New Royal Playing Cards. A delicate restoration of historical, astronomical and geographical didactics
Rescuing cards from the past is a magnificent work of dissemination and love for collecting. After finishing the Cotta’s Almanac series, Will Roya (PlayingCardsDecks.com) begins a new adventure of restoration of historical playing cards: NEW ROYAL.
NEW ROYAL are inspired by those originally published in 1927-28 by Charles Hodges, a London bookseller who made engraved playing cards on educational subjects before lithography took hold in the world of printing. Thus, this campaign recovers two editions, Geographical and Astronomical, which were very popular and reissued several times over the years.
Preserving the educational purpose of the originals, the 104 cards that make up the two decks are completely customized and have been meticulously restored by Azured-Ox. Both decks are connected through history and the symbols of the suits, which represent the four seasons in the astronomical deck and the four continents in the geographic deck, as can be seen in the aces.
For the numbered cards, different representations of the constellations linked to the seasons are used for the astronomical deck and maps of the main countries and monarchies in the geographic deck.
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- ASTRONOMICAL
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- GEOGRAPHICAL
The court cards show mythological deities in the astronomical deck and historical figures in the geographic deck.
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- ASTRONOMICAL
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- GEOGRAPHICAL
Jokers and some bonus cards will complete these great two editions.
Although the original decks did not have a decorated back, to give coherence to this set, Azured-Ox has made a new back for both decks, with an ornate, symmetrical and animated composition in two different metallic pantone colors to represent light and dark.
The tuck cases also play with this duality in the designs, with an identical front and different backs, profusely decorated with metallic inks.
The decks will be printed by the USPCC in a limited edition with some stretch goals including custom seals and gilded edges.
The history behind these decks is very interesting so I recommend that you visit the project website to see all the details resulting from a thorough investigation and, while you’re at it, to raise your pledge and get these awesome historical reissues.
Good luck!
