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Relative rarity of Bicycle and/or Congress backs?

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Relative rarity of Bicycle and/or Congress backs?
« on: June 29, 2016, 07:57:24 PM »
 

Kruser

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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


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Re: Relative rarity of Bicycle and/or Congress backs?
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2016, 10:42:41 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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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

When you're talking about USPC decks in general, it's difficult to know rarities for the older print runs.  Records were only kept for so long at the company, so at this point, the majority of the knowledge we have of rarity in terms of actual number of decks made in a specific print run is anecdotal, and it is what drives the price of a deck, among other factors.  Rarity, condition, quality of the print work - these are all factors, but rarity is one of the strongest.

It's entirely possible that a deck that's thought of as rare today could even become more common in the future, in much the same way that someone discovering a garage-full of mint-condition "Action Comics #1" would drive the price of that comic book way down from its present heights.  It's unlikely, sure - but not impossible!  In fact, it would really only take someone or several people releasing a large number of a given deck for sale to make them more common in the marketplace, thus driving prices lower.

Using modern decks as an example, there's a deck, the Bicycle Black Ghost First Edition, printed by USPC for Ellusionist in a quantity of only 5,000 decks - at the time it was made, that was considered a very low print run, the lowest the company offered.  The deck was never made available for sale - initially, it was given as gifts to prominent magicians and similar celebrities, then eventually the company started offering them as premiums for the purchase of a certain dollar amount of merchandise.  At its peak, the deck sold for as high as $400 on eBay.  This value went way down when the decks became shoppers' premiums, naturally.  The value would drop even further whenever the company would hold a special offer, giving away decks for much smaller purchases as a limited-time offer - the market would shortly thereafter suddenly be flooded with these "rare" decks and the prices would become practically bargain-basement compared to what they usually are.  Today, the company has finally distributed the last of the print run and has no more to give away - the price has stabilized and is expected to gradually go higher as the decks become more rare through attrition and use (yes, some people actually opened and played with their cards!) and the number found on eBay at any given time tends not to have the same surges it used to during those special giveaways.
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Re: Relative rarity of Bicycle and/or Congress backs?
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2016, 11:21:18 AM »
 

Kruser

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Thanks for the thoughtful response!

Kruser
"The mind is like a parachute - It works best when it's open." - Frank Zappa