internet connection, and you're set to go.

The guy behind this is Thom Parkin.  By day he is a professional software developer, so when it comes to the technology side of things, he really knows his stuff.  But he's also an amateur magician, so he loves tinkering with technology to find ways to integrate it with magic.  That means that when it comes to customizing things or resolving issues, he's the right man for the job, because he has all the expertise needed.

This is very much a passion project for Thom.  While folks new to this effect might raise their eyebrows initially at the price, the reality is that this is primarily a labour of love for Thom, and not a money making endeavour.  There are a lot of expenses involved in running P.E.P., and when I asked Thom directly about this, he shared that he's not even breaking even most of the time.  Whatever income P.E.P. generates right now doesn't even cover his running costs.  I mention that, because I think it's important not to balk at the price too quickly.

There's a lot of overhead in running the email systems involved, and the various technical aspects of the service.  There's a lot of "behind-the-scenes" work that is required which users don't get to see, and yet is essential.  For example, because the system uses email, Thom has to make sure that he has things in place to prevent hackers exploiting his network.  And because he relies on Photofunia for many of the images, he also pays them a recurring fee for API access to Photofunia's back end.  He has a positive working and business relationship with the folks at Photofunia, which gives some assurance about the longevity of P.E.P., but naturally this also adds to the cost.



 Additional features

I've given an overview of what P.E.P. can do and how it works, but there are more things worth highlighting, even though some of these have been mentioned already:

●  Private Facebook group. Once you become a subscriber, you get access to a special Facebook group that has been set-up for subscribers of P.E.P.  I found it helpful to browse through previous posts in the group, because it gave me ideas for presentation, and also helped me get a handle on how to get the most out of P.E.P.

●  Multiple recipients. Sending the prediction email to multiple audience members is done easily by entering their email addresses, separated by a comma. So if you're performing to a group, you can have all of them get the prediction email.  This is also a fail-safe in case one person does open the email too early, to prevent that from ruining the effect.  And it's no problem to have your spectators look over your shoulder when you're typing their email addresses, to help ensure that you're getting them right - everything looks entirely innocent.  Some working pros even get this email sent to their entire audience, which in some instances includes more than 200 people!

●  Email footer. Because you can fully customize the text of the prediction email, this is an ideal way to include any promotional information about yourself to your spectator immediately underneath the revelation image.  I can see this being a feature that pro magicians can especially benefit from, because you can include details such as links to your website or social media, or even images like a company logo or a promotional coupon.  Because your spectator can forward the email to friends and family, all of this will get automatically included as well.

●  Premium features. The normal version of P.E.P. is fully functional, and will work just fine for most users.  However, because the creator is a tech expert, it does mean that he can do some additional customizing for an additional fee, to cover his time and costs incurred by whatever he is setting up for you.   Premium features include several additional dynamic effects, e.g. an eye chart, refrigerator note, small notepad, free open text, and a few others.  Some even enable you to incorporate your own images within other images, which is very powerful.  Another premium feature available is the capability to simplify the process of entering multiple email addresses for an entire audience in a live performance or virtual show, by using a customized QR code or a separate web form.  You can even have the revelation appear on your own webpage.    Thom will also work with clients to build revelations based on their own images.

●  Inject integration. I'm not a user of Inject, so I really can't say much about this.  But I do know that users of Inject have spoken very highly about P.E.P., because it enables them to incorporate an email prediction along with things they are already doing, and works well with Inject.  Thom has a positive and friendly relationship with the creator of Inject, so everything is above board.  The list of Inject effects currently supported by P.E.P. is lengthy, and includes things like Houdini Cards, Joker Cards, Numbers, Toy Price Tag, Hotel Key, Roulette, Big Ben, Colored Dice, Love Poem, Playing Cards, ESP Cards, Magic Square, and numerous others.  As I understand it, with these effects you can input what is revealed by swiping on your device with Inject, so you don't need a confederate.



Impressions

●  Very powerful. The ability to apparently go forward in time in order to make a 100% accurate prediction can be mind-blowing.  Especially when combined with an interesting presentation, this method can be the backbone of a very strong routine.  You only have to look at the success of the concept of an email prediction in performance videos from Fool Us and America's Got Talent to get an idea of the potential here.  And the final result is very convincing. Even a thorough look at all the email headers will prove that the timestamp is genuine, and the email really was sent ahead of the event that was predicted.  I've used P.E.P. to successfully predict the results of sports events such as a cycling race, and even a government election.  If something can happen, you can predict it, so the possibilities are endless.

●  Very flexible. I was amazed by the range of options available with P.E.P.  This is by no means a one trick pony, even though the concept of an email prediction isn't something you'd use multiple times with the same audience. But when it comes to ways in which you can customize things, you have a large amount of options.  This starts with customizing the subject line and text of your prediction email.  But it especially applies to the large range of different kinds of images you can choose from for your revelation. And if you really want more, Thom Parkin is more than ready to help work with you to create whatever effect you are looking for.

●  Very commercial.  This is a very professional product, and I can see that it would especially be a powerful tool in the hands of a performing professional.  David Copperfield has even incorporated an email prediction with a photo in his show, and with P.E.P. you're able to do exactly that.  I'm an amateur, so for me this is mostly fun to play around with, although I've had a lot of enjoyment tinkering with P.E.P. to impress my family and friends.  But for the performing professional, P.E.P. can really be a powerful tool that could be incorporated as part of your repertoire, and even combined with an existing effect to make it even stronger. The ability to have the prediction sent to your entire audience at a convention or in a show really strengthens things.  The ability to include a footer with custom ads or links is also very useful when used in a commercial context.

●  Technology dependent.  The method behind P.E.P. is of course entirely dependent on technology.  That's part of the beauty of it, because there are no sleights to learn or secret moves to accomplish, other than finding the best way to enter the text for your revelation.  This has the advantage that you can put all your energy into the performance and presentation.  But it can also come with its own baggage.  When experimenting with P.E.P., I did notice that in some instances the image can load slowly, since Photofunia images are quite high resolution.  Thom is currently working on a way of reducing the file sizes, because if your spectator notices the image load visually and slowly, it might tip the method.  Mind you, this is less of an issue with dynamic effects that are built into a photo, and where the user has been told in advance to expect a photo as the prediction.   But I have read that people involved in email marketing or those with a close familiarity with live images and live text in emails could easily figure out the method.  In my limited experience with P.E.P. so far I haven't personally had this happen with a spectator yet. I also think that the chances of your spectator reverse engineering the method can also depend on the patter you use and how you present this.

●  Well supported. I did also have a couple of times where the technology failed me - or perhaps I failed it because of what I was doing!  Whatever the cause, Thom was immediately at hand to help me resolve matters, and to take steps to prevent this happening again.  Thom Parkin has a real passion for technology and a passion for magic, and this project is first of all about a way he can combine these two loves.  He's not in this to make money first of all, but to create something that he's put his heart into, so he loves to see other magicians achieve success with the help of what he's done, and give them constant support along the way.  So it's no surprise that Thom is super helpful with everything.  I asked him a lot of questions about P.E.P., and he was always willing to go the extra mile in explaining things and answering questions.  It quickly became obvious to me that Thom is extremely dedicated to this project, and is constantly looking for new ways to add new effects and improve things.  This also means that P.E.P. is not a static product, but is a passion project that has the benefit of his ongoing development.



● Learning curve.  Now that I know how P.E.P works, it's really very simple.  It's actually not difficult to learn how to use, but if there is something that it lacks, it is a good and simple explanation of what it does and how it works (Update: I've since helped the creator put together a useful P.E.P. User's Guide which walks you through all the steps of registering and making a prediction).  I suspect that the "How it works" section of this review will accomplish exactly that, because that was what I would have liked to have had when I started out.  Especially for non-Inject users like me, all the information I was confronted with at first was a little overwhelming.  I wrongly had the impression that a considerable amount of tech know-how was required. I was actually a little intimidated initially by all the options and text boxes, which made things seem far more complex than it actually was.  So don't let the options and customization put you off, because actually it's all rather straight forward.  If you've read the "How it works" section of this review, you're pretty much ready to sign up and use this.

● Audience management. You will require some good audience management when using P.E.P.  If your spectator opens the email too soon, they'll get your "Email fallback" image, and once that's loaded, the prediction email is basically locked in place, and will only ever show the fallback image, and not the correct prediction.  That is actually a good feature of P.E.P., because it means you're covered if your spectator does open the email too soon.  But it does mean you'll have to give very clear instructions about this.  I had it happen with one nonchalant spectator who did open the email despite my instructions, and said "but I didn't read it, so it doesn't matter".  While he didn't think it was a big deal, meanwhile he'd blown the effect.  I've learned from that experience, and have managed to avoid a repeat, but it does show that your patter needs to be carefully considered.  Describing the prediction email as the equivalent of a "sealed envelope" which shouldn't be opened to the very end is a good way of achieving this in a way that makes sense to your spectator.

● Presentation options. When it comes to your patter and presentation, you will largely be on your own.  On the one hand, one of the strengths of P.E.P. is that it is so flexible, and that it has so much scope for a wide range of possible presentations.  But for a brand new user like me, especially if the world of predictions is somewhat new, I found myself a little lost at sea, and could have benefited from a bit more guidance, with some suggested patter and presentation.  For example, I quickly learned that it can actually be a positive to tell people that I'm sending them an image.  Not only does that help provide a good cover for the method, but it also prevents them getting side-tracked when opening up the email and being confronted with an image rather than plain text, and ensures that they will instead focus on the baffling accuracy of the prediction itself.  Some of the Photofunia photos also lend themselves naturally to striking presentations (e.g. "Yesterday I took a photo of ....").  But having a video with a suggested performance would help the learning curve, and so would a list of presentation or patter ideas.  This will be less of an issue for Inject users, since many of the effects it enables already incorporate presentations, and in those cases P.E.P. will simply function as a natural extension to this.

● Subscription based. Parkin Email Premonition isn't a physical product that you purpose, but works by having users pay an annual subscription fee to use it.  It's $119 annually, and that will make some magicians immediately balk.  But in reality that works out to just under $10 a month.  And it needs to be considered that the actual costs for running P.E.P. are higher than this, and even at that price its creator Thom Parkin isn't making any money.  Really.   It may put P.E.P. out of reach for the casual amateur who is looking to use this for the family Christmas dinner and perhaps a handful of other times.  But for the working professional who is actively using it, this price shouldn't prove to be a barrier given the high value they'll get from using it.   Compared with other products that offer email predictions, P.E.P. stands head and shoulders above everything else currently on the market.  I raised my eyebrows too the first time I saw the subscription price, but it seems reasonable now that I know more about what the product offers, the running costs for the developer, and the lack of decent competition in this market space.  NB: Right now Thom is offering a free 10 day trial, so take advantage of that while you can.



Recommendation

Don't bypass Parkin Email Premonition (P.E.P.) too quickly just because of the price.  This is a product that does exactly what it promises to do, and can be a very powerful tool in the right hands. It is well worth taking a careful look at what it offers, and thinking about whether or not it is something that you can use, especially if you're a working professional.

There is a lot of scope for taking this in different directions, and when it comes to the presentational side of things, you'll largely have to figure things out for yourself.  But for the practiced performer, you'll not be getting this in order to get ideas for presentation or for performance, but in order to achieve the impossible.  As such, it's more of a prop than an actual trick.

And it's a prop that is incredibly effective and flexible, and you can build a stunning routine around it.  You can even easily add it to some of your most stunning tricks, concluding a card routine by showing that the selected card was predicted all along.  Especially if the selection was genuinely free and not forced, it can serve to strengthen something that is already impressive, by taking it to the next level.

I've been having a lot of fun with P.E.P., and regular users of this amazing email prediction product are universal in their praise.  Users of Inject will especially get a lot of mileage out of it.  Highly recommended.

Special offer: If you sign up here today, you can take advantage of a special offer that is currently running for a free 10 day trial.  A credit card is required (which won't be charged until the end of the trial period), but you can cancel at any time.

Want to learn more? A subscription for Parkin Email Prediction (P.E.P.) can be purchased for $119 annually.
● Parkin Email Premonition: P.E.P. Product Information Page, P.E.P. User Guide, P.E.P. Subscription Page
● User guide: How to register, How to make a prediction, Other reveals
● List of effects: P.E.P. Dynamic Effects, P.E.P. Premium Effects, P.E.P. Inject Effects
● From the same creator: Instant Card Magician (see my review)

The Best Decks of 2021: A Gallery of Award Winners

Almost every industry has some kind of awards.  Fortunately for us, the same applies to the world of custom playing cards.   Like all awards, there's always going to be a certain amount of subjectivity involved.  Who picked the nominees?  What were the criteria?  What kind of voting system was involved?  And the announcements of winners may even spark debate.  Were other candidates better?  What potential candidates were overlooked completely?

But regardless of how you feel about awards, I'm convinced they're good to have.  They are one way of recognizing some of the best in the industry.  And they create discussion, and candidates other than the eventual winners will always be part of that discussion.  And it will give some indication of the top performers.

When it comes to playing cards, there are several different communities that issue awards.  In this article, I'd like to take a look at the award winners from 2021.  But rather than fill your screen with words about the playing cards, I'd like to focus on the beauty of the decks themselves.  They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and let's face it, when it comes to playing cards, what matters is what we see.  That's exactly what we appreciate about a good custom deck: how it looks.  So let's get started, and enjoy this showcase of some of the best decks from 2021!



52 Plus Joker's 2021 Deck of the Year winner (Diamond Award)

52 Plus Joker is the largest club of playing card collectors in the world, and ever since 2017 they have been running their Diamond Awards, which recognizes the best deck of the year, as voted by their large membership.  Anyone can join the club by paying the membership fee, but there's no doubt that this club represents a large community of experienced and discerning playing card collectors.  So to win their award, a deck has to be good.

The eligibility period for their annual awards runs from July to June each year, so the 2021 Deck of the Year Award represents a release from July 2020 through to June 2021.  Typically the winner is announced at their annual convention in October, so from July through September there's a period of nomination and voting.  The planned convention for October 2021 had to be cancelled due to COVID, so instead the winners were announced at a special Virtual Weekend event in April 2022.

Winner: Circus by Marianne Larsen & Martin Helgren

Offered in two editions - the Deluxa Edition shown here, and a companion Black Mosquito Edition - this deck has an exquisite tuck box, and features a vintage circus theme.  It's the first time design from Marianne Larsen in collaboration with Martin Helgren, and was printed by NPCC.











Nominee: Bird Deck by Hilary Pfeifer

This unique deck was created by an artist who first created the artwork for each card as an intricate collage, which was then reproduced onto playing cards.  A huge project, and strikingly different.











Nominee: Charmers by Lotrek & Kellar O'Neil

Magician Kellar O'Neil engaged rock-star playing card designer Lotrek for this project, to create an artistic and elegant deck described as evoking the art, luxury, and taste of the Victorian era.  It's intended as a practical deck, so although it has a vintage feel it still has a standard look about it.











Nominee: Holographic Legal Tender V2 by Kings Wild Project (Jackson Robinson)

Jackson Robinson is a familiar name, and the Legal Tender is a familiar deck.  But with this holographic V2 edition, he has built on his legendary design to create something truly special, combining his banknote-inspired artwork with holographic luxury.











Nominee: Onda by Jocu (Alessandra Gagliano & Anthony Holt)

The Jocu design team produced Onda on the heels of their successful Green Man decks and Hops & Barley decks, but the Onda deck is a real standout, as a vibrant exploration of a mythical ocean.  The highlights are the 12 court card characters that inhabit the azure depths of this fantastical marine mythology.











Nominee: Umbra by Jody Eklund

Umbra continues Jody Eklund's Luminosity saga, and was inspired by Norse mythology.   It captures something of the allegory written by Ricky Cassford, and tells something of the characters from the world of Luminosity, illustrating a journey from shadow into light.











Portfolio52 winners

Portfolio52 is a massive online playing card database that is free for any collector to use, as a way of keeping track of their collection, and was started by rock-star playing card designer Alex Chin.  Their awards were previously known as the United Cardists Deck of the Year Awards (DOTY), and were connected with the United Cardists forum.  They have been an annual feature there since 2013.  But in September 2021 an announcement was made that Portfolio52 had acquired United Cardists and all its assets.  As a result, the 2021 DOTY Awards came under the Portfolio52 umbrella for the first time.  In actual fact the 2020 DOTY Awards had already been a collaboration between United Cardists and Portfolio52, so the way for this had already been paved the previous year.

What makes the Portfolio DOTY Awards unique is that they acknowledge winners in a much wider range of categories, besides a single and overall DOTY winner, which is their blue ribbon event and crowning award.  This includes an award for Best Graphic Deck, Best Magic Deck, Best Cardistry Deck, and Best Rookie Deck.  There are also separate categories for things like: Best Tuck Case, Best Joker, Best Back Design, Best Aces, Best Court Cards, Best Color Use, and Best Print Use.  With almost a dozen different awards issued, I won't show all the winners, but will focus on the winners in the main categories.

Winner: 52 Plus Joker 2021 by Stockholm17

Stockholm17 is a huge name in the custom playing card industry, and for 52 Plus Joker's 2021 club deck he really pulled out all the stops, with an extraordinary tuck case, and beautifully designed playing cards.











2nd place: Alice in Wonderland by Kings Wild Project (Jackson Robinson)

With this deck Jackson Robinson created a delightful tribute to Lewis Carroll's classic story about Alice in Wonderland.  All the cards are fully customized with gorgeous and charming artwork.











3rd place (tie): Royales by Kings & Crooks (Lee McKenzie)

Lee McKenzie is the man behind the Kings & Crooks brand, and when he put his Royales series on Kickstarter, it was an immediate hit.  These are playing cards that are oozing with elegance, with a classic look of sophistication and style.











3rd place (tie): Tale of the Tempest by The Gentleman Wake & Lotrek

Lotrek is one of the biggest names in playing cards today, and is highly respected for his luxurious looking decks.  This collaboration with The Gentleman Wake didn't disappoint, with lots of love and creativity evident in both the beautiful tuck cases and the playing cards themselves.











Best Rookie Deck: Inception by RunIt Decks & Dhon Ragadio

The RunIt Decks team behind this deck hails from the Philippines, and their Inception deck aims to be a modern-day celebration of their origins and culture, with depictions of warriors, weapons, traditional clothing, and mythical creators, in a modern and colourful style.  This deck also took out the awards for Best Use of Colour, Best Court Cards, and Best Back Design.











Best Cardistry Deck: Nebula by Emily Sleights 52

Cardistry decks require lots of colour, and the Nebula deck from Emily Sleights 52 deck has plenty of it.  It was inspired by the rebirth of stars and galaxies, and also functions as a metaphor about how we are always progressing and growing into better versions of ourselves.











Best Magic Deck: Butterfly Border series by Ondrej Psenicka & Stefan Eriksson

The marked version of his original Butterfly Deck from Ondrej Psenicka became a real hit after he successfully used it to fool Penn and Teller, but since then it has spawned some wonderful unmarked versions that make use of its gorgeous back design, including the seasonal decks that are part of the Border Series.











Best Graphic Deck: Bold by Elettra Deganello

Italian designer Elettra Deganello is a relatively new face on the playing card scene, but her expertise and creativity as a graphic designer really shines in her Bold decks, which come in a Deluxe and a STD version.  These decks reinterpret the traditional English courts using decorative elements that cleverly make use of typographic symbols.











Kardify's 2021 Deck of the Year winner

While the Deck of the Year award from 52 Plus Joker (above) and Portfolio52 (below) are both voted on by members of their respective community, Kardify's Deck of the Year award is simply chosen by the people who run the Kardify website.  This is an independent portal that covers playing card news, analysis, interviews, reviews, and previews.  It is run by playing card enthusiast Ivan Choe, who also showcases wonderful work by photographer Anthony Ingrassia.

Kardify has been running Top 12 lists each year for some time already, but their Deck of the Year award was only issued for the first time in 2020. That means that the 2021 Deck of the Year makes only the second time they have crowned an overall "best".  The award is announced at the very end of the year, and represents their choice for the best deck that appeared on the market in that calendar year.

Their Top 12 list for 2021 consisted of a dozen wonderful decks, and they also named another 13 honorable mentions.

