Over the past decade, the playing card world has changed dramatically. What were once groundbreaking features (custom tucks, premium foils, innovative stock and finish combinations), have now become normalized and expected. This evolution has elevated the overall quality and creativity of modern decks, benefiting collectors, artists, and printers alike. Kickstarter allowed many to find the fans to support their artwork and multiple Patreons soon followed.
There have been moments when people have said the market is in decline, but that often reflects the state of the world more than the state of the hobby itself. The passion for playing cards remains strong. We now have the luxury of having a backlog of wonderful creations, which allows collectors to focus more on the decks that truly belong in their collections. Those who are passionate have remained, and the growing number of newcomers attending the 52+J Convention each year is another sign that the community is very much alive and well.
The person who created the holiday and the yearly deck series may no longer be active, and the later chapters of that story remain unfinished. But perhaps this anniversary can serve as an invitation not to dwell on what was lost, but to honor what has endured.
Here’s to ten years of collecting, trading, designing, learning, and connecting through something as simple and as extraordinary as a deck of cards.
Feel free to respond here with whatever thoughts, reflections, observations you may have throughout your time collecting.
@playingcardophile
