The Parlour is a deck from the Swedish studio Stockholm17 that starts from a classic parlour-deck look and refines it in many small details. At first glance it reads as a traditional deck, but up close the improvements become apparent. This is the red-back version.

• PublisherStockholm17
• DesignStockholm17 (Sweden)
• PrinterCartamundi; tuck box by Oath Playing Cards
• FinishB9 True Linen on crushed stock
• Colourred back
• Contents52 cards + jokers + gaff card + ad card; arranged in Mnemonica order

Design

The back is symmetrical and classic in style, combining a spade-shaped monogram, rhinoceros beetles and a damask background. The faces use an ivory tone instead of pure white, which gives them a vintage feel, and the indices are hand-drawn in a bold line so they are easy to read. The court cards have been redrawn while keeping their traditional look, the Ace of Spades is unique to the deck and the jokers are two illustrated characters: Sir Fox, “proprietor of playing cards”, and Shakespeare the Cat, a street artist.

Manufacturing

It is printed by Cartamundi, the Belgian printer, on crushed stock (crushed, a treatment that compresses the paper so the cards are more flexible) with its own B9 True Linen finish (a linen texture that reduces friction between cards). The tuck box is the work of Oath Playing Cards.