While the educated collector might argue, we might suggest that the Monarch Playing Cards are the finest in print today. These highly-styled, vintage-inspired playing cards are encased in an ornate embossed case. Its matte blue background and glossy gold character provide a visual feel from the early 1800s, but its quality feels like a product of today. The faces of the cards are traditional, while the back sides continue the ornate feel of the outer wrapping. Our only knock is that the design of the case wasn’t repeated more on the cards themselves. We’re all for tradition, but these cards are only the finest in print today for the case they come in. We’d drop the $6.95 asking price just for that. In fact, we just did. [thecoolist]