Winner: 52 Plus Joker 2021 by Stockholm17

The deck that took the top prize was the 52 Plus Joker 2021 Club Deck, which also won Portfolio52's "2021 Deck of the Year".  You can read their article which covers their announcement of the winner.







Top 12: Alice in Wonderland by Kings Wild Project (Jackson Robinson)

In this whimsical deck we go down the rabbit hole with Jackson Robinson, who brings the memorable characters of the Alice in Wonderland story to life.  It also took second place in Portfolio52's awards, so it was no surprise to see it in this Top 12 list.





Top 12: Atlantis by Riffle Shuffle

The mythical Atlantis is well-known from the tales of legend as a lost city below the ocean depths.  This deck brings to life the mythical legend about this advanced civilization with two companion decks, one showing the city at its height before it disappeared, the other showing the city as it rests in the depths of the sea.




Top 12: Black Market by Thirdway Industries (Giovanni Meroni)

This limited edition could only be accessed for purchase with a special password, and this hidden gateway echoes what the deck is about: the Black Market Secret Society, which is a fictional company that specializes in selling special items to its members.





Top 12: Blue Jay by Meadowlark & Elettra Deganello

As sequel to the beautiful Meadowlark deck, the Blue Jay deck showcases the talents of Elettra Deganello, who took some core features of the original deck but added a dentistry sub-theme, and gorgeous design that made excellent use of Cartamundi's cold foil.





Top 12: Harry Potter by Theory11

Getting the licence for creating an official Harry Potter deck comes with a big responsibility, but Theory11 is the company able to live up to that.  The gorgeous tuck boxes didn't disappoint, and the custom artwork on the cards does a superlative job of representing some of the key characters from the famous stories.





Top 12: Kingdom & Kinghood by Artisan Playing Cards

These stunning decks feature extraordinary tuck boxes, and a level of innovation not previously seen.  The exquisite illustrations on the cards and the boxes echoes the theme and opulence of royalty from the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and two very different decks were part of this project.





Top 12: Marvelous Hummingbird by Kellar O'Neil & Chris Tipton

Hummingbirds are associated with rapid movement and exquisite beauty, and the extraordinary tuck boxes and card backs of this deck do a terrific job of paying homage to the beauty of hummingbird feathers, including copious amounts of eye-catching iridescence that looks amazing when it catches the light.





Top 12: Pioneers by Ellusionist

This marked deck was created by Ellusionist with a deliberate vintage look, which is immediately evident from the tuck box, and the aged look of the playing cards themselves.  Period style artwork has been used to capture something of the 1893 World's Fair, which commemorated the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus.





Top 12: Republic by Uusi

Creators Uusi are famous for bringing traditional art techniques to playing cards, and this lovely deck featured hand-inked artwork inspired by earth tones, with monochrome cards in either red or black, featuring a woodcut look.  It's based on Finnish/Nordic folk art and design, and the name is taken from Uusi's home-town in Michigan, where there is a large Finnish community.





Top 12: Royales by Kings & Crooks (Lee McKenzie)

We've seen this deck previously already as part of the Portfolio52 routines, and its excellence makes it a worthy addition to this Top 12 list.  This luxury deck is inspired by the gold and glamour of a fictional casino, in the style of Monte Carlo, and where we can expect to find the world's wealthy at play.





Top 12: Wayfarers by Joker and the Thief

This deck captures the spirit of travel and adventure, a spirit embodied in James, the man behind the Joker and the Thief brand.  The playing cards represent those who wander far and wide, capturing themes such as personal freedom and the human desire to fly high, while also depicting the elements of nature.





Final Thoughts

These awards give us some idea of some of the top custom playing cards that are on the market today.  Certainly there are others that could have made the grade as well, so this is by no means a list that is exhaustive.  But does give some sense of the superlative playing cards that creative designers are producing.

We are fortunate to live in an era where playing card manufacturers are able to produce playing cards of the highest quality, and where designers have the time and ability to match this with wonderful designs like the ones recognized by the above industry awards.  The future is bright, and I'm already looking forward to seeing what decks will win awards for 2022!



Author's note: I first published this article at PlayingCardDecks here.

Moving beyond Hugard and Braue's The Royal Road to Card Magic

Next steps and alternatives to a classic book for those serious about learning card magic

Jean Hugard and Frederick Braue's classic The Royal Road to Card Magic (often just dubbed Royal Road or RRTCM for short) is arguably the most recommended book for beginners wanting to learn the essentials of card magic.  That's despite the fact that it was written in 1948.  In my previous article, we took a close look at this classic work, gave an outline of its contents, and summarized some of its strengths and weaknesses.  My conclusion was never really in doubt: despite its age, this book is still a solid choice for beginners wanting to build a solid foundation by mastering the fundamentals of card magic.

What's good about it?  The Royal Road to Card Magic has many strengths, including a good treatment of most of the key techniques of sleight of hand card magic, along with a very strong set of card tricks.  It also includes many excellent tips about presentation, misdirection, and other important aspects that are essential to know in order to amaze and entertain.  And one of the best parts of the book is the approach it takes to learning, with a very systematic study of material that gets you learning and mastering techniques, while applying them to good tricks you can perform at the same time.

But what is the best way to undertake one's journey along this royal road?  In my previous article I noted that relying on the book alone does have some real pitfalls, in part due to its age.  Despite all the great things it offers, there are aspects where the presentation and patter needs updating, or where techniques have been refined and improved.  And let's be honest, sometimes it can be hard learning from the printed word alone.

Fortunately good help is at hand.  In this follow-up article to my detailed review of the book, I want to introduce you to some great companions that you can take with you on your journey along the royal road to card magic.  Today we now have access to a couple of annotated versions of the book, where contemporary magicians have provided expert commentary and suggestions on the material taught in the book.  There are also some wonderful videos based on the book, which you can use along with it to help you actually see the things that the book describes, and which will really help jump-start your learning.   I'll introduce you to all of these, and will conclude by covering some of the best alternatives - both books and videos - that you should know about as other great places to start your journey into learning the fundamentals of card magic.



Annotations from Mark Lewis

The Annotated Royal Road to Card Magic from Mark Lewis is available as a digital version from Lybrary.com and other places online, or as a hard copy from Mark's website.  He says about the original Royal Road book: "This is the book that changed my life," and he's not exaggerating.  He has been performing for over 60 years, and it's hard to think of someone who has lived and breathed this book more than Mark Lewis.

The idea of this annotated version first germinated on the Genii magic forum, where Mark wrote this before he embarked on the project: "I keep thinking that I should annotate this book and self publish it. I suspect I know this book better than anyone else. I studied it backwards, forwards, zig zag and inside out. It has been the most important book in my entire life. ... I can do nearly every trick in it. Nobody knows this book better than I do. Nobody.". Given how much time he's invested with the Royal Road, having performed the majority of its tricks countless times, and really making them his own with the benefit of his personal handlings and tweaks, Mark is certainly highly qualified to provide annotations for this classic book, and many other magicians encouraged him to do so.

I used the electronic copy of Mark's annotated book, which is a 400 page PDF, and is based on the 1991 Dover reprint of the original first edition.  It contains the complete text and illustrations of the original, and Mark's annotations are included at the end of every section in red, making very clear what comments are his.  In some instances he  even includes helpful illustrative photos of his own, to show various grips or techniques.  It comes with a brief but gushing foreword from Harry Lorayne with his endorsement,  and indeed Harry has been mentioned several times in the book.

Mark's tone is very conversational at times (eg "O.K. Let's get down to business." p45), and at times even a little unpolished, with instances of all capitals ("THAT IS NOT PART OF A TRICK" p45) or sentence fragments ("Really bad procedure." p46).  It feels quite different from the more formal and academic tone of the book, which uses italics rather than capitals for emphasis.  At times he provides lengthy additions, such as over two pages of material on flourishes (p44-46).  In other instances there are lengthy sections and tricks with zero comment at all.  In his defence, Mark would probably suggest that the book is so well written that he doesn't need to add anything, but it would still have been nice to have heard some opinion on the trick or sleight in question, and to have some comments on each sleight or trick that describe his thoughts about it. 

It's clear that Mark's contributions come from a battle hardened veteran, and have been fine-tuned in the real world with the benefit of extensive experience.  When he does have something to say, it is often to provide a superior method or alternative technique.  Some examples: a nice suggestion in the chapter on the riffle shuffle for a complete false shuffle (p.38-39); a lovely subtlety for the glide that involves putting your finger on the face of the card (p.67); three alternative ways of replacing a palmed card (p.107); an excellent idea for using the swivel cut as a false cut, and a simple but effective way of using it as a surprise revelation where the selection appears to pop right out of the middle of the deck (p.202); superb tips on accomplishing the classic force (p.233-7).   In other instances he provides some needed updates.  Some examples: performing the spring at a vertical rather than horizontal angle as shown in the book; two alternatives to the inferior method of the double lift taught; the much preferred "swivel cut", which is superior to the original's "pretty cut"; the addition of the Erdnase change to strengthen the section on colour changes; the Hindu Force commonly used today; and many more. 



There are some elements where some more polish or double-checking would have helped.  I've already mentioned the overly informal style which seems to clash with the more serious tone of the original book.  The alternative three packet false cut (p.154) has a simple error, because it would actually change the deck order from ABC to CBA;- probably what is intended is a description of the Ose Cut.  I would also have liked to see some mention of more modern approaches to the technique for the Glide (by rotating the card slightly, as taught in Giobbi's Card College), and a more contemporary assessment of the Backslip, which Lewis somewhat surprisingly considers "excellent and versatile".  There are also a couple of instances where the original drawings in Royal Road have mistakes, and I would have expected the annotations to have pointed this out.   Perhaps Mark will someday produce a second edition that includes comments on all the tricks and all the techniques, and adds some more polish to what he's already written.

But what's especially valuable about this annotated version are the suggestions about the tricks.  Mark first performed "Poker Player's Picnic" to royalty as a 16 year old, and suggests a nice variation for if you ever repeat it. He also provides an idea from Derek Dingle via Harry Lorayne for using some sleight of hand to make this trick more impressive.  He shares a good idea for making "Thought Stealer" more impressive by using eight instead of six cards, and by having a card selected from a spread.  For "Do As I Do" he shares a slick one deck version which results in two face up kings in both your deck and that of your spectator, although this does require more advanced sleights including a sort of half pass.  While "Now You See It" is a great trick as is, Mark has come up with something even stronger with five instead of four cards.  I especially loved his idea for "Obliging Aces", where his suggestion to give a short personal reading with "numerology" is a great way to disguise the fact that 10-20 force yields the same result multiple times in a row - a weakness of the trick 'as is' in the book.  In the chapter on the key card Mark shares a nice simple routine using this method that has been his workhorse since childhood (p.83-4).  As a wonderful alternative to "Everybody's Card" he provides a simpler version of the "Deft Delusion" found in The Card Magic of LePaul.

Many more examples could be given, but this should give you an idea about the value of Mark's annotations.  It's not so much a brief guided tour on all the content as it is an opportunity to sit down with an expert tour guide, and stop at various points along the way, taking a detour off the main road in a slightly different direction.  Sometimes this comes with additional requirements, and assumes that you've mastered all the sleights in the book.  But if you have worked through the book and want to fine-tune your performances of specific tricks, there's much that can be gleaned from Mark's thinking and ideas.  He has applied his creativity and experience to many of the tricks in the book, and the small touches he suggests will really help elevate them to the next level.  Obviously when he does have something to say about the techniques, it's worth listening to him carefully, especially when he gives alternative methods to consider.

The final part of Mark's annotated version is a 50+ page appendix that is entirely his own contribution.  It consists of five additional chapters, and represents his own attempt several decades ago to write a book much like Royal Road.  But life got in the way of him completing the project, and so he came to the conclusion that he'll never complete it, and decided to share it in its current form.  The chapters here are as follows:
1. Easy Card Tricks: This contains five easy card tricks, some of which will already be familiar to many people, but the value here is they come with Mark's handling tips.
2. Showmanship and Presentation: This is particularly useful because it has the benefit of Mark's own experience.
3. Controls: This covers techniques like the key card, crimp, break, and injog, as well as more advanced techniques like the pass.
4. Discoveries:  This provides some fun ways of revealing a selected card, and relies on the ability to control cards as taught in the chapter before it.
5. Forcing.   This covers the Criss Cross Force, and forces using the Glide, the Hindu Shuffle, and a couple of others.
All this additional content certainly adds value to Mark's annotations beside his comments on Royal Road, and it's a good place for a genuine beginner to start, perhaps even ahead of the Royal Road itself.



Annotations from Andrew Musgrave

The Annotated Royal Road to Card Magic

Another magician who has tried his hand at annotating the Royal Road to Card Magic is Andrew Musgrave.  Andrew used to run a blog entitled Ye Olde Magick Blogge, which is where he first shared his insightful annotations.  The blog was discontinued about ten years ago, but fortunately for us, Andrew's Annotated Royal Road to Card Magic still exists in the internet archive, and a PDF version compiled by Garrett Holthaus can also be found floating around the web.  The PDF consists of around 120 pages, and comes with a convenient table of contents with hyperlinks that take you straight to the relevant section.

Unlike Mark Lewis' version, Andrew's annotations don't include the actual text of the Royal Road book, so you'll have to own your own copy.  But what he does do is provide useful comments on everything.  So no matter what the technique or the trick, Mr Musgrave will have something to say about it, which is very helpful and welcome.   In some instances he also includes links to YouTube videos of performances that highlight specific points.  He also offers some "General Thoughts" at the end of each chapter, where he reviews some of the main points, and highlights what is of particular importance or what needs adjusting.    There's also a final chapter with a study guide for learning card magic, which offers suggested areas to focus on, and a recommended order in working through them, as well as pointers to other resources.

Like any annotations, what Andrew provides is deeply personal and subjective.  That means you won't always agree with him.  For example, he really dislikes the trick Poker Player's Picnic, which is a popular favourite from the book, and even calls it "junk".  But it would be a mistake to dismiss all of his opinions just because you disagree with some of them.  He offers many thoughtful reflections, as well as good tips and suggestions.  For example, he has some very good comments on improving the handling of the glide taught by Royal Road.    He also offers some great discussion about the weaknesses of the backslip force, and isn't afraid to argue that the bottom palm is a much better place to begin learning palming than the Royal Road's top palm.   His extended section offering suggestions for constructing routines is terrific.  His style is also very conversational, and he's very honest about his subjectivity, but that's exactly what's helpful about his annotations.

Generally speaking Andrew's annotations tend to be more critical in nature than those of Mark Lewis.  Mark's annotations are like a love letter to a beloved bride that he's been married to for many years, despite some her weaknesses, whereas Andrew is quicker to point out problems he has with the Royal Road's way of doing things.  But Andrew is extremely well read and well-studied, and he frequently makes very specific references to other sources (both print and video), where you can find alternatives and preferred approaches.  He's certainly a good guy to have around when you want to know where to look for things aside from just the Royal Road to Card Magic.

Overall, the content provided in Andrew Musgrave's annotations doesn't contain the same level of detailed handlings as those from Mark Lewis, but at least it covers everything, and it is consistent in its coverage and depth.   Mark stops at fewer points along the way, but then has more to say on the subject. He's well worth listening to if the trick or technique in question is one you're wanting to improve.  In contrast, Andrew is more of a reliable tour guide who we can count on to give us brief thoughts on everything, even if he's less sympathetic at times.  He makes sure we notice what's really important and what isn't.  Both certainly have value.



The Jolly Almanac of Card Knavery

Andrew subsequently went on to start a Nu Way Magic Blogge where he continued his exploration of Royal Road to Card Magic, with the creation of an entirely new book entitled The Jolly Almanac of Card Knavery, or JACK for short.  JACK represents another revisiting of Royal Road, but this time Musgrave completely rearranged the content, and supplemented it with material from the book Expert Card Technique (by the same authors), and with other material sourced from the public domain.   The result is a 242 page PDF or e-book, which Andrew has made available for free here.  You read that right: he's giving this away entirely for free.

Unlike previous efforts, JACK is not merely an annotation of Royal Road to Card Magic.  Instead it is a complete reimagining of the original, revised, updated, rearranged, supplemented, and subtracted.  Much of the original content still hums, despite its age, but where there are creaks and groans, Andrew provides tips to tune things up.  And where old ideas are beyond repair and need abandoning, he provides alternatives.  In his introduction Andrew says that while doing his original annotations of Royal Road at times he "felt like being a cop directing traffic around a car crash."  The reality is that there was occasionally other material that did a better job of things, and so he made it his mission to compile the best of the best, using Royal Road as his starting point, but taking the liberty to rearrange things and add things.  For the most part he lets his original sources do the talking, but occasionally he adds comments of his own.

Does it replace Royal Road to Card Magic?  In some ways no, because the result is something considerably more detailed, and at times almost too dense for the genuine beginner looking to master the fundamentals.  But for anyone who has already worked through Royal Road and wants a refresher or an update, this is an outstanding next step or alternative.  It includes all that's good about the original, removes what's bad, and comes with updated scripts, more current handlings, and plenty of alternatives and additions.  I highly recommend it.



Video from Rudy Hunter

But what options do we have if we are going to stick with Royal Road to Card Magic, but are looking for some visual companions to assist us?  I grew up in an era when videos weren't as readily available or affordable as what they are today, and I remember struggling my way through parts of the Royal Road to Card Magic book, finding it difficult to visualize the moves being taught, and no doubt often getting things wrong, and at times even giving up in frustration.  We now live in a different time, where we often have ready access to high quality instructional videos, which enable beginners to develop more rapidly with card magic than I ever could have done in my time.  I'm not about to make an argument that videos are better than books.  But I do believe that videos that cover the same content as a classic work can serve as very helpful companions, especially for a genuine newcomer to magic, to help them properly learn the essentials of card magic.

Several video sets have been created based on Royal Road to Card Magic, but not all of them can be recommended.  I know of at least four such video projects that exist, including a single DVD from Jason Greenayer and a 6 DVD set from Greg Dow.  But the two that I especially recommend are a 4 DVD set from Rudy Hunter and a 5 DVD set from R. Paul Wilson.  While working through the book in my most recent revisiting of its content, I watched the Hunter and Wilson videos in entirety.  They were very useful, and really helped me visualize many of the techniques and tricks.  In addition, both of these sets also serve as annotations, because they update the material and provide alternative handlings as well as additional comments and advice along the way.

Royal Road to Card Magic video

The Royal Road to Card Magic video by Rudy Hunter was produced by Magic Makers and was first published in 2005.  It comes in a single DVD case that houses four DVDs, and is also available for online streaming. The content runs for about four and a half hours altogether.  These videos go through all the chapters of Hugard and Braue's book, with magician Rudy Hunter carefully explaining all the sleights and moves, and the effects that can be performed with them.  The video features baroque music with the menus, which heightens the overall feel of the classic magic within.  The content of the videos is arranged according to the book, going through the material chapter by chapter, although liberties are taken with the original material at times, and sometimes certain sleights or tricks are not covered or taught.



Rudy Hunter's style might be considered a little dry by some, and he doesn't have the dynamic or lively persona of the typical overly-exuberant in-your-face street magician.  But he is a professional (he estimates he's performed the Ambitious Card routine around a quarter of a million times while doing restaurant and similar gigs), and knows how to perform his card magic smoothly and cleanly.

Importantly for us, he's a good teacher who speaks clearly and carefully, with a friendly and personable style that works well for teaching.  And on the whole he does a good job in explaining how things work, while having his own sense of humour which helps keep things interesting.  The instruction is concise, and Rudy doesn't waste his words, so a lot is packed in a short amount of time.   At times I found things moved along too quickly, so you couldn't rely on the video alone to become competent with all of the more difficult sleights.  But in combination with the book it is just what you need.

Rudy also gives his own take on the sleights that he teaches, and there's a number of personal tips and ideas that he shares based on his own experience with magic, which I found helpful.  For example, in the section on flourishes, he adds in a few ideas of his own in relation to ruffles and fans, and how he uses noises with the cards to add a small impact to his own routine.  Multiple camera angles are used to ensure that it's easy to follow-along, and the menus make it easy to navigate to the section of choice.  Certainly if you're looking for a solid teaching resource to use together with the book, this is well worth considering.



