ALBATROSS - No. 5, No. 6 & No. 231

ALBATROSS PLAYING CARDS: No. 5, No. 6 & No. 231

Three hand-drawn nautical decks by Alex Haines

Only 64 No. 5, 88 No. 6 and 188 No. 231 decks are available here, get yours today!

The Albatross decks tell the story of a 19th-century merchant ship said to have set sail from Salford for the Americas in 1890, inspired by old tales of travellers and explorers. Every card is drawn by hand in Manchester by playing card artist Alex Haines, with no AI and no stock artwork. Choose your edition from the menu above.

"Standard enough to be usable; custom enough to be collectable."
— the A. Haines Playing Cards design philosophy

Albatross No. 5 (Standard). The original voyage, in an aqua-green palette inspired by the sea. A nautical card back, courts inspired by classic French and Spanish patterns with crowns, swords and flowers breaking through their borders, and an Ace of Spades built around two crossed swords. The pips carry faint water stains, as if the deck had been played below deck for rations and rum. The Jokers are a red Kraken and a green mermaid, and there's an extra card in the deck. The tuck is printed inside and out on matte white stock with an aged patina, a green Albatross and glistening red foil, finished with a stamp sticker seal based on antique postage stamps of 1800s sailing ships.

"Combining the sensibilities of a classic deck of playing cards with the character of a small-batch rum label." — Alex Haines on No. 5

Albatross No. 6 (Black Gilded). The dark sequel: the Albatross, lost at sea and cursed to sail on as a ghost ship. Every piece of No. 5 artwork was redrawn by hand, with skeletal courts, corroded objects and more sinister Jokers behind a solid black back, and the edges are gilded in glossy black. The matte black tuck shows the battered Albatross in a storm in ghostly green foil, with matte silver foil lettering and a stamp sticker seal.

"Where No. 5 celebrated the majesty and romance of nautical life, No. 6 reveals its darker side. Same world, different waters entirely." — Alex Haines on No. 6

Albatross No. 231 (Workers Edition). The same illustrations in a crisp red-on-white colourway, stripped back for everyday use: no aged effects, no foil, no inside printing, no seal, and a double-backer in place of the extra card. Printed on our VIPER FINISH™ stock, it's a working deck for magicians, cardists and card players.

"The perfect worker deck for magicians, mechanics and cardists." — Alex Haines on No. 231

See more of Alex's work at www.AHplayingcards.com, including the Albatross No. 5, No. 6 and No. 231 pages, the Albatross decision coin and the Navigator marked-deck version of No. 231.

 

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