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91
Playing Card Plethora / Kickstarter: White Tiger Playing Cards by ARK Playing Cards
« Last post by EndersGame on October 09, 2023, 08:25:05 AM »

White Tiger Playing Cards by ARK Playing Cards (Kickstarter)

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/elementplayingcards/white-tiger-playing-cards-by-ark

Current funding level: already funded
Kickstarter ends: Tuesday, October 17, 2023



When it comes to quality and innovation, especially for exotic tuck box designs and lavish packaging for their playing cards, ARK Playing Cards is one of the very best in the very business.  They've now produced over half a dozen playing card projects, several of which are in the top most-funded decks of playing cards of all time.  And the reason for this success isn't hard to figure out once you've seen some of their decks in person.

Their current project is called White Tiger Playing Cards, and is the final release in a series of four sets, each of which is a tribute to the four divine beasts of Chinese Mythology.  Previous entries in this series include Azure Dragon (representing wood), Vermilion Bird (representing fire), and Black Tortoise (representing water), some of which are also available as add-ons with the current project.

Like ARK's previous decks inspired by the Four Beasts, the tuck box (shown above) is a real highlight, with a design that relies on intricate paper-cuts with multiple layers, with a 3D effect.

As for the cards themselves, the Aces feature vines and patterns with styles and colours that match the individual suit designs on the number cards.





The court cards feature military characters carrying traditional Chinese weapons, unique for each suit: Spades (Spear, Lance, Sword), Diamonds (Halberd, Bow, Axe), Clubs (Warhammer, Glaive, Trident),Hearts (Dagger-axe, Dual Swords, Crescent Blade).





As with previous sets that comprise the The Four Beasts series, The White Tiger is being produced in four different box sets, each with different levels and styles of luxury packaging:
Classic Boxset (limited edition of 1000): black deck & white deck (US$50)
Black Gold Boxset (limited edition of 500): gold deck & silver deck (US$75)
Deluxe Beech Boxset (limited edition of 300): violet deck with holo foil & gilded edges, plus a collectible coin (US$185)
Luxury Frame Boxset (limited edition of 600): coffee deck with holo foil (US$75)



Collectors will appreciate that each of these limited editions are individually numbered.
The opening design of the Classic Boxset and the Black gold Boxset is especially worthy of note, because when these boxes are opened, a built-in mechanism raises the decks to highlight their presentation.  While those each come with two decks, the Deluxe Beech Boxset and the Luxury Frame Boxset both come with a single deck, but with an exquisite presentation that beautifully showcases the tuck box and gives it the extravagant and gorgeous setting it deserves.

Other optional add-ons include a silver Tiger coin, uncut sheets, and some decks from previous entries in the series: Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise.

1. Classic Boxset

Here's some images showing the Classic Boxset, which comes with a black deck and a white deck (the white deck is already pictured above):













2. Black Gold Boxset

Here's some images showing the Black Gold Boxset, which comes with a gold deck and a silver deck:













3. Deluxe Beech Boxset

Here's some images showing the Deluxe Beech Boxset, which comes with a violet deck with holo foil and gilded edges:











This set also includes a collectible coin.



4. Luxury Frame Boxset

Here's some images showing the Luxury Frame Boxset, which comes with a coffee deck with holo foil:













As with all the decks from ARK, words and pictures really can't do justice to the looks and quality, but check the project page for more images.

Kickstarter link

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/elementplayingcards/white-tiger-playing-cards-by-ark
93
A Cellar of Fine Vintages / Re: Ask the Experts at 52 Plus Joker
« Last post by NCC1888 on September 28, 2023, 09:19:13 AM »
Along that same line of observance of the QoD facing I have dug deeper into a subject I brought up on my website about the Longley brothers. That is the symbol on the hilt of the sword of the KoH. The symbol (shown below) can be followed through all their connected card companies (Card Fabrique, Globe, American Playing Card, USPC and National). (First symbol shown below) I have also found connected symbols for ones used by Telbax, Midland and the Independent Playing Card Company which are all connected to Wesley Culp. (Second Symbol shown below)
I am compiling a database of these symbols and an article/website. I will be searching out more decks to photograph and catalog at the Cleveland Convention this year to test my theory. So if you are there with an odd deck please come see me. If you are not coming I would appreciate any KoH closeup photos. My email is daveseaney@att.net
94
A Cellar of Fine Vintages / Re: Ask the Experts at 52 Plus Joker
« Last post by NCC1888 on September 28, 2023, 08:40:43 AM »
Here is something I noticed recently with court cards (US pre-1930). I have searched the "Ask Alexander" archives and cannot find that anyone has mentioned this before. Why does the Queen of Diamonds face to our LEFT on cards made by the Western card makers (USPC, APC, KPCC, etc) and the ones made by East Coast makers (Dougherty, Cohen, Hart, NYCC, Pyramid, etc) face to our RIGHT? Has this ever been discussed?
This would seem to be a way to narrow down where an unknown deck came from.
95
Introduce Yourself / Re: Hello!
« Last post by Jeff Scanlan on September 27, 2023, 12:04:45 PM »
Hello, My name is Jeff Scanlan. I just recently joined. I am a former professional magician of 30 years, who was mentored by one of the greatest magicians- Eugene Burger. Currently, I am a professional speaker, author, and artist of both Impossible Bottles and 3-D cut decks of playing cards.

