The World Tour Deck Set is a presentation "trunk" of five bespoke packs of playing cards, each highlighting a different country and culture from the turn of the last century. The World Tour Deck Set is housed in a miniature travel trunk, replete with decals from the far-off places to which the cards have traveled, to be in your collection.
The set comes with all five decks of cards in the series, and when all five decks are lined up, they create a map of the world highlighting the five featured countries: France, Switzerland, Mongolia, China, and Egypt.
But the World Tour Deck Set is more than just a trunk of playing cards: it's a story. The Great Ezra, a turn-of-the-century magician, traveled the globe and sent these decks back to you, each one with a note. All the ephemera: handwritten notes written on railcar stationery, coasters, tickets, and hotel paper... are included, to help immerse you in the spirit of the turn of the century, and how Ezra might have obtained each special deck.
The decks themselves are gorgeous, with iconography and hidden elements from the countries, culture, and time from which they've come. All printed by the Expert Playing Card Company, the cards have a durable, smooth finish ideal for shift work, gambling material, and sleights. Each deck has an extremely limited run of 1500 decks, and no more World Tour Deck Sets will ever be printed.
About the Decks
Mongolia: This is everyone's favorite design. Modeled after a "Peace" symbol we located on a piece of antique Mongolian furniture, this deck's simplicity and color palette have made it a favorite amongst collectors, and the most requested back design that Vanishing Inc. has ever created.
Egypt: This back design is understated and two-color, with appearances by camels and the great pyramids. It is quite similar to card designs one would see on caravan rides that transported the earliest Egyptologists from Cairo to the Valley of the Kings.
Switzerland: Inspired by the iconic travel posters around 1902, this retro-back design advertises the Swiss alps, in saturated colors and bold text, alluring the beholder to explore the treacherous but beautiful scenery Switzerland offers.
China: This unusual deck boasts a back design that isn't a design at all. Instead, when all the cards are arranged in new deck order, in a grid, they create a mosaic of the Chinese character for Mystery.
France: The box is the main feature of this deck, with silver foil and a classic art deco design. The cards have a simple floral pattern that is neither flashy nor boring, but would blend in the sort of turn-of-the-century cafe magicians and card players would patronize during the period.
Decks are also available separately. Each set includes 5 decks of cards, a compass in a gorgeous wooden housing, a number of ephemera items and a carrying trunk.
