Ever wanted to combine your love for card games, guns and the Cold War? Well, at last, you can with Helios House Press’s Covert Cards: Weapons of the Cold War. The project is the brainchild of Justin Baird, the talented designer behind the new Armax journal, as well as the Headstamp and Helios House books. Justin and Helios have created two separate packs, and a full house of extras, which look at prototype firearms and weapons developed by East and West during the Cold War.
The two packs of cards showcase the weird and wonderful weapons of the period in different ways with one featuring pinups and the other in a more technical style. Justin partnered with Gambler’s Warehouse to bring the project to life and the cards will be printed by the U.S. Playing Card Company on Bicycle Grade card stock with Air-Cushion Finish for maximum playability.
Covert Cards: Weapons of the Cold War (Justin Baird/Helios House Press)
Covert Cards: Weapons of the Cold War (Justin Baird/Helios House Press)
Here’s what Justin has to say about the project:
Covert Cards: Weapons of the Cold War brings together my interests in Cold War history, the prototype guns and other odd gadgets made by the Warsaw Pact and NATO nations in that era, and—of course—playing cards! The world of Cold War-era technology is wacky and vast, and this unique project has given me the opportunity to display some of the unusual and iconic designs that both Western and Eastern forces were developing and using during the conflict. As a designer and firearms history researcher, I work on a lot of different kinds of projects. Developing these cards has been a really fun project for me, something which has allowed me to combine my passions for design and history into a very tactile product that others can enjoy.
I am excited to have not one, but two original deck designs to offer you! Both decks highlight prototypes and other unusual weapons used by NATO and Warsaw Pact countries during the Cold War, with the Pinup Edition featuring face cards showing pinups dressed in era-appropriate military gear and the TECHINT Edition taking on the aesthetics of vintage technical drawings. Whichever aesthetic you prefer, both decks will display the same iconic firearms—but each deck features its own exclusive Jokers and extra cards.
Covert Cards: Weapons of the Cold War (Justin Baird/Helios House Press)
Covert Cards: Weapons of the Cold War (Justin Baird/Helios House Press)
Check out the project’s Kickstarter for more details about the cards and the other cool extras Justin has put together!