I agree.  There are some who into Golden Nugget Casino decks.  It is whatever floats ones boat.  If the seller wants to sell it and the buyer agrees with the sellers price, then the transaction takes place.  Mind you, another seller may post the same exact GN deck for $5 and when no ones looking someone who wants it may buy it without a second thought believing that the first deck was overpriced, but the second posted GN deck was set at a reasonable one.  Frankly, I'm not into GN decks, was familiar with the decks in the 70s, when the casino was practically giving them away, and had no particular desire for one not knowing that some go crazy over those, among others.


What you need to do when valuating a card or deck is (a) condition (sealed, unsealed, used, excellent condition, good, fair, etc.)  (b) is the card/deck commonly on the market or not so much (e.g. can I buy it on eBay, Etsy, Amazon? 52 Plus Convention? If so, is one source more reasonable than the others?)  (d) category (is it in a popular category (e.g. steam ships, airlines, beer)  (e) If advertising, is the company out of business? (f) Is the card a joker, ace of spade, or facecard?  If so, is the joker, ace or face card very unique or unusual?

There are likely other questions to consider when placing a value on cards or decks.  The collector needs to decide what to collect, but in playing cards, its easy to get distracted.  Find a category that you like and collect it.  Don't let others dissuade you with their likes, but hearing or reading what they think may help you to better appreciate or understand, which may have an impact upon what you collect.  In the end, just have fun.  Know when to say when.

Kevin, I will have some alcohol-related decks and singles at the convention. I’m always interested in more. You’ll be able to buy, sell or trade singles and decks.

To you and our leaders about convention publicity, a few suggestions. Yes, this rambles a bit. There are some good, specific, easy-to-accomplish ideas here with local TV the week of the convention and with other local and social media before and during it.

The group had a nice response from a TV news feature reporter in Orlando a few years ago. That segment from WOFL Fox 35 may still be linked on the club website. It’s a great example.

Start with an email to specific Cleveland TV feature reporters and their show producers. Contact information should be on stations’ websites or call the switchboards and ask for their emails.

Journalists appreciate brief, specific, to-the-point emails to start. Ask if you may follow up with a phone call at a later time that’s best in the weeks or days before the convention.

WJW Fox 8, WOIO (CBS), WEWS (ABC) and WKYC (NBC) each do lengthy morning news programs and daily “lifestyle” shows eager for swift and engaging content. The more we help reporters and producers with an interesting hook, supporting visuals and lively interviews, the more likely they will want to do segments with us. Be prepared to get up early for morning news live shots (4:30-10 a.m.) or go to the studio.

In any pitch, make promises (teases in TV talk) that catch reporters’ and producers’ attention. In turn, these may show up on the air.

“That solitaire app on your phone started with these. Look at these eye-catching designs.”
“The item buried in your junk drawer that’s a work of art — and maybe worth some money.”
“54 works of art for your next card game.”

Have plenty of decks to see, perhaps cardistry moves to share and anything visual and interactive for at least six, two-minute live, remote segments or one, three-minute segment in studio.

Interactivity and one point per segment are key, plus the reporter can use the visual material for social media slideshows on the station’s website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. These segments generate page views after they air, especially as viewers seek the time, date and place for the convention. Ask that station web and social media posts link to the club website, which, in turn, should have the pertinent convention information front and center on the homepage before a segment airs. Don’t make viewers hunt for it. They also will want to know if they may bring cards to the convention for members to examine or buy — and if there’s an admission fee.

Link any current TV segments on the club site as soon as they are posted by the station. Send a link to Card Culture subscribers in a special email and post to this site soonest, too.

From last year’s convention, it was obvious our deck designer members can explain their card designs and their meanings and nuances succinctly. That makes them good interviews with a bIt of prep,

Why does that back design symbolize wood and paper? Show me and explain in a 20-second answer. What attracted a 20-something person to design and publish analog playing cards in a digital age? How has crowd-funding jumpstarted interest in cards as a collectible art form?
 
In general, show a viewer why and how our hobby goes well beyond the Bicycle Rider Back or grandma’s bridge decks. Focus on the “new and now” first, then some of the cool history or older decks.

The original and colorful art especially in the “custom” and crowd-funded decks, new mass-produced specialty decks such as Emoji, Fire, Stargazer, Craft Beer, Zombie, Tattoo and Sharks (to name a few widely available examples and not just USPC); advertising decks, pinups (Is that really Betty White on that card?); decks with Cleveland themes, unusual jokers and old/new transformations are a few more visual suggestions.

