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Metropol Playing Cards: The NEXT Deck

Created by Metropol Playing Cards

Metropol NEXT is the latest release from Metropol Playing Cards. Backers of the Kickstarter campaign can select the items they pledged for and add new ones if they wish. For those that are new to Metropol NEXT, this is your chance to purchase some of the items offered from the campaign. Estimated delivery for all items is January 2019.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

The Metropol NEXT decks have arrived!
about 5 years ago – Mon, Jan 14, 2019 at 05:00:03 PM

  • Shipping Update
  • Order Tracking
  • BackerKit Surveys

Shipping Update

Good morning Backers!

This update is really overdue, but for good reason.  

The Metropol NEXT decks have arrived!  Expert Playing Card Company did a great job producing these decks.  Unfortunately I've been so busy packing and shipping orders, I haven't stopped to take any good pictures.

It took a little while to get everything through customs, but last Wednesday I picked up the Metropol NEXT decks from the shipping depot and have been busy packing and shipping orders ever since.  

There's 999 more of them in the trunk!
There's 999 more of them in the trunk!

Having a full time job, 3 hours of commuting, and a baby at home doesn't leave much time in the day for anything else, but I'm happy to say that as of this morning, I've shipped roughly 70% of the backer rewards!  I'll continue shipping out orders as I pack them this week, and I hope to have the last of them out the door before this next weekend is over.

Decks packed and ready for shipping // Coins and Pins ready for packing
Decks packed and ready for shipping // Coins and Pins ready for packing

Order Tracking

Until now the cost of shipping a deck of cards out of Canada with a tracking number has just been outrageous (sometimes 4-5 times the price of the cards!).  Thanks to the new shipping company I've teamed up with, every order now comes with a tracking number!

The one downside is that sending each tracking number is a manual process, so I'll be sending them out on request to start.  Please wait a couple days before asking though as my focus this week will be shipping the rest of the orders.  Also, seriously, a lot of the decks should be landing at backer doorsteps before the end of the week anyway.  :D

BackerKit Surveys

There's still a few hold-outs who haven't filled in your BackerKit survey.  If you haven't filled one out, please send me a message with your address and any add-on items your pledge may include.  I want to send you your decks!

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That's all from me for now.  If anyone needs me I'll be buried under a pile of shipping supplies. :P

As always, thank you for your support, there's no way I could have done this without you.  I can't wait for you to see the final product.  If you're posting any pictures of your new decks online tag them with #metropolNEXT and @metropolcards so I can see how you're using them!

Until next time,

Mike Lambert - Metropol Playing Cards

Great Big Production Update
over 5 years ago – Tue, Dec 11, 2018 at 11:21:29 PM

  • Production Update
  • Address Lockdown
  • Shipping Update
  • BackerKit Surveys

Hello Backers!

It's been a while but I've got lots of great news to share with everyone tonight, so let's get to it.

Production Update

I received the first colour proofs from Expert Playing Card Company a few weeks ago and as expected, the quality was excellent, but the colours weren't quite right.  We worked together to get the colours adjusted and then another round of proofs were printed.  Those proofs arrived this weekend and the colours turned out great (see pictures below).  With the proofs approved the rest of the production can continue.  I've been assured production is on track to finish very soon which leads into the next item on the list:

Address Lockdown

It's time to start locking down addresses in BackerKit.  Starting this weekend (December 15) I'm going to begin prepping shipping labels and materials so that when the cards arrive I can get them in the mail ASAP.  If you've recently moved or plan on moving before the end of the year please update your mailing address in BackerKit.  If you have any questions about this at all, please don't hesitate to shoot me a message and ask for help.

Why are we locking down address so soon?  This leads into the next item on the list. :D

Shipping Update

If you've backed any of my previous projects printed by LPCC you'll know that there's always been a very long delay between production complete, and the cards arriving at my office so they can be mailed out.  That's not the case this time.  Production is scheduled to wrap up December 20, and I plan on having the decks on hand very soon after.  Instead of taking 2 months to arrive by sea, the decks will probably arrive in 2 days through an air courier service thanks to a special arrangement I made with EPCC!  This was the special surprise I hinted at earlier in the campaign.:D

The only hitch in this plan is that probably puts the decks landing in Ontario right around Christmas, so who knows what kind of delay that will create.  All said and done though, the decks should start shipping out to backers before the end of the year.

You want more good news? Thanks to the recent Canada Post service strike I started looking for a new shipping service and I found a good one!  This means all packages will be shipping faster than ever before, almost every package will come with a tracking number (I know some of you will be very happy to hear this ;) and I can now use tougher shipping materials now that I'm no longer bound by Canada Post restrictions.  So everything will be shipping faster, safer, and you'll have the piece of mind knowing where your package is at every step along the way.  BTW, this is the same shipping system I used for my recent Kickstarter project, Handcrafted Domestic Wood Pens.

BackerKit Surveys

There's still a few of you that haven't filled out your survey.  Please check out BackerKit now and get to it, otherwise your decks will end up shipping last, or not at all.  I can't ship them if I don't know where to send them. :D

And now the moment you've all been waiting for:

Card back
Card back
Spades and Diamonds
Spades and Diamonds
Hearts and Clubs
Hearts and Clubs
Tuck case (with spot UV ink).... oh yeah I upgraded the tuck to have spot UV ink.  That was the other surprise :D
Tuck case (with spot UV ink).... oh yeah I upgraded the tuck to have spot UV ink. That was the other surprise :D

 That's all for now everyone.  I can't wait to share the finished product with all of you.  It won't be long now!

