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Harapan Magic Playing Cards

Deck of cards by Harapan Ong and Creators Playing Cards
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Harapan Magic Playing Cards

12.95 usd

Deck of cards by Harapan Ong and Creators Playing Cards (From $12.95)

 In stock.

One of the world’s most innovative card magicians now has his own incredible deck of cards.

“Harapan Magic Playing Cards” are a joint collaboration between Creators Playing Cards and Harapan Ong (creator of bestsellers Principia and “Opticks”). They were designed by the talented Mike Davis to offer the perfect balance of unique aesthetic and functionality. Paired with a powerful marking system, they are as much an ideal alternative for the working performer as they are a showpiece in any deck collection.

Across the back of these elegant playing cards you’ll find a simple, yet striking, interweaving lattice back design that also cleverly hides the marking system. This imagery was inspired by the Harapan Magic logo, which you can also find emblazoned across the front of the tuck box. Each deck of “Harapan Playing Cards” comes sealed with a distinct, bright red oval seal that offers an appealing contrast to the black-and-white color scheme.

While the design alone makes these cards worthy of any collection, Harapan was adamant that they must maintain functionality, which is why he decided to forego the current popular trend of creating custom-designed faces. By using standard faces, “Harapan Magic Playing Cards” are instantly identifiable by laypeople and don’t raise any unnecessary suspicion (something that is especially important when using a marked deck of cards). Combined with the understated monochrome tones, these cards seamlessly blend into any performing situation.

Upon opening each deck, you’ll quickly notice that every single one of the 56 poker-sized cards can be used for amazing card magic. Harapan didn’t waste any spots on Jokers or advertisement cards, instead opting to replace them with versatile gaff cards that allow you to add hard-hitting effects to your repertoire (AS/AD Double Facer, AH/7S Double Facer, AC/3H Monte Card, Double Backer). Those familiar with some of the best tricks from Principia and “Opticks” will immediately recognize the potential of these gaffs.

“Harapan Magic Playing Cards” are printed by the United States Playing Cards on crushed stock. They are available in single decks or you can save big by being one of the lucky collectors who takes advantage of the limited edition bricks. Only 100 bricks of first edition “Harapan Magic Playing Cards” were created. Each one comes with 12 decks in a stunning, custom-designed, UV spot gloss brick box that looks and feels amazing.

EXCLUSIVE BONUS

Anyone who purchases a brick of “Harapan Playing Cards” from Vanishing Inc. will also receive a bonus “Black Box” PDF featuring three amazing card tricks from Harapan Ong that take advantage of the included gaff cards (Two of the routines have never been published anywhere else and the other has rarely been seen before).

You’ll learn the go-to packet trick Harapan uses whenever he really needs to stun an audience, a whimsical and intriguing effect that will hook every audience before astonishing them with a surprise they’ll never see coming, and an unorthodox sandwich routine for when you need to baffle a larger group of people.

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Customer reviews for Harapan Magic Playing Cards

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Reviewer

Sam

Hello - I bought one of the Harapan 12 deck boxes. Nothing special about the box, but was very nice and decorative. A few things I would like to comment on: The design is subtle, before I read how the cards were marked I tried to find the marking myself. Which I easily did, but its very clever and not intuitive. So this makes it much less of a concern. I did feel it was subtle and I needed my readers again (See Apostles deck) but very much like them. If I could change one thing...The ACE of Spades. Although the company is called "Harapan Magic" - The word "magic" on a card is a little bit worrisome but no one has asked me.....yet?? Also - perhaps a bonus - maybe a few extra red box stickers - so a deck can be set up and then opened by the spectator. Even Bicycle sells their stickers. One last thing - I found the trick description in the download very difficult to follow. A video would be much more helpful. MagicDoctr

 
Reviewer

Jouko

My expectations were very high as I'm fan of Harapan Ong and especially his handling of cards. Having four gaff cards in the deck is an excellent choice. If you need ideas how to use them effectively see The Four Treasures by Harapan - it is a perfect companion to this deck.
Markings are cleverly placed in every corner and even they are small, they are visible thanks to the high contrast. You need some practicing to interpret them though.
But then the quality: cutting of the cards is not traditional an very coarse (dull blade?). It's very hard to believe that these are manufactured by USPCC!
Some of you have already criticized the word "magic" on the tuck box. I quite agree. The tuck box should be as innocent looking as possible (like Craig Petty's Cube 52 speed challenge deck).