Videos from R. Paul Wilson

Royal Road to Card Magic video

But we are spoiled for choice, because beside the Rudy Hunter version, there's also a Royal Road to Card Magic video from magician R. Paul Wilson, which was produced by L&L Publishing.  This was originally released as a set of 5 DVDs, and runs for more than 8 hours altogether.

That means that this is nearly twice as long as the Rudy Hunter version. The Paul Wilson version also tends to be more expensive, but that's because you get a lot more content, and the overall quality is arguably higher as well.  It's like having one-on-one personal instruction with Paul, who is an experienced magician who really knows his stuff, and is well placed to teach us card magic.  He skips less of the material than Rudy Hunter does, and the vast majority of the content from the Royal Road book is covered. Where appropriate, he provides alternative handlings for sleights that are somewhat obsolete, and he isn't afraid to point out methods that are less than ideal, and to provide alternatives.  His teaching is also very clear and thorough.

The tricks are performed to a live audience, so you get a real sense of what the performance looks like.  And with his teaching about the techniques, the video itself is very clear and once again you get all the angles and clarity you need for learning.   The explanations feel a little less rushed than those provided by Rudy Hunter, and you get more of a chance to be immersed in all the details you need to know to master each move and each trick.

This video series would even function as an effective learning tool on its own, although of course you'll get best results when used together with the book.  While books are excellent, being able to see a sleight or a trick being performed is tremendously helpful.  Certainly if you have the book and have struggled to make sense of how some moves should work, this video will be the ideal companion that you're looking for, and would be my top recommendation of the two.



10x10 video

Also from R. Paul Wilson is his 10x10 video, which he released as a digital download through Vanishing Inc.  This is billed as being "10 lessons on 10 principles of card magic", which explains the 10x10 title.  It normally sells for $12, but you can get it for free from Vanishing Inc via this link.  For each lesson, Paul uses one or two tricks to highlight an important principle of card magic.  The 10x10 video runs for an hour and 20 minutes, and is effectively a distillation of selected content from the larger Royal Road to Card Magic video course. However it is not just an edited selection of footage from his larger DVD set from L&L Publishing, but is something that was filmed completely separately and with slightly lower production values.

The majority of tricks are taken directly from Royal Road to Card Magic, and the material also covers the basics that you'll find in the book.  It's obviously much shorter than his 5 DVD set, but it is a great video to work through as a refresher of the main points from the book.  It does focus more on the tricks rather than the sleights, and Paul does cover some of the same ground as what you'll find in his video for L&L Publishing.  I wouldn't rely on it for learning the sleights or for working through the book, but it is a great resource if you want to get an overview of some of the best tricks in the book, review the main techniques, and get some great advice, tips, and updates from Paul Wilson.  His updated handling of Poker Player's Picnic, using an idea from Roberto Giobbi, is particularly worthwhile, to make an already good trick even more baffling.  The two tricks included that aren't in Royal Road to Card Magic are particularly worthwhile, namely "Invisible Card" and Roy Walton's amazing "Pass At Red". See my detailed review of 10x10 for more detailed information about the entire video.



Alternative Options

Is Royal Road to Card Magic still the best place to begin learning card magic today?  It is, after all, more than 70 years old at this point.  Fortunately, in today's age of technology, we are spoiled for choice. Here are the top books and videos I'd personally recommend for a journey into the world of mastering the fundamental techniques of card magic.

Fundamentals of card magic: Top books

If you are serious about learning card magic, and genuinely want to learn the fundamentals of card handling in a somewhat systematic way using a book, these are my top recommendations:

● Introduction to Card Magic by Roberto Giobbi.  This would be my top recommendation to start with, for several reasons.  While books like Royal Road are excellent, they almost contain a little too much for the average person starting out, and can be overwhelming to the point where a newbie gives up.  Giobbi's book is more geared to beginners and is more realistic in its goals.  It is a 150 page book (in PDF format) that originated as an introductory course in card magic.  It covers the fundamentals of card handling, and also includes half a dozen quite basic but solid tricks to get you going.  It's also much more current, with the first edition being released in 2012.  What's more, Giobbi is one of the best teachers in magic.  It's quite inexpensive, and is available from his website.

● The Royal Road to Card Magic by Jean Hugard & Frederick Braue.  This is a great "next step" after you've worked through Giobbi's introduction, and have mastered the very basics.  It is somewhat dated in parts, and parts of it will be hard to make sense of without some kind of video companion or other resource alongside it.  But it does cover all the essential sleights, and has a strong collection of tricks and general tips about card magic.  It's rightly regarded as a classic, and is readily available both digitally and as a hard copy.  I just wouldn't recommend using it on its own, but would suggest having a modern resource alongside it, and using it in combination with a video that goes through the book and updates it, like the one from R. Paul Wilson is probably the best way to work through the book.  I'd also recommend reading the annotations from Mark Lewis and Andrew Musgrave along with the book.

● The Jolly Almanac of Card Knavery by Andrew Musgrave.  In many respects this is really a completely reworked and expanded version of the Royal Road to Card Magic, and includes a great amount of its material.  It has the advantage that it updates things, subtracts what's mediocre, and adds supplementary content from other reliable sources.  And it's free.  The disadvantage is that it's going to be far too detailed for the person genuinely starting out, because it covers a little too much.  I think it's a great resource to work through carefully after you've worked through Royal Road.

● Card College 1 & 2 by Roberto Giobbi.  It doesn't get any better than this, and most magicians will agree that this is the gold standard for learning and mastering the fundamentals of card magic, while teaching you a strong set of card tricks at the same time.  It's the best-selling card magic book of all time, and Giobbi is highly respected for what he has achieved with this work.  It is much more up-to-date, and has effectively surpassed Royal Road.  As such it is the best modern resource available in print for anyone who is serious about card magic.  The one downside is that it is not cheap, and that's probably why many people don't start with it, until they are really sure they want to get into card magic.  My advice is not to balk too quickly at the price, and to see this as an investment rather than an expense.  If you are serious about card magic, you'll probably get this one day anyway, so you might just want to start with it from the outset.



Fundamentals of card magic: Top videos

Books are great, and there are few better ways to genuinely learn card magic properly than working systematically through a book like Royal Road to Card Magic.  But regardless of which book you choose, I would strongly advise using a reliable magic video to go along with the printed word, so you can visually see how certain techniques are performed.  I use the word "reliable" deliberately, because it would be a mistake to simply head to YouTube and watch whatever comes up first in your search results when looking for instruction about particular card magic sleights.  There is some good instructional material out there if you know where to look, but by far the majority of it is mediocre, and you'll learn poor technique, which will only hurt you in the long run.  If you're going to use videos for learning, make sure it's from someone reputable and proven.

● Crash Course in Sleight of Hand Card Tricks by Ellusionist. David Blaine's street magic TV specials spawned a resurgence of interest in card magic around the turn of the millennium, and this was one of the best selling videos on the subject.  In little more than an hour, it literally offers a crash course in simple sleights like the cuts and controls that are the basic building blocks of card magic.  It also gets you going with five fairly strong card tricks, including the famous "Out of This World" (under the name "Out of Sight").  Given the relatively short length of the video, don't expect too much in terms of learning fundamental techniques besides the very basics.

● Born to Perform Card Magic by Oz Pearlman.  This is nearly twice as long as the Ellusionist video, and covers more material, including breaks, controls, forces, palms, cuts, and flourishes, along with four strong tricks, including the classic Ambitious Card.  This video single-handedly got a lot of young magicians started, and is a good springboard into the world of card magic, with a larger range of techniques than the Ellusionist video.  Ten years after the original release, the content was re-filmed from scratch. This updated and expanded version is almost twice as long as the original, and also includes a couple of extra routines.

Both of the above videos are more suited for beginners wanting to get into performing tricks quite quickly, rather than mastering all the essential techniques of card magic first.  They certainly achieve what they set out to do, and at least you'll learn some basic methods of using a deck of cards properly, and not only tricks.  But for a more thorough grounding in the fundamentals, I especially recommend these next two videos:

● Royal Road to Card Magic video by R. Paul Wilson.  This video was produced by L&L Publishing, and corresponds to the material of Hugard and Braue's book.  It has eight hours of content, and is a superb introduction to all the fundamentals, with updated handlings pointed out where appropriate, along with performances and instruction for the best tricks found in the book.  It's considerably superior to the Rudy Hunter video based on the same book.

● Card College 1 & 2 video course by Roberto Giobbi.  This excellent video course is based on his books of the same name.  It is current, clear, and comprehensive, and of all the resources I have personally used in my journey into card magic is easily the best.  Giobbi does a great job of teaching all the fundamentals of card magic, and is a true expert and wonderful teacher.  Besides the techniques, he also teaches a great selection of strong tricks that put these into practice.  This is the kind of video that bears watching over and over, and should not be considered an expense, but a true investment into a lifetime of enjoying card magic.



Shortcuts into card magic: Card tricks

Not everyone wants to go through the effort of learning all the fundamentals of card magic, and some readers may just want to dabble with some simple tricks.  If that describes you, the good news is that there are plenty of books that teach great self-working card tricks.  Some folks will be quite content with the excellence available there, and are happy to restrict their card magic repertoire to such tricks.  If you really know absolutely nothing about card magic, and want to quickly get into learning some fun card tricks without worrying too much about sleight of hand, self-working card tricks are the place to start. 

There's a large number of books that cater to this need, given their wider appeal to the mass market, but the pick of the bunch will easily be Roberto Giobbi's Card College Light, Lighter, and Lightest series.  All the material included in this series is very strong, and the tricks are put together well as routines.  Giobbi also provides excellent presentation ideas and patter, so you get everything you need.  On the more inexpensive side is the Self-Working Card Tricks series by Karl Fulves, which is considerably older and not as consistent in its quality, but there are many gems to be found within. There are also more general books on magic which are only devoted in part to card magic.  Some of my top choices here are Joshua Jay's Magic: The Complete Course, David Pogue's Magic for Dummies, and Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic.

If you prefer learning from videos, you can hardly do better than the Ultimate Self Working Card Tricks series from Big Blind Media.  Big Blind Media's videos all feature superb production values and clear instruction.  And they've done a fantastic job of curating some of the top self-working card tricks of all time, and you'll be blown away by how powerful some of these are.  Each of the videos in this series has about a dozen different tricks from various creators.  Their Move Zero series of videos is also very good, and features self-working brilliance from John Bannon.

But quite frankly, I suggest that you get a proper grounding in the fundamentals of card magic before heading too quickly for specific tricks and toys.  If there was anything I would change about my own journey into card magic, it would be this: I wish I had started by learning the fundamentals with the help of a proper course like Royal Road or a modern equivalent.  Learning all the basic skills and sleights properly from the outset won't get in the way of you learning tricks, but will hold you in good stead for a lifelong enjoyment of card magic.



Recommendation

As good as it is, I don't believe that The Royal Road to Card Magic is the ideal place for the complete beginner to begin, especially not a child or even a teenager.  I wouldn't recommend giving it away as a gift to a young nephew or niece who likes the idea of doing card magic but knows absolutely nothing about it.  A better option is to get them going with some simple self-working card magic, or perhaps a video geared for genuine beginners, such as Joshua Jay's Magic: The Complete Course, which is a glossy book that comes with a DVD.

But if you're already hooked and want to take the next step beyond the simple and self-working card tricks that your uncle shows you, and are keen to seriously learn sleight of hand card magic, then The Royal Road to Card Magic will give you all that and more.  It will teach you all the basic techniques, and you'll learn some excellent tricks as well.  However, it doesn't really stand well on its own today, and you will really need the help of some companion annotations to guide you along the way, or better yet, have one of the video courses based on the book, so that you can actually see what you're learning.  Otherwise you might just find yourself becoming frustrated and giving up, as I did when I first encountered the Royal Road in my late teens and early 20s.  More is needed, but as we've seen, it's not hard to find, and the companion videos from R. Paul Wilson are especially superb.

The book alone is very cheap, and you can even get it free if you're going digital.  But if we're spending money anyway to get a companion video, then it makes sense to consider other options.  Giobbi's Card College 1 & 2 is outstanding, and both the books and the accompanying video course have superseded the Royal Road at this point, as a more modern and comprehensive treatment of the fundamentals of card magic.  But it's also more expensive, and that may prove to be a decisive factor for some.

If you do decide to go the Royal Road route, I highly recommend a careful and systematic journey along the road that the book teaches.  Whichever companion you choose to be your guide, you are certain to find the trip far more rewarding and successful if you take your time to master all the skills required by slowly working your way through all the material.  And that's why this is a book that bears re-reading.  I began my journey into card magic more than 20 years ago, and my only regret is that I didn't have a systematic approach in building up my skills and sleight, and that I wanted to dive into this or that trick too quickly.  It's been a real joy travelling the entire Royal Road to Card Magic all over again, carefully reading and practicing everything.  In fact, I think I even learned much more the second time around.  Even if you've been in card magic for a long time, this is a road well worth travelling.



Where to get The Royal Road to Card Magic:
● Hard copy of original RRTCM book: Amazon, Penguin
● Digital copy of original RRTCM book: Conjuring Arts, Internet Archive, Yumpu
● Annotated RRTCM by Mark Lewis: Mark's website (hard copy), Lybrary.com (digital copy)
● Annotated RRTCM by Andrew Musgrave: Ye Olde Magick Blogge, KUPDF
● Companion RRTCM video by R. Paul Wilson: Penguin, Murphy's Magic
● Companion RRTCM video by Rudy Hunter:  Penguin, Magic Makers, Master Magic Tricks

Where to get the best alternatives:
● Introduction to Card Magic by Roberto Giobbi
● The Jolly Almanac of Card Knavery by Andrew Musgrave (free)
● Card College 1 & 2 by Roberto Giobbi (see also: companion video course and free lesson)
● 10x10 video by R. Paul Wilson (see also: free offer)



Author's note: I first published this article at PlayingCardDecks.

Interview with Playing Card Historian and Antique Collector Jason McKinstry (author of Paper Empires)

Who is Jason McKinstry?

Any respectable field of interest doesn't just have aficionados and enthusiasts.  It also has historians, who systematically and carefully study the past, and document their findings.   In the world of playing cards, Jason McKinstry is one of those unique individuals.  There is certainly no shortage of playing card enthusiasts - you only need to visit online playing card forums to see how many passionate collectors are out there, or check out the thriving membership list of the 52 Plus Joker playing card club.  Plenty of people are interested in playing cards, and even in their history.  But true playing card historians are a rare breed.  And that puts Jason McKinstry into a special category, occupied by few others.

Jason's name may already be quite well known to some readers, because he has earned a significant amount of respect as a writer.  He's an established author and writer, and his regular contributions of interesting and historically informed articles in Card Culture, the monthly magazine put out by the playing card club 52 Plus Joker, ensures that some reputation precedes him.  But arguably his biggest contribution yet as a playing card historian is his landmark book Paper Empires.  The importance of this volume can't be under-estimated, because in this ground-breaking work Jason documents the lives and stories of America's earliest playing card manufacturers, exploring playing card history in a manner that hasn't been done before.  It's a work that is quickly becoming regarded as an essential reference point, much like Tom and Judy Dawson's Hochman Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards.

With such eminent qualifications and expertise, Jason is the ideal person to sit down with, in order to learn a thing or two or three about early American playing cards, about collecting, and much more.  He was kind enough to agree to this interview, and let me tell you in advance: this is good stuff.  Jason knows his material, is well-informed, and is an expert in this field.  But he also has a way with words, and I'm sure you'll be just as enthralled as I was, learning from him on a wide range of playing card related subjects.  So let's put on our listening hat, and give a big hand and warm welcome to our playing card historian and friend, Jason McKinstry!



The Interview

General Background

For those who don't know anything about you, what can you tell us about yourself?

It's wonderful to speak to you today and everybody reading about the subject that changed my life. It might change yours too. Before all of the antique playing card collecting, research and writing, I was a contractor by trade. My wife and I specialized in century home restoration/renovation projects. Together we would take old run-down houses and transform them into places people would want to spend their lives in. Not your typical origin story for someone who researches and writes about playing card history.

How did you get involved in collecting playing cards?

Interestingly I received my first taste of antique playing cards when standing in one of my finished renovation houses. It was ten years ago, and one of the tenants had a deck of Bicycle Heritage (2012) sitting on a coffee table, and I ended up handling them for a few minutes. I remember thinking to myself that "I bet I can find a real one of these online." That was the start of something extraordinary, an all-consuming topic that's grown into what I believe is one of the greatest untold stories in American History.

How did your interests as a collector develop over time?

I've always been a collector. In my younger years, I would collect stamps, coins and paper money, but as I grew up, so did my tastes. We could say that I found that deck of playing cards at precisely the right time. That very night I had my introduction to the world of antique/vintage playing cards. At first, to satisfy my collector instincts, I wanted one deck that would do a good job representing the whole subject. A deck like that doesn't exist in reality, but that's what I thought on day one. I ended up purchasing a British Chas. Goodall deck from the 1880s. My decision to buy that one wasn't entirely unfounded. I knew Goodall had a connection to American playing cards, and I also knew that because the United States is a melting pot, many decks of all types would have been used there. After waiting two weeks, I received my package in the mail and had my first experience opening a 130-year-old pack of cards.

You aren't just a collector, because many consider you to be a playing card historian and researcher.  What has led to this reputation?

Well, that started while I was waiting for that first deck of Goodall's to arrive. I love history, so I began researching early American playing cards right away. Thankfully I found The Hochman Encyclopedia by Tom & Judy Dawson. As it turned out, playing cards have been collected and studied for over one hundred years. There are a handful of big names in the community whose work is a basis for everything I started with. Initially, Catherine Hargrave and Gene Hochman provided many of the seminal facts I used to construct this new and incredible narrative. But the more independent research I did, the more I realized that we were only scratching the surface of a much larger story.

You are known for specializing in American playing card manufacturers.  What got you interested in that area of focus?

My interest comes from the possibility to tell a story that not many have heard of. It's taken a century to gain an accounting of the thousands of decks that were produced in the old days and exactly who made them. My contribution to the subject is creating the historical biographies of the individuals and companies that made all the cards we know about. Once my curiosity piqued, I began to write a series of notes explaining key dates and a little bit about each maker. But like a real-life pandora's box, I quickly saw that the story I was discovering was absolutely incredible, and things very much snowballed from there. I found that playing cards and the people that made them were fully ingrained into the nation's fabric, and they both interacted with every aspect of life from colonial times forward.



Your Contributions

You are the author of the book Paper Empires. What is your book about, and what topics does it cover?

I cover the section of time known as the "Golden Age" of playing cards. 1835-1935 was a century of rapid development, invention and tremendous competition. From the ether, seven manufacturers rose to the surface. I call them the Big Seven. My book Paper Empires Volume I, follows the lives of the first four makers, L.I. Cohen, Andrew Dougherty, John J. Levy and Samuel Hart. These men perfectly represent the early days of playing cards in the United States, and each was the height of the industry for a time. Paper Empires takes you on the same journey that they took as they brought to life America's favourite pastime.

How did this book come to be, and what was involved in writing it?

I suppose I'm one of the fortunate modern-day researchers who enjoy the benefits of the technological age. I hunt information and imagery by employing a variety of techniques. For me, this usually begins by sifting through all of the fragments of history on Ancestry. There I find out exactly who the individual truly is. Where were they born? Where did they grow up? How did they get into the playing card industry? Who did they marry, and who were their children? Did they travel? What did they enjoy? How did they live their final years? When did they die, and what legacy was left behind? Once I have a basic timeline established, I combine this life history with the known facts about the business. The advertising produced by card makers provides another vital puzzle piece.

Then I turn to the playing cards themselves. Because I've had the opportunity to collect so many of the cards manufactured by these great companies, most of my research can happen right within my cabinets. Through Paper Empires, I'm able to provide high-quality colour images of near every deck ever made by each of these fantastic playing card makers. I also document the changes and evolutions that playing cards went through over the years. I'll just say that it was an exciting time of innovation and invention. The history told through the playing cards is also a perfect reflection of the broader picture of American life throughout the golden years. These themes include everything you'd expect, such as expansion, the wild west, the civil war, the industrial revolution. What makes Paper Empires different is that you can view these subjects through the lens of what people were really doing back then... playing card games.



