Hi everyone!

I recently bought a Bicycle single on Ebay, but the vendor sent me the wrong card!! Happily, they sent me the correct card later. Even better - they let me keep the original 'error card' free of charge!

Trouble is, I know nothing about the 'mystery card' ... can anybody give me some information about it?

Thanks!

Hi collectors!

I have a question for people who specialize in modern decks ... (I'm mainly an antique guy - in more ways than one!  )

Here's my issue: I have a display of modern decks in my living room. The problem is, the light tends to reflect and glare off the cellophane, and they don't look as good as I'd like. Some decks in particular have fairly 'loose' cellophane, which makes the reflection even more distracting. ..

I'd like to remove the cellophane from my decks to make my display more visually appealing, but I don't plan on breaking the seals.

Does removing the cellophane count as 'opening' the deck? ... In other words, is removing the cellophane OK if the seal remains intact? ... or will I basically be making the decks worthless? Is a sealed deck with no cellophane still considered 'sealed'? Does it depend on the deck? Would you consider buying a sealed deck without cellophane?

I'd love some opinions on this!

Thanks in advance!

Kruser

Hi PCF!

You guys are doing a great job ... I'm sure a lot of people don't understand how much work goes into maintaining a high-quality forum like this one!!

My question is ... can I access PCF on my mobile device ...? In particular, on an Android (Samsung) device?

This would make it much easier to post and participate!

Thanks for all your hard work!

Kruser

Hi Forum members!!

I'm a newbie, and am chomping at the bit for info!!

My query: Thanks to Hochman/Dawson, I know generally how much Bicycle and Congress decks are worth in terms of the ace/joker, but I am still confused about which back are common or rare within the categories. 

For example, if I have Congress cards with different backs from the same era, is there a resource that can tell me which are more / less common?  Is there such a thing as a price guide for such distinctions?

I would love to tap the knowledge of 52+J members on this one!

Kruser

Greetings PCF and 52+J members!!

I’ve been a 52+J member for a few weeks now, but am just now getting around to my official introduction!

My name is Scott Kruse, and I am a high-school English teacher in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. I’m about a 1-hour drive from Toronto.  I’m 48 years old. 

My interest in playing cards began over 20 years ago, when I began dabbling in card magic. Naturally, I gravitated to Bicycle and Bee brands (basically all that was available in the mid-90s!) for their superior handling!

I drifted away from card magic somewhat as other goals and interests took over. A few years ago, I re-discovered card magic/manipulation: that’s when I became a collector!!

At first, I bought a few cool decks to add variety to my humble magic ‘performances’.  Eventually, I began collecting modern decks for their own sake.  I still believe that modern decks have the most dazzling tucks: they display beautifully!

Recently, though, I started to collect vintage and antique decks.  This is where my interest now rests - though I still back interesting modern decks on Kickstarter! I recently joined 52+J to learn more about antique collecting, and to hopefully acquire some ‘new’ antique items for my collection!  I don’t have much to trade yet, but that is changing!!

I don’t really have a ‘specialization’ yet, though I seem to gravitate towards standard American poker decks pre-1930.  I love old Bicycle and wide Congress decks - who doesn’t?  I also collect some singles, especially rare Bicycle backs and antique aces-of-spades.

Now that the school year is over, I finally have time to get active on the forums! I want to thank Steve Bowling and Lee Asher for encouraging me to join 52+J, and for welcoming me aboard!  I hope to meet Judy Dawson soon (I love your encyclopedia!!!)

To finish, I’ll try (first attempt!!) to post some pictures of one of my antique decks that also reflects my Canadian nationality: a c.1900 Ocean to Ocean Canada souvenir deck - notice that there are only 9 provinces! Geographically, the image closest to me is the 7 of spades - Hamilton mountain, about 60 kms away!

Happy Carding!

Scott “Kruser” Kruse

(Pronunciation guide: ‘Kruse’ rhymes with ‘booze’!)

OOOPS!  ... Photos are too big!! ... Here are the links:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_Q0OJRTNZq-Q1cxbHNTREI0YjA/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_Q0OJRTNZq-eHhXVnMwc0p3WTA/view?usp=sharing