 

Community questions about Harapan Magic Playing Cards

Have a question about this product? It's possible others do too. Ask here and other Vanishing Inc. Magic customers will be able to respond with assistance! Alternatively, email us and we can help too.

  • Tom asks: Is there a reason why the marked cards that are supposed to 'not raise suspicion' have "Magic Playing Cards" literally written on the tuck case? Not really understanding that. I would think a simple black tuck case would be preferred. Is this available?

    • 1. Craig answers: And you’ve just provided an excuse for a second edition! :)
    • 2. Mark answers: I recommend an opaque deck carrying case to hide the tuck case and do not use the ace. That should help!
    • 3. Tom answers: Unfortunately, if the tuck case and Ace are screaming to the spectator that these are magic cards (and therefore gimmicked or something 'funky' about them), I don't see this selling like crazy to the point of getting to a second edition. I respect Harapan and his methods and magic but just not understanding this design at all.
    • 4. Dave answers: As useless as a bucket with a hole in it.
    • 5. Michael answers: and on the ace
    • 6. Harapan Ong (creator) responds: Hi everyone, Harapan here. First of all, thank you for showing interest in the deck! However, I thought I should pop by to answer your concerns. Well, point taken on the word "Magic" being on the box and the Ace. The main reason why the word "Magic" is used is because, well, the name of my brand is "Harapan Magic"! So I guess I see the name of the deck more as "Harapan Magic" Playing Cards, as opposed to Harapan "Magic Playing Cards", with the word "magic" attached to my name rather than the playing cards. However, I can certainly see your point of view on this issue, and I thank you all for your feedback and insights. At this point, perhaps to assuage your worries a little, I'd like to share my personal experiences with using this deck in my performances for the past 8 months or so. 1. When I perform for laypeople, the first question I get when I bring the deck out and they see the name is inevitably, "Woah, wait, you have your own deck of cards? How did you get it printed?". The second question after that would then be, "Is this your logo? What does it mean?". I can honestly, from the bottom of my heart, say that I have never been asked if my deck was "special" or "gimmicked", and certainly not because of the word "Magic" on the box. 2. When I perform for magicians, besides the previous two questions, some will of course inevitably ask, "Is it a marked deck?". To test how good the marking system is, I will always give them a cryptic smile and just hand the deck out for inspection. And you know what? Half the time, even under the dreaded "foolproof" riffle test, magicians don't even spot the markings! I'd like to think that because of the uniform pattern of the back design I've chosen, it seems less likely that markings could be hidden, and it lowers the guard of any suspicious minds. The markings really are only visible to those who very carefully inspect the cards - they really are that subtle, and yet they are pretty obvious to those who know what to look for. Now, I am a scientifically minded guy, and I know that my anecdotes, as transparent as I have been, represent a small sample size of data taken over about 8 months. So far, I have not encountered any laymen who have pounced on me over the word "Magic" on the box and hence suspected gimmickry. I am sharing my experience as honestly as I can, and those are the facts so far. Have I ever been asked if my cards are gimmicked? Yes. But that happens when I am holding Bicycle Rider Back, Tally-Hos, Bees... literally any other standard deck on the market. So my suspicion is that even if spectators were to think you're using a gimmicked deck while you're holding my Harapan Magic deck, it might be because of their prior experience/knowledge with gimmicked cards (e.g. maybe they've seen a Svengali or Stripper deck in the past), and not necessarily because of the word "Magic". Regarding the concerns about the lack of Jokers, that was done on purpose because at least for myself, I've never had a need for Jokers - when I open up a deck with Jokers, I always remove them (along with the ad cards) and what I end up with is a big pile of Jokers on my table. What a waste! Instead, I always find myself wanting to carry gaffed cards around. Hence, to meet my needs, I purposely replaced the Jokers and ad cards in this deck with four of my favorite gaffs, and that has served my needs a lot so far. Having shown the deck to many magicians, I have gotten very positive feedback from those who agree with my "no Jokers" stance and they absolutely love the idea of having more gaffs. On the other hand, some magicians who like to have Jokers have also given me similar feedback to bring Jokers back into my brand of cards. So, point heard and taken, and I will try my best to see how my future decks can serve the needs of the diverse crowd we have here in the magic community. So, to wrap this up, I once again genuinely thank you all for voicing these concerns. This is the first deck I've ever produced under my brand and it's always a learning process for me, so every bit of your feedback is going to be useful to produce better products for the community in the future. I hope my explanation has been clear and hopefully you will see that the deck is in fact very useful and practical, with a really clean and simple design suitable for everyone. Regardless, I hope you will continue to support my products as I continue to think and improve on them based on everyone's feedback. Thank you so much!
    • 1. Craig answers: And you’ve just provided an excuse for a second edition! :)
    • 2. Mark answers: I recommend an opaque deck carrying case to hide the tuck case and do not use the ace. That should help!
    • 3. Tom answers: Unfortunately, if the tuck case and Ace are screaming to the spectator that these are magic cards (and therefore gimmicked or something 'funky' about them), I don't see this selling like crazy to the point of getting to a second edition. I respect Harapan and his methods and magic but just not understanding this design at all.
    • 4. Dave answers: As useless as a bucket with a hole in it.
    • 5. Michael answers: and on the ace