Both my bottles & 3-D decks can be seen here - https://BottleMagic.com

I collect all kinds of decks of playing cards with an emphasis on Bicycle decks of cards. I'm looking forward to being a part of this group and learning more about the club members.
96
The Conversation Parlor / Re: USPCC CODE 1898"A"
« Last post by touya on September 24, 2023, 04:51:13 AM »
I have attached an image contributed by Rod Starling, borrowed from WPC. Although the USPCC CODE has become more complex around this time, this is actually the original quality control number.
This CODE format, often seen in Congress brands, represents "month-year-paper number". Of course, there are exceptions and irregularities.

As a reminder, the four-digit paper number includes the category number.

The meaning of the paper number changes somewhat with the age of the paper number, but the essence remains the same today.

Although there is no confirmation yet, it is possible that the original draft of this USPCC CODE came from a technical manager of a manufacturer affiliated with NYCC or NCC.
Thoughts?
97
The Conversation Parlor / Re: USPCC CODE 1898"A"
« Last post by touya on September 24, 2023, 04:39:10 AM »
I am sure you are all aware that the USPCC CODE exhibits some familiar characteristics depending on its age.

USPCC CODEs from the late 1890s to around 1900 have paper numbers with one to three digits.
However, circa 1904 paper numbers are all one to two digits. This means that the old mills had a large inventory of paper rolls because they could only use small paper rolls to fit their equipment.
At the Norwood mill after 1904, the paper rolls themselves, which were used as material, became larger due to the larger production equipment.
It is thought that the paper numbers became smaller because of the increased production capacity at a time.

It is statistically shown that this paper number is based on the production capacity of each manufacturer.

For example, in the 1910s and 1920s, USPCC-affiliated brands had four-digit paper numbers, but most of the RUSSELL affiliated brands had one to three digits. We speculate that this was because the scale of production was small, so a three-digit paper number was the limit.
98
The Conversation Parlor / Re: USPCC CODE 1898"A"
« Last post by touya on September 24, 2023, 04:35:00 AM »
Let me explain in more detail.
A lot is a unit of "a group of products manufactured continuously under the same conditions.

Therefore, even if the paper number changes, the lot is the same if it is continuously manufactured.

Let us take an example as an image,

Suppose 50,000 sheets of BICYCLE RIDER BACK were produced in 1990 and the USPCC CODE was N1416, N1417, N1418, N1419, N1420, N1421, N1424, N1426, N1427, N1431.
Even if additional rolls of paper are replenished, if the paper rolls are produced continuously under the same conditions, then 50,000 pieces constitute one lot.

The reason why paper numbers are not sequentially numbered is a matter of convenience at the time at the mills, and has no special meaning because paper rolls are reserved for other products and cannot be used.

The size, length, and paper number of paper rolls change from year to year, but there is a clear trend.
99
The Conversation Parlor / Re: USPCC CODE 1898"A"
« Last post by touya on September 21, 2023, 11:32:45 PM »
Let me add this to the conversation. On July 2, 1894, the United States Printing Company became The United States Playing Card Company. Why did they wait 4 years to start date coding? Nothing I could find in their history points to an event to start coding their cards. Production didn't change, their new factory in Norwood would not be in production until 1901. Why the change?  It seems like the coding would have started after the name change. Thoughts?


Article on the Great Depression from 1893.
https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1893%E5%B9%B4%E6%81%90%E6%85%8C


In the article, the economy is slowly beginning to recover from 1897. The article states.

I assume that at that time, the company was trying its best to maintain its existence, such as cash flow.
100
The Conversation Parlor / Re: USPCC CODE 1898"A"
« Last post by touya on September 21, 2023, 10:22:34 PM »
Let me add this to the conversation. On July 2, 1894, the United States Printing Company became The United States Playing Card Company. Why did they wait 4 years to start date coding? Nothing I could find in their history points to an event to start coding their cards. Production didn't change, their new factory in Norwood would not be in production until 1901. Why the change?  It seems like the coding would have started after the name change. Thoughts?

hi,NCC1888



My opinion is that it's because the number of production has increased.

USPCC DATE CODE is printed with alphabets and numbers. Everyone ignores the numbers, but experts must have noticed that the numbers increase in proportion to the number of products produced.

The letters represent the year of production, and the numbers represent the paper number.

A paper number is a number assigned to the paper roll that is the raw material for Playing Cards, and is a quality control number assigned to avoid confusion at the production site.

In the 1800s, the quality of paper used as raw materials varied, and it was a matter of luck whether you received high-quality paper or low-quality paper. This problem was a problem faced by all manufacturers, not just USPCC. Therefore, high-quality paper was used for high-quality decks, and low-quality paper was sold as cheap decks such as Steamboat. Advertisements at the time listed various stock names and finish names, but these were just slogans to promote quality.


Around the end of the 1800s, when production numbers were low, it was deemed sufficient to use only a copyright notice and date, but as the variety of decks became vast, problems such as material errors increased at production sites, making it necessary to strengthen production control.

In addition, in the 1890s, there was fierce competition among manufacturers for copyrights and consolidation such as corporate acquisitions, and the rampant use of copied products was also a problem due to the recession caused by the economic depression.

I believe that the USPCC DATE CODE was introduced on a trial basis to solve this problem.

At the time, there were very few ways to prove that a product was a company's own product.
Therefore, I assume that the introduction of this system was done behind the scenes.

For example.
If there was a code D89, it would mean 'a deck made in 1901 from paper rolls of paper No. 89'.
(By the way, this is different from a lot.)

Later, after 1900, manufacturers under the USPCC voluntarily introduced the USPCC DATE CODE.
However, this caused the DATE CODE to enter a period of chaos from 1910 to around 1930.

If the Playing Cards market size in the US had not expanded, there might not have been a USPCC DATE CODE.

These are my opinions.
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