Until next time,

Mike Lambert - Metropol Playing Cards

Production samples are here! (Coins and Pins)
over 5 years ago – Thu, Nov 01, 2018 at 11:12:01 PM

  • Production Samples
  • Side Project Announcement

Good morning!  Just a quick project update for everyone today.

Production Samples

The production samples for the pins and coins arrived yesterday, and I'm really happy with how they turned out.  See for yourself.

Metropol NEXT Lapel Pin - Production Sample
Metropol NEXT Lapel Pin - Production Sample

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Metropol NEXT Coin - Production Sample
Metropol NEXT Coin - Production Sample

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Unfortunately there had to be a slight change in the design of the coin.  Originally the black lines was meant to wrap around the sides.  The manufacturer tried their best to get this to work, but it's just not possible with the technology they have.  The solution was to add a very thin metal edge, which still gives the impression that the lines go off the sides of the coin.  Hopefully that all makes sense and nobody is too bummed out about the change. :)

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Side Project Announcement

While I have your attention, I'd like to take this opportunity to share with you a new project I just launched this morning.  Something to keep me busy until the Metropol NEXT physical proofs arrive later this month!

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This is the latest campaign from my woodworking side-project Black Maple Woodworks.  For this project I'll be producing 4 different styles of pens using woods from all over Canada and the United States.  

Check out Handcrafted Domestic Wood Pens on Kickstarter today and score one of the early bird rewards.

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Four different pen styles available
Four different pen styles available

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This will be a short project (only 14 days) with a fast turn-around and includes early bird reward levels only available for the first 24 hours.  These pens make great gifts and I've planned everything so they will ship in time for Christmas if you're into that sort of thing. ;)

Ok, that's enough self promotion for now.  Until next time!

-Mike Lambert
Metropol Playing Cards

BackerKit and Quick Production Update
over 5 years ago – Tue, Oct 23, 2018 at 06:33:36 PM

  • BackerKit Surveys
  • Production Update

Hey Everyone, it's been a little quiet over the last couple weeks so I thought I'd send a quick update to let all of you know where we're at with things.

BackerKit Surveys

Thank you to everyone who has replied to your BackerKit survey so far!  The surveys went out at the beginning of the month and almost all of them have been completed.  There's still a few that haven't been filled out yet though.

If you haven't received your BackerKit survey or still need to fill one out, please check out this link.

If you have any problems with BackerKit at all, please don't hesitate to send me a message.  I'd be happy to walk you through the process.

Moving soon?  Don't worry, you can change your mailing address through BackerKit at any time.  I will be giving plenty of notice before I start locking down mailing addresses.

Production Update

  • Decks - Digital proofs for all artwork has been approved.  The physical proofs are in production.
  • Coins and Pins - Digital proofs have been approved.  Physical proofs should be ready next week.
  • Stickers - Physical proofs have been approved and the rest of the stickers should arrive any day now!

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If you've been following along on Instagram you'll notice there hasn't been much activity lately.  It turns out I miscalculated how many Metropol NEXT sample decks I had and I accidentally gave the last one away so I have nothing left to take pictures of :D  Hopefully the physical proofs arrive soon!

As soon as I get an update from the factory, you will be the first ones to hear it.

Until next time,

-Mike Lambert
Metropol Playing Cards

BackerKit Surveys are on the way!
over 5 years ago – Thu, Oct 04, 2018 at 07:00:55 PM

  • Production Update
  • BackerKit Surveys
  • BackerKit Pre-Order

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Production Update

Hi Everyone,

I know it's been kinda quiet the last two weeks.  Thanks for hanging in there!  The two week wait between the campaign ending and Kickstarter sending the collected funds is always the toughest part.  Now that we're past that part though it's time for production to begin!

The Decks

Everything has been confirmed with Expert Playing Card Company and the decks are moving into production.  The first step will produce a digital proof that I will need to review and approve before full production starts.  Once that happens I'll have an estimated date for the completion of production.

Pins and Coins

All artwork is complete and has been sent to the manufacturer.  Just waiting on confirmation that production has started.

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BackerKit Surveys

As mentioned earlier, I'll be using BackerKit to handle pledges and rewards rather than the standard Kickstarter survey.  BackerKit allows you to select exactly which items you've pledged for as well as add on any additional items you might like.  You can also update your address at any time before shipping starts in case you've recently moved.  At a certain point I'll need to lock the orders to get everything ready for shipping but I'll give you plenty of notice before that happens. :)

The BackerKit survey is complete and ready to go.  Some of you may have received one earlier last night as part of a mandatory "smoke test" that BackerKit requires to make sure nothing is broken. :D  The rest of you should be receiving your survey shortly, if not already.  

If you haven't received for survey by Oct. 5 @ 6pm EST please let me know.  Also don't forget to check your spam folder as sometimes it may end up there.

BackerKit Pre-Order

If you missed out on the original campaign but have been following along, now's your chance to grab a NEXT deck or two.  You can also grab some legacy Metropol items if they're still available.  Check out the link below.

Metropol NEXT on BackerKit

If you know anyone who missed out on the Kickstarter campaign, please share the above link with them.

Until next time!

-Mike Lambert
Metropol Playing Cards