These decks came about as the result of a Kickstarter project, full title: The Azure Dragon & Time Machine Playing Card Collector's set.  It's the fourth Kickstarter from Ying Cheung Ng/ARK Playing Cards, based in Hong Kong.  The project raised a rather impressive HK$2,289,845 (just over US$290,000 with current exchange rates) - it was fully funded in the first 60 seconds of launch ad raised 7,632% of its goal.

The Azure Dragon deck is derived from elements of Chinese culture, while the Time Machine deck draws its inspiration from the Herbert George Wells novel.

The intricacy and complexity of the project is incredible, with paper sculptures, paper mechanical display boxes, boxes made from walnut, even a special set of wood-framed decks only made available through the Kickstarter project.  From my count - and I could be wrong here! - there are a total of FOURTEEN decks in this project, and it's a feast for the eyes.

Kickstarter project: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/elementplayingcards/the-time-machine-playing-cards-collection-box-sets/description
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkplayingcard/?hl=en
Unboxing video by Rise Magic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRwQsEDhM2w

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN YOU JUDGE A NOMINEE
DOTY nominees are judged solely on a single International Standard deck release/project, though a single release/project may comprise more than one variant, edition, back coloration, etc., such as two of the same deck design with differently-colored backs and/or two differently-sized decks and/or standard/deluxe/limited edition(s), etc.  DOTY nominees should be judged based on "the full package" - the design, artistry, manufacturing quality, features, packaging, etc., as seen in all of the decks in that release.

AOTY is judged on the entire portfolio of International Standard decks released by the artist within the eligibility period, and only within that period, not before or after.  A list of eligible releases for each AOTY candidate is listed in their PCF topic in the link on their ballot entry - if you happen to spot an error or an omission, please leave a comment in the forum topic.  For this category, you are judging the artist's works during the release window using the same criteria as in the DOTY judging.

MORE INFORMATION ON NOMINEES - THE FORUM TOPICS
To find more information on a nominee, click on the TinyURL link at the end of the nominee's ballot entry.  That link will take you to a topic on PlayingCardForum.com (PCF), the official online forum of 52 Plus Joker, with info about the nominee, including photos and links to other pages online.  In any cases where an Artist of the Year nominee also created a Deck of the Year nominee, there is a single, combined topic to cover both nominations.  Nominated artists and creators of nominated decks have been invited to comment on their topics, so please feel free to present any questions about their work you may have to them if they make their presence on the forum known!

WRITE-IN VOTING ELIGIBILITY
For each category, you may opt to create a write-in vote for the candidate of your choice, subject to eligibility.  To be eligible for consideration for either/both award(s) in the current award cycle, an artist must have released at least one International Standard playing card deck/project during the eligibility window of July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022 inclusive.

DEFINITION OF "RELEASED" FOR ALL NOMINEES AND WRITE-IN CANDIDATES
"Released" is defined as made available for retail sale, offered as part of a subscription (if the subscription service is open to all members of the public), given away to the public for free, distributed to crowdfunding backers or made available as a free, limited promotional item, with the final determination of eligibility to be made by the Diamond Awards Committee and the Board of Directors of 52 Plus Joker.  Private releases not made publicly available are not eligible.  Prototype decks, even if they are publicly released, sold, given away, etc., are considered an unfinished version of a work and are not eligible for award consideration, regardless of the number of prototype decks created and distributed.  The defining parameters of a prototype is 1) any deck labeled by the artist as a prototype, and/or 2) any deck judged by the DAC/52+J Board to be a prototype - key criteria for the DAC/Board to consider would be how finished the project appears, whether a later or future release of the same deck in larger distribution was/is planned, and how many copies of the deck were released (with lower amounts being more suspect than larger ones).

THE AWARDS CEREMONY
Winners of the Diamond Awards will be announced at the Sixth Annual Diamond Awards Ceremony, scheduled to be held during the Gala Dinner ending the Annual 52 Plus Joker Convention, on the evening of Saturday, October 8, 2021 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh Green Tree located at 500 Mansfield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States - details will be provided to all 52+J members when the full schedule becomes available.  (Due to the evolving situation with the COVID-19 pandemic and monkeypox health emergency, the ceremony schedule/venue may be subject to change or may be presented via Zoom.)

USPC didn?t start using the letter codes on Aces of Spades until 1904.

https://www.leeasher.com/blog/how-to-date-a-deck-of-playing-cards.php

This chart, while largely accurate, does have exceptions.  Furthermore, they only use the letter codes on their own brands of standard decks - not for decks made by commission for another company and not decks other than International Standard, with possible exceptions being their special decks for 6-handed bridge, euchre, etc. - non-standard decks that either entirely or mostly use standard playing card faces.

I moved the topic to the Conversation Parlor.  We reserve the other card-related forums for International Standard decks rather than ones for specialized games like this.  At some point, perhaps I should break out a new board for non-standard game decks - but we?ll see if there?s enough traffic to warrant it first.

