In collaboration with M. Stutzman, artist for David Blaine’s wonderful playing cards and posters, the Conjuring Arts bring you the offical Ask Alexander deck. Featuring numerous diabolical properties and an elegant, cunning design, this is a deck that you will be proud to have with you in magical endeavors, as well as an excellent addition to your card collection.
The Ask Alexander deck is printed on the finest casino paper and to the highest standards available at the United States Playing Card Company. The cards are cut in the same fashion as all Conjuring Arts decks to facilitate smooth handling and effortless faro shuffles.
The Conjuring Arts Research Center is an organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of magic and its allied arts. We have had the privilege of working closely with them on various projects over the years, most recently on the Erdnaseum Commemorative Playing Cards.
Follow @conjuringartsReviews (10)
By Matthew 9:01 AM 5/3/12
4/5
I bought this deck out of a sense of completion for my collection, and because the Conjuring Arts always makes good stuff. That being said I was not all that excited about them. Then I started messing around with them and I discovered the one way design. No, not the one way design you're thinking of, the other one way design. And another! Their are multiple one way designs, all unrelated to each other and unrelated to the most obvious one way design (that of the massive head on the back). I will only give a single hint, you can see it in the promotion pictures above. Ok, a second, IT IS NOT THE HEAD! The only draw back, so heinous that I am docking the deck one entire point, is the David Blaing kind of spades. it is the most hideous design I've ever seen on a deck of cards, and I own two Sponge Bob decks.
By Kirk 2:51 AM 2/18/12
4/5
I bought a couple of these out of pure curiosity. Actually got them directly from Conjuring Inc. - like to support them as well. I actually don't use these much. They are cool in the sake that they are a conversation starter and a curiosity kind of thing. But they just aren't a 'go to' deck for me. They feel and handle really nicely though.
By Tyler May 10:30 AM 1/28/12
4/5
At first this deck did not appeal to me, I'm not a fan of one-way backs but there was something mysterious about the backs of these cards so I had to grab a few. Although a tad too thick for my liking these cards are a must have for any collection.
By Haritaipan 2:39 AM 12/22/11
4/5
The handle of Alexander deck is a little bit strange. I've never owned a deck of cards that use Ivory finish before. The paper of the cards are smooth, no small holes like bicycle decks. But still, it can be fanned amazingly. The card stock is rather thick compared to a normal bicycle deck.
This deck gives me a feeling of a decks from 10-20 years ago. The numbers at the corner of each cards are not equally inked. Some are a bit thicker than the others. The face of the cards seem like a vintage bee's deck. There are 2 identical bee jokers, and 2 ad cards that is a picture of the Alexander head in question mark shape. The face of the ad cards are identical but the back of one card is inverted in colors (except the Alexander' head part). The box is simply but neat.
This deck gives me a feeling of a decks from 10-20 years ago. The numbers at the corner of each cards are not equally inked. Some are a bit thicker than the others. The face of the cards seem like a vintage bee's deck. There are 2 identical bee jokers, and 2 ad cards that is a picture of the Alexander head in question mark shape. The face of the ad cards are identical but the back of one card is inverted in colors (except the Alexander' head part). The box is simply but neat.
By Martin 11:23 PM 12/17/11
4/5
When I first came across this deck I wasn't terribly excited about it. My study of mentalism is limited (an area of future study), so Alexander himself was not yet interesting to me and there was otherwise nothing exciting about this deck. Then I learned about it's terrible secret...
On the hint that it might be try, I ordered the deck just to see and was shocked! Yes, the deck has a one way design. No, it has nothing to do with the back design. it is so subtle that I had to put my glasses on to see it. Out of every deck that I own (and I own quite a few), this deck is the most interesting to mess around with and just admire the genesis of it.
Everything else about the deck is the high quality of Conjuring Arts, but the secret of the deck puts it over the top. This deck and only this deck forever!
On the hint that it might be try, I ordered the deck just to see and was shocked! Yes, the deck has a one way design. No, it has nothing to do with the back design. it is so subtle that I had to put my glasses on to see it. Out of every deck that I own (and I own quite a few), this deck is the most interesting to mess around with and just admire the genesis of it.
Everything else about the deck is the high quality of Conjuring Arts, but the secret of the deck puts it over the top. This deck and only this deck forever!
By S. Baker 4:59 PM 12/2/11
4/5
First of all, this is a quality deck, as is to be expected from the Conjuring Arts. The artwork is fantastic...but I'm a little biased due to my fascination with Claude Alexander Conlin who was kind of the Erdnase of mentalism and in my opinion the greatest magician of the 20th century.
That being said, I pulled a fresh deck of these out of my pocket in front of a crowd that included magicians, peeled the cello, cracked it open, handed out the Jokers and "Ask Alexander" cards. While shuffling the deck, I told a condensed story about "The Man Who Knows" and then went straight into a Max Maven effect called The Hawk. It absolutely floored the lay people, but even more so, the magicians.
So that's why I say "don't be fooled" by the one way design. Stutzman, the artist who illustrated these cards, is far more clever than that and I'll leave it to you to take a closer look when you open the box and examine the design and layout. Used properly, you can even fool people "in the know" with this one-way design, which even allows you to be in Si Stebbins in seconds. Plus, you can tell crazy stories about Alexander all day.
I've been having a great time with this excellent deck.