Your book is subtitled Vol. 1.  Does that mean we expect further volumes, and what are your plans in that regard?

You bet! Volume II is nearing completion as we speak. It picks up right where the first one leaves off. I'm covering Lawrence & Cohen; they were the true successors to L.I. Cohen's playing card empire. Then we move on to The New York Consolidated Card Company. They were possibly the most successful playing card company in the early American scene. Although they, like many others, would be crushed by the weight of the final subject of Volume II, The United States Playing Card Company. Everybody's favourite playing card brand! The history of the USPCC is massive and extraordinary; I can't wait to share it with the world.

I plan on releasing future volumes as well. Volume III will be necessary to address the many peripheral makers that existed. Even though they were smaller, they also had rich and meaningful stories. Beyond that, I hope that people find my work (and others) and demand to know more. The history of early American playing cards is something everyone should be aware of. Considering how important I've found it to be, I'm surprised that historians haven't picked up on the subject before. Forget the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Henry Fords and Samuel Colts of the era for a minute. The history of a maker like Andrew Dougherty will blow your mind.

You also write actively on a monthly basis for the Card Culture magazine.  What kinds of topics do you especially write about?

Paper Empires keeps me focused on the makers and topics needed; Card Culture gives me an excellent opportunity to write about everything else I find. Playing cards were pivotal in the everyday lives of people until only a few decades ago. Because of this unwavering connection, there's a lot of fantastic playing card news to speak about. It would be an understatement to say that the well of antique/vintage playing cards information is deep. In reality, I find out something unbelievably cool all the time. Every day, sometimes multiple times a day. When the time comes to write my Card Culture article each month, I can't wait to show my readers all of the great discoveries.

Where do you go for your source material for your research on playing cards?

My source material comes from everywhere, but it typically starts with my collection of playing cards and ephemera. I've had great success from searching online museums and newspaper archives. But of course, there's no comparison to the amount of work and research our club, 52 Plus Joker, has created over the years. The history of the best collectors/researchers that came before me live on today as part of the club, and all members have access to it. For anyone interested in playing card history, whether it be antique/vintage or current deck releases and events, 52 Plus Joker is by far the world's best playing card club.



What can we expect to find on your website (worldofpaperempires.com), and what should we know about it?

My website worldofpaperempires.com is where you can begin a more serious introduction to my research topics. You'll meet the playing card makers and learn some of the basics about each one. A lot of their outstanding work is on full display. Of course, you can purchase my book Paper Empires in various formats. I also have available Collector's Corner Annual, the 2019 collection of my Card Culture articles. To complement everything that I've done up until this point, I've been working on mini-documentary series. The first video is on the website now; it's called The Forgotten History of Andrew Dougherty & 80 Centre Street. Another feature you will encounter is my Image & Art Gallery; this is where I post digital art, animations, colourizations and more.

Do you have any plans to develop your website beyond what it presently has?

Absolutely. I want my site to be everyone's connection to my books and research, and I also want it to be the premier destination for all things antique/vintage playing cards-related. In time, I'd like to offer more of the history of each maker, more playing cards and more documentation. Another thing is like to offer is the antique playing cards themselves. Once enough people discover the World of Paper Empires, I would love to be supplying them with the same decks of cards that wound up my enthusiasm in the first place.

What can you tell us about your youtube channel, and the kind of content there?

YouTube has been the perfect outlet for me, and I suspect that most people purchasing my books in the future will have seen some of my video content. I'm very excited about the mini-documentary series. There's currently little to no content about antique/vintage playing cards on YouTube. At the same time, I know that everyone loves watching various history subjects through the service; I think it's just a matter of time before people find the card makers. My channel offers most of what I've done to date, Mini-Docs, convention videos, themed promos, animations and more.

In the past you've mentioned the idea of a series of unboxing videos that shows and discusses antique decks.  Is there anything you can share about that?

I have big plans for Paper Empires, and given how much viewers enjoy regular unboxing videos, I figured why not make an unboxing event two hundred years in the making. I constructed a ceremonial "unboxing vessel" for the reveal, and the idea is that together we will unbox and discuss the historical deck inside. These decks are unlike anything seen by most typical playing card collectors, and I think they'll be impressed with the concept and the cards. These are the actual decks used by the real card players 1835-1935, and they're incredible. I hope within the coming months; we'll start seeing some of that content released.



Vintage & Antique Decks

Is there a difference between "vintage decks" and "antique decks"?

For me, there is a difference! I define anything one hundred years or older as antique. And similarly, anything under 100 years is vintage. I know there are a lot of opinions as to the answer to this question, and that's ok too.

Many readers are only familiar with collecting modern decks.  In what ways is collecting vintage and antique decks different?

Collecting modern decks is awesome! In fact, we're more than likely heading into another golden age of playing cards, thanks to the current designers. Collecting modern cards is a lot like collecting antique/vintage. Once you familiarize yourself with what was available, you can start purchasing what you like. Most parts of American history were displayed through playing cards, so I always recommend that collectors think about the period they're interested in.

What are some key things we should know about vintage and antique decks, and about collecting them?

First of all, playing cards and history go back a long time together. It's good to understand that the only reason we can own these decks currently is because regular researchers and historians do not yet know the story of the American playing card industry. Once this undocumented industry is discovered, I have a strong feeling that much of what remains will end up in museums and high-end collections. Right now, maybe the last opportunity to own a piece of history like an antique deck of playing cards.

What are the qualities of antique decks that especially appeal to you?

One of the things I find the most astounding about antique playing cards is how beautiful the cards turned out even though old world makers were using more limited technology. At times, that technology was both proprietory and experimental. Yet, we were left with finely detailed designs that are miniature works of art. Nearly everything that makes up an antique deck of cards appeals to me. But if I were to narrow it down, I'd say that watching playing cards evolve from square corners, full courts, no indices to the modern snappy cards we all know and love was a remarkable thing. The position of the cards in history is also important (civil war, the new century, roaring twenties.)



What makes something a genuinely "rare" deck?

This is a surprisingly tricky question. Many factors are considered when determining the rarity of an antique/vintage deck. First, you can look at the maker. Did they manufacture for long? If so, is this one of their popular brands, or something made in smaller numbers? A good general rule about makers is that the earlier you go in their catalogue, the rarer the decks become. This is because fewer were made. If you're looking at something expensive, then it's best to rely on the expertise of a seasoned antique/vintage collector. As a community, we've had a hundred years of studying the playing card market and the different trends along the way. This is one of the main differences between modern and antique rarity; in the contemporary world, it's typically known how many decks were produced. We simply don't have that luxury in the antique/vintage world.

It's also important to remember that historically playing cards were not designed to be collectible. They were made to be used and disposed of. If you contrast that with today, you'll find most decks are intended to be collectible, and hundreds, if not thousands, stay in their wrappers waiting to appreciate. What will this factor do to the future market for modern cards? Only time will tell, but for now, we can say that the steady rise in population can potentially increase the later demand. This same premise is true for antique/vintage; the more people there are, fewer decks will be available to satisfy them.

Last but not least while determining rarity is the condition of the deck. The condition can make all the difference in the world when buying any deck of cards, both modern and antique. Collectors across all spectrums/topics care about condition, and they are usually willing to pay high prices for top quality. 

What are the rarest decks you know about?

Wow, there's some scarce stuff out there. I would say that the rarest decks would be the ones we've only recently found. These playing cards are so rare that it's taken 200 years to discover them. But I think that for someone just starting, rare decks that fall into the middle of the timeline are what you're looking for. Maybe even something you're familiar with. Everybody knows Andrew Dougherty's Tally-Ho No. 9 playing cards. But did you know that Dougherty was a prolific manufacturer who had been in operation since 1848? Tally-Ho was released in 1885 and spent many years evolving. This created a variety of Ace of Spade designs and an entire line of back styles. This might make you wonder why you only know of a handful of Tally-Ho backs, usually Circle and Fan?

52 Plus Joker Club President Lee Asher and I have been collaborating for years on the Tally-Ho brand, trying to determine how many individual backs there were. I just released some of our findings in a Card Culture not too long ago. So far, we've identified 28 plus individual backs for the Tally-Ho Brand. That's a far cry from the two backs most people know and love. Examples of these non-typical backs are rare, but they do come up occasionally. Because even new collectors are familiar with Tally-Ho, these decks have inherent popularity. A great place to start looking for rare decks!

In the world of early American playing cards, any of the big seven manufacturers will be considered somewhat rare especially pre-1900, but the further you go back, the scarcer decks become. Makers to look for are L.I. Cohen, Samuel Hart, John J. Levy, Lawrence & Cohen, Andrew Dougherty, The New York Consolidated Card Company and The United States Playing Card Company. Other makers to look for: National, Russell, Standard, Perfection and Pyramid Playing Card Companies.

You may be thinking, wow, that's a lot of makers to look for, but this brings me to the most important point about rarity in general. Rarity doesn't always affect the value of a deck of cards. It will if enough people know about the importance of the deck or how rare it is, but most often, these things never meet, and rare decks sell all the time for either low or affordable prices.

If a deck is very old, does that automatically mean that it should be considered "rare"?

Not necessarily. Even in the 1800s, playing cards were manufactured in high numbers and eventually mass-produced. The best thing to do is a little research into the brand/manufacturer that you're considering. Tom and Judy Dawson (authors of The Hochman Encyclopedia) put together a price guide for all decks covered in their book. Although the prices may be a little out of date, that guide, if appropriately deciphered, can tell the tale of a decks rarity. It can also give you a good idea of value.



How do you go about dating an older deck of playing cards?

You can use a lot of different methods to determine the date of a deck. Although today a simple internet search should provide a good approximation for most decks you'd encounter. If we look to more traditional methods, here are a few tips. Square Corners, Full Courts, No Corner Indices, Thick Stock, are usually pre-1870s. Most decks with round edges, corner indices and double-heads are from after 1870. There's an overlap in the dates of the features; for example, rounded edges were available in the 1850s, and corner indices were invented in 1864. Thin and snappy cards are typically from 1880 forward.

Tax stamps on playing cards are also an excellent way to date a deck if you have the box. All decks of playing cards required a US Internal Revenue stamp before leaving the factory. The stamps were started in 1862 and rescinded in 1884. They came back in 1894 and lasted until 1965 when they ended for good. If you have the stamp, there is a cancellation date on it. The history between tax stamps and antique/vintage playing cards is fascinating, and some great stories revolve around those tiny little stamps.

Circa 1906, The US Playing Card Company began implementing a dating code system for their decks. Because the USPCC also owned many of the other manufacturers by then, the code was eventually used for them too. There's a great chart with the codes/dates on Lee Asher's website.

How does grading work?  What kinds of things would you look at to determine an antique's deck's condition?

The first thing to look at is completeness; does the deck have everything that originally came with it? This includes the correct number of cards, 32 for Euchre and Piquet, 48 for a Pinochle, 52 for a Standard, 60 for a 500 deck, etcetera. Does it have the Joker and any extra cards that may have come together? Does it have the wrapper and seals? Does it have the box and appropriate tax stamps? All of these factors go into determining if your deck is complete. Now you can look at the condition of each of those pieces of the deck.

Condition for antique/vintage playing cards has long been established, and I'll directly quote the Hochman for its breakdown.
- As issued - a complete deck, in mint condition, with all cards, jokers and extra cards contained in the original packaging when first distributed for sale. It might be unopened or carefully opened for examination, but not played with. If applicable, the tax stamp, not necessarily unbroken, would be attached.
- Mint - a complete deck showing no signs of use. Normally all cards would be present as would the original box in mint or near mint condition. The inside wrapper would not need to be there.
- Excellent - a complete deck that has been occasionally used, but still in first class condition. Gold edges would still be intact and you would be proud to use this deck in your game.
- Good - A complete deck showing signs of repeated use, but still useable. There would be no serious creases or bent/broken corners. The deck would not be swollen or misshapen and would fit comfortably into the original box.
- Poor - A deck not good enough to fit into one of the above categories. It likely would have at least one of these serious faults such as bent or broken corners, bad creases, heavy soiling, etc.
- With Faults - A deck in one of the good or excellent categories, but with a serious fault like a missing or damaged card or a damaged, incomplete or missing box."



What kind of condition should we expect for a 100 year old antique deck, in terms of damage, wear, and signs of age? 

It's a mixed bag, but surprisingly, you will find many Good to Excellent condition examples. I collect antique playing cards because of the history behind the cards. So having a deck of cards that shows the honest wear helps me get to the story. I own every condition you could have, from demolished relic decks to As Issued/Mint decks from the 1840s. The best strategy when looking at condition is to decide what kind of experience you want to have with antique/vintage playing cards.

What impact on collectibility and value do missing cards have?

Great question, and it gets asked a lot?missing cards matter. But like most things, it's on a sliding scale. It's always best to have a complete deck. But there are a few things to remember. The rarer a deck is, the more likely a collector will be to accept deficiencies such as missing cards. Also, in the early days (pre-1870s), many people would use a deck of playing cards as a quick source of writing paper. This produced many early decks with missing cards as a result. From my experience, complete decks matter the most from the 1870s forward, but there are still exceptions.

Do sealed antique decks exist, and is there anything you can share about this?

Sealed decks are rare, and you may wait a while, but they exist. Like everything we've discussed today so far, the further back in history you go, the harder they are to find. Pre 1900, you'll be more likely to find a perfect deck that's been opened for inspection. This can be for various reasons, but most often, in the collector community, sealed decks are opened to verify that the correct deck is inside. Sealed decks are not plentiful, but a little persistence can pay off.

In what circumstances would you personally open a sealed vintage or antique deck?

Most sealed decks I have date from the 1920s-1940s. So there's no desire there to open them. I know exactly what they are, and those decks are not particularly rare anyway. I may open a sealed deck if I don't have representation in my collection. Or if it's one of a handful of brands that could have a different deck inside. Lastly, I may open a deck if something looks off with it. This would be to verify the contents. It's a good thing sealed decks don't come around too often.

Why are some of these antique decks so hard to find, and how many copies of them typically exist?

It's impossible to give an accurate answer to this question that would cover over a century and a half of playing card making in America. What I can say is that for some early decks, there may only be one or two. These numbers generally go up as you move forward through time. By the 1880s and beyond, playing cards were being mass-produced on a much grander scale, and many copies have survived.

How do dedicated collectors go about sourcing these and other hard-to-find decks?

The hardest-to-find decks will usually circulate within our 52 Plus Joker community auctions. Access to the club auctions comes with membership, and we see a lot of great decks move there. With that said, 99% of my collection was sourced outside the club. I've owned nearly one of every Dougherty deck ever made by waiting for the right opportunity. I say owned because I don't necessarily keep everything anymore. I sell parts of my collection to help fund further research so that I can keep telling this incredible story. The reason I mention this is because it's people like me who bring these fantastic decks into the regular collectors market. Most of my cards came from eBay, to begin with, and that's also where I sell. I'm user suddsmcduff77 for anyone interested in having a look.

The generation before ours sourced their cards in flea markets and thrift shops all across the country. Today we have an assortment of online auctions sites available; even the big auction houses are online, streamlined and easy to use.

What kind of prices do antique decks go for?

This is a sliding scale answer for sure. Some early American decks can fetch thousands of dollars, but most rare decks typically encountered fall in the $200-300 range. From the 1890s forward, you can see anything from $60-200. It's safe to say that there's something for everyone collecting antique/vintage playing cards. I think most people would find them quite affordable given today's designer-fueled playing card world. Antique playing cards can also provide a much different experience than what people are used to currently. A tremendous personal connection can be made with a deck of cards that travelled through time for you.

 Playing Card Manufacturer: Shenzhen Wangjing Printing Company (WJPC)

In the world of sports there are big name teams and big name athletes.  Practically everyone has heard of superstars like Roger Federer, LeBron James, and Tiger Woods, or championship winning teams which have created a lasting legacy like football's New England Patriots and baseball's New York Yankees.  But there are often hard-working athletes achieving great success under the shadow of these giants.

Much the same is true in the world of playing cards.  Most readers will be familiar with big name printers like the United States Playing Card Company, and their European counterpart and owner, Cartamundi.  But there are many smaller and lesser known manufacturers who are achieving high levels of success in the shadow of these industry giants, and whose names any creator or collector should also know about.

Examples of such smaller but successful players in the industry include Experts Playing Cards, Legends Playing Cards, and other playing card manufacturers based in Taiwan and China.  Especially for creators and designers looking to produce their own deck of playing cards, many printing card companies like these are alternative manufacturers you should be aware of, given that they also can produce high quality products.

In this article I'd like to take a look at another of these lesser known companies, Shenzhen Wangjing Printing Company (WJPC), which has been making an increasing contribution to the playing card industry in recent years.



Shenzhen Wangjing Printing Company (WJPC)

I personally first became aware of WJPC a few years ago when one of my favourite creators, Elephant Playing Cards, switched to using WJPC for the manufacture of some of their decks.  When another respected creator, Guru Playing Cards, also used WJPC to print one of their projects, I was forced to sit up and take careful notice.  Since then WJPC has produced numerous projects for other designers as well, and it was time to find out more about them.

WJPC is based in Shenzhen City, which is located in Guangdong Province, China.  It has been around since 2006, which is when it was founded by entrepreneur Jack Yang.  Jack's vision for producing quality playing cards began with a chance meeting with professional poker players, and he quickly began making this a reality after establishing the company.  By 2009 the company had expanded beyond playing cards to tarot and oracle cards, flash cards, and game cards.  Around this time they were also producing accessories like their own packaging and printing their own instructional booklets, and had begun doing business with overseas customers.

In order to meet the growing demand and to increase the quality of their output, they added a six-colour Heidelberg printer to their factory equipment in 2012.  Expansion continued in 2019, with a new manufacturing plant established under the name Dongguan Wangjing Poker Company, which was fully equipped with a wide range of modern equipment.  You'll also find some of their products under the name Acelion, which represents their own high-end brand.



WJPC's current facilities have around 18,000 square meters of floor space, and is staffed by a team of over 300 skilled workers.  So we're not talking about a rinky-dinky backyard operation here, but a significantly sized manufacturing business.   In terms of equipment, they now have two Heidelberg printers, as well as automatic varnishing, die-cut and packaging machines, and some of the latest state-of-the-art equipment.

They now consider themselves to be a professional manufacturer of numerous types of cards.   So while custom poker-sized playing cards represent part of the product range that they cater to, they have expertise in a wider range of other printed products, including cards used for games, flash cards, advertising cards used for promotions, and more.  Many creators of custom tarot decks have turned to WJPC for producing their products too, due to the specialized requirements of their projects for foils and other features that achieve a luxury look.

Aside from a solid customer base in China itself, WJPC now serves a global audience, with customers located around the world, including a significant number in North America.  According to figures I found on their website, their annual sales top US$20 million, and 80% of their total revenue is generated by export products.  See this promo video to get an idea of their factory and equipment.

I personally have several WJPC decks that I've used and play-tested, so I had some idea of what kind of quality to expect.  But since the company offers free samples to creators planning to use their services, I got in touch with them, told them I was writing an article about them, and that I was interested to see some samples of the kind of work they can do, besides a vanilla deck of playing cards.  So let's pull out a few decks from my own collection, and from the sample cards they sent me, and get some impressions of what they can do.



Bharata V2 Playing Cards (2018)

The Bharata V2 Playing Cards were produced by Guru Playing Cards in 2018, in a limited print run of around 500 decks.  It was a successor to the first edition produced in 2017, which was a luxury gilded version geared more to collectors, whereas V2 was intended more for actual use in card games, while still remaining beautiful.

Bharata is the original name of India, and this deck was conceived as a tribute to the childhood stories of kings and queens that have become part of the art forms and history of Indian culture. The tuck case immediately introduces this cultural heritage with vibrant and colourful patterns set on a black background, with the border and lettering in silver foil, and embossed surfaces, while the inside has full interior printing with a silver foil pattern.



The faces are nicely customized throughout, but the court cards have a special charm, with a lush oval border, and enchanting characters depicted as part of the Indian royalty.   The artwork here is by top Indian illustrator Ishan Trivedi, these illustrations are based on Indian folk art forms such as Kishangarh and miniature paintings.    The Jokers continue this style, and feature two  beautifully costumed characters with a full one-way design. 

