This deck commemorates the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, when the world was at the brink of a full scale nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union over nuclear missile deployments in Cuba.

22 Oct 1962 Cuba EXCOMM (Executive Committee of the National Security Council)

The world has never before nor since been so close to the precipice of such a global nuclear catastrophe. And hopefully never will again.

The deck commemorates the key players in the Cold War confrontation in the aces of the deck (President John F Kennedy, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, Soviet 1st Secretary Nikita Khrushchev and Cuban 1st Secretary Fidel Castro).

The jokers captures two key elements central to the nuclear confrontation: the U-2 spy plane which revealed the Soviet's plans to station nuclear missiles in Cuba, and the mobile missile launchers that were being deployed by the Soviets.

The Cuban Missile Crisis theme is embedded within the back-card design. Notably, the U-2, soviet missiles and the Russians working in Cuba with Castro's regime.

Lessons were learned from this confrontation included the sobering realization about how close the world had come to catastrophe and that efforts should be made to avoid it happening again.

This crisis also led to the establishment of the Moscow-Washington hotline in an effort to avoid some of the misunderstanding and miscommunication that characterized the US-Soviet exchanges over the course of the confrontation. The hotline is commemorated in the tuck box seal.

These cards were illustrated by Shira Bentley from Australia, the same artist who worked with us on the "State of Utopia" playing cards.

Colors merge across numbered and face cards, a striking representation of the key players involved during this crisis.

This deck of cards features all-custom number, face and back cards, telling a historical account of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

These cards are printed by Noir Arts (NPCC) in Europe (Ukraine) on 310 gsm premium German Linen (Air Cushion finished) stock.

Deck specifications:52 customs cards + 2 Jokers2 double backers cards1 information cardSticker sealed tuck caseLimited print run of under 1,000 decks2021 release