This topic has been moved to The Conversation Parlor.

http://www.playingcardforum.com/index.php?topic=13556.0

So I got the Green foil Gatorbacks yesterday, and I check it under UV light: the left side of front tuck have less details than other versions before. And when I posted my question online, other guys showed me their Green foil also slightly different than mine.
Is it intention? Or David Blaine and USPC messed up the tuck box of Green Foil Gatorbacks and most of them are unique with left side printed error? 

Where did you get them from?  Have you considered the possibility that yours might be counterfeits?  I've seen it happen, with the most prominent example being the Ultra Gaff Deck from Ellusionist.  There's a topic somewhere in this forum where someone shows off a cheaply-made knockoff of the deck and compares it to a legit deck straight from the source.  I can see the motivation behind the deed with Ultra Gaff - it sells for $25 a pack, and was probably forged for about $1-$2 a pack.

Also, consider that the tuck image isn't an exact reproduction of the card back - since I doubt that the card backs have "Gator Backs" printed right on them.  Perhaps that was intentional.  One possible reason: maybe there's a marking system on that part of the back design and David decided to conceal it to prevent people from figuring it out.

Sory that I'm late to the game on this reply.

Hey, your project - it looks like it has great artwork in it and is a pretty solid-looking design - but at the same time, it looks like you canceled it because...well, no reason is given on the project page, so I'm guessing it was due to not getting enough interest in your project to hit the goal.

Consider a few ideas here.

* Elves aren't exactly new territory in playing cards, especially in recent years with the explosion of custom decks.  Maybe the subject is just too well-trodden to be of interest?  At the least, a generic take on elves might not do it for backers - if you had elves based on a specific storyline from an author or a movie (and obtained the legal rights to use those characters, places, etc.), you might get more people on-board.  Look at "The Name of the Wind."  Very popular book, turned into a huge hit of a campaign.  In other words, maybe you need more of a hook to catch people's attention and bring them in as backers.  Anything that makes your elf deck stand out from the crowd would do it.  I saw the photos you had in your campaign of people dressed in elven costumes - why not model your entire deck that way, telling the story of you and your elf-loving friends who get together and cosplay or LARP their hearts out over their love of elves?  I knew a guy who made a stellar deck, White Knuckle Playing Cards, by using personal friends and acquaintances as models for a more realistic depiction of the court cards in his deck.  It's one of my favorite decks to this day.

* Printing by USPC is a great thing - but it's also among the more expensive options out there.  Have you considered a quality printer that isn't so top-dollar?  If you can lower your printing costs, you can make your campaign a success.  I often recommend MakePlayingCards.com (MPC) to people because of how flexible they are with print run size - you can print as little as a single deck, and I know many designers use them for making demo decks before having their projects printed by one of the other, most expensive printers.  Over the years, they have dramatically improved their quality - it's not perfect, but for the price, it's not bad at all.  I've seen projects with goals as low as US$1,000 by using such a printer, and they almost invariably succeed, especially with art on par to yours.  Short version of this would be: set the bar lower before taking off for the high jump.

* How far and wide did you go to promote your project?  I know people who crawl the width and breadth of the internet when promoting their projects - and the more legwork you do, the more people will know about you and your work.  Remember that I mentioned MPC above?  Get a short print run of demo decks made at your cost from MPC - a couple of hundred dollars worth would do it, something most people can do out of pocket - and get those decks into the hands of influencers and reviewers that have a following.

* A few bells and whistles are nice, to be sure, but go easy on the add-on doodads.  Dice and coins are popular, but coloring books?  Be careful not to make your project into a flea market.  I mentioned The Name of the Wind, above.  I know the man behind that project, the owner of Albino Dragon.  He had so many add-ons for his project, it was a royal headache to keep track of them all and the cost to produce them seriously ate into his bottom line on the project.  K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple, Stupid! 

Hey Everyone,

I am new the community but happy to be here. I am looking to get the two decks I am missing for the 52+J collection I have. I have managed to source everything except the Jackson Robinson 2014 Convention Deck (Silver and Gold) and the 2019 The Entertainer by Lotrek. (Minimum offer $75 each but happy to discuss higher pricing. eBay did not show me much).

I am also in search of both Lotrek Silk Blue and Red. (Minimum offer $200 each, happy to discuss higher pricing. Couldn't find much sales data)

Just hoping to be able to add these to my collection. Decks will be shipped to Canada.

Please let me know what you have and I would be happy to discuss further.

I don't remember exactly how long ago it was, but I was poking around on the Conjuring Arts website and saw they were still selling the 52 Plus Joker 2014 deck gold edition - I was kind of surprised there were still any left.  Just checked now and they're all gone.

Good luck to you on finding those decks.  Honestly, your best shot would possibly be the convention coming up next month in Niagara Falls, New York.  Most of the people who own that deck are in the club, and many of the club members who trade in modern decks will be at the convention.  There's even a chance that someone will put one or two of them up as a lot in one of the auctions - there's usually a few auctions at each of these.  Lotrek won't be there this year, I recently learned - he and his wife are interested in spending some time traveling Europe, as they haven't been able to until recently.  But I'd be very surprised if Jackson Robinson didn't make it - he always comes to these events.  I've only missed one since 2014 and he was at all of them.