Plump pips on the number cards help make good use of the entire card space, and match the overall feel of the deck.  The exquisite and colourful design of the card backs is particularly delightful, and includes patterned flowers and swan-like figures.



The cards have an embossed linen style "air cushion" finish.  Out of the box they fanned and spread evenly and smoothly, and even after extensive usage in card games the cards still spread reasonably okay, without the severe clumping I've seen from lower quality playing cards. The super smooth edges give the impression of a laser cut, and while faros aren't impossible, they aren't easy and there doesn't seem to be a single direction that favours them.  However I did learn from the creator that he didn't specify a traditional or modern cut when placing this order, so this is likely not WJPC's fault.

The cards are quite stiff and hold their shape well, and while the quality doesn't match that of industry leaders like USPCC, it is higher than a deck produced by companies like MPC or NPCC.  Reviews from others who have the Bharata V2 deck were also positive, with many people pleasantly surprised at how well the deck handled, especially in comparison to low expectations from those who had been somewhat disappointed with some previous WJPC produced decks.



Zoo 52 Playing Cards (2019)

This pair of decks offer a homage to those with an affection for dogs and cats, and should delight anyone who enjoys an amusing and loving tribute, with extra charm provided by some novel tuck boxes.

The pair consists of 52 Zoo (Playful Paws) and 52 Zoo (Woof & Whiskers).



The immediate appeal of both decks lies in the cute tuck box for each. These have cardboard ears that fold up, to complete the look of the friendly cat and dog on the front of the box.  It is also textured with a tactile feel that gives the impression of canvas, or the kind of card-stock on which an artist might do watercolour painting.

The card backs both have a one-way design with a clever mosaic-style collage created entirely of cats and dogs respectively.  But it's the court cards that are the real center piece of both decks, with charming hand-painted images in water-colour, depicting scenes with our beloved furry friends.  In contrast, the number cards are rather ordinary, and I'd have liked to have seen some more customization there.  Even so it's still a charming deck that will especially appeal to cat lovers and dog lovers.



Like the Bharata V2 deck, the card-stock used for this is WJPC's 310gsm German black core paper, with an air cushion style embossing pattern (which they refer to as "linen air texture), and their "butter varnishing" finish.  This seems to be their most commonly used and most durable stock, and the best option for creators.

WJPC already seemed to be upping their game at this point.  Elephant Playing Cards had used WJPC for some previous projects too, including their Cyberpunk and their Elephant decks, and there were some quality issues in both cases.  Those problems seemed to have been ironed out with the arrival of the Zoo52 project, and I have no complaints about the look and feel of the cards.  While they seem to be more clumpy than the Bharata V2 deck after extensive usage, they do faro much better, and overall they hold up well, and seem to be of decent quality.



The Photography Deck (2020)

The Photography Deck: Camera Cheat Sheet Playing Cards was a hugely successful project that was crowdfunded with the help of Kickstarter.   It generated more than $360,000 in funding, which at the time was the fifth top playing card Kickstarter project of all time.  Even now it still ranks in the ten top projects of all-time (based on funds raised), but has the added distinction among the select few playing card projects with over 10,000 backers.

This deck was created by the brand Travel9to5, which specializes in travel, film, and photography, and the man behind it is creator and adventurer Eric Bohring.  He had the clever idea of incorporating tips and tricks for photography on all the cards.  This element gave this deck an appeal that went far beyond your average custom deck, since it had a strong crossover appeal with photography enthusiasts.  It received a lot of positive press in photography websites and blogs, and people love how the deck effectively doubles as a camera reference sheet with rules and techniques about photography.



A few different versions of the deck were offered, and beside the main deck there was also a limited edition with green card backs, plus a blue-backed waterproof PVC deck.  The standard version had black card backs which incorporate two cameras on tripods, as well as various iconography familiar from the world of photography.

Each suit cleverly focuses on a different aspect of photography: camera basics (Spades), composition (Hearts), technical (Clubs), and shooting styles (Diamonds).  And it's not just the court cards that get the luxury treatment, but each and every card in the deck is filled with information and graphics about the principles and techniques of photography.  It really is a photographer's dream come true, especially for amateurs looking to sharpen their skills.



All the things you'd expect are included, from important concepts like negative space, leading lines, rule of thirds, as well as technical details such as exposure, aperture, shutter speed, focal length, depth of field, and much more.  I've dabbled in photography in the past, so I really appreciated the content, as well as the way in which it had been implemented and designed.

Photography websites seemed to be unanimous in their applause for the brilliance of the concept, and also spoke very highly of how the cards felt and looked.  Like the two previous decks, these also use WJPC's 310gsm German black core paper with their "butter varnishing" finish, and overall have an embossed feel and satisfactory handling that you'd expect as a bare minimum for quality playing cards.

Compared with the above two decks, this one comes the closest to the looks and handling that I'd expect from a USPCC printed deck.  The cards do everything right: they have the right stiffness, spring nicely, hold their shape, faro well, and generally handle pleasantly.  After moderate use there's still some clumping, but less than the earlier decks, and less than what you typically get from the Taiwan printed decks of manufacturers like EPCC and LPCC.



WJPC 15th Anniversary Fluorescent Playing Cards (2021)

To commemorate the company's 15th anniversary in 2021, the company released a special deck of playing cards that employed fluorescent or UV light sensitive ink.  I was fortunate to see these WJPC 15th Anniversary Fluorescent Playing Cards in person.

The tuck box has embossing and silver foil, with a logo on one side, and a circular pattern on the reverse side that matches the design of the card backs.  Concentric circles in different colours with coloured tips in opposite corners immediately give a cardistry vibe.  Before even pulling the cards out of the box I knew that this would be a deck well suited for card flourishing.



The card faces largely have a traditional design, which is chiefly noticeable with the court cards.  But there are two main changes that have been made to make this deck excel when put through its paces in the hands of an experienced cardist.  Firstly, the colours have been reduced to a binary colour scheme, with a dark blue paired alongside an aqua blue.  Secondly, there's a triangle of colour in the middle of the long edge of the cards, which accentuates the beauty of fans and spreads.  I'm not sure why the creator opted not to make this a symmetrical two-way feature, unless the goal was to make it a one-way deck for card magic, but when it comes to visual aesthetics it means the deck looks best in fans and spreads when the cards are all facing the same way.

But it gets better.  This deck uses what the company describes as "fluorescent ink" on both sides of the cards, which card enthusiasts commonly refer to as UV ink.  Strictly speaking it isn't the ink that is UV, but it is reactive to UV light, so to be technically correct it should be described as UV blacklight reactive ink.  The idea is that this ink is completely invisible, unless it is viewed with a special UV blacklight source.  My copy of the deck even came along with a mini UV torch, so that I could enjoy this feature.



And sure enough, once you view the deck with the benefit of a UV flashlight, it really "shines".    Not only do the colours of the card backs really come to life, but on the faces of the cards a star pattern emerged out of nowhere and began to beam.  This video will give you some idea of what it looks like, but quite honestly in the hands of a true cardist it looks even more amazing, especially when you start to do flourishes like a Cascade.

This particular deck is advertised as using card-stock that is 300gsm German black core paper, so the cards are slightly thinner than the decks with 310gsm paper covered above.  The difference in looks, feel, or handling is barely noticeable, however.  I can best compare it to the difference between crushed stock and non-crushed stock: the 300gsm stock feels a little softer and more pleasant, whereas the 310gsm stock feels a little stiffer and perhaps more durable.  Both perform quite satisfactorily in my opinion.



Love is a Smoke Playing Cards (2021)

Another example of a more exotic deck that showcases the special features that WJPC is capable of is Love is a Smoke Playing Cards, which features artwork created by Giordano Loddo.  Giordano Loddo is a digital art director and UI designer who lives in Italy, and whose graphic design work  and illustrations can be seen over on Behance. 

The deck was produced in a limited release of just 500 by Velata Playing Cards. The man behind the Velata brand is Riccardo Conturbia, former founder of Passione Playing Cards.



The tuck box design introduces us to an image that will recur throughout the deck, chiefly on the card backs. It features a stark design with pursed lips, from which smoke is emerging, with a single green eye depicted in the center of the smoke.  The tuck box adds a heart and the phrase "Love is a  Smoke" to this image.

Judging by the fact that all of the court card characters have a cigarette in hand, it appears to be a homage of some kind to smoking.  (Kids, this doesn't mean that smoking is a good idea.)  It's a fully custom deck, and the court cards especially don't disappoint, with bright colours, and a garish style that brings you back to the smoke filled days of the 1960s and 1970s.



But let's get to the design of the card backs, because these see the use of holographic foil, which gives the smoke and the borders an eye-catching iridescent look when held up to the light.  The central eye proves to be a nice focal point for spins and twirls, and the cards really do look glamorous when used for card flourishing, courtesy of the creative and shiny holographic back design.

But that's not all.  The edges of the deck also have holographic foil!  I'm not sure if this has been applied through a traditional gilding process, or in some other way.  But it sure looks absolutely exquisite, and complements the card backs beautifully.   While this does immediately make faroing more difficult, this is obviously a deck that is intended to be enjoyed for its luxury looks first of all, rather than be put through the paces of extreme card flourishing.  So I haven't given this deck heavy usage, because it's designed to be enjoyed slowly and carefully rather than for cardistry.

Even so it seems to handle reasonably well, and the cards fan and spread smoothly and pleasantly out of the box.  Like the 15th anniversary deck, the cards use 300gsm paper stock, so they are slightly more flexible than the 310gsm decks, and they spring rather nicely.



Tarot and Oracle Cards

While WJPC has a lot of experience with playing cards, and that's also where the company's roots lie, they have now expanded to cater for the production of a whole range of other closely related printed products and accessories.  These include tarot and oracle cards, educational flash cards, and playing cards for board games and card games.  In addition, they also produce a wide range of custom boxes for decks of cards and games, as well as print instructional booklets to accompany custom decks and games.

But it's especially with some of their tarot and oracle decks that they have the opportunity to showcase some of their best work and highest technological achievements.  Tarot decks and oracle decks typically don't have the exacting requirements of playing cards that are used intensively for cardistry or card magic.  As a result, it is possible to focus more on extra features and luxury touches, without needing to worry that these won't be able to withstand the intense workout that a cardist or magician typically puts a worker deck through.



Standard tarot cards are 70mm x 120mm (2.75" x 4.75") in size, which is longer and narrower than poker-sized playing cards, but this different sized canvas presents tarot artists with different opportunities in design.  Around a dozen different card stocks can be used, ranging from 270gsm to 400gsm, as well as PVC plastic.  But it's especially the printing and finishing options that really give opportunity to add luxury and bling.  These include holographic printing, various levels of gloss, gold or silver gilded edging, gold foil stamping, and more.  And to complete the presentation, customers can select from various packaging options produced in-house by WJPC.

The number of different options can be somewhat dizzying, but the results speak for themselves.  The cards I sampled included The Runic Odyssey (New Edition) by Hievaya, which is a stunning oracle deck, with relatively thick stock with a smooth feel (described by the creator as "velvet lamination"), and a matte black look.  Both sides of the cards use lavish gold foil for the letters and artwork, and it looks absolutely exquisite.  The edges of the cards are finished with matte teal.  Someone needs to get the artist who produced this to make a custom deck of poker-sized playing cards with a similar look and feel!  This particular project comes with other extras like a 262 page guidebook, a hinged neck box, a faux suede pouch, and a certificate of authenticity, all of which were produced by WJPC as well.



Hievaya's Runic Odyssey (Original Edition) is also rather lovely, and features a similar style and design on beige cards.  While it doesn't have quite the same impact as the gold on black, the gold foil still is a visual delight. It looks particularly amazing on the cards which depict the different lunar phases, because this gives the gold foil an opportunity to shine - literally .  The edges of this deck are gilded with gold, and because of the extra thickness of the cards, the gilding can be more easily admired when examining an individual card than a single card from a poker-sized deck, and I suspect it will be longer lasting too.  And it's not just the ordinary smooth gold foil most of us are familiar with from a gilded deck, but has a sprinkled effect which looks even more impressive.

Several sample cards from other tarot decks also impressed me with their luxury looks.  Because these kinds of decks can employ thicker cards, adding touches like gold foil on the front and backs is very effective, especially when these technical possibilities are taken advantage of by a skilled and creative designer.  Some of the cards used holographic foils, and when applied the faces of the cards and to the edges, the results looked genuinely amazing.  I would love to see more custom playing cards that utilize these kinds of options, and perhaps there are designers of custom poker-sized decks that can even learn a thing or two from the amazing cards that some tarot designers are putting out nowadays.  There's no doubt in my mind that these are high end playing cards that are visually stunning.



Main Stock & Finish Options

As mentioned earlier, WJPC caters to a much wider market than merely poker-sized cards, and the clients they print for produce tarot decks, flash cards, card games, and more.  All of these markets have different requirements, in terms of playing card size and the type of card-stock.  Even things like durability and handling can become less important depending on how the cards will be used. But since most of my readers are interested in poker-sized decks, I'm primarily interested in how suitable WJPC playing cards are for card games, card magic, card flourishing, and for collecting; and my focus will be on how their cards live up to the specific needs of those communities.

Stock

WJPC offers a fairly wide range of card stocks for custom poker-sized decks: A-grade blue core (270, 280, or 300 gsm) paper and imported black core paper (Imported from Germany - 300, 310, or 330gsm, France - 300gsm, Italy - 280, or 290, or 305gsm).  The range of options seems a little dizzying at first.  So which should you use?

In the world of playing cards, you'll often find mention of "black core paper".  Since playing cards are typically made from layers of paper, this is a reference to the central layer of adhesive which binds the two outer layers together.  This needs to be opaque, so that you can't see straight through the cards and discern the printing on the other side.  For quality playing cards, you typically want to avoid gray core and blue core paper, which may be fine for other uses, but are significantly inferior to black core paper.  Black core paper is often sourced from countries like Germany, and not only does it ensure that the cards are opaque, but also has a good stiffness and durability, so that the cards will stay in shape after shuffling, and not remain permanently bent after light handling.

The WJPC-printed poker-sized decks in my own collection nearly all use German black core paper, with the 300 or 310 gsm thickness. This is fairly comparable to the thickness and handling performance we've come to expect from manufacturers like USPCC.  The 310gsm stock doesn't feel as thin and flexible as USPCC's thin-crush stock, but is a reasonable equivalent in thickness and feel to a standard Bicycle deck.  Comparing the 310gsm stock to a standard Bicycle deck and the 300gsm stock to crushed stock will give you some idea of how the two compare in terms of handling.  Unlike some cheaper playing cards I've seen, the cards hold their shape quite well even after heavy shuffling and handling, so there's a healthy balance between stiffness and flexibility.  I'm told that for cardistry style decks, the 305gsm Italian black core paper is a good choice, but I haven't personally had the chance to try a deck with that card-stock.



Finish

Experienced handlers are also fussy about the embossing pattern and finish used on their playing cards.  All the custom poker-sized decks from WJPC that I've used have a standard air-cushion style finish for ideal handling.

WJPC also offers several options for the actual finish (or varnish) that is applied to the cards afterwards.  Applying a finish to playing cards is standard practice in the playing card world today, and along with the embossing pattern in the paper stock, it ensures good handling and durability.  The "butter finish" is what WJPC typically uses for most of their cards, and it is available either as a glossy varnish for ordinary playing cards, or as a semi-matte varnish for higher end playing cards like those used for casino games, cardistry, and card magic.

So how does it hold up?  In terms of durability, the cards seem to hold up quite well.  One difference one quickly notices is that some WJPC cards won't spread or fan evenly over the long term, and the deck will look quite clumpy, although this seems to be less of an issue with their more recent decks.   That could make them less suitable for cardistry, however, and even some card magic.  But that is typical of playing cards in the second tier of playing card manufacturers, other than those printed by the big two (USPCC and Cartamundi), so it is hard to fault them for that.  There were apparently some issues with the finish and printing of the Elephant and Cyberpunk decks that WJPC printed several years ago, but that seems to be from their earlier days, and I haven't come across reports of similar problems with any recent projects.

I also found that in the case of a deck with borderless backs, after heavy usage the ink on the borders did start to eventually wear slightly, even somewhat making its way onto the faces of the cards.  This wasn't a problem at all for decks with standard white borders, and it also depends on the ink colour (in this instance, the culprit was red, which is apparently more prone to this issue).  It's not a big issue, but might be a reason to stay away from a borderless design, although this will really only be a concern for decks that are going to see heavy usage for cardistry or card magic.  For the rest the colours and printing looks consistent, and stands up well.



Cut: Cut is also important to serious playing card connoisseurs, because it has an impact on the ability to do faro shuffles.  WJPC uses integrated slitter cutting machines to do this job.  So unlike the inferior quality decks that some printers manufacture and cut with lasers, and are thus impossible to faro shuffle, WJPC playing cards faro shuffle reasonably well, although perhaps not quite to the same standard as what you might be used to from a USPCC printed deck.

MOQ: I have also asked the WJPC about the minimum order quantity (MOQ), and was told that while 200 decks is officially the smallest batch that they typically print, it is recommended to order at least 500 decks.  In reality the total cost for 500 decks isn't much more than it is for 200 decks, since a significant amount of the cost is a result of set-up costs and processing, rather than materials.  But the sales team will typically work with customers to try to find the most competitive option.

Consumer Feedback

Creators

Several well known creators have made use of WJPC as their printer for fulfilling their playing card projects.  So rather than just limit myself to my personal impressions from handling several decks in my own collection, and seeing some additional sample cards from other decks, I decided to approach these creators to see what I could learn about their experiences with WJPC, and what they would recommend.

The creators I consulted primarily have a target audience for casual users in the mass market, rather than cardists or magicians, who have far more exacting standards and requirements for playing cards.  They acknowledged that experienced handlers in cardistry and sleight of hand card magic have the expertise to observe miniscule differences in quality and handling, that primarily are noticeable when executing complex flourishing moves or difficult sleight of hand manoeuvrers.  But aside from that particular subset of consumers, there was real satisfaction with the quality of the playing cards, both in terms of looks, feel, and handling.  According to these creators, WJPC playing cards exceed the quality of the "average" deck of playing cards that most people are familiar with, and a laymen typically considers the performance to be very good, especially if they've not previously had experience with embossed "air cushion" style card stock that shuffles smoothly, and is as durable as these decks tend to be.  Feedback from their customers has been consistently positive about the quality in that respect.



One creator had some less than satisfactory experiences when WJPC decks were first entering the crowdfunding marketplace, and there were some instances where the printing wasn't up to snuff, and where the finish was poor.  In one case, WJPC reprinted an entire production run free of charge in order to rectify this, and in another instance a different creator reported that WJPC patiently listened to his concerns about one aspect of a print run, and also redid things with WJPC footing the bill.   But these issues were only the case for one or two early decks, and since that time these creators have only had positive experiences, expressed complete satisfaction with the product, and indicated their intention to keep using WJPC for mass production going forwards.  One creator also mentioned a concern he'd experienced with the tuck box sometimes being 1-2mm too wide on the short side of the deck, which can cause cards to wear or the box to become damaged during shipping.

They also had very positive things to say about WJPC's customer service, as one creator put it: "Their client relation process is fantastic - it is super easy to produce with them. They are quick, accurate and respectful in all communications - super important and surprisingly rare!"  In comparison, the response times this same creator had with USPCC and Cartamundi was very disappointing.   My own experience in communicating with one  of WJPC's representatives has been similar.  Even though I'm not one of their customers, I have bombarded them with questions about different things, and have always received prompt, polite, patient, helpful responses, and even transparent and openness about the potential drawbacks of particular printing options.

The creators I consulted also spoke highly of WJPC's comprehensive and wide range of products and options, and stated how helpful their staff were in suggesting different production methods, inks, etc, while showing a flexibility and willingness to make revisions on the fly.  The cost was also a factor: "Their prices are very competitive". Particularly when producing in high volume the savings can be significant.  One creator also noted an advantage about their location: "They are in mainland China, which means they are located near logistic support making importing to warehouses simpler."  I'm not a creator and have no experience in most of these areas, so I simply pass on these observations from creators without further comment, except to observe that the reports are consistently positive.



