More than 100 million people in an area of over 33 million square kilometers made the Mongol Empire the largest contiguous land empire in the history. This civilization has seldom served as an inspiration for the creation of contemporary cards, and yet at this moment we can find two projects that, although from different artists, have this common theme. DON’T KILL THE MESSENGER Under this shocking name we find a deck of superb design, full of elegant details and…
Among the oldest civilizations, China is undoubtedly one of the historically richest. Its thousands of years have lived different times, from the first dynasties to the most contemporary history. Chinese culture has served as inspiration for many playing cards but this time Make Playing Cards, one of the most important Chinese card printers in the world, offers us an interesting creation: CHAO. Make Playing Cards is already a reference in the playing cards printing and design as they have produced thousands…
The stories about bandits have always been exciting and, even despite being outlaws persecuted for justice, many of them have become legendary heroes. This is the case of Ned Kelly and his gang that now receive a tribute in the form of a deck of cards: THE KELLY GANG. Son of an Irish father, a convict transferred to the British colony of Victoria (Australia) in the mid-nineteenth century, Ned Kelly grew up with an indelible idea about rebellion against the English…
The cabinets of curiosities were, during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, places of collection and exhibition of strange objects from every single corner of the world. It was possible to find amazing pieces classified into different categories (animals, plants or minerals) as well as man-made objects, scientific gadgets and works of art. They also had room for incredible (and disturbing) malformations of Nature preserved in formaldehyde or remains of mythological animals more typical of a circus of horrors. Their had…
Robert Tomlinson (Barclay Mountain Co.) is one of those men true to their roots. His work as a playing cards creator has brought us along last years many historical references from the United States, especially through their conflicts through the Unrest series. Over the past few years, Robert has been working very hard to preserve his memory and local history, infecting his love and patriotic pride to all those around him. For this, Robert has collected the interest from the…
The history of the United States is full of secrets, mysteries and conspiracies. If there is an expert in converting that part of the history into playing cards, it is precisely Robert Tomlinson (Barclay Mountain Co.). After his success with Rise of a Nation, which opened the Decoded History series and talked about the secrets behind the creation of the United States and the important role of Freemasonry in that process, Robert launches the second deck of the series: DIVIDE…
Middle Kingdom Bicycle White and Black were two successful campaigns created by Doug Frye in collaboration with Deveo Media. After completing the fulfillment of both decks, this team of mythology enthusiasts launch a sequel: MIDDLE KINGDOM GOLD AND SILVER. The new decks share the designs with their predecessors, inspired by the ancient China, its origins and its deities. The main change lies in the color combinations: black on silver background and gold on black background. With a line engraved…
More than 100 million people in an area of over 33 million square kilometers made the Mongol Empire the largest contiguous land empire in the history. C79 Studios, a young group of graphic designers, has been working for a long time on a deck inspired by the strength of this great empire and they have just released their creation: MONGOL EMPIRE. But MONGOL EMPIRE is much more than a deck of cards. The artistic development behind this project is huge and…
Robert Tomlinson is an experienced playing cards designer and producer that founded his own Playing Cards Company. He created fantastic and popular projects such as the Unrest Series, Titanic or Gettysburg decks. Unfortunately, some personal issues unfairly forced him to stop using his own name to go on working in this business but he is a strong and determined man that has risen from the ashes creating Barclay Mountain Co. and producing the first deck of the Decoded History Series: RISE OF A NATION. Robert is a…
Just a month ago I spoke about the new deck by Doug Fire, the Middle Kingdom Bicycle deck. During the campaign there was a stretch goal to produce a second deck: the black edition. Although the campaign was successfully funded, unfortunately it didn’t reach that goal but Doug has decided to launch a second campaign to fund the BICYCLE MIDDLE KINGDOM BLACK DECK. The deck, inspired by ancient Chinese culture, is now in black, more elegant and bold….