Funded as a Kickstarter project on March 19, 2015 with kr462,035 (Swedish Krona, which is about $57k USD) pledged from 1,015 backers, this was the Kickstarter attempt at funding this project after the failed CardLauncher (cardlauncher.com) platform attempt, where that platform has since been abandoned.  In that process an earlier protoype (V.01) was created as a prototype and also as a promotional deck for CardLauncher itself which had 55 cards with black and white courts, different tuck-box, different aces, and was printed by MakePlayingCards in 525 units. 

For this project the deck was revised with new and modified face cards, back and tuck and was available in Bicycle branded, unbranded, plus a special Crown Edition hand created tuckcase with the same size and face cards.  It was printed by USPCC on Bicycle Stock with 56 cars including 3 jokers and a gaff card with a custom seal and embossed tuck used on both decks.  The deck as also available as an add-on in uncut format.  In addition, mini and micro formats were available as gifts with larger sized tiers which were printed by MPC (MakePlayingCards.com).

There is no specific theme in this deck, it´s quite eclectic and I let my fantasy run when I illustrated the courts. The diamonds have clearly an Egyptian resemblance, but overall they belong to a parallel world. There is a thing that connects all the court cards: the text circling the background is a part of the Aeneid, a Latin epic poem written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. 

for scans of each card

http://www.marytcusack.com/maryc/decks/httml/Cards/No17.html

Scans of each card can be seen at www.marytcusack.com/maryc/decks/html/Cards/KingsGameBlack.html

Scans can be seen at www.marytcusack.com/maryc/decks/html/Cards/Gemini.html

Gemini is a deck of completely custom illustrated poker size playing cards. The deck will be printed by Expert Playing Card Co. (NY, USA) on casino grade paper stock with their Classic Finish coating. While the campaign is run from here in Stockholm and is in Swedish crowns (SEK), the rewards will be fulfilled from the US.The choice of the name Gemini is based on the peculiarity of the court cards (JQK). At first glance the figures of each card look perfectly symmetrical, but they are not. I depicted them as twins (Gemini in latin) but they are not identical, so you will see small differences when you look closely. I thought that the Gemini zodiac sign would fit this idea, so it gets a bit astrological in its design. The archetype of Gemini is fascinating and intriguing.

With this deck, I wanted a classical, medieval feeling. The aces are depicted as axes and the figures on the court cards interact with their own pip, which becomes part of the illustration. The pips (2 to 10) are big and they take a lot of space. I used an unconventional index, which is horizontal instead of vertical. I used a prototype for testing and found that it is very playable and easy to read, especially for Burraco.

Gemini was made available as 3 different decks:

Gemini Terra: sienna back, tuck-box with embossing, copper and gold foil on thick black paper.

Gemini Ignis: red back, tuck-box with embossing, red and gold foil on thick black paper.

Gemini Noctis (stretch goal added later in project): blue back, tuck-box with embossing, silver (or silver-aqua) foil, black foil on black paper, and foil on the back of the cards.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/requiemcards/gemini-playing-cards

Florentia Aeterna holds both Florentia Antica and Florentia Nova cards together in a limited, hand-numbered edition. Printed on cotton paper with gold foil and hot impression. The limited-edition tuck box.

The Italian city of Florence needs no presentation: it is a synonym for art, history and timeless beauty.

Passione Playing Cards is proud to present to you Florentia, the project of custom playing cards celebrating the birthplace of the Renaissance - passionately designed by Elettra Deganello.

Main decks: Antica (purple foil on the box + gold metallic ink touches inside), Nova (holographic foil on the box + yellow neon ink touches inside) and Aeterna (limited edition containing all 55+55 cards from both decks). Printed by USPCC.

Fully custom and totally different back design, court cards, aces and jokers - for a total of 36 meticulously hand-drawn figures.

KickStarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/passione/florentia-playing-cards

ox is hand-made in Italy by letterpress experts.

I C O N S" Imperial Reverse edition

"IMPERIAL REVERSE" edition is a strictly limited production: Only 55 decks will be EVER produced.

The  "I C O N S   I M P E R I A L  Reverse Edition". A deck having silver foil where the original has gold and vice versa!

THE TUCK:

The deck comes in a black velvet tuck case with silver foil.  Absolutely stunning!

Hotcakes is a whimsical deck of playing cards inspired by the burlesque genre. The burlesque characters on each playing card appear as though they have been beautifully hand-drawn, giving this deck a quirky air of playfulness. The designs are printed on cardstock that looks vintage and dated, further adding to the theme of the age-old art of burlesque.

The beautiful floral backing of the cards is inspired by the Pop-Art style of the mid fifties and are available in two colors: red (first edition) and black (limited edition). Printed on Bicycle playing card stock, the Hotcakes deck is durable, high quality and a fun addition to any gamer’s collection.

Scans of each card can be seen at www.marytcusack.com/maryc/decks/html/Cards/Thorns.html