Collectors

People in the card industry have also spoken quite highly about the quality and handling.  There was some frustration about inconsistency of the quality of early projects, but real satisfaction with more recent ones.  Here are some comments from experienced collectors:

● "I did not expect them to handle as well as they did and I was pleasantly surprised." (on Bharata V2 - source)."
● "A great addition to the WJPC line-up ...  it's handling is far superior to other Guru decks ... On the WJPC side, it sets an excellent balance between sturdiness and playability, slipperiness and resilience." (on Bharata V2 - source)
● "This WJPC deck basically handles very closely to a USPCC deck, the only visible difference being the coating that looks (not feels) glossed." (on Circuit - source)
● "I was pleasantly surprised with the handling of the cards. I was really leery about them being printed in China but they actually feel a lot like USPCC." (on Zoo52 - source)
● "The cards handle better than I expected." (on Zoo52 - source)
● "The recently printed WJPC decks that I have look great and handle great." (on Cernunnos and Montenzi No.7 Winter - source)



Recommendation

Overall, I've been quite impressed with WJPC's contributions to the playing card industry.  There seem to have been some initial teething issues with some of the initial crowdfunding projects they were involved with (e.g. the Cyberpunk deck and Elephant deck from Elephant Playing Cards).  But that was mainly pre-2018, when results were inconsistent, and in recent years reports I've seen have been much more positive.  Judging by my own experience with some of their decks, they seem to be stepping up their game, and have figured out what kind of quality and standards people in the playing card industry expect.

It's not that difficult to satisfy consumers who have minimal experience with playing cards.  For the average person, a WJPC deck will instantly be a step up in quality, and have looks, feel, and handling that easily exceeds what you'd find in a cheap corner store deck.  These look and perform quite well, and I'd even consider them a grade higher than the cards you typically get from popular printer MPC.  They don't quite match the levels of top tier playing cards printed by USPCC, but the average person won't notice that either. 

The quality differences will mostly be obvious to experienced cardists and magicians, who rely on consistent fans and spreads even after significant usage, and are skilled at more technically difficult moves like faro shuffles, where small differences in cut can have a big impact.  But the average person will never need or even notice those small differences in quality, and so for the typical collector or card gamer, any differences will go unnoticed for the most part.  While a WJPC deck may not satisfy the very high demands and standards required for experienced card flourishers or card magicians, they'll do just fine for everyone else, and offer pleasing results.

But where WJPC really shines is in areas where touches of luxury or detail are needed, such as UV inks, metallic foils, and holographic foils.   Designers of custom tarot cards have shown real creativity in this area, because many tarot decks are created with the goal of achieving a supreme look of luxury and beauty.  If the tarot cards I've seen are any indication, WJPC has the goods to get this done. 

The requirements of a tarot deck are admittedly slightly different than a poker deck.  As a result, the usual requirements many of us expect in a deck of custom playing cards, such as embossed card stock, fall to the background.  When these qualities become irrelevant, and all the focus can be on artistic design, and luxury touches like foils and special inks, the tarot cards WJPC has produced are absolutely spectacular.  Perhaps designers of custom playing cards can learn a thing or two from the creativity and innovation that their fellow artists in the world of tarot are doing with the help of printers like WJPC. The custom playing cards we've seen produced by WJPC are already good, and with artists willing to experiment with the special features that WJPC offers, they can only get better.



Want to learn more?
 ● WJPC: Official website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Youtube
● Acelion: Official website, Facebook, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube
● WJPC's Alibaba marketplace: Shop #1, Shop #2, Shop #3

For similar coverage of other playing card manufacturers, see: USPCC, Cartamundi, LPCC/EPCC, TWPCC, HCPC, NPCC, USGS, MPC, Shuffled Ink, Piatnik



Author's note: I first published this article at PlayingCardDecks here.

For details, see the official page:

https://52plusjoker.org/april-2022-virtual-weekend

Here's some key info taken from the official announcements made so far:

April 23rd & April 24th, 2022 - VIRTUAL PLAYING CARD EXTRAVAGANZA

Informative Lectures: Learn great information about playing cards, direct from the experts. We host wonderful guest speakers to cover a variety of interesting card topics.

Mega Auction: Looking for hard-to-find playing cards and related items? You've come to the right place. Our April 2022 mega auction will amaze and astound you.

Member Show & Tell: You're stranded on a desert island and only have a single precious item from your collection. Which is it? Be ready to show it off to everyone

Tailgate Before Awards: To celebrate the Diamond Awards this year, we're going to have a celebration BEFORE the celebration. BYOBeer and food!

2021 Diamond Awards: Our club's finest hour where we award Deck of the Year, Artist of the Year and the Dawson Award to those deserving.

Plus Much More: Surprises, mystery and a genuinely good time awaits you at this year's virtual playing card extravaganza. See you there!

Note: The Mega Auction event is for membership only; all other events are free for anyone to enjoy, even non members of the club around the world.

Who is Elettra Deganello?

Elettra Deganello is a respected freelance visual designer and illustrator who hails from Italy.  She was only introduced to custom playing cards in 2017, but it didn't take her long to make an impression. 

Her first successful projects were for the Passione Playing Cards label: Pinocchio (2018) and Florentia (2020), and were both artistic designs.  You may also have seen her work in the stunning Blue Jay Dentistry deck, which was the second installment of the popular Meadowlark Playing Cards series.  Her first solo project was the Bold deck, which was intended to be a more practical design well suited to card games.

As proof that Elettra should be considered among today's elite designers is the fact that she has been nominated as Artist of the Year for the 2021 Diamond Awards. These prestigious awards are bestowed annually by 52 Plus Joker, the American Playing Card Club.  The Artist of the Year category recognizes the top playing card designers in the industry, based on their output that year. The 2021 winner hasn't yet been announced, but to be one of the six nominees is already an amazing achievement.

Her Pinocchio Playing Cards also were a Silver Design Award winner at the 2018-19 A'Design Award & Competition in the Toy, Games and Hobby Products Design Award category.  This is an international award that recognizes excellence in original design, and is one of the highest achievements and honours that can be earned.

I have corresponded several times with Elettra, and she kindly agreed to do this interview, so it is a great opportunity for us to learn about her and the amazing playing cards she has been involved with creating.



The Interview

For those who don't know anything about you, what can you tell us about yourself and your background?

I was born and raised in Northern Italy, and ever since I was young, I have always nurtured a deep passion for art and illustration. My family supported me all my life, but since drawing has always been considered a mere hobby, I was never encouraged to study art. However, I continued drawing, and I regret nothing!

With this preamble, I studied Classics (*the Italian educational system is very different from the one you are probably used to), and after that, I wanted to become a doctor. Helping other people seemed to be the best way to give a sense to my life. Then by chance, I discovered the degree programs in Industrial Design and Design as part of the Architecture Department of the Universit? degli Studi di Firenze: the area of study was creative yet technical. It included some drawing classes, some philosophy, and I decided to give it a shot. Therefore, at 18, I moved to Florence, and here I got a bachelor?s degree in Design.

After university, I decided to stay in Tuscany, and I started working as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator. Today I am still working as a freelancer, and I also teach classes on illustration and graphic design at the International School of Comics in Florence. When I?m not working, I am usually studying solf?ge or playing my cello, swimming, reading a book, or visiting an art exhibition.



When did you start designing playing cards, and what got you started?

I started designing playing cards when I was about to finish university. In 2017/18, I met Riccardo Conturbia and Maurizio Toccafondi, who were respectively the founder and the art director of Passione Playing Cards LLC before it shut down. I immediately fell in love with this world. 

Since I wanted to convince Riccardo to let me design a deck, I started to propose a number of concepts until I came up with an "Alice in Wonderland" themed deck of cards to show him that I could do it. This persistence presented me with the chance to design Pinocchio playing cards (my debut project) in collaboration with the Passione team.

What are some of the things you especially enjoy about designing playing cards?

Playing cards are a design masterpiece with a delightful history and a significant depth, depending on how you approach the product. Designing a deck implies working on many different and challenging aspects or levels - it?s a design party that can involve research too. I think these aspects are the ones I love the most.



How do you come up with an idea for a deck design?

I usually receive specific theme proposals that I decide to accept or not, but sometimes one thing can lead to another - like most things in life.

For example, with Florentia, I had a clear picture of the project in mind. In the case of Pinocchio, Riccardo proposed the theme, and I liked it. In the case of the Rx Almanac, coming in 2022, it started as a special tuck box for 'Pharmacy on Main', and it became an extended concept. Every deck is different.

How many decks have you designed so far?

So far, I have completed 6 projects where I have designed 8 unique decks (Pinocchio and Florentia include 2 decks with 100% different faces). If we also consider other variations of my designs (e.g. book-like tuck boxes and re-colours, but not gilded editions), the decks should be 14.



Which deck in your portfolio of created designs is your favourite, and why?

This question is complicated (or I'd better say that the answer is). It's like asking a mom or a dad to choose one of their children. You know that, right?! I put all of myself in every design, and every design is a piece of my life, so every deck is unique in a different way. Considering that I tend to change style over and over again, it gets even more difficult for me to choose one deck.

Maybe Pinocchio because it is the first one, and the Rx Almanac because it is the most recent one, and it shows the artistic freedom that I think I am achieving thanks to music.
 
How would you describe the style of your playing card decks, and what characteristics help set your designs apart from others?
 
I tend to change style with every new design because I like putting myself to the test and learning new techniques. I am always looking for new challenges.

A common trait is that each deck tends to be different and unique! Other common traits include attention to detail and elegance, according to some supporters. A touch of whimsy always hangs in the air too.



What is your process in designing a deck of playing cards?

Every deck requires a different approach which depends on the purpose, the style and/or the theme. The development of the concept comes first, and the preparation of print files comes last. These are, in my opinion, the unique - trivial - constants.

What are some of the easiest and hardest parts of this process?

I do everything in my power not to make the process easy by using a new style, testing new printing techniques, combining illustrations and cultural purposes, and so on. Easy is boring.

The hardest part is the end: I have an existential crisis any time I finish a project.



What is it about designing a deck of playing cards as a creator that you wish consumers realised more?

Nothing in particular. I am thankful for every single consumer who appreciates the projects I make. My illustrations tell a lot about who I am, and I can only feel gratitude for every single supporter.

I particularly appreciate when people feel the depth I am committed to adding. The idea that someone bought Pinocchio and read the booklet, rediscovering Collodi's masterpiece, or that someone learned and deepened something new about the history of Florence and its architecture, or about Bodoni... this is one of the aspects I care the most about.

How long does it take to actually design a deck, and what aspects of this take the most work and time?

It can take from 3 to 12 months. Each deck is different and time-consuming in diversified aspects but, in general, I feel comfortable saying that the back design tends to be the most time-demanding design component.



Do you use playing cards yourself, and if so, what for?

Most decks are like books I read: they lay in my library until the opportunity arises to consult them again. From time to time, I also use playing cards for card games. I love using Bold for playing Scala 40 and Machiavelli with friends.

Regarding cardistry, I love it, and some years ago, I also tried to learn some moves. I think I actually learned something, but my efforts didn?t persist for a long time.

Do you also collect playing cards yourself, and is there anything you can share about your personal collection?

I do collect playing cards, but I?m not an avid collector. I rarely buy objects, and I like having only the essentials around me (apart from books, I have a problem with books). 

My collection is modest, and it?s a bit like the deck I design: the golden rule is basically to have no rules. Sometimes I buy decks with notable features because they might be interesting for the lessons at the School of Comics.



What do you consider to be important elements of a quality design, and what should new collectors look for?

Taste is a moody, messy, very subjective topic. It's not an argument we can keep out, and even if this might sound markedly relativist, we can see something as 'beautiful' or 'awful' for a crazy amount of reasons.

The same can be said for quality: it can be aesthetic or functional, for example. But again, functionality implies the existence of a purpose, so functional for what? For playing a card game? And what card game? Functional for a left-handed person? Functional for the ambient, because the tuck box is fully recyclable? The matter is huge, and I don't feel comfortable making generalisations.

As for me, I prefer to buy only a few decks that are (very) special for me. Anyway, I would say that there is not a golden rule, and I would be arrogant in saying something different.

Do you have any thoughts on the explosion of custom playing cards that we are seeing today, and particularly how crowdfunding has impacted the industry?

First of all, I would like to say that Kickstarter is an opportunity. It?s an amazing tool.

Unfortunately, in the context of playing cards, crowdfunding platforms are increasingly used in an inappropriate manner. Even if their projects have already come to life and they have the instruments and the strength for not needing crowdfunding at all, indeed, some producers tend to use Kickstarter as an online store. These dynamics have harmful effects on smaller creators.

But thanks to playing cards and crowdfunding platforms, everybody can be world-famous for 15 minutes by producing a deck (Andy was right). My main concerns are about the saturation of printers and the increasing delays.



Where do you think the custom playing card industry will go from here, and what might we see in the coming years?

The answer might be selfish, but right now, I am more focused on understanding where I will go from here in the coming years. I would like to move from Italy and I am looking for the right opportunity. But on the other hand, I have also started planning to get back to University as a working student in September. We'll see what happens in the months and years to come!

In addition, I tend to live in my wild imagination rather than observe what other creators do; if I had any ideas for bringing innovation into the industry, I would have already made some steps in that direction. Right now, my main concerns are overproduction, overprinting, and sustainability, and I have no clue if I?ll come up with some innovative ideas in the future. I only know I will release fewer products. As for other creators, I don't pay too much attention to what they are creating as I like to focus on my own plans.

What do your family and friends think of your love for designing playing cards, and how do you explain your work to non-enthusiasts of playing cards?

I don?t know what they think. I can tell that almost everybody gets enthusiastic after seeing hot or cold foil!

As for non-enthusiasts, they don?t need explanations. Once you have held a deck in your hand, admired the illustrations, played with it if you like, there?s no need for further clarifications: you can appreciate it, you can understand it, or you can?t (or choose not to). Quite simply, sometimes a thing is not our kind of thing.

Do you belong to any playing card organizations, or connect with other designers?

I am a member of 52 Plus Joker, of 7Bello Cartogiocofilia Italiana, and of United Cardists/Portfolio 52. Especially on Instagram, I usually connect online with other designers and collectors too.



What can you tell us about your current and upcoming projects?

First of all, the Genoese Tarot. It is a huge deck, and I have been working on its design for a year. It includes 12 honours (the traditional Genoese court carts), 22 reversible triumphs (commonly known as major arcana), 4 knights, 6 cards with points for playing cards games, plus 2 jokers, an illustrated ace, and, of course, all the number cards. Total 87 cards of which 42 illustrated if I?m not mistaken.

This deck is the result of a very thorough process of research, development, playtest, revisions, and then again research, development, playtest, revisions; the road was not that easy, but I am proud of the result. By the way, it all started after I received a contact from Jean Maillard, a card games enthusiast who had discovered my work thanks to Bold. I am enjoying working with him, so you can probably expect other designs from us as a team.
 
I also finished working on the Rx Almanac, a deck I designed for/with Meadowlark Decks, a second family to me. The deck is vintage and very dense in illustrations, spread all over the deck, including number cards.

The title might be a good start for understanding the theme. In American English, 'Rx' means 'prescriptions' and, in a more general term, indicates drugs and medicines.  Given that an almanac is a compendium (typically vintage) on a particular topic in the shape of a book or of a magazine, the 'Rx Almanac' is an imaginary compendium on the theme of drugs and pharmaceutical products.

In particular, the deck is like a magazine but made with playing cards.  And in the fiction of the deck, each illustrated card is a page of the 'Rx Almanac' and shows a fake, sometimes humoristic advertisement. I had 100% freedom on texts and illustrations, and it was super funny.
 
Lastly, in 2021 I started working on Once Upon a Fly, a transformation deck. The main character is a fly. This design started spontaneously (I can?t even remember how!), and I continued cultivating it in my free time. I hope I will have enough time to finish it in 2022!



Conclusion

There's no doubt that Elettra Deganello is one very talented young lady.  She has a very respectable background, having studied both classics and design at an academic level.  Her personal interests in music and art also inform her design work, and give unique influences.  Elettra is no amateur dabbler, but has established a real reputation as a professional designer, and made her mark in the design sphere.

Once she turned her hand to designing playing cards for the first time in 2017, there was little doubt that she was going to succeed.  The fact that her very first playing card design was a Silver Design Award winner in an international design competition already speaks volumes.  And given the strength, diversity, and quality of her recent output, it is little surprise that she was nominated by 52 Plus Joker for their 2021 Artist of the Year Award.  As further proof that she brings her academic credentials and expertise to bear on her design work is the fact that she is currently teaching a class at the International School of Comics in Florence, Italy, where she covers themes of playing cards and applied visual design.  Undoubtedly this is the kind of class many of us wish we could sit in on!

What I particularly appreciate about Elettra's work is her ability to shine with different styles.  Each of her projects has a very unique and individual feel, and yet there is always a sense of quality.  While the Pinocchio project drew on the literary background of Carlo Collodi's famous work, the Florentia decks have more of a classical look that celebrates the birthplace of the Renaissance.  The Bold decks are a wonderful reimagination of traditional playing cards while simultaneously exploring the world of type, ensuring a combination of functionality and style.  But when it comes to elegance and luxury, few decks do it better than the amazing Blue Jay Dentistry decks, which have been highly acclaimed by playing card enthusiasts.

The upcoming projects Elettra is currently working on showcase her continued dedication to excellence and diversity. The Genoese Tarot is something very different from her previous work, and draws on a somewhat different heritage in the world of playing cards.  The Rx Almanac deck promises to provide a real spark of creativity combined with warm humor, courtesy of the amusing fictional advertisements depicted on the cards.  But I'm particularly keen to see the final result with the upcoming Once Upon A Fly transformation deck, since I'm a huge fan of transformation decks.  Elettra's unique style really brings something fresh and artistic to the transformation genre, and the teasers she has released so far give every reason to have high expectations for this project.

Playing card designer Elettra Deganello hails from a country with storied and rich traditions, because Italy is the birthplace of much wonderful literature and art. The high standard of her work is worthy of the cultural and artistic creations that have preceded her.  I await her future projects with keen interest, and highly recommend other playing card enthusiasts keep a close eye out for her designs, and get them while you can!



Where to get them?  Some of Elettra's decks are available here:
● Pinocchio: Vermillion Red, Sapphire Blue, Double Deck
● Florentia: Antica, Nova, Player's Edition, Aeterna
● Bold: STD, Deluxe

Where to learn more?  Head to Elettra's website or social media to follow her work and stay up-to-date with new projects and releases:
● Design portfolios: Website,  Behance
● Social media: Facebook, Instagram



Author's note: I first published this article at  PlayingCardDecks.

  Why Do Magicians Use Marked Decks?

 Marked Decks for Magicians

Function

Almost everybody who knows something about playing cards will be familiar with the term marked deck, because a growing number of custom decks on today's playing cards market are advertised as being "marked".  What this means is that a deck has secret marks on the card backs, and by looking at these marks you'll be able to determine the value and suit of any given card.

In marked decks with reader systems, the value and suit of the card is simply written on the card back somewhere in a well-disguised place.  For example, a 7H would indicate the 7 of Hearts.  In marked decks with coded systems, the marks use a code that you have to decipher in order to figure out the card.  For example, a dot on the bottom of a clock-face shape might indicate a 6.  In both cases, you can often identify that a deck is marked by "taking it to the movies".  This involves riffling through the entire deck rapidly with your thumb, and observing closely to see if any of the images or patterns on the card backs change while doing so.

A more specialized type of marked deck that I won't cover further in this article is called a "juice deck".  This relies on shade technology, and is the result of printing with lighter/darker ink.   More commonly it is used by card cheats who mark certain cards of an existing deck by adding "juice" in certain places.  These markings often require low lighting conditions to be read, can best be seen from a distance, and sometimes require special glasses to see them.  There are even ways to make your own "juice", and create your own markings.   But these kinds of marked decks tend to have more application for gamblers rather than magicians, so they are beyond the scope of this article, which is focused on the uses of marked decks for card magic.

