Mandolin Back 809 Red [Bicycle] - Svengali

Bicycle Mandolin Backs (officially designated as Model 809) are special Bicycle-branded playing cards created specifically for magicians. They look almost identical to the standard Bicycle "Rider Back" deck at a casual glance, but they exist because of a strict policy change made by the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC).

Around 2009, USPCC tightened their trademark rules and stopped allowing magicians or third-party manufacturers to alter, alter-cut, or print gimmicked variations of their famous Rider Back design. That created a huge problem for the magic community, which relied heavily on Bicycle-matching gaffed decks (like Svengali, Stripper, double-facers, and marked decks).

To fix this, legendary magician Paul Harris, card expert Richard Turner, and USPCC teamed up in 2010 to design a brand-new, official Bicycle-branded back called the Mandolin Back.

Instead of the iconic angels riding bicycles, the Mandolin Back features angels holding mandolins. Because USPCC created this secondary back design specifically for the magic industry, it carries no trademark restrictions on gaffing. USPCC can freely cut, mark, print, or alter Mandolin Backs to manufacture every trick deck imaginable—including Svengali and Stripper decks—while maintaining official Bicycle paper stock, air-cushion finish, standard Ace of Spades, Jokers, and classic tuck boxes.

To an unsuspecting spectator, a Mandolin Back looks like any normal deck of "Bikes" pulled off a store shelf, giving magicians the perfect blend of audience familiarity and trick flexibility.

This particular deck is a Svengali.