Hello, members of 52 Plus Joker,

I wanted to inform you that I received a message forwarded to me by Lee Asher from the artist, Elettra Deganello.  She mentioned that Mr. Loddo's contribution to her project was a minor one, and thus we've agreed to remove his name from the nomination.  I apologize for this bit of misinformation - it came out of a mention of Mr. Loddo on the Kickstarter project page, which I'll quote for you below:

The courts have been designed by Giordano Loddo and are a variation of the "standard" Passione Playing Cart courts, of course adapted to match the theme and the style.

I think it would be reasonable to make such a mistake based on this information, but regardless, I do apologize to Ms. Deganello and only want to give credit where it's due.  Her work with PassioneTeam is incredibly beautiful, I must admit - I remember last year just how much my wife was admiring the Vivaldi project, which if I recall correctly was a nominee for Deck of the Year 2020.

I've invited Ms. Deganello to come by the topic and discuss her work - I hope she takes advantage of the invitation.

Meanwhile, I've made a late change in the ballot to reflect this new information.  If you already voted and this change would in some way affect your vote, please contact me immediately so I can make any necessary adjustments.

Elettra Deganello is a frequent collaborator with Riccardo Conturbia of PassioneTeam.  This year, she's received her first nomination as Artist of the Year (with Giordano Loddo) based on her work on Florentia, a series based on "beauty, art and the city of Florence."

In a similar vein to some previous PassioneTeam releases, this project comes as two decks (Antica and Nova) and a special book-style, limited-edition boxed set of the two decks (Aeterna).  Unlike the previous releases, however, this one has a third deck: a more simply-designed Player's Edition, meant to allow the collectors in us to have the perfect boxed set, while at the same time the players in us still have a pack they can open and play with!  The deck's courts are based on the standard Passione courts and were designed by Loddo.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/passione/florentia-playing-cards?ref=discovery&term=florentia

Stephen Brandt, known by the design studio name of "fig. 23" or the Kickstarter user name "Swabbed Decks," certainly has a sense of whimsy and playfulness to his designs.  The four decks he produced in this award cycle all share a common theme - they're flip books, designed to present a playful animation when sorted into a specific order and riffled.  Brandt has made other, non-flip book decks in the past, but all of his works under the "fig. 23" brand employ this interesting and entertaining feature.

Two of the projects, "Wonderland & Looking-Glass" and "The Wizard of Oz," are based on popular children's books, while the other two, "Clockwork: Quackington" and "Clockwork: Montana Mustache Manufacturing Co.," are more mechanically oriented, and are the third and fourth decks in the "Clockwork" series of deck releases.  "The Wizard of Oz" was manufactured by MakePlayingCards.com, while the remaining projects were all made by USPC.

Trust me when I tell you, you REALLY have to look at these decks on their web pages.  There are animations there that are charming beyond belief!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/swabbeddecks/wonderland-looking-glass-flip-book-playing-cards-uspcc

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/swabbeddecks/fig-23-the-wizard-of-oz-flip-book-animated-playing-cards

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/swabbeddecks/clockwork-quackington-animated-playing-cards-uspcc

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/swabbeddecks/clockwork-montana-mustache-manufacturing-co-playing-cards

https://www.fig23.com/shop

Alessandra Gagliano and Anthony Holt, better known as Jocu Playing Cards, have been on a roll, releasing three projects during the awards release window of July 2020 through June 2021: The Green Man (Autumn, Winter and Spring), Hops & Barley (Brewer?s Reserve, Deep Amber Ale & Pale Gold Pilsner) and Onda (Ultramarine, Wave, Acquamarine, Ultramarine Gold, Wave Silver).  The Green Man is intricate, while Hops & Barley is more traditional, with Onda striking a balance between the two.

Gagliano and Holt are nominated for Artist of the Year for all of the above decks, while the Onda project is nominated for Deck of the Year.  All of the projects were funded on Kickstarter, designed in Italy and printed by Cartamundi in Belgium on their well-known B9 stock.

Images 1-3 are from Onda, Image 4 is from Hops & Barley and Image 5 is from The Green Man.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dimmideck/the-green-man-by-jocu-playing-cards/

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dimmideck/hops-and-barley-by-jocu-playing-cards/

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dimmideck/onda-by-jocu-playing-cards/

https://www.jocu.cards/

Marianne Larsen should be a familiar name from her work with Design Imperator.  Now she has her own company, Isolated Thunderstorm, and is "striking" out on her own.  She made a great impression with her company's first project: Circus, in two versions, Deluxa and Black Mosquito.  The Deluxe edition employs two-headed court cards while the Black Mosquito edition has one-way, head and torso portraits, both performed in a dark, Victorianesque style.  The details include a unique deck seal, individually serial-numbered and printed to look like a ticket to the show, metallic inks on the cards and embossing on the tuck boxes.  Printed by Noir Arts Playing Card Company (NPCC).

Ms. Larsen worked in collaboration with graphic artist Martin Helgren on this deck.  They are both nominated for Artist of the Year and Circus is nominated for Deck of the Year.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1265596936/circus-playing-cards

https://isolatedthunderstorm.com/index.php/product/save-now-mixed-pair-circus/