Kickstarter 2014 project by Teach By Magic. Each card is a unique piece of art filled with symbolism and hidden elements. There are over 100 different languages and numeric systems represented in this deck.

For this project, the beginnings were a little bit different. Many times between projects I will spend a few days just gathering reference and pouring over tons of beautiful images of art and other things that I might find inspiration from.

As I was searching for a creative direction for a new project, a song began to play on my playlist that really caught my attention. My wife sometimes calls me a nerd in my choice of music. I enjoy listening to all types of music but when I am working I seem to find the most focus listening to instrumental music from cinema, games, and other types of media.

This song captivated me, and it was the catalyst for the entire project. I put it on repeat and listened to it to all day while creating a completely new set of court cards from the images of, what I would describe as a mixture of Sci-Fi and Fantasy. The designs that transpired over the course of the day were promising to me, and most of very different from any of my previous work.

The title of the deck was actually derived from the title of the song that sparked it, Invocation.

The Copper Editions will be printed by The United States Playing Card Company on Premium Stock with Air Cushioned Finish. The cards and artwork will feature brilliant Copper metallic inks.

The tuck box will be printed by Clover St Press featuring hot foil stamped with Copper and Black Foil. Embossed to enhance the look and feel of the tuck case.

KickStarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kingswildproject/the-invocation-exquisite-hand-illustrated-playing Full Deck Scan: https://cardscans.piwigo.com/index?/category/366-invocation_bronze

The new DMC ELITES V4 marked deck (now in forest green) is the latest iteration in the ongoing quest by Drummond Money-Coutts to create the most powerful deck of cards available for professional magicians today. The ELITES are a unique collaboration between DMC himself (star of National Geographic's CARD SHARK and BEYOND MAGIC WITH DMC, and of the upcoming Netflix series DEATH BY MAGIC) and designer and magic creator Phill Smith - architect of the revolutionary OPTICAL MARKING SYSTEM. This brand new DMC ELITES V4 is the most versatile, nuanced and advanced version of ELITES ever created.

For the first time ever, the DMC ELITES V4 is now printed by the iconic United States Playing Card Company on their legendary Bee stock, still the world's favourite choice. The cards will endure hours upon hours of professional use, and all faces are standard USPCC faces for minimum scrutiny or suspicion from your audience.

The cards themselves feature the latest revision of the unique OPTICAL MARKING SYSTEM (OMS), a powerful 'reader' system designed specifically for the use of magicians and mentalists (as opposed to many decks designed for the gambling world). The OMS has an ingeniously hidden marking mechanic that is readable with extreme speed, at great range and even in poor light. It hides the value and suit of the card in plain sight with no decoding necessary - the back of the card literally says the value and the suit. Despite this, you can still comfortably hand the deck to a layman, safe in the knowledge that even the most critical observer would not ever suspect, let alone detect, the secret markings. So subtle, in fact, is the OMS that with the first edition of ELITES - many magicians complained that they'd been sent an unmarked version!

Drawing on the feedback from many hundreds of performers, the OMS has evolved significantly over the years, and in this version the markings are located in all four corners for the very first time - welcoming lefties into the ELITES family. A second quantum leap now allows the markings to be read from a relatively slim spread of cards on the table - or even a fan of cards held in the hands. Finally, the deck also now features a very clear, one-way marking system, allowing for delayed reads and unlocking a whole new realm of methods. Each deck also comes with an instruction card that explains the markings visually - with no language limitations for international performers.

DMC ELITES V4: the greatest marked deck in a generation - now greater than ever.

DISCLAIMER: These cards have been created with professional magic and mentalism in mind. Cheating at games through any means of duplicity - be it skillful or through specialised equipment - is unethical, immoral, and illegal. The creators, manufacturers and distributors of the ELITES range of playing cards cannot accept any responsibility for the unethical abuse or misuse of these playing cards.

For this project, the beginnings were a little bit different. Many times between projects I will spend a few days just gathering reference and pouring over tons of beautiful images of art and other things that I might find inspiration from.

As I was searching for a creative direction for a new project, a song began to play on my playlist that really caught my attention. My wife sometimes calls me a nerd in my choice of music. I enjoy listening to all types of music but when I am working I seem to find the most focus listening to instrumental music from cinema, games, and other types of media.

This song captivated me, and it was the catalyst for the entire project. I put it on repeat and listened to it to all day while creating a completely new set of court cards from the images of, what I would describe as a mixture of Sci-Fi and Fantasy. The designs that transpired over the course of the day were promising to me, and most of very different from any of my previous work.

The title of the deck was actually derived from the title of the song that sparked it, Invocation.

The Platinum Edition decks are printed by Cartamundi on the B9 Linen Finish with Silver Cold Foil on both the back and faces of the cards.

The deck is packaged in a beautiful letterpressed tuck case by Clover St Press and features hot foil stamped with Silver and Black Foil. Embossed to enhance the look and feel of the tuck case.

KickStarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kingswildproject/the-invocation-exquisite-hand-illustrated-playing Full Deck Scan: https://cardscans.piwigo.com/index?/category/25-invocation_platnium

In 2013, I successfully Kickstarted the Whispering Imps®, a deck of cards for magicians that was inspired by Harry Kellar’s famous portrait poster from 1894. After a very successful campaign, 5 different versions of the original design and thousands of shipped decks, it was time for a brand new deck of Whispering Imps®. In January 2014, I partnered again with illustrator Mark Stutzman, and we began designing the second deck in the Whispering Imps® series: The Gamesters.

Designed for card players, the Gamesters are two new decks inspired by classic Las Vegas casinos including Jerry’s Nugget, the Golden Nugget, and The Wynn. The clean, simplistic back design allows players to be focused on what’s most important – the game.

Additionally, I wanted to make it easier for both left and right handed card players to peek at their hand while at the same reducing the amount of card exposed to prying eyes, so the pips are placed just 2.5mm from the edge in all four corners.  The top right and bottom left indices are rotated 90°, allowing players another unique opportunity to quickly peek at their hand when cards are in a horizontal position.  

Lastly, it was important to set this deck apart from the original while maintaining elegance. The original Whispering Imps® sported a very intricate back design and were housed within a very simple, iconic tuck box. The Gamesters incorporate just the opposite - a very simple and iconic back design and an intricate, elaborate tuck box.

Gaslamp Playing Cards are a tribute to the historic Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego, California, and celebrate the district's beautiful Victorian characteristics and eclectic past. Jeff Trish illustrates them in style reminiscent of nineteenth-century line engraving with intricate details and subtle hints of folklore throughout.

Gaslamp Playing Cards are sustainably printed by The United States Playing Card Company using FSC certified paper and vegetable-based inks on our trademark stock and finish.