So what is the purpose of a marked deck?   They certainly shouldn't be used to take advantage of your family and friends in a card game.  That's plain cheating, and it's immoral.  Even if you get away with dishonesty in the short term, it will more than likely bite you in the long run.  In many instances of modern custom decks, the markings are more of a novelty than anything else, and they are simply added as a secret feature to a customized deck that is mostly geared towards collectors.  Such marked custom decks aren't intended to be used by magicians, because their marking systems typically aren't very practical.

But while a lot of marked decks have been produced simply with novelty in mind, there are also many that have serious applications for card magic.  The real value of a good marked deck comes when it is in the hands of a skilled magician. So why would a magician want to use one?  Let's learn something about why magicians use marked decks, and consider some of their strengths and limitations for card magic.



History

For this section on history I'm largely indebted to the excellent information shared by Kevin Reylek in his excellent lecture "History of Marked Cards" which he presented to the 52 Plus Joker Convention in October 2020.  He demonstrates that marked cards appear to be in usage as long as playing cards have existed.  Besides their obvious use for card games, playing cards also have a long history of use for serious gambling and for card magic.  Both of these uses provide a practical application for using marked cards, either being a card cheat involves a very different set of ethics than being an entertainer.

One of the biggest names in the world of marked cards is that of Theodore DeLand (1873-1931).  The techniques he used in marked cards, particularly his Dollar Deck from 1913 are still used today.  This ground-breaking deck is also known under the names Automatic Deck, Deland Deck, and 100 Dollar Deck.  It employed a coded system using markings embodied in a clock face.  It was also a stripper deck, and included extra firepower by incorporating a stack.  With over 200 marks per card, it didn't just give you the ability to identify a particular card, but also to determine where a card was located in the pre-arranged stack, and the identity of other cards in the deck.  DeLand's Wonder Deck is another deck of historical importance, and appears to have been the pioneer for the kind of edge marking systems that have been popularized in recent years by Ondrej Psenicka's Butterfly Playing Cards and others.

Kevin Reylek points out that the term "reader decks" was historically a term that referred to any marked deck, even though originally all such decks relied on coded systems.  That's why he personally prefers the term "openly readable decks" to refer to modern decks which plainly state the value and suit on the card backs with numbers and letters instead of coded markings.  While the first factory-produced cards with coded systems go back to the 1830s, modern reader systems appear to date back only to the early 20th century, with the work of men like Al Baker and T. Page Wright.

Ted Lesley's influential book The Working Performer's Marked Deck (1983) led to the using transfer letters on the backs of Rider Back decks and sparked further innovation in this area.  The Boris Wild Deck (2005) really represents the first factory-produced marked Bicycle deck of this type.  Since then numerous decks have been printed with markings actually printed on the card backs, and today we are blessed to have several factory-produced decks that use reader systems somewhat similar to what Ted Lesley popularized with his transfers.



Strengths

Marked decks originate in the world of gambling, and so purists might be reluctant to use them, and almost consider them a form of cheating.  But that would be missing the opportunity to use a powerful tool.  All card magic already involves deception. A marked deck is really just another useful tool, much like any gaff or gimmick.  And while it's certainly good to master skills with a regular deck, sometimes using a gaff can make a method much easier and the effect more impossible.  The same is true of a marked deck.

The advantage of using a marked deck seems self-evident: you can discern the exact identity of any face-down card, even though you can only see the back of the card.  This is very powerful information that you can use to your advantage, especially because your spectator typically will have no idea that you're able to do this.  But how?

1. It lets you use the markings as a part of the method.  A marked deck enables you to do card tricks that simply aren't possible with a regular deck.  Ted Lesley's "The Spectator as Mindreader" trick (here's a video clip of a performance) is a fine example of what you can do with this information, and when performed well it can be mind-blowing.  Many of the factory printed marked Bicycle decks that I'll be recommending in a future article come with companion booklets or with tutorial videos that will teach brilliant routines that you can perform with a marked deck.  And if you combined a marked deck with extra information like a stack, you are now armed with a genuine super weapon, and you're really set for miracles.

2. It makes other methods more deceptive. Marked decks are often best used in tandem with other magic techniques. For example, combining a marked deck with the one-ahead principle serves to disguise that method all the more.  Or you might use the markings in combination with the key card principle.  Reading a face-down card on top of a shuffled deck lets you use it as your key card without you ever needing to see its face.  In that way a marked deck will do a great job of covering up other aspects of your method, and will make your card magic much more deceptive and baffling.  On their own, both the key card method and a marked deck, can be figured out by an alert spectator.  You can ramp up the amazement level in some tricks by letting the spectator shuffle the deck immediately after making their selection, because you already know the card.  Or you can use the markings to deliberately miscall a card while actually learning its identity.  There are so many ways you can use a marked deck to cover other methods, thus making your actual method truly impossible to reverse engineer.

3. It gives you a safety net if something goes wrong.  Having a marked deck in play also gives you a greater "out" if ever something goes wrong with your routine.  If you do mess up or forget something for whatever reason, the marked deck gives you a safety net so that you can adjust on the fly, because you'll know you're in trouble before the spectator does, and you can make adjustments before you even turn a "wrong" card face up.  You can also take more chances with forces and other risky moves that you might normally avoid, because you have the safety net of your marked deck built in.

4. It opens the door to opportunities you otherwise wouldn't have.  Finally, a marked deck gives you opportunities that you wouldn't normally have, by giving you more flexibility and potential.  Suppose that after a spectator shuffles his selection into the deck, after the deck is on the table you could recognize that his card is the top card in the deck?  Or what if you have your spectator cut a shuffled deck several times, and he happens to hit his selection?  With a marked deck you can immediately go into a trick that takes advantage of that, producing an effect that will be truly impossible.   This opens up possibilities that simply aren't aren't available to you with a regular deck, and you can take your chances so that happy coincidences will happen.

For these reasons, some magicians even prefer to do all their card magic with a good marked deck.  Magician Boris Wild says that only about 20% of the material he performs requires a marked deck, but he uses a marked deck all the time anyway.  For one thing, this helps you get familiar with reading the markings on a regular basis, so that you're well prepared for the times where you are relying on them.

But more importantly, you can use a marked deck to your advantage by making existing tricks even stronger.  For example, once a card has been selected and returned to the pack, you no longer need to control it in the usual manner, because you have the information you need to find it anywhere, and can reveal it in your preferred manner.  Assuming the marks avoid the extremes of being too obvious or being too hard to read, you can simply perform all your regular card magic using a marked deck, because it gives you that extra insurance, and also opens up additional and strong possibilities that otherwise wouldn't be available to you.



Limitations

So in light of the above, why don't all magicians use marked decks all the time?  Well obviously the vast majority of playing cards aren't marked, and an unmarked deck is the tool that most people will learn card magic with.  What's more, it's important to be aware that marked decks do have some limitations.  These aren't reasons not to use them, but it's good to be aware of their limitations, and consider some of the counter-points to each.

1. A marked deck won't produce miracles on its own.    You can have the best marked deck in the world, but to wow people, you still need a well constructed trick, good technique, and a good presentation.  All magic requires smooth handling and technique, and a good card trick has to be constructed in a way that makes it seem impossible.  Most important of all, it has to be presented in a way that makes it seem entertaining. Tricks with a marked deck are no different.  Simply telling your spectator what the name of his chosen card is by openly studying the card back will rarely fool someone.  And even if it does, it won't be very interesting or entertaining.  The best magic will combine a marked deck with other techniques, and incorporate it as part of a larger whole to create something truly baffling and entertaining, and where it won't even cross the spectator's mind that a marked deck has been used.  So it would be a mistake to think that having a marked deck automatically turns you into a superman magician.

2. A marked deck isn't needed for most card tricks.  In reality the vast majority of card tricks don't use a marked deck, or for that matter any kind of trick deck or gimmicked cards.  Most card magic can be done with practically any deck of playing cards, and will be the result of technical skill and sleight of hand, combined with good presentation and showmanship.  There are certainly times when a marked deck will be exactly the right tool for the job, and will enable you to produce a miracle that you simply couldn't perform with an ordinary deck of playing cards.  And a good marked deck certainly does give you a welcome super-power that you can put to good use.  But you do need the right setting and the right trick to take advantage of this.

3. A marked deck can be hard to read. To do strong card magic with a good marked deck, you also need the right deck and the right setting.  It's not hard to imagine situations where the lighting is low, and where it's hard to make out the markings.  Your distance from the cards will also be a factor, and not every setting will be ideal for performing with a marked deck. What's more, some marked decks are simply hard to read, because the printing is too small and hard to make out, or the marking system used requires too much mental brainpower to decode while you're multi-tasking and performing.  And of course there are many decks that might be beloved by magicians that simply aren't available in a marked version.

4. A marked deck comes with the risk of getting caught.  This can seem to be a bigger problem than it really is, and often has to do with how you're using your marked deck.  The worst thing you can do with a marked deck is stare obviously at the card back to figure out the markings, or name the card immediately after reading the marking.  You want to be able to sneak a quick glimpse and read the markings very quickly. Ideally you want to do this under the cover of another action that has an obvious motivation entirely disconnected from reading the card back.  And you want to separate the moment that you read the marking from the moment that you use that information.



Advice

The limitations mentioned above aren't discussion-ending arguments against all marked decks.  But it's good to be aware of them, and compensate accordingly:

1. Use a marked deck wisely.

These limitations do mean that you have to choose the right methods and moments for reading the markings.  For example, you might catch your glimpse of the marks while doing a natural move like giving a card from one spectator to another, or by pointing to the top of the deck while making a point, or by moving the card or deck to a different position on the table.   All of these actions give you a legitimate and natural reason to look at the card.  And that's what you want, because then you're ensuring that your spectator has no reason to ever suspect the deck.  Another good technique is to get your spectator to touch a card in a spread, and you can immediately read it and then turn your head away, implying that you've never even seen the card.

Subtle convincers can also help.  By actually turning over a card after a spectator names it, you implicitly convey that you didn't actually know its identity until that point.  Miscalling a card slightly can also serve as a convincer that you don't really know its suit and value.

2. Use the right marked deck.

These limitations do mean that you need a good marked deck that will help you do the job properly, and find the right situations to use them.  Not every tool will be right for the job, and if you're serious about card magic, you need to know what the best tools in the business are.  In my next article, I'll consider some essential characteristics of the ideal marked deck for card magic, and go on to cover some top recommendations.

In reality most spectators won't typically even consider the possibility that a deck is marked, so they won't be looking for markings, unless you give them reason to suspect that it is a marked deck.  Magicians are used to knowing what card backs look like, especially of a standard Bicycle deck.  But for the average person who isn't into card magic, with a marked Bicycle deck everything will look just like another card deck, and the marks will truly be invisible to them.  So don't be afraid to use a good marked deck, and even when the marks look obvious to you, they will genuinely fly under the radar of your spectator if you have the right deck, and if you use it wisely.



Resources

Now that you know a thing or two about the value of marked decks for magic, where can you go to get ideas for using them?  I don't want to give away all the secrets of magic to those who have no intention of ever performing any card tricks, and who just want to know how things work.  So I'll just point you in the general direction, and from there you're on your own.  But I know that anybody who is serious about card magic will dig deeper to find the information they need, and will likely already know where to look.

If you're already quite experienced with card magic, the chances are good that you already know the kinds of things that you can do with a marked deck, and are just looking for a good tool to put into your hands.  But if you are new to this idea and its potential, you can start with a helpful tutorial by prolific magic creator Jay Sankey.  He not only teaches you how to mark any deck, but also offers a good idea for a very simple routine that takes advantage of the markings.  A very good trick with a marked deck that is super easy to perform is Ted Lesley's "Spectator as Mind Reader".

Books

If you're after a good book on the subject, and are looking for good tricks that can be performed with marked decks, the best of the breed is arguably Hidden in Plain Sight (2005) by Kirk Charles and Boris Wild, although it's out of print, so you'll be relying on the secondary market.  Ted Lesley's Working Performer's Marked Deck Manual (1983) is a classic that offers some good suggestions for routines, and teaches a DIY marking system too.   Another older book, Magic With A Marked Deck (1972) by Sam Dalal, is also a classic on the subject of marked decks.  A small title worth knowing about is Wayne Dobson's Marked 4 Life: Minor Miracles with Marked Cards (2013), which was later included in his larger compilation book Wayne Dobson 101.

Several marked decks had small companion booklets produced alongside them that contain a selection of routines, and are also available separately.  One superb example is the Ultimate Marked Deck Companion Book, which is a 150 page book that was put together in 2010 for Magic Dream's Ultimate Marked Deck.  Also recommended is Passport to Marked Cards by Phill Smith, which came out in 2018 at the same time as the DMC Elites V4, another highly regarded marked deck.  The Gambler's Marked Deck also comes with a 60 page book, about half of which consists of different tricks, and while not all of which are for marked decks, you will find some good content there.  I'll be covering the pros and cons of all of the above-mentioned factory printed marked decks in future articles.

Videos

Many marked decks come with instructional videos, which not only teach you how to read the markings, but also teach you a good number of solid routines.  In most cases these videos are presented using a specific marked deck, but the routines they teach can be performed with any marked deck.  Penguin Magic's Marked Cards is an excellent factory printed reader deck with an innocent looking Bicycle Maiden Back design, and comes with two terrific video tutorial videos with great trick ideas from Jon Armstrong and Rick Lax.  Both Andy Nyman's The Code and Luke Jermay's Marksman Deck both come with video tutorials for full routines, although these are more advanced marked decks that incorporate a stack, and provide even more firepower than your typical marked deck. 

In some instances a video has been produced to support a particular marked deck, and is available for separate purchase.  Examples include the GT Speedreader Instructional DVD, and the excellent Boris Wild Marked Deck Project DVDs, although in the case of the latter, some of the routines will only work for the Boris Wild Deck.

So what are you waiting for?  If you enjoy card magic, get yourself a good factory printed marked deck, dive into the resources that comes with it, and start exploring the versatility and power of a marked deck, and go out and amaze!



Author's note: I first published this article at PlayingCardDecks.

Butterfly Playing Cards for Ukraine

https://www.penguinmagic.com/p/16945

A beautiful deck of Butterfly Playing Cards in blue and yellow colours of Ukraine

Cost: US$25 per deck (includes free worldwide shipping)
Preorders end: March 11, 2022



100% of the proceeds from these cards goes to humanitarian charities helping the people of Ukraine.

This is a special version of the famous Butterfly Playing Cards produced by noted magician Ondrej Psenicka, and designed by Stefan Eriksson & Tereza Kovandov?.  This edition has been created specifically as a way of showing support for Ukraine and for peace.

Ondrej Psenicka is a top notch and well-known magician who has appeared on Penn & Teller's Fool Us, while Penguin Magic is a highly respected magic retailer.  So I have no doubts about full transparency and promptness on their part.  They have also provided information for those who prefer to donate directly and entirely to humanitarian causes in Ukraine.











Ad copy:

Since 2016 the goal of Butterfly Playing Cards has been to spread beauty, joy, wonder, and peace. Butterfly and Penguin Magic are joining together to stand for peace.

100% of the proceeds of this special edition Blue & Yellow deck of Butterflies will be donated to humanitarian causes to aid the people of Ukraine. Donations will be made equally to:

● United Help Ukraine - https://unitedhelpukraine.org
● Razom (Together) for Ukraine - https://razomforukraine.org
● Ukrainian Women's League of America - https://unwla.org/top-news/call-for-humanitarian-aid
● Doctors Without Borders Ukraine - https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/countries/ukraine

Additional donations can be made here.

This special version of Butterfly Playing Cards is designed by Stefan Eriksson & Tereza Kovandov?.

This deck is being offered as a preorder in an effort to distribute funds to the people as quickly as possible. Preorders will be open for one week, until March 11th, to determine the print quantity. We expect to ship the decks to all customers this Spring.

Link: https://www.penguinmagic.com/p/16945

Kaleidoscope Flip-Book Animated Playing Cards (Kickstarter)

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/swabbeddecks/kaleidoscope-flip-book-animated-playing-cards-uspcc

Another nifty flip-book animated deck of playing cards from fig. 23

Cost: ~US$12 per deck
Current funding level: over 50% funded
Kickstarter ends: Friday March 18, 2022



I love custom playing cards, but I especially love playing cards that have an element of novelty about them.  Decks with flip-book animation are among my personal favourites. 

And when it comes to producing creative decks of this type, designer and animator Stephen W. Brandt has to be one of the most prolific creators.  Stephen is the man behind the fig. 23 brand, and in the past couple of years his output has been quite remarkable, with well over half a dozen great novelty decks, all of which feature flip-book animation. 

His output in this genre was certainly a big reason for him being nominated as 2021 Artist of the Year by the world's largest club for playing card collectors, 52 Plus Joker.  And perhaps it's not entirely surprising, given the diverse skills that he brings to the table, as an animator, broadcast designer, art director, illustrator, and graphic designer.



His Kaleidoscope Flip-Book Animated Playing Cards is the latest of his projects, and is currently up for funding on Kickstarter, the popular crowdfunding platform he's successfully used to produce his previous flip-book animated decks.

We're probably all familiar with the concept: by using your thumb to quickly flip through a deck of playing cards, the individual pictures combine to produce an animated image. Playing card connoisseurs refer to this as "taking a deck to the movies".  And of course a deck of playing cards is perfect for this kind of flip-book animation, since it contains around 52 cards that are just the right size. 



This latest design sees Stephen move slightly away from some of his previous storybook themed decks, and towards a more abstract design that focuses on patterns and colours.  The animated design reminds me of some of my favourite screen saver designs from the time when PCs were first using colour screens.  As the name suggests, it is a kaleidoscope image of swirling patterns and changing colours, creating a captivating and hypnotic look. 

The animated design has been placed on the face of the cards, and when looking carefully you'll see the animated bird that is the recurring motif of the fig. 23 brand.  Pinks, greens, and yellows combine, with a deliberately designed retro look that Stephen describes as a "1970s throwback design".  To help amplify the visual animations, the court card characters have been minimized so that they won't take away from the moving kaleidoscopic patterns. See this animated gif for the full experience of what the cards offer when animated.

Printing is by USPCC, which in my view represents a stock and handling upgrade from some of fig. 23's previous decks that were printed by MPC. 



Kickstarter link

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/swabbeddecks/kaleidoscope-flip-book-animated-playing-cards-uspcc

Other decks of playing cards with flip-book animation that have been created by Stephen W. Brandt are available at his website fig23.com: Clockwork Empire City, Clockwork La Ville Lumiere, Clockwork Quackington, Praha Celestial Clock, Montana Mustache Manufacturing Co, Wizard of Oz, Yukon Cornelius and the Misfits.

Let's Visit an International Playing Card Convention!

 Your chance to view the main events from 52 Plus Joker's annual convention

The 52 Plus Joker Collectors Club

I've never been to a playing card convention.  Probably you haven't either. But along with me, today you will.  Each October an international playing card convention is organized in by 52 Plus Joker, the American Playing Card Collectors Club.  But travel restrictions as a result of COVID forced the regular convention to be cancelled in 2020 and again in 2021.

So what do you do when it rains lemons?  You make lemonade.  In light of the unfortunate cancellations, the club made a massive step forward into the 21st century by deciding that they would hold their October 2020 convention virtually using Zoom.  Not only did they decide to hold all the lectures and other events online, but they also extended an invitation for playing card collectors around the world to participate, including non-members.  It was a brave step, but a bold and successful one, which history will undoubtedly look upon kindly in years to come.

But first, let's share some background about the 52 Plus Joker playing card club.  It was formed in 1985, and was originally geared towards the needs of American collectors specializing in antique playing cards.  But over time the scope of the club widened to include all kinds of playing cards, and also to encompass collectors world-wide.   Today it is the largest playing card club in the world, and represents a vibrant and active community of keen playing card enthusiasts.

The club facilitates collecting and trading, and advances the cause of playing cards generally by means of regular newsletters and magazines like Card Culture and Clear the Decks, organizing auctions, and issuing awards.   Under the strong leadership of playing card expert Lee Asher, who has been the Club President since 2016, 52 Plus Joker is easily the premier playing card collecting club, and most of the recognized figures in the playing card community are members.

