You might think that a set of playing cards is a fairly cheap item that most people pick up in a convenience store or in an airport shop planning to use them to while away the time. While this is true of most sets, there’s a growing trend for retailers to stock more expensive and exclusive sets for people who also value them as collectors’ items or who want to make playing a card game a more exclusive experience.
The history of playing cards goes back a long way with the first versions dating back to China in the first century AD. None of these survive and the oldest set currently on display date from the Middle East in the 15th century and can be seen in Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace.
Whether any of these five examples of today’s most sought after sets will find themselves in a museum in 500 years’ time is impossible to predict.
1. Smoke and Mirrors Gold Private Reserve
Only 2,500 sets of these cards have ever been produced by the D & D Card Company and they are only available to those willing to visit the company’s San Diego showroom, which is only open by appointment. Each pack is individually inspected before being wrapped in gold foil and presented in a gold box.
2. The Black Limited Edition Reserve Note
Designed as one of series of sets using US banknotes as inspiration, the dramatic red and black design has found particular favour with players of blackjack, even if they’ve honed their skills and knowledge of blackjack rules online and then go on to use their expertise in a “live” game made even more special by these cards.
3. Scarlett Tally-Ho Legacy Edition
Funded by a Kickstarter promotion in 2015, the Scarlett Tally-Ho Legacy Edition was limited to just 50 sets, hence their extreme rarity value and prices of around $600 for each one. The cards were designed by Jackson Robinson making wide use of his favourite colour, red, and packed in a wooden case personally signed by the designer.
4. White Centurions
These cards really captured the public imagination when illusionist Chris Kenner used them in his famous Blueprint trick. As a result all of the 1,100 sets that had been produced sold out pretty much immediately and when they do appear for resale today you can expect to pay well over $300 to get your hands on them.
5. Zenith
Zenith was the very first design to be released by manufacturer Encarded‘s Signature Series in 2014 and has proved to be the rarest and most sought-after. The cards were designed by Paul Carpenter and use a silver holographic design on the back – thought to still be a unique playing card feature today.
While these are all cards which have been on sale for some time now, rest assured that many more limited editions are still being produced which make superb retail items with a ready and willing group of customers prepared to pay the price. So why not start your search for some now?