Almost always you'll find these as having Air Cushion Finish, while these are Bicycle Cards with an Ivory Finish… It's funny Tom, but whenever I start explaining something to you I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop as though you're going to school me with some crazy knowledge and wisdom, reminding me of how much I have to learn… I'm not complaining, just glad you're here and I feel blessed that I am able to learn about something I love so much, from the foremost authority in the world…

A piece of USPCC Advertising History alongside (to show scale) an exceeding rare deck of Bicycle Racerbacks c.1940-1955… Would anyone like to venture a guess as to why this vintage run of the mill looking deck of Racerbacks is so exceedingly rare?

Ryan… I hear you loud and clear... I will tell you a short story… Last year I purchased a Santa Back Set of playing cards for over one hundred dollars… They were not available and this is a set that I had to have… I still love this set… Fast forward one short year later and they are popping up all over the place for $40 - $60… So I employed a method used when buying stocks called 'dollar cost averaging' and picked up a second set for forty dollars… So you could now say that I own both sets for seventy dollars… But the point I'm getting at is I literally paid almost three times more for the very same set a short while ago, but I am not  at all disturbed by this...  In fact, I am completely happy having purchased them for the hundred+, given they completed an essential part of my collection and I liked them enough that price was a secondary concern… So yes, don't overpay what current market value dictates, and as Don pointed out, this can be easily checked by looking at the sold listings on eBay… However, when dealing with unique  and vintage items, realize that this may be your one opportunity to purchase them, period... So feel free to get a little nuts, just not to the point where it takes food off your table…

Please refer to the following post to see various decks that I am selling…
http://www.ebay.com/sch/jmrockauction/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=
As always, if any decks interest you and you'd like to purchase direct, please let me know and I'll be glad to pull the listing… In addition, I am always open to reasonable negotiations…
Jonathan Rock
jrock1@optonline.net
Shipping from New York

Please see pics of USPCC Steamboat 999s in blue & green c.1940-1955…  The green is an exceedingly rare color…  Reprints by Dan & Dave can be seen at the bottom in blue & red with an embossed tuck box...

Regarding Steamboats…
From the World of Playing Cards: "Owing to the romantic appeal of gambling on the Mississippi river, from the 1870s onwards many American playing card manufacturers added “Steamboats” to their range, differentiated by a number, such as 99 or 999. There do not appear to have been any copyright restrictions or patent laws covering the use of the name “Steamboats” as various manufacturers had this brand in their range. This is not the case with other brands such as “Bicycle” or “Bee”. “Steamboats” tended to be the cheaper end of the range, often but not always produced in a rudimentary quality. The theme of steamboats navigating up and down the Mississippi also extended to the cotton plantations alongside the river and to African American people employed therein who were sometimes depicted on the special Joker card. Times have changed and these cards are now documentary evidence of a past era of history."

As 10ofClubs pointed out, Steamboats were reprinted (beautifully I might add) by D&D… The USPCC was also reprinting these decks well into the 1990s and the early 2000s… At this point in time they are no longer being reprinted…

Thought I'd post a sort of welcome advertisement that I find apropos...  It's from 1886 advertising United States Playing Cards - Russell & Morgan Printing Co…  I recently had it framed… It reads as follows, "Marble and mirrors and gilded hall; The great and fortunate gather around.  Fortunes change hands here - some appall. Some are flushed with success they found..."  The piece also features the tiger from Russell & Morgan's first deck of playing cards… I get a kick out of the text because this is how I feel while hunting for Vintage Decks… I hope you all get to experience feeling flushed with success you've found… 

Didn't see anything about these here yet and thought they were wicked… Just picked up a few decks designed by the famous designer Marc Jacobs printed by the United States Playing Card Company… Looks as if every card is unique and designed by Jacobs himself… They're going for stupid money on eBay, but you can order them right through http://www.marcjacobs.com/special-items/special-items/vndlplngdeck/vandal-playing-cards?sort= for $8… shipping's ridiculous at $10, but orders over $50 ship for free for the holidays… Picked up a few extra if anyone's interested…                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

A friend emailed me and stated that he thought the two of hearts, which states Grade No. 92 Bee, Back No. 178 may have been placed upside down in error… Any thoughts from the new owner / aficionado? Thanks… J.

A warm welcome to the Dawson family… It will be nice having you here connecting the vintage playing card world to the modern world… All the best!!! -J.Rock

It was actually the exact design as the Bicycle Leaf Back introduced in 1947… It was also the same back used in the Uncle Sam 'Tax Free' Stamp decks released during WWII…

I am fortunate enough to be the new owner of a salesman sample of early 1900 Bee Playing Card Backs.  Although this is a new acquisition, I thought it important for everyone who doesn't frequent that page to see the artistry and intricacy that went into making these backs… I've been searching years for these decks and this is the first time I have ever seen them for sale / auction… I can only imagine that the Two of Hearts was glued backwards and is an error in the sample… Enjoy and hope you get as much joy looking at them as I have…  Please see closeups of the cards in the next post due to image constraints...

I've placed many a bid on these decks… I love them… I've seen them in a Variety of colors and back designs… I will say that I haven't seen all that many Vintage USPCC transformation decks, so this deck holds a special place in my heart… I've seen them go for under $100 to over $300… I am still waiting to find a complete deck with box in great condition that will not destroy my pocket… Referring to another board, this is one of the few decks that I wouldn't mind having open to see the artistry involved… (Although I'd still take a sealed deck first)…