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Topics - torcams

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1
A Cellar of Fine Vintages / L25a Chicago Card Co. "Floral"
« on: November 28, 2023, 05:42:56 PM »
I was recently able to pick up a single joker from the Chicago Card Co.'s Floral series, noted in Hochman as L25a.

This deck and L25 have long captured my interest since I recall the Dawsons and Wally Mach referring to the unusual and special courts which Judy described as "perhaps her favorite of the standard American courts"

Does anyone have an example of L25 or L25a with these courts?  I'd love to see some images of them.  I see the kings on the WWPCM.

2
A Cellar of Fine Vintages / Unlisted Congress back?
« on: August 28, 2023, 09:33:22 PM »
Interested to see if anyone has ever come across this back before as a deck or a single.  It is a Congress 606 deck named "Violet" and varies greatly from the known Violet designs listed in the CPCC catalog.

I noticed this back previously in my "Card Games and How to Play Them" booklet c1900 which shows this card listed among several other Congress backs with a gold filigree border.

Separately a small section of this card is also pictured on the front of a "Simple Whist" booklet I have, however the card pictured does not have any border details.  I didn't think too much about this beyond wondering if the cards were never produced since no one I talked to (including several prominent Congress deck and wide named singles collectors) had ever seen as much of a single of this back design.

All of that changed when I recently came across a complete 52 card deck in the original box with this design which is now in my collection.  It contains a US6c Congress ace of spades but sadly is missing the Joker, which I suspect may have been the "named" picture-type which the other decks of that era would have had.

3
A Cellar of Fine Vintages / Brunswick-Balke Collender Cards
« on: December 19, 2022, 07:00:21 PM »
After seeing the great Brunswick-Balke Collender billiard back design and special Palmer Cox "brownies" joker on Ebay a while back, it immediately became a "most wanted" advertising deck to me.

I finally managed to acquire a copy, however instead of the special joker, it contains the early National PCC NU8 "fish bowl" joker, along with the NU8 ace of spades.

Does anyone out there in cardland have the deck with the special joker?  I am very  interested to see what box and ace of spades that version might have come with!

4
A Cellar of Fine Vintages / 1908 USPCC Advertising Sample Folder
« on: May 22, 2022, 12:41:48 PM »
I was fortunate to have come across a coveted piece of ephemera in the form of a USPCC sample folder dating from 1908.  With the exception of one page of "Flinch" cards, the entire book is devoted to advertising cards.  When I purchased the book it was without a full appreciation of all the pages contained herein - some of which contain some rarely seen backs and jokers.  I have included pictures of all pages below:

5
A Cellar of Fine Vintages / Early Congress Box
« on: February 08, 2020, 04:30:46 PM »
I recently acquired some wonderful lacquer decks including a nice "Dragon" in black and gold that came in the box pictured below.  Most of the early Congress decks I have seen either came in the R&M green slip cover cases or the pastel-colored Congress slip cover cases. 

At first, I thought this deck was put in a later box and someone replace the pasted-on card.  Upon closer inspection however, I noticed that this box was unusual in that there is no copyright date below the "No. 606" line.

I am curious to see if anyone else has any Congress decks in this type of box?  If so, what deck/back?

6
A Cellar of Fine Vintages / Andrew Dougherty Tudor Indicator Flower Backs
« on: January 05, 2019, 12:46:51 AM »
I am looking to assemble a comprehensive list of the wide flower backs produced by Dougherty as part of their Indicator product line.  Most, if not all, I have seen come in a "Tudor" box.  Some have the No. 50 Ace, some do not.  The CPCC catalog has identified most but not all variations.  I am wondering if there are more out there.

Apple Blossom (AP-2-1)
Carnation (Not Listed)
Chrysanthemum (CH-9-1)
Clematis (CL-2-1)
Clover (CL-1-1)
Dogwood (DO-1-1)
Iris (IR-1-1)
Jonquil (JO-1-1)
Lily of the Valley (Not Listed)
Poppy (PO-1-1)
Rose (RO-3-2)
Thistle (TH-1-1)
Tulip (TU-1-1)

I have pictured the two unlisted backs.  Any help here would be appreciated!!

7
In an attempt to follow in the same vein as Toby's excellent recent posts, I offer here a new discovery of an undocumented (in Hochman) Alverson Comstock deck titled California Illustrated and with an image of a Sunset Limited steam locomotive on the backs with other classic Alverson Comstock "angels in the clouds" motifs. 

The deck has 52 cards plus the Lucky Baldwin Joker plus an extra card modeled after the Ace of Spades but without the triplicate-type corner indices.  They came in a two-piece telescopic case.

As with other decks from this publisher, the card faces have photo images of scenes pertaining to Lucky Baldwin's many properties and interests with captions in a unique font.  They have a photo-paper quality to them and some of the pictures have faded over time.  Nonetheless, the cards are a wonderful souvenir from an important figure in the development of California at the turn of the century.

I am not sure there is enough Sunset Limited content within the deck to make it fall under the "SR" souvenir category, so I am content to consider it S90 for my own recordkeeping.

8
I have a large collection of Coca-Cola playing cards for for sale.  Many are listed on eBay under the username Torcams. 

I have many early and rare decks as well as many from the post 1950 era in a range of conditions to suit your budget or collecting goals. 

Please contact me if interested.  If you have specific wants that would be best.

9
Asking $6050 OBO (inc. shipping to US.  Int'l extra)

Selling a super c1901 Pan American Exposition souvenir set of playing cards by USPCC and published by the Pan-American Souvenir Playing Card Co. The deck is Hochman reference SX18 and has Type A black and white views.

