Being a relatively new Deck collector, at the moment I'm subscribing to the 2 deck theory...one to open and one to save. I entirely agree that the beauty and fun of decks is to open them, feel them in your hand. I've realized this even more as I make my way through threads and reviews, when I see you guys take these fantastic back designs and fan them out it just shows how well thought out some of these decks are.

As for investment...I think Froggo said it best, there are better more stable things to invest in. That being said, Don's Superman analogy is spot on...you just never know. Over the last week my want list has grown, but has also had deletions to it because I'm realizing what is a true custom deck and what is a more mass-market, readily available deck.

The biggest plus for me right now, this may change as time goes by, is that I'm finding most decks relatively affordable, making the 2 pack system an easier sell. But there are those decks that I've heard mentioned that are already in that "High Demand" category that IF I end up having the opportunity to own, will probably stay sealed until a second deck can be had. I still think the best advice is to get what appeals to you and not just what everyone else is buying, it may very well be one and the same, just don't base your choice on that alone.

In the end, as it's been said over and over, it's really up to you and what your intention and reasons for collecting boil down to. Collector, Cardist, Magician, etc... each offers a new wrinkle into that choice.

Ahhh, if we all had money to burn 

Just an update, changed the card layout a bit and if you click on one of the 1st 3 decks you will get a details page. Currently with a stock photo, I'm thinking of taking my own photos of the decks laid out and maybe some scans of key cards.

Thanks again for your input and comments.

T

I see what your saying Don...I'll crack open a deck and see what i can come up with. That being said, what would be the most important things to show in a pic of an open deck? I would assume anything that makes a deck unique? I saw what you meant on the wiki site, just wondering what "keys" of a deck to show.

Thanks for the input

Dude, I love that black hole zippo lighter you got on your site. It's crazy 

That,s so funny, that was my very 1st Zippo, got it from a friend because he thought i would like the design....the rest, as they say, is history, lol

Thanks for poking around!

So I've been a Zippo collector for some time, I have a site dedicated to that collection and just recently updated it to be able to add the Decks I pick up. I'm debating on how to present the decks, so I was wondering if I could get some opinions from Discourse members.

If you could visit http://www.sparkzcollector.com and hover over the "Playing Card" nav button you'll see "Bicycle", please click to enter the page. It is currently password protected (Password: DECK )

On the page there are 3 samplings of what I've come up with so far for displaying the decks on the site. If I could get some feedback it would be great, if you have a suggestion, that's cool, if you hate them all and the site....no worries, lol

Thanks in advance,
Tony

Well I really do appreciate the information, I know having noobs around is sometimes a pain and a chore and I'm sure it gets tiresome when the same questions are asked over and over again, so I have made the search function my new best friend and only ask if I run out of resources.

For me though it's still a learning thing, I always like to learn as much as I can about what I collect, or else it just "Buying" not really collecting, lol

Thanks again, everyone has been great!

Thanks John, I was planning on buying decks in sets...one to open one to save, can't get away from the collectors brainwashing MIB!! I would have to agree though, it would kill me not to open decks and appreciate them. Much like Zippo's, there is something about holding a deck of cards in your hands and in the short time I've been here the Cardestry I've been watching is just amazing! I may have to find some tutorials see if I can teach this old dog some new tricks, lol

Thanks again, T

Great suggestions and recommendations in this thread, I am glad I did get some of my noob collecting mistakes out of the way with my other collection. I would like to add a question, while 1st and foremost I've always been a collector who buys what appeals to ME, playing cards, in what I've read fall into a "quality" issue. While I'm basing my choices mostly on visual appeal at this point, I would like to purchase decks of quality. Is there some rule of thumb concerning the actual card stock and process itself? Or am I better off seeing for myself and just sticking to reputable sources?

I was reading something about Bicycle "Standard" packs as opposed to Rider Backs, this is all new to me so I was trying to make some sense of what made one inferior besides the comments "There crap", lol

Thanks in advance!

Adding one more to the 41-50 bracket...48 in November. One of my favorite quotes is "Growing old is madatory, growing up is optional" has served me well all these years!