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WWII Steamboat 999

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WWII Steamboat 999
« on: December 25, 2017, 02:35:47 PM »
 

52friends_and_me

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I got a deck of Steamboat 999s for Christmas that are supposedly from World War II. They even come with a war bond ad card and they even have a double sided blank card. I would love to find out if these are legit but all my Google searches have led me no where and I don't know how to research these. Is there anyone that can help me out? There is a serial number under the Ace of Spades that reads either G1101 or GI101 I'm not sure which.
 

Re: WWII Steamboat 999
« Reply #1 on: December 26, 2017, 01:47:45 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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I got a deck of Steamboat 999s for Christmas that are supposedly from World War II. They even come with a war bond ad card and they even have a double sided blank card. I would love to find out if these are legit but all my Google searches have led me no where and I don't know how to research these. Is there anyone that can help me out? There is a serial number under the Ace of Spades that reads either G1101 or GI101 I'm not sure which.

Could you provide some photos of the deck?  It would be helpful to see:
- the box (or what's left of it, as they often don't outlast the cards), especially if the tax stamp/deck seal is still at least partially intact
- the Ace of Spades
- the Jokers
- the ad card
- a few court cards

With that, I can try to give you a clearer picture of the deck's age.

With what you've given so far, the Ace of Spades code is almost certainly "G1101" - a typical AoS code used in most of the 20th century was a single letter followed by a four-digit number.  G-series codes were used on decks made in the following years: 1904, 1925, 1945, 1965, 1985 and 2005.  As you mentioned that the ad card mentioned war bonds for sale, it's most likely a deck from 1945, but having more information would help confirm that.

Interesting bit of trivia: the Ace of Spades production codes began being used by USPC in 1904, so the G-series was the first to be produced.

My source for the AoS code data is http://www.leeasher.com/playground/articles/how_to_date_a_deck_of_cards.html - I helped Lee update some of the information there.
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Re: WWII Steamboat 999
« Reply #2 on: December 27, 2017, 10:48:02 AM »
 

52friends_and_me

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Thank you! I will post some pictures later today. I tried posting through the forum but it isn't working so I will need to use another site.
 


Re: WWII Steamboat 999
« Reply #4 on: January 01, 2018, 06:56:11 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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Thank you! I will post some pictures later today. I tried posting through the forum but it isn't working so I will need to use another site.

The most likely reason for the problem you were having is file size.  We have a cap of 1000 Kb per photo, 5 photos per post.  It's one of the things we'll be reviewing when we look to upgrading/modernizing the site.
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Re: WWII Steamboat 999
« Reply #5 on: January 01, 2018, 10:23:21 AM »
 

52friends_and_me

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Thank you! I will post some pictures later today. I tried posting through the forum but it isn't working so I will need to use another site.

The most likely reason for the problem you were having is file size.  We have a cap of 1000 Kb per photo, 5 photos per post.  It's one of the things we'll be reviewing when we look to upgrading/modernizing the site.

I did post some links to the pictures that same day. Did the post go through?
« Last Edit: January 01, 2018, 11:48:43 AM by 52friends_and_me »
 

Re: WWII Steamboat 999
« Reply #6 on: January 02, 2018, 02:27:44 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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Thank you! I will post some pictures later today. I tried posting through the forum but it isn't working so I will need to use another site.

The most likely reason for the problem you were having is file size.  We have a cap of 1000 Kb per photo, 5 photos per post.  It's one of the things we'll be reviewing when we look to upgrading/modernizing the site.

I did post some links to the pictures that same day. Did the post go through?

It did, and I've examined your photos.  It is indeed the 1945 deck, to the best of my ability to tell.  Everything about it is indicative of that year's issue.  Your box is in surprisingly decent shape - the box will typically wear out and get discarded long before the cards.  The only thing that I can think of that would have "sealed the deal" in terms of being 100% conclusive would have been an intact if broken tax stamp, but they often fall off over the years.
Card Illusionist, NYC Area
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Deck Tailoring: Custom Alterations for Magicians and Card Mechanics
Services for Hire - http://thedecktailor.com/
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Re: WWII Steamboat 999
« Reply #7 on: January 03, 2018, 01:59:40 PM »
 

52friends_and_me

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Awesome! Thank you so much! I will let my parents know (they gave me the gift). They will be very happy to hear that these are legit!