When Vanishing Inc. Magic set out to design its first deck of signature brand playing cards, they had one specific goal in mind: to create the most fashion-forward, subtle, and sophisticated "look" for a deck of cards yet devised. The result is the Dapper Deck, which is an attractive deck of cards crafted from the finest stock and finish. They are gorgeous and subtle, and appropriate for formal performances. Many decks are designed to be kept in the plastic, collected, and displayed. This deck was designed to be used.

This new version, printed by the United States Playing Card Company, offers a host of new features:

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.

Funded as a Kickstarter project on 03/07/15 with $16,464 pledged from 205 backers, this was a single deck set. Designed and created by Sean Martines, this deck was classically drawn and designed with a classy marijuana theme. 

The playing cards for cardists, collectors, magicians, card players, artists, enthusiasts and everyone in between.

For three years, at Joker and the Thief, we have reviewed and handled hundreds of custom designer playing cards from around the world. We have seen absolute gems and absolute rubbish, innovation and repetition, various design trends, decks that handle spectacularly and decks that handle poorly. What we have observed is a vast plethora of combinations, leading to either quality products or poor ones. We believe that a certain balance needs to be achieved in order to create a great deck of cards. Now we are delighted to introduce to you, a collaborative project with Pedro Oyarbide, 6 months in the making - Joker and the Thief Playing Cards.

The Ultimate Deck features 54 unique works of art printed in the United States on premium quality card stock.

Each deck is gilded in golden color, packaged in a matte black tuck-case and hand sealed with a vintage inspired tax stamp. The Gilded deck also comes in a beautiful black velvet pouch.

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