Wild West Black Hills Playing Cards
In 1874, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer (Jack of Diamonds) discovered gold during a U.S. Army expedition in The Black Hills of South Dakota. The discovery started the last great gold rush in America. Deadwood rapidly grew from a tiny gold camp into a town that attracted gold seekers, gamblers, outlaws and gunslingers. Wild Bill Hickok (King of Spades), Calamity Jane (Queen of Spades), Seth Bullock (King of Clubs) and George Hearst (Jack of Clubs) were some of the most notorious figures drawn to Deadwood’s allure!
TUCK BOX
The Tuck Boxes are printed on a premium Matte Stock and will feature exteriors with 4-Color Process graphics + Gold FOIL + White FOAM Ink + Embossing. Each Tuck Box will have a 4-Color Process Interior Map design.
CARDS
The Back Cards and Aces were inspired by elaborate engravings found in leather and weapons of the Wild West era. Like almost every other element in this Deck, the Back Cards and Aces are made up from Pencil Drawings I created off the computer.
The Black Hills Face Cards have have a gun metal grey background, which contrasts beautifully with the Courts drawings.
Each of the Face Cards feature hand-drawn PIPS and watermark backgrounds. The backgrounds have a rougher style, more sketch-like style than the Courts and PIPS. The rougher style keeps the background scenary from overpowering the more important elements of each Face Card (indices, pips, courts). The 4 backgrounds are matched to the 4 different Suits: CLUBS= Deadwood Main Street, SPADES= Saloon Interior, HEARTS= Native American Village and DIAMONDS= The Needles of The Black Hills.
The Clubs and Spades Courts focus on historical figures who were instrumental in Deadwood’s growth and notoriety. Seth Bullock, Phoebe Hearst and George Hearst makeup the Clubs. The Spades include legendary Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and gold miner Potato Creek Johnny.
The Hearts and Diamonds Courts include historical figures who were influential in The Black Hills and Montana regions. Crazy Horse, Elizabeth Custer and George Custer encompass the Diamonds. The Hearts include Lakota leader Sitting Bull, Annie Oakley and the showman Buffalo Bill Cody (characters are hyperlinked to informational pages for each one).
The Jokers feature a full-body drawing of Wild Bill Hickok.