But the single biggest event in the calendar for 52 Plus Joker is easily their annual convention, which is typically held every October.  This represents an opportunity for collectors to come together; buy and trade; meet collectors, designers and manufacturers; chat about playing cards; and perhaps most importantly, have the opportunity to listen to speeches from experts in the field.  Sadly, the 2020 convention planned for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, wasn't possible, due to the global impact of COVID on travel and meetings.  More recently, the 2021 convention planned for Niagara Falls also had to be cancelled, although it is hoped that the presentation of the club's annual Diamond Awards will still be possible in April 2022, as part of a larger event.



An Online Virtual Convention

But as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining, and the COVID cloud certainly included a silver lining for playing card enthusiasts.  The good news is that the folks over at 52 Plus Joker weren't about to let their cancelled convention plans dampen their enthusiasm completely.  It takes more than that to kill the passion of a true collector.  So they decided to do something creative and unprecedented: to make the 2020 Convention a virtual one, with all the speeches and meetings by Zoom.

We're talking about an online virtual convention, with four full days of events! And best of all for non-members, they opened up everything to the public. For free.  In other words, any collector could participate in almost all of the Convention events, even if you weren't a member, and regardless of where in the world you lived.

It was so successful, that when the 2021 convention had to be cancelled as well, they organized a similar event this year, which they called a Virtual Day 2021.  The smaller scale the second time around is because it was hoped that it will still be possible to hold some events in person early in 2022.    But what a great opportunity to learn, to rub shoulders with some big names, and to get your enthusiasm for playing cards and for collecting fired up! As club president Lee Asher says at one point: "This is the biggest playing card party that the internet has ever seen."

But wasn't the 2020 Convention a year ago now?  True, but the good news is that after last year's virtual convention, the tech gurus involved with running it organized edited versions of all the speeches and main events to be available online.  Permanently.  For free.   So now that we're a year further, I figured it would be a great time to post a review of last year's virtual convention, providing a summary of the key things included in each presentation and lecture, and inviting you to check out the full videos of each.

A lot of playing card collectors probably don't even know that this great content is out there.  And of those that do, many may not have seen all the lectures and presentations. Thanks to 52 Plus Joker, this is a great opportunity for all of us in the playing card industry to watch some great presentations, and hear some terrific lectures from some carefully selected experts.  Best of all, this is almost certain to fire up your enthusiasm, not just for 52 Plus Joker, but for playing cards generally.  Let's head to the lecture theater and get started!



== Featured Speakers ==

Kevin Reylek: Marked Cards

Kevin Reylek is the production manager for playing cards over at Penguin Magic, and has been involved in the production of many decks of cards, including the DeLand Centennial Edition decks, and numerous modern custom decks.  He has a solid background in magic, and a love for playing cards, particularly marked playing cards, and is extremely well-read and knowledgeable on the subject.  In his lecture he focused on the history and styles of factory printed marked cards, as well as some big names in the world of marked decks.

How far back do marked decks go?  Kevin references various pieces of literature to show that putting marks on cards, starting with simple methods like stains or nicks, seems to have been a practice that dates back as far as playing cards themselves.  The first factory produced cards go back to the 1830s, although self-marked decks enjoyed some resurgence in popularity in the late 1800s.

After covering some of the history, Kevin covers key terminology.  Perhaps the most important distinction to be familiar with in today's world of marked decks is the difference between coded systems and reader systems.  Kevin prefers to call reader systems "openly readable", since he points out that the term "reader" was historically used to refer to any kind of marked deck.

Theodore DeLand (1873-1931) is the single biggest name in the world of marked cards.  His work had a huge impact, and many of his methods are still used in modern decks today.  Especially influential was his Dollar Deck (also called the Automatic Deck, or the DeLand Deck, or 100 Dollar Deck) which goes back to 1913.  It is a stacked stripper deck that uses clock style markings, and remarkably uses 230 marks per card.  These not only tell you the identity of the card itself, but also the location and identity of others in the deck.  It has inspired modern Bicycle decks like The Code (Andy Nyman) and The Marksman Deck (Luke Jermay).  DeLand's edge marking decks also lie behind popular modern decks like Butterfly Playing Cards by Ondrej Psenicka.

Al Baker (1874-1951) seems to have been one of the first to come up with a more openly readable system of markings, which he achieved with scratch work.   Today's DMC Elites are a good example of a modern deck that uses Baker's philosophy.  In the 1920s a magician by the name of T. Page Wright apparently pioneered using a typewriter to put openly readable marks on the back of cards.  Ted Lesley's 1983 book popularized a similar concept for Rider Backs using rub-on transfers.  The factory-produced GT Speedreaders deck (Garrett Thomas) is a modern printed deck that employs a similar method but with printed cards. 

But the first factory-printed marked Bicycle deck with an openly readable system precedes the GT Speedreaders, and dates from around 2005.  It was created by Boris Wild, who cleverly developed the idea of using openly readable marks only for value, and using the placement of these marks on the cards to indicate suit. 

Kevin rounds off his lecture by mentioning a few interesting recent marked decks, and some other helpful resources on the subject. It really is a splendid lecture, full of careful references, and many images that show the decks, books, and markings mentioned.  It's a must-watch if you like marked cards, or want to learn anything about them.  And the Q&A session afterwards is great too, which covers topics like Kevin's personal favourite printed marked decks to use (Penguin Marked Cards and the DMC Elites), the NOC marking system, tactile marking systems, the cleverest versus the worst marking system, and more.

● Video: Marked Cards - lecture (Kevin Reylek)
● Video: Marked Cards - Q&A (Kevin Reylek)



Paul Ruccio: Branding Playing Cards

Paul Ruccio is the founder of Jetsetter Playing Cards, and his talk focuses on branding.  Advertising decks have been around for centuries, and we tend to associate branding with decks geared to promote a product.  Paul makes the case that almost every creator of a deck of playing cards needs to think about their brand.

To illustrate this, he tells the story about how he got to where he is with Jetsetter Playing Cards, and some of the decisions he had to make along the way.  One product alone doesn't make a brand.  But if you follow up with a second deck, or with other products, then inevitably you are creating a brand.  And many elements play a role in shaping what that brand looks like, including the products produced by the brand, the goal of the brand, and the faces and names of the individuals behind the brand.

For Paul, it is important to find other ways to interact with a brand besides the main product.  This is something he realized when someone wanted a luggage tag with his brand. Accessories like this can strengthen a brand, and people do want that. In Paul's case, he combined his passion for travel and aviation with his passion for playing cards. That led to his first deck, but more decks would follow, and that's where important decisions were necessary to become a brand.

While Paul's lecture is quite brief, one of the neatest things about it is that he had the video footage shot in an actual hangar, with a real airplane in the background - very appropriate for his own brand!  The Q&A afterwards runs on for much longer, and I really learned a lot from the many insights Paul shared.  He emphasizes how it is important to think about whether you just intend to produce a single deck, or do more.  And if you do more, then you need a larger goal and plan, and this requires careful thought.

There's some great discussion about how businesses can use playing cards for their brand.   I'd never thought about Fontaines this way, but Paul points out that Zach Mueller himself is really the pre-existing brand, while his Fontaines deck is really just an extension of that.  Zach's decks are often considered "hype decks", but that's really because they are an accessory to the man himself, and people are prepared to spend money on the cards because they are buying into the brand.

Other great aspects of the Q&A include some discussion about what you can learn from failing; how to get feedback from others; thoughts on accessories and apparel; and selecting a playing card printer that fits with your brand.

● Video: Branding Playing Cards - lecture (Paul Ruccio)
● Video: Branding Playing Cards - Q&A (Paul Ruccio)



Michael Slaughter: United States Playing Card Company

Getting Michael Slaughter as a featured speaker was a real coup for the convention, given that he is the current CEO and President of USPCC.  The story of how Michael first got his job working for USPCC is a remarkable one, and you'll hear it in the lecture.  He originally worked in their casino division, then ran their global sales marketing, and quickly became the president in 2014.  It's immediately obvious that Michael is super enthusiastic about playing cards and about the USPCC brand, and that he's committed to building a lasting legacy, and to preserving the rich heritage that he sees himself as a steward of.

Michael begins by highlighting some facts about the state of the playing card industry, which is thriving.  COVID has led many people back to enjoying playing cards, and USPCC is working hard to keep this fresh, and to prevent things becoming tired and old.  If USPCC is any reliable indication, the playing card industry is not in decline, because sales have been through the roof in recent times.

The historical section of the lecture is especially interesting, because Michael's own past is closely wrapped up with USPCC.  He grew up as a child in Norwood, which is where USPCC's Norwood facility was located.  As a youngster, he would often ride his bike to the factory, so he has a long personal connection with it.  He mentions that its iconic clock tower was even used by locals like him as a geographic reference point.  Michael even remembers going to the factory for a third grade field trip, and playing baseball at a nearby park.

The Norwood facility was built in 1899, but is now being deconstructed, given that the company has been operating in a new facility in Erlanger since July 2009.  But they have been able to save some artifacts from the old facility.  Michael shows us parts of the old empty building, which has some fascinating aspects about it.  The old property is going to be used for housing and retail outlets, and these are set to include a museum for USPCC, and maybe even their own retail store.

Michael also shares some photos from inside the newer Erlanger facility, and we learn that the production of playing cards is much more complex than just printing on paper.  What especially makes USPCC unique is that they are the only playing card company in the world that manufactures their own card stock, which has the real advantage that they can control all aspects of the quality of their playing cards.

But Michael's presentation isn't only about the past, because he also gives us a few sneak peeks about the future.  He makes some important comments about the recent acquisition of USPCC by Cartamundi.  He doesn't see this as a negative, because Cartamundi has a long history, and like USPCC is very proud of their playing card heritage.  USPCC realizes that card players also play other games, so lately they have been expanding their range by launching a number of social games and party games.  They are even looking at expanding further towards becoming a lifestyle brand, by offering products like Bicycle-branded apparel.

In the Q&A segment that follows his lecture, Michael adds some more great thoughts about the future of playing cards.  While they go back centuries, in his view they will always be part of our culture.  We live in a golden age of playing cards, but he really sees the need to keep things fresh, and to introduce playing cards to a new generation.  Other interesting areas covered in the Q&A section include Michael's thoughts about republishing historic card backs; why he loves the classic Bicycle Rider Back; why USPCC doesn't give facility tours; USPCC's appreciation for collectors and history; and some things USPCC does to ensure quality and consistency.

● Video: United States Playing Card Company - lecture and Q&A  (Michael Slaughter)



Where to learn more? Official website for the 52 Plus Joker American Playing Card Collectors Club

Author's note: I first published this article at PlayingCardDecks here.

Bicycle Goes Digital By Launching their NFT Collection of Playing Cards

The United States Playing Card Company (USPCC), makers of the famous Bicycle brand of playing cards, is a playing card manufacturer with an illustrious history going all the way back to the late 1800s.  But in many ways they're also at the forefront of innovation, and very much at the forefront of innovation in playing cards.  So it's no surprise that they have been one of the first in the playing card industry to jump into the 21st century by offering NFTs in combination with their playing cards.   

To celebrate the launch of Bicycle's first-ever NFT collection, an exclusive launch party was held at Lume Studios in New York on the evening of 9th December 2021.  This date corresponded with the first of two drops, the second of which followed later in the month.  Let's find out more, but you may wish to start by watching the official trailer from Bicycle Cards about the NFT launch here.



What are NFTs?

So what are NFTs?  If you already know all about them, you can skip this and go straight to the next section.  But perhaps you've heard about NFTs but don't really know what they are.  Chances are good that you have come across them in the news, because throughout 2021 a number of NFT sales have made headlines for raking in incredible sums of money.  While they've been around for several years already, they have really taken off in the past year.

NFT is an acronym that stands for non-fungible token. For most of us, that doesn't say much other than that it doesn't have anything to do with fungus.  And deep down we're not sure we've even got that part right.  But actually non-fungible means that something is completely unique and cannot be replicated.  It's much like that ultra-rare one-of-a-kind collectible sports trading card you remember from the 1980s.  But in the case of NFTs these are products that exist purely in digital form.

Blockchain technology is used to store their information and to verify the name of the individual that is their actual owner.  Blockchain is a reference to a networked system of thousands of computers worldwide that store the digital information about the image, along with a digital certificate of ownership.  While the digital image represented by an NFT can be duplicated infinitely, only a single owner is associated with it.  So really NFTs are all about the ownership, and owning an NFT is like owning a token that proves you are the owner of the "original", even if others may have copies.



NFTs can be used by creators and artists as an additional way to sell their work, and by buyers to support creators and artists, and even to create a digital collector or as a potential investment.  A lot of the fuss around NFTs has been around the sale of digital images, but all kinds of things have been sold, sometimes for exorbitant amounts.  As long as a digital version of a product can exist, so can an NFT.  The founder of Twitter sold an NFT corresponding to his first tweet for around $3 million.  An NFT of a video clip of a LeBron James slam dunk sold for over $200k.  And an NFT of a work by the digital artist known as Beeple raked in a cool $69 million.  That's more money than some physical paintings produced by great masters of art!  There are even NFTs for digital pet rocks - and some of those have sold for large sums of money too.

Oddly enough, owning an NFT doesn't mean that you own the digital image itself or can reproduce it however you like, because you only get limited rights for reproduction, and others are still allowed to display the work as well.  But it does give you some bragging rights and some sense of quasi-ownership.  And you can certainly turn around and resell the NFT, often for the kind of big numbers that you purchased it for, or preferably for even more.

The technology behind all this has produced a thriving NFT market.  And while it's anybody's guess what the future holds in the long term, it's certainly proving very popular.  Large sums of real money are changing hands in exchange for NFTs.  There has been some criticism of NFTs, notably in connection with their environmental cost, since each NFT transaction requires a considerable amount of computer processing power, which in turn impacts the environment.  But for now, at least, it seems that they are here to stay, and there are early adopters that have become millionaires courtesy of them.



What is Bicycle doing with NFTs?

The Bicycle brand is USPCC's flagship, and has such a long history going back to the 1800s that it can well be considered in the antique category.  But being old doesn't make this company old-fashioned.    In recent years the company has been very single minded about finding new ways to bring young consumers on board.

To begin with, they continue to produce creative and interesting in-house custom decks of playing cards on a regular basis.  And they have been making aggressive efforts to enter the boardgame space with a growing inventory of social games and party games that appeal to a modern audience.  Recent USPCC presidents have indicated a strong awareness of the important playing card heritage they have inherited, and expressed a commitment to building a lasting legacy, by expanding the company's range into new areas of merchandise, and by introducing playing cards to a new generation.

Given their ambitious vision for the future, it is no surprise that the Bicycle brand has boldly stepped into the NFT marketplace as well, and seen this as an opportunity to attract new customers, and explore new terrain for business.  It's a way that they can provide modern consumers and collectors with the kind of creative and innovative digital products they are looking for, corresponding to the playing cards that have long been USPCC's area of expertise.   A representative from the company put it this way: "At Bicycle, we?re a heritage brand that has been at the forefront of playing cards for over 135 years and this NFT launch marks a special moment in our history where we?re bridging the gap between tradition and innovation."



For the digital artwork that is being offered for sale as NFTs, USPCC obtained the services of respected playing card artist Adrian Valenzuela.  Adrian is well known in the playing card industry for his many designs, one of the most popular being the Memento Mori Playing Cards which he produced in collaboration with magician and youtuber Chris Ramsay.

The concept is called the "Genesis Collection", and it represents a digital deck of playing cards as they might look a thousand years in the future.  Adrian's mission was to create a digital deck that imagines how Bicycle playing cards might look a millennium from now.  The artwork he has produced bears the hallmarks of the classic playing cards we are all familiar with, including the four standard suits, with indices clearly indicating these along with the values.  A striking one-way design strikes a modern touch that captures the feel of a digital era, which is further emphasized with a colour scheme that relies of a vibrant pink, blue, and yellow.

Various marketplaces are used for buying and selling NFTs, and the Bicycle's new NFT collection is being offered for bidding on the platform Kolectiv, and on their official app.  To handle their new venture into this new world, the executives at USPCC hired Spool Marketing to take care of their public relations in the United States, especially in light of their expertise in the NFT and crypto space.



The Genesis Collection

The Genesis Collection of NFTs that is being offered for sale consists of two main drops:

1. The Unique Collection

Beginning on 9 December 2021, unique NFTs went up for auction over on Kolectiv, each corresponding to a single playing card that has been digitally minted as a unique NFT.   Altogether around 24 NFT cards are part of this initial collection, with the 10s through Aces in each of the four suits, plus the Jokers.

Along with each NFT, Bicycle Cards is also providing some additional perks and bonuses, such as a gorgeous acrylic case.  This holds a digital screen that displays the NFT, a printed counterpart of the actual playing card (slightly altered to be truly unique), along with the rest of the printed deck.  To see what this amazing package look looks like, see this video.

I can see these quickly becoming hot collectors' items.  Strictly speaking these additional items aren't part of the NFT, so first-time buyers won't be obligated to pass on these physical products when reselling the NFT.

The starting bid for each of these unique NFTs was 0.5 ETH, but the final sales are expected to go for much higher amounts.  The first auction to close was for a Joker, selling for 3.22 ETH, which at the time was the equivalent to around US$12,500.    The Ace of Spades also attracted a lot of interest, receiving bids at least double that of the other cards up for auction, and went on to sell for 3.6 ETH.  Also popular was the King of Spades (3.4 ETH) and the Queen of Hearts (3.2 ETH). But the top dog proved to be Joker #2, which finished bidding at 4.6 ETH, which represents well over $15,000.



2. The Main Collection

The main 8008 collection released towards the end of December.  These are a physical deck that USPCC is producing in a print run of 8,008.   It is beautifully presented with a lovely tuck box, which is in turn packaged in a lovely hard-shell foiled box that has been specially created for this deck.

Along with a copy of this limited edition physical deck, buyers also get a corresponding NFT, each having its own unique digitally animated tuck case.  Each has its own mint number from 1 through 8,008.

In addition, 32 of the 8,008 buyers will be selected randomly, and be assigned one of NFTs corresponding to the number cards 2 through 9 from the "Unique Collection".  That makes the deck and NFT package from the Main Collection very attractive, because not only you get a physical deck, but you also get an NFT, and a chance to get one of the sought after Unique Collection NFTs.

These sell for 0.08 ETH each, with the option of using a Shopify plug-in to pay in US dollars.



Getting your Bicycle NFTs

Effectively this gives two ways to get NFTs.  The Unique Collection represents an NFT for a different individual playing card, with a printed counterpart provided for each, while Main Collection is an actual deck, with a digital NFT counterpart for each.  USPCC has also stated that NFT owners will receive exclusive perks from the company, such as access to community-only events, plus presales and whitelists of future Bicycle playing card NFT drops.

To get your Bicycle NFTs while they're available you'll have to head to Kolectiv and check out the listings there.  The cards from the Unique Collection have already been auctioned off, but some decks and NFTs from the 8008 collection are still available.

I applaud the folks behind the Bicycle for trying something new and different, and for their willingness to experiment in an effort to keep the playing card industry fresh.  A company representative had this to say: "The NFT launch demonstrates how Bicycle is leading the way for others as we continue to innovate and, in addition to introducing new tools that make our cards more digital and accessible, segue into a new era targeting younger generations."

But Bicycle's entry into this new space isn't all about making money.  They also plan to donate $100K of the profits made during their NFT launch to a non-profit organization called Mobile School, which has the goal of providing children around the world with access to education.



Final thoughts

Many big companies are entering the world of NFTs, with big brands like Adidas, Coca Cola, Budweiser, Sony, Time, Disney, Marvel and others leading the way.  Given the forward thinking of the executives at the top of the Bicycle brand, it's no surprise to see USPCC at the front-lines of this new territory.

But this is just the beginning.  According to information announced by USPCC, there are plans to continue to expand in the area of NFTs by creating new digital offerings in future.

Regardless of how you feel about NFTs, it is good to see the Bicycle brand at the forefront of innovation, exploring new territory, and eager to lead the way in keeping our playing cards fresh.  With an attitude to playing cards that embraces new possibilities and is unafraid to explore new areas, the world of playing cards is in good hands.

Want to learn more? Head over to the official site at Bicycle Cards.



Author's note: I first published this article here.