Each card has a unique and interesting image featuring scenes of the pavilions & facilities at the Exposition fairgrounds, and also around the host city of Buffalo at the turn of the century!  The attractive backs feature the official logo of the Expo by painter Raphael Beck with North and South America represented as women holding hands.

The set contains a complete 52 + J.

The cards are Excellent to Excellent+ with light “euchred” edges and only minimal soiling.  The 9 through A show more wear to the gold edges as can be seen in the end view.  There are no creases.  Two cards have barely perceptible wrinkles (only visible on one side).  The 9C and 2C have small spots and the 4H card has little specks on the surface.  These are shown in the last picture.  The original mustard-colored box is in Excellent condition, complete with the top panel of the outer case neatly repaired.

10
Asking $75 OBO (inc. shipping to US.  Int'l extra)

For sale is a super c1910 Great Southwest souvenir set of playing cards by USPCC and published by Fred Harvey The deck is Hochman reference S27 / Bollhagen FH-4 and has Type C black and white views in multitoned ovals.  The backs feature a train with a long smoke trail traveling across the plains in the background with a foreground of Indians on horseback.  The Ace of Spades depicts a Jicarilla Chief.

Each card has a unique and interesting image featuring scenes from along the southwestern route of the AT&SF Railway – many scenes of Native Americans and Fred Harvey hotels - a wonderful ethnographic glimpse of life in the southwest over a century ago!
The set contains a complete 52 + J + Map Card + Leaflet (facsimile)

The cards are in Near Mint to Near Mint- condition with only light wear to the gold edges from handling.  The edges are clean and there are no creases, tears or stains. The original light blue slip cover case is in Excellent condition – complete with minor wear.

11
A Cellar of Fine Vintages / Italy Souvenir - seeking information
« on: December 16, 2015, 12:30:34 PM »
I am interested in getting more information on this undocumented (as far as I can tell) souvenir set of playing cards depicting scenes of Italy.

I have only one single from this set and canvassing other souvenir collectors and Tom and Judy Dawson, I found one other from Bob Heubel.  I was able to find a third image online bringing a sum total of three cards, all pictured below.

Has anyone else seen this as a complete set or does anyone own any singles?

The design is very similar to USPCC decks from the early 1900s like the S28 Hawaiian, and the SX17 Paris Exposition.  All three have a similar layout with a statue surrounded by a gold filigree border.

That's where the similarities end, however.  The Italy cards have a different pip and number design than the USPCC decks and the text being in a straight line and outside of the oval is out of character of any USPCC souvenir that I am aware of.  Finally, the gold filigree border details are slightly different on the Italy cards vs. S28 and SX17 which are very similar.

Thanks for looking - and please share if you can help us solve this mystery!

12
I have a question for anyone who has this deck in their collection with an original leaflet.  The leaflet that came with my deck is mismatched on 7 cards and I'm trying to determine if it's a leaflet from another deck or perhaps a printing error. My deck has a box and leaflet both with "copyright 1907, 1909 and 1911" Here are the cards in question:

Any help would be appreciated!



13
Please PM if interested.  I'm willing to consider offers and am also interested in trades (for other souvenir decks I need).

More details/photos are available upon request.

Thanks!

14
I have a spare S31 Inter-Mountain deck in Mint condition, 52+J+facsimile leaflet in VG complete box.

Looking to trade for an S30 Inter-Mountain (preferred) or possibly other souvenir deck in the same price range in NM or better condition.  Willing to add $ depending on condition.

15
I'm working to assemble the known variations of cards contained in the 1916 Moriarty Movie decks.  If you have one you'd be willing to part with please let me know and we can determine if it's a set I'm missing.   Looking for clean decks in EX or better condition, including incomplete sets.

Thanks!

16
Hello,

I am seeking to acquire souvenir decks for my collection.  Prefer Excellent or better, complete condition if possible.  My current priorities:

S1 Alaska
S24 Great Lakes Western Div.
S44 Oregon
Any Tom Jones decks (except S59, SR11)
SCA29 Intercolonial Railway (gold moose)
SR25 Rock Island

Thanks,

Matt

17
I am searching for White Pass and Yukon singles of the S29 variety with the "Scenic Railway of the World" surrounding the center motif. (image below)

2 of spades, extra cards (map, table of distances)

PM me if you have extras!  Thanks!


18
Introduce Yourself / Hi There!
« on: December 02, 2014, 09:20:25 PM »
Hi everyone, I'm Matt and I am new to the forum.

I live in Torrance, CA.  I started collecting playing cards many years ago when my interest was predominantly Coca-Cola memorabilia.  The subgroup of Coca-Cola playing cards became a favorite of mine due to their great images and ease of storage (as compared to the clocks, trays and signs I was also collecting).  Over the past 10-15 years I had basically left the hobby, but one weekend while sifting through my old card decks something was rekindled.

I started doing some web research and stumbled upon Kevin Roche's fantastic website devoted to Coca-Cola playing cards. Upon seeing the great images and the plethora of rare decks I had never seen before let alone even knew existed, I started scouring ebay and auctions looking for supplements to my collection.

In the process I also discovered the souvenir genre.  It started a few months ago with a pastel double deck of 1939 world's fair souvenir cards and quickly grew to a desire to own many of the great USPCC souvenir decks through the years - with a focus on some of the earlier ones.  My current favorites are a 1904 "the Burro" and a 1898 "Montana and Yellowstone".  I enjoy  the great quirky and/or historical images that are represented on many of the great souvenir decks.  They've even encouraged me to do more research into subjects or events like the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.

I learned of 52plusjoker and this forum through Kevin's website and also through an ebay seller James Carnahan with whom I did some recent business and who ultimately prompted me to join.

I very much look forward to the opportunities that this forum will provide and am eager to get to know the membership better and to learn more about this great hobby in the future.

Thanks,

Matt

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