By Will Roya
2018 was an amazing year for us at PCD. It was our first full year in business and I’m happy to say that our loyal customers and supporters have helped to establish us as a popular destination to obtain new decks. Not only has our focus been to supply and create new playing cards but also to be a part of the community by providing educational and interesting content as well as participating and supporting other creators’ projects.
We shipped out over 10 tons of decks last year and saw a multitude of new releases. We only see the market growing as we hear from new collectors and cardists getting into the hobby almost everyday. Our orders have been almost evenly split between new and return customers which is another healthy sign that the playing card niche is in a strong and stable position.
The crowd funding scene has been much more competitive because of the number of projects but the cream continues to rise to the top and some campaigns have raised insane funds! We are going to continue to launch decks on kickstarter and help other creators but we are going to start releasing some of our decks directly this year. I’m personally really excited about some reproductions we are working on.
As always, we thank all of our customers, supporters, vendors and everyone else involved in the playing card community for your support. Please share your love of the hobby with others so we can continue to grow and spread our love of playing cards!
Here were some of my favorite playing cards from 2018 broken down by categories:
PCD Releases: I loved all the decks we put out this year but would have to say my overall favorite was the Guard. I just love the style and the readability of it. I would say the Monster deck is a close second.
Kings Wild Project: Jackson Robinson put out a lot of decks this year and they were all stunning, but my personal favorites are the Maduro and Tigers. I signed up for his monthly club and looking forward to seeing those.
Promising New Creator: Two of my favorite decks from new creators were the Water Margin and Llod's Carnival.
Most Artistic: Some stunning and innovative decks that I particularly liked were the House of the Rising Spade and the NPCCD decks.
From BOCOPO: This company put decks out like it was going out of style but Meow Star and Blackbeard really stood out to me.
Cardistry Decks: I do prefer USPCC when doing cardistry but for their design I had to pick these non-uspcc decks for their incredible design; Ventus and Oculus.
Independently Produced: 2 decks that really impressed me were the Whale Castle and Kalevala.
Stunning Tuck Box: Maidens and Luna Moon.
Licensed Decks: Power Rangers and Margaritaville.
Decks with Art on Every Card: Cartomancer and Art of the Patent.
A few other decks I enjoyed worth mentioning: Wild West, Rainbow Unicorn, House Blend, Off the Wall, Views, Fireflies, Salt & Bone, Squeezers, Draconian, Planets Series and Delirium.
Did you have a favorite deck I missed? Comment below.
Top 10 Selling Decks of 2018
This is from sales on our site, eBay and Amazon. It does not account for decks distributed via Kickstarter, Pip Box Club or sales to other retailers.
10. Knights by ellusionist
9. House Blend by USPCC
8. Strigiformes by PCD
7. Memento Mori by Murphy’s Magic
6. Arrco Reprint by PCD (Almost Sold Out)
5. Copag 310 by Cartamundi
4. Monarchs by Theory11
3. Super Gaff by 1st Magic Studio (Sold Out)
2. White Regalia by Shin Lim (Sold Out)
1. Marked Maiden Back by Penguin Magic
What do you think of the top 10 playing card decks sold? Any surprise you that made it or maybe one you expected to make it? Comment below.
3 comments
That Masquerade decks (in particular the Mardi Gras version) are absolutely stunning.
David, I did mention Cartomancer as one of my picks with art on every card. The DMC elites seem really cool, I just did not have enough time to play with them I guess. Maybe I should have had a category for marked decks. FYI – A new DMC alphabet deck is coming out soon.
I like your choices. You left out two decks that I think are at least worth a mention if not be near the top of your list.
The DMC Elites Deck in the new Forest Green is IMHO one of the nicest decks to come along in years. In addition to being great cards they have a marking system that is unique and unsurpassed in being easy to read (if one knows the system). The faces are standard save some unique faces on the Court Cards, custom Jokers and a very nice Ace of Spades. The DMC Elites have been around for years and have always been among my favorite decks. The new Forest Green version is the best ever with several new, improved magical features that previous Elites didn’t have. It is IMHO a must-have for any magician (or card-cheat {I didn’t say that LOL nervously}).
The second deck is the USPCC printed deck The Cartomancer “Archetypal” Poker Deck. They must call it “archetypal” in the sense it is the “consument” in its style. It is anything but “typical”. Every single card is completely unique. The art is line drawings in full color on a white background done in a cartoon style that I think was typical in the late 1800s. The drawings are wonderful and a real kick. One very important feature is, even with all the wonderful art, is that all the numbers and pips denoting the card values are in their proper place in the correct colors and are very easy to read. It is also (I believe) an ante typical Tarot Deck. Each card has a not conspicuous but easy-to-see label that has to do with one’s fortune (not being a Tarot person I’m unsure my words are the correct ones). But… There is a wonderful tiny pamphlet that tells you “How to Read the Cardd”. It’s fun/funny. Also it has instructions on “How to do a Reading”. I did one on myself and almost fell out of my chair laughing.
If you’re a collector this deck is one you’ll want. If you’re a magician you’ll want one just for fun at the least. I don’t believe the deck is that suited for Cardists but you’d probably enjoy it a lot. I believe it was chosen by 52+Joker as the 2018 Deck of the Year which is a real honor and makes it very collectable.
fdavidn