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Telbax and Sunzup

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Telbax and Sunzup
« on: September 06, 2020, 12:10:58 PM »
 

NCC1888

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Does anyone have a Telbax or Sunzup deck? I need some photos for an article I'm doing.
 

Re: Telbax and Sunzup
« Reply #1 on: May 30, 2021, 11:48:26 AM »
 

tobyedwards

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It has taken me awhile, but I have finally managed to locate my Telbax deck and so I can now provide the users of this website with some pictures, thus, adding to what has already been shown here. This deck is listed as N54 in the Novelty Playing Cards chapter in the Hochman encyclopedia and it shows a particular back design (first picture shown below) with the 4 doves in the corners which, I believe, indicates that it was made by the Independent Card Corporation of Johnstown, PA which would date this version to no earlier than c1926. The second picture shows the front of the OB for a different earlier version of this deck. Unfortunately, the cancellation on the tax stamp is indistinct. The third picture shows the Ace of Spades and the joker but notice that both the OB and this Ace of Spades show the company as being from Mishawaka, IN instead of Huntington, IN. As noted in the encyclopedia's description of this deck, it comes with a "marked" back whereby one "can tell the denomination of each card from the different size cross on the back" and so the fourth photo shows the back of the Ace of Spades with the thinnest cross and the back of the King of Hearts with the thickest cross. The name Telbax is just a different way of reading "tell backs" here.
 

Re: Telbax and Sunzup
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2021, 12:00:56 PM »
 

NCC1888

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Thanks for the pictures. I was able to get photos of the other deck, Sunzup, from a collection in Las Vegas. I am working on stories of cards from Indiana (where I live) and am trying to collect those decks too. If you ever want to sell it please keep me in mind. I should have a story about John W Culp and his inventions and decks sometime this summer on my website Forgotten People of Playing Cards    https://fpopc.weebly.com/