New Paper Chaser

[CourtCurator]

Hi all! I’m Drew, and I have a problem with little slips of paper. I ended up collecting cards by accident. My buddies and I have been playing a monthly poker game for years. A few years ago I decided that I wanted to build a poker table top for our poker nights. I thought it would be cool to epoxy some special cards into the table to mark each player’s position, so I started looking for unique playing card designs to use. I never ended up building that table because I found a really nice one for free. Instead, I ended up obsessed with little 2.5”x3.5” canvases. I spent several years picking up a deck here and there on Kickstarter. It wasn’t until I backed The Tale of the Tempest and began watching TGW’s videos that I found the cards that really moved my soul. Lotrek’s work is the epitome of everything that I have been searching for and never knew existed. If only I had found this site sooner, I would have had an opportunity to buy some of the most beautiful cards to bless this world at a half way descent price. Instead, I find myself admiring pictures of all the amazing Lotrek decks that I have missed out on, and wishing that I had a fatter wallet. On the bright side, I won’t miss out on any new releases moving forward.

I am one of those collectors that doesn’t buy a lot of decks, but the ones that I do purchase truly speak to me as an art form. For me, it isn’t about exclusivity, or what something might be worth to others. It’s all about the way I feel when I hold those 52+ little canvases in my hands. The cards that draw me in embody an aesthetic beauty and evoke the positive emotions created by the human connections that are made around the gaming table. Beauty and emotion are what drive my collection.

[Harvonsgard]

Welcome at UC.

What an introduction. Don't worry about a fat wallet. History repeats itself. A lot of designers start to breath fresh air into their old decks by reprinting them and even adding features because technology advanced. Latest example is Lotrék who did a fresh take on his Arabesque deck and is going to release Moréque so, no need to throw $300+ dollars at resellers.
Patience is key .

[rousselle]

Ahoy, there, CourtCurator! Welcome aboard!

I believe that I feel the same way about cards as you do, for the most part. I'm all about the art that speaks to me. I do also collect decks if they hold some value as a technical achievement that also speaks to me, but in general, yeah: it's the emotion that the art evokes in me.

As such, while you are oohing and ahhing over Lotrek decks, you might also want to take a serious look at works by (in order by last name of the designer):

Montenzi Playing Cards
Randy Butterfield -- Midnight Playing Cards
Sunish Chabba -- Guru Playing Cards
Alex Chin -- Seasons Playing Cards
Rick Davidson -- Origins Playing Cards
Peter Dunham and Linnea Gits -- Uusi
Jody Eklund -- Black Ink Playing Cards
Lorenzo Gaggiotti -- Stockholm17
Ben Jones -- Elephant Playing Cards
Giovanni Meroni -- Thirdway Industries
Steve Minty -- Minty Fresh
Chris Ovdiyenko -- Dead on Paper
Jackson Robinson -- Kings Wild Project
Kirk Slater -- 52 Ravens
RJ Tomlinson -- Barclay Playing Cards, formerly Tomlinson Playing Cards

Each has their own style, and each is well worth getting to know. There are, of course, many, many others also worth taking a look at, but I'll try not to overwhelm you right at the outset.

Cheers!

[CourtCurator]

Thanks for the welcome! Rousselle, I do have a deck or two from several of those designers, but there are a few on that list that I haven’t come across yet. I’ll check them out, thanks!

Harvonsgard, I did get in on the Morésque deck, and I’m really excited about the new Silk deck. I am so happy to have an opportunity to get in on those because the originals are two of my favorite decks of all time. I still want to get my hands on those original decks, but It will be awesome to enjoy them in a more affordable form. I was bummed that I found Lotrek’s Patreon about a month too late to subscribe at a reward tier, but I was happy to pledge at a lower level, and contribute a little something toward supporting work that brings me so much joy.

[Bradius]

rousselle, thanks for that excellent list.

However, I think Sunish has retired from playing card production. I believe the same is going for RJ Tomlison. I also haven't seen much activity from Rick Davidson in awhile which makes me wonder what is up with Rick. All three are gifted playing card designers.

I would also throw into consideration (also in alpha order):

Nicolai Aarøe - A very strong playing card artist
Ian Cumpstey - His style is not for everyone, but if you like it you really like it
Jocu Playing Cards (Inner Circle is great if you like their work)
Montenzi - Master of cold foil (IMHO)
Srdjan Vidakovic - Especially The Planets, but all his work is top notch

The problem of coming down this rabbit hole, is the number of talented artists. The nice thing is that many decks can be had cheaply, especially if you can find someone clearing out their collection. There are a lot of gems I see listed that may not be considered High End from a price perspective, but really are beautiful decks.

One thing about Lotrek, while he has some amazing decks with insane foiling he also has a number of decks still affordable such as the Arabesque Players and Ambassador Players. Even the Wylenti deck he did for TGW was frankly dirt cheap for a foiled deck. Of course, if you want to dive into Lotrek you can always break into the Crypt or get locked in his Patreon Asylum (a place even I have luckily avoided)

[CourtCurator]

Thanks, Bradius! I have and love the Arabesque Players edition. I Half heartedly tried to acquire the Ambassadors Players Edition, but it was a little more than I wanted to spend on it. I ended up getting the Charmers instead. The courts are pretty similar, but they have the bling I love so much.

I would love to enter the Crypt, but the price of admission is approaching a slow death. I’m not crazy enough to commit myself to the asylum, but I’m hoping to go with silver or gold when given an opportunity.

[rousselle]

Bradius, yes, those are all fantastic additions to the list. And, yes, Rick has been quiet lately, and RJ seems to be moving on to the next chapter of his life, although I wasn't sure.

Sunish has announced that he'll be done after his next deck, which will celebrate the jesters and jokers of mythology. I'm really looking forward to that one, which is why I kept him on the list.

[Bradius]

I forgot Sunish had one more deck to go. I hate to see him leave playing card design and production. His decks have always been fun for me. I especially liked his earlier decks with a strong Indian vibe.

CourtCurator, by way of background on the Ambassador Players that I bring up to folks that might not know the full story. These decks were printed by EPCC in Tiawan. Shortly after they were printed and shipped to the Kickstater backers, the warehouse where they were being stored had a fire that burned all the playing cards in the warehouse to cinders. It was just tragic. The end of it was that the complete remaining stock was lost. The original run was 1,000 of each, but likely the number that actually got out into the wild was a much lower number. I say that to point out that they are a whole lot rarer than many realize due to that fire. If you search back in the forums, you will find the discussion thread on the deck. There is even a photo Lotrek posted of the warehouse after the fire.

If I recall correctly, Lotrek even had to make a special reprinting of the deck in Greece to produce cards for the Signature deck. Although Lotrek might have just inserted some random cards since he knows most of us would never dare open our Ambassador Signature decks I could be mistaken. I might be confused with the Arabesque Silver decks. Sometimes I get confused trying to keep track of the disasters that befall Lotrek.

[james001a]

Welcome to UC! This is a very devoted and opinionated bunch, so feel free to jump in. We all feel very strongly for our chosen hobby for different reasons. The creators the UC members mentioned collectively represent production of about 72 million different decks (Not really) but they are solid creators for sure and you can't go wrong with them. Personally, for you I think Jocu is a wonderful start, as he (Anthony) produces high quality decks with custom artwork for very reasonable prices. His inner circle membership is wonderful, and so is he with dealing with customers. Ultimately, buy what you like, and try not to fall for the "hype decks". Also, Kickstarter is a great way to throw your support behind projects as well and can be quite rewarding. Most importantly, enjoy.