Do whatever we can to make a viewer look at the screen, say “I didn’t know that,” and “That’s really cool,” and become eager to learn more about the cards she or he probably never gave a second thought about — beyond a simple card game. Mention how easily cards of all sorts are available — and that it’s an affordable hobby.

TV is best for the week of the convention. Stations rarely want to do anything that’s too far in the future. Viewers will forget.

Pre-convention publicity is easier from other forms of media locally and otherwise.

Use these ideas and others to pitch NPR stations in Cleveland and nearby Kent, plus print media or alternative weeklies. They will appreciate visuals for digital coverage or maybe want to do videos and podcasts beyond the traditional print or radio stories,

A special, email blast to Card Culture subscribers asking them to share a convention graphic on their own social media now and in repeat blasts closer to October is another idea. Take advantage of that subscriber list! Pages 7-10 of the current Card Culture could be easily adapted.

Members on Pinterest or Facebook’s various card groups can post it there. (I posted images and convention information on Playing Card Collectors, Bicycle Collectors and Joker Collectors FB pages to start. It includes personal photos from last year in Erlanger. Hope that is okay.)

A post on Cleveland, Akron and Kent Craigslists the week of the convention can’t hurt. A calendar listing can be emailed now to the local convention and visitors bureaus, Ohio state tourism, to Antiques Weekly and similar entities. Don’t forget notifications and a convention graphic to ACBL for its website and social media. Email any Cleveland area bridge clubs. Maybe any of the poker players’ magazines would be interested in a feature or a calendar listing.

Club members will have additional suggestions to boost interest via other outlets and forms of social media.

Chris Turner
Jeffersonville, Ind, (Louisville, Ky. area)

Did you see my post.  I will have at least fifty spirits decks and maybe 100 dupes in that category, but many others.  I had an idea to encourage younger kids to visit the event on Saturday, among other days.  We could offer a packet of 25 singles to the first 25 kids who show up with a reserve of 50, among other options.  It was the young who really encouraged the growth of the hobby in the 1950s.  I'd put up 5 -7 decks to see that happen. I'll email Barb to see if any other collectors are interested in organizing the packets if this is something that might be worth pursuing to encourage them to trade what they don't like to get more from some of us.

I do know Jeffersonville.  It's the home of a well loved candy store.  I thought Huber's Starlight Distillery was in Jeffersonville, but it seems like its in Borden.  I will be bringing my beer and whisky cards for trade and sale along with others for reference.  I also collect pinups, tobacco and some other areas depending upon trade interest.  I have quite a few singles in many areas to trade.  I have a rather large pile of jokers with some decks for both trade and sale, as well.


I spoke to Barb Lunaburg, who I vaguely recall from when I was last trading in the seventies.  I have a few Convention books from the mid 1950s for the CPCC along with montly mailings from both the PCCA and the CPCC for review.  It should be interesting.  Hopefully, the Chicago people, along with some from Indiana can continue to meet, when possible, once the dust clears. 

BTW, do you have any of these Four Roses cards?

I am partial to decks, but really did little over the last four decks to expand back into the older decks until recently.  I'd like to find a means to trade, but everyone may put conflicting values on what they own.  I noticed that CPCC decided to enact a code, because some were not returning cards in kind.  There was an understanding that if you tried, then that would be appreciated.  It is often difficult to avoid dupes unless you bring the category volume with you to convention.

One other issue.  The Forum should allow members to post any photos, not just photos of a certain size.  It inhibits the forum, when you try to post, but the photo 'allegedly' takes up too much memory.  Is there any means for an upgrade?

Hi everyone! I'm Kevin and I'm from North suburban Chicago, Illinois.  I l collect singles and decks. I started collecting in the late 1960s and early '70s, but stopped trading for a while.  My mother was a member of the PCCA and a charter member of CPCC.  By the time that I renewed my interest in trading, I learned that Bernice De Sommer had passed away.   I remember her, among many others.  I found out about 52 Plus from the CPCC people, who were no longer entertaining members having decided to merge members.  I am unsure where all of those members went, if any.  I collect both singles and decks, but my emphasis has tended to be on singles.  I am currently interested in expanding the whiskey, spirits, beer, wine, pin up, narrow name, and old wides, but am open to other categories.  I have many dupes in nearly all categories, especially travel, but have a suitcase or two full of singles in the form of decks, etc. to trade.  Many of the decks date back to when I stopped trading.


If anyone is collecting singles in the above preferred categories, or has other categories of interest, let me know.  I am open to trading 25 for 25, but someone with sensitivity to what is being exchanged.  I am certainly open to trading over the long run and want to see cards exchanged.  Something, that I not seen since I renewed my interest.  I've only had one member contact me, but his interests were very limited.