theory11 — Magic Tricks & the World's Finest Playing Cards

Monarch playing card quest

M

myHaggis

Sep 20, 2016
30
8
Hey Guys! I was recently thinking about attempting to get all editions of the monarchs playing cards, as they are some of my favorites. I was coming up with a list of all the versions, and here is what I thought of.
Red Monarchs (have, easy to get)
Green Monarchs ( have, easy to get)
Blue Monarchs ( have, easy to get)
Gold monarchs (have)
White gold monarchs (on sale for around $25)
Silver monarchs ( not sure where to get, but I could find them)
Black monarchs (on sale for around $20)
Am I missing any?
 
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Hey,

Here is the FULL list (minus small variations) and the names they usually go by:

- Pre-Release Monarchs (only 144 in existence, gold ink design on blue back, gold foil on navy tuck, identical looking to the Original Monarchs when unopened)
- Original Monarchs (white design on blue back, gold foil on navy tuck)
- White Monarchs / White Gold Monarchs (gold ink design on white back, gold foil on white tuck)
- Silver Monarchs (black design on white, silver foil on white tuck)
- Red Monarchs (white design on red back, gold foil on red tuck)
- Green Monarchs (white design on green back, gold foil on green tuck)
- NYSM2 Monarchs (white design on black, silver foil on black tuck)
- Gold Monarchs (gold foil design on black, gold foil on gold tuck)

Have fun!

// L
 
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Lyle Borders said:
Hey,

Here is the FULL list (minus small variations) and the names they usually go by:

- Pre-Release Monarchs (only 144 in existence, gold ink design on blue back, gold foil on navy tuck, identical looking to the Original Monarchs when unopened)
- Original Monarchs (white design on blue back, gold foil on navy tuck)
- White Monarchs / White Gold Monarchs (gold ink design on white back, gold foil on white tuck)
- Silver Monarchs (black design on white, silver foil on white tuck)
- Red Monarchs (white design on red back, gold foil on red tuck)
- Green Monarchs (white design on green back, gold foil on green tuck)
- NYSM2 Monarchs (white design on black, silver foil on black tuck)
- Gold Monarchs (gold foil design on black, gold foil on gold tuck)

Have fun!

// L
Click to expand...

144. I remember seeing one of those on Instagram. I think it was uploaded by Casey Rudd. It looks very nice under the right lighting, looks like it might look weird under the wrong lighting though.
 
David Brooke said:
144. I remember seeing one of those on Instagram. I think it was uploaded by Casey Rudd. It looks very nice under the right lighting, looks like it might look weird under the wrong lighting though.
Click to expand...

https://www.instagram.com/p/-mizIIRj32/

From my collection - a Pre-Release Monarch card next to a Gold Monarch card.

Yep, that was the issue with those. I have one of the 144 decks. 120 or so were shipped to customers who purchased them sight unseen (WE hadn't even seen the final printed product yet), and a few were sent to team members to check out. When we saw them, we realized that the gold ink didn't do what we wanted it to do on the dark background. It didn't pop. My photo above shows the best case scenario for lighting - in normal lighting it is duller. We scrapped them (shredded and recycled) and started over with a modified color scheme (the Original Monarchs, with white design on navy).

The Gold Monarch deck was really our way to revisit the original color idea. Gold on a dark background. The foil does the job 100 times better, and falls in line with our original idea.

// L
 
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Also, for those who are curious: https://www.instagram.com/p/-kBVepxj7r/ and https://www.instagram.com/p/-kCEhIxj9H/.

Two red tucks because the tuck case had a color/paper change (just the tuck) between between the original release and subsequent reprints. The first had a lighter red color and a super soft feel. The more recent printings use a more saturated, different feeling paper that is quite a bit darker, a better match to the color of the cards.

The other variations that exist don't have (immediately) visible differences from the outside of the tuck case. White Monarchs / White Gold Monarchs look mostly identical. Various printings of Original Monarchs look mostly identical.

The only one missing here is the NYSM2 Monarchs. I need to retake these shots, I just realized for the first time.

// L
 
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I remember when the email came it was really intriguing. Within the month one deck sold on ebay for $700, and another for $500.

I dug up the email we got when we learned about the complications. It was well handled and brought a lot of respect to T11. I still haven't opened my three decks.
---

Justin,

Congratulations! If you're receiving this message, you were one of only 111 people who are lucky enough (and fast enough!) to snatch up a pre-release deck of MonarchPlaying Cards.

Wanted to send you a quick message to advise that your deck is on the way and will be arriving shortly. For some of you, it may have even arrived today - check your mail!

Some details about the deck you'll be receiving: It's the best we've ever done. Printed at The United States Playing Card Company using imported papers, metallic inks, and stunning, elegant artwork. The deck represents the pinnacle of playing card design and manufacturing today. They're the most elite playing cards ever produced.

We have a secret! The pre-release edition of Monarchs is NOT the same as the decks to be released publicly on 11/11. The pre-release you're going to receive is a GOLD edition featuring gold metallic inks on the back design. Otherwise, the decks - and the tuck case - are identical.

Our original intention was to keep the gold backs for ALL of the Monarchs, but due to complications during the printing process, only 144 made it through. The gold edition will never be publicly available and is limited to only 144 in circulation. They'll never again be produced, and the only ones that exist - are yours. They are the most rare decks we have ever produced.

We ask that you keep the cards confidential until release, and help us keep the secret of what the decks look like until then. The Monarchs will be unveiled for the first time on 11/11 at 11:00am EST. Until then, enjoy your new deck! Treat it well and please let us know what you think once you receive it.

// jonathan.bayme
ceo / theory11
 
Wow, thanks for all your responses. As far as I can tell, it should be fairly easy to get most of the cards, as I already have most of them, and the silver, white, and NYSM2 editions are all on ebay, but that pre-release version... that will be a challenge. Ill keep my eyes peeled, and maybe ill update this if I pick some up.
 
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