I did miss that when Badpete brought it to my attention last night. It's an odd way to sell a pack of cards, that's for certain, and despite the bridge deck being sealed, I don't think it was worth the negotiated price. They're two mismatched items.
I did note on those pages you linked to Badpete, that Standard Playing Card Co. did make a version of Aviators with a Lindbergh joker. I also noticed last night that the original seller of this tuck box sold it with a "K" deck. "K" on this deck could only mean 1928, but the tax stamp in question was from 1929. As we discussed it, we figured that yes, the deck probably was printed in '28, but wasn't sent out for sale until '29, hence the newer model tax stamp. We see this a lot from USPC - often their decks made towards the end of the year will still be selling as new merchandise into the following year's spring, and you won't see a deck from that year until perhaps late February or March, once the printing and distribution is finished.
And before anyone asks, yes, Aviators used to be made in a bridge size. I own some late-model Aviator bridge decks I got from a seller in Canada - the labeling on the deck is English and French. Also, bear in mind that it wasn't long after the Aviators were released that it suddenly became the company's generic deck, sold under other brands like Caravan, Torpedo and I think also Mohawk. I don't think it would be all that far-fetched for USPC to have made a bridge set of these, made under whatever off-label brand they choose.
While I consider the odds slim, I'd want to see the back pattern on those cards before I'd consider sealing the deal - and I'd negotiate harder for a lower price.
On the plus side, Badpete, at least you know the seller isn't a total scam artist, as we had thought last night!
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