Contraband is a deck published by theory11 and designed in the United Kingdom by Joe White, a London-based designer. Its theme is secret societies, conspiracy theories and the unknown, and the project took more than a year of work.

• Publishertheory11
• DesignJoe White
• PrinterUnited States Playing Card Company
• FinishAir Cushion
• PaperFSC-certified, ECF

Design

Every card was drawn from scratch, including the aces, jokers and court cards. The white-bordered back revolves around a symmetrical black-and-white emblem, and the faces combine a white background with symmetrical symbols in colour. The deck is full of hidden references: skulls, pirate symbols, the Eye of Horus, hanging keys, the Holy Grail and Eve’s apple. The Ace of Spades bears the Latin motto audaces fortuna iuvat (“fortune favours the bold”). Even the tuck box holds a detail: the lines on the inner flap form a face.

Manufacturing

The cards and tuck box are made in the USA. According to the supplier, it is printed by the United States Playing Card Company with an Air Cushion finish (a fine embossing that helps the cards glide), in poker size. The paper is FSC-certified (it comes from responsibly managed forests) and ECF (bleached without elemental chlorine). The tuck box features embossing and a glossy finish.