  • Matthew asks: Am I missing the rationale for having the word "magic" on the box? Just not getting how this makes a marked deck less suspicious.

    • 1. Vanishing Inc. Magic responds: Harapan's brand is "Harapan Magic".

  • Gary asks: If this deck gets to a second edition, with the word magic removed from box and ace, can you also put the jokers back in? The extra gaffs are a nice touch, but jokers are a useful too.

    • 1. Garry answers: I agree with all previous comments too, on this deck, make the tuc case a simple design, adds free, bring back jokers, sell the gaff cards as a seperate set, you get the gaff cards with optics, and principia anyway.
    • 2. Yul answers: I'm reasoning that these were made as his own marketing tool, hence "Harapan Magic". Now he's pitching these to sell to the magic community.
    • 3. Garry answers: I agree with all previous comments too, on this deck, make the tuc case a simple design, adds free, bring back jokers, sell the gaff cards as a seperate set, you get the gaff cards with optics. and principal anyway.
    • 4. Jeff answers: First, I would like to thank Harapan for his thoughtful and polite response to the question. Second, do I understand from that response, the deck may or may not pass a riffle test, that it would depend on the riffler's perception? I'm looking forward to the arrival of my brick box. I appreciate, and fully understand, why he left out the joker's. Personally, I find Jokers interesting but their use is somewhat limited, although the same thing can be said of a gaff card. If he has a stack of Jokers, I'd be glad to take them off his hands. ;?-?)
    • 5. Tom answers: It sounds like the marking system is beneficial and we could all certainly use cards that withstand a riffle test. My constructive feedback, Harapan, is that if you want to market your brand with these cards is to make an all black tuck case with the cool white emblem and red seal (and, of course, revise the ace)...and print the name of your brand on the cellophane wrap only that will be taken off by the magician. Might be a creative win-win at that point.
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  • Andrew asks: Just received my deck and didn't receive instructions on how to read the markings, can anyone help with this?

    • 1. Vanishing Inc. Magic responds: Please send our Support Wizards and email and they'll get you sorted. Wizards@vanishingincmagic.com

  • Jeff asks: I have the brick in my cart, but I’m thinking about taking it out. The problem is only that it screams gimmickry because of the word magic everywhere. How do you think folks will react to that? I believe that it is a great collectors item , but too Obviously a tricky deck. Great as a collectible unicorn if you have the money for it. Very undecided

    • 1. Vanishing Inc. Magic responds: Sometimes we buy decks not to use in performance but to have in our collection and use for fun. If you're worried about the word "magic" being on them, you can still use them and have the audience examine the deck. If you don't draw attention to it, it shouldn't catch the attention of the audience.
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