That being said, I pulled a fresh deck of these out of my pocket in front of a crowd that included magicians, peeled the cello, cracked it open, handed out the Jokers and "Ask Alexander" cards. While shuffling the deck, I told a condensed story about "The Man Who Knows" and then went straight into a Max Maven effect called The Hawk. It absolutely floored the lay people, but even more so, the magicians.
So that's why I say "don't be fooled" by the one way design. Stutzman, the artist who illustrated these cards, is far more clever than that and I'll leave it to you to take a closer look when you open the box and examine the design and layout. Used properly, you can even fool people "in the know" with this one-way design, which even allows you to be in Si Stebbins in seconds. Plus, you can tell crazy stories about Alexander all day.
I've been having a great time with this excellent deck.
By Don 11:16 PM 11/1/11
4/5
Don't get me wrong - this is a good deck. Numbered ratings make it hard to show nuances, so for more reasons to buy this deck, you really have to read the review...
Conjuring Arts and Research Center (CARC) decks are generally well-made. This one doesn't have a more traditional-looking Bee back, but make no mistake; these are Bee playing cards. As such, they're about the same quality as Bees you'd buy at the corner store (meaning they're really, really good). The name is interesting, too - it comes from the online magic research resource available to CARC members.
What I liked: old-school card faces with big pips and little corner indices. Good stock, good finish, good handling. D&D don't state whether they have the Cambric or Ivory finish, but odds are that they have the more widely-seen Cambric finish. Cambrics are textured like most Bees you've seen, Ivories are smooth, more like a deck of Aladdins or Aviators. I like both, but Cambric may have better handling in terms of card slip. It has a bold and attractive one-color design, well-made by the man who brought you the David Blaine decks: Split Spades, Split Spades Lions and White Lions. I can see flourishers appreciating this deck perhaps more so than magicians because of the overall stand-out style.
What I didn't like: it's a boldly obvious one-way design, a feature some don't like - for me an unsubtle one-way deck brings to mind bridge decks with sailboats, flowers and cute pets, not cards for serious players. Some spectators seeing this deck will question whether it's a "real" deck or a magic specialty deck because of the deck's overall design. There are so many CARC decks out there now, it's hard to keep track - magicians and flourishers may not care, but collectors could turn a lot of hairs gray trying to keep track, especially when they usually (as far as I know) come in both Cambric and Ivory finishes. The "gotta get 'em all" feeling a collector can have has to be weighed against the "my funds are so limited" reality. After a while, you have to wonder whether the similarities in CARC deck designs are worth giving in to the collector's impulse - though the unique back does make this stand out more than the countless Erdnase decks.
So, going on the "Netflix" scale, I have to give this deck a 3 (liked it). It's not my favorite or first-choice deck, but I did like it, it's a solid deck and it has some admirable qualities.
Conjuring Arts and Research Center (CARC) decks are generally well-made. This one doesn't have a more traditional-looking Bee back, but make no mistake; these are Bee playing cards. As such, they're about the same quality as Bees you'd buy at the corner store (meaning they're really, really good). The name is interesting, too - it comes from the online magic research resource available to CARC members.
What I liked: old-school card faces with big pips and little corner indices. Good stock, good finish, good handling. D&D don't state whether they have the Cambric or Ivory finish, but odds are that they have the more widely-seen Cambric finish. Cambrics are textured like most Bees you've seen, Ivories are smooth, more like a deck of Aladdins or Aviators. I like both, but Cambric may have better handling in terms of card slip. It has a bold and attractive one-color design, well-made by the man who brought you the David Blaine decks: Split Spades, Split Spades Lions and White Lions. I can see flourishers appreciating this deck perhaps more so than magicians because of the overall stand-out style.
What I didn't like: it's a boldly obvious one-way design, a feature some don't like - for me an unsubtle one-way deck brings to mind bridge decks with sailboats, flowers and cute pets, not cards for serious players. Some spectators seeing this deck will question whether it's a "real" deck or a magic specialty deck because of the deck's overall design. There are so many CARC decks out there now, it's hard to keep track - magicians and flourishers may not care, but collectors could turn a lot of hairs gray trying to keep track, especially when they usually (as far as I know) come in both Cambric and Ivory finishes. The "gotta get 'em all" feeling a collector can have has to be weighed against the "my funds are so limited" reality. After a while, you have to wonder whether the similarities in CARC deck designs are worth giving in to the collector's impulse - though the unique back does make this stand out more than the countless Erdnase decks.
So, going on the "Netflix" scale, I have to give this deck a 3 (liked it). It's not my favorite or first-choice deck, but I did like it, it's a solid deck and it has some admirable qualities.
By Reuben 12:08 AM 10/25/11
4/5
This is great looking deck of cards that handles great too. It is also a great addition for collectors.
It is awesome that this deck addresses Alexander - The man who knows. He was truly a great magician.
I strongly recommend this deck.
It is awesome that this deck addresses Alexander - The man who knows. He was truly a great magician.
I strongly recommend this deck.
By Lawrence Koh 1:57 AM 10/22/11
5/5
This deck is smooth and perfect for both magic and flourishes. I love how they feel. Grab these before it's too late.
By Shane 7:00 PM 10/22/11
5/5
In addition to being a wonderful deck to add to your card collection, whenever you use these in your performances, your audience is sure to feel an extra sense of mystery from the wonderfully illustrated backs.
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