Rare Vintage Finishes No Longer Used On Current Branded Decks

[jmrock]

Posting pics of three exceedingly rare decks with unique finishes…
Red Bicycle Racer Backs c.1940-1955 - Ivory Finish
Blue Bicycle Race Backs c.1940-1955 - High Finish
Red Bee No.92 Back No.67 c.1940-1955 - Smooth Finish

[agera94]

Do you know how the older rider backs handle when compared with the current ones? I'm rather interested in knowing

[Nurul]

What is high finish close too or similar too? I've seen them on aristocrat banknotes too.

[Don Boyer]

Do you know how the older rider backs handle when compared with the current ones? I'm rather interested in knowing

I'd wager that finish technology in terms of technique for application reached it's peak in the 1960s or '70s.  It wasn't long after that traditional methods gave way to the modern steel rollers.  But as far as the chemical compositions, I'd say that today's finishes (meaning the coatings, not the textures, though technically the texture is what's meant by finish) are the superior ones.  Chemical science has come a long way in 125+ years.

[jmrock]

Unfortunately I didn't open them, as they are sealed… However, I can't imagine that the Ivory Finish is that different from the current Bees that come in either Ivory or Cambric… I've also had Smooth Finish decks as well, which are just that, sort of a flat smooth feel… As for the High Finish, perhaps one of the masters could help with explaining what it actually is and how it handles… Tom? Lee? Bill?

[Don Boyer]

Unfortunately I didn't open them, as they are sealed… However, I can't imagine that the Ivory Finish is that different from the current Bees that come in either Ivory or Cambric… I've also had Smooth Finish decks as well, which are just that, sort of a flat smooth feel… As for the High Finish, perhaps one of the masters could help with explaining what it actually is and how it handles… Tom? Lee? Bill?

Smooth finish is still found today.  Bicycle Lo-Vision decks, Aviators and Streamlines are smooth finish.  It's just unembossed paper with the same coating.

Ivory and Cambric of old were certainly different in the beginning from USPC decks, because the manufacturer wasn't USPC, it was New York Consolidated.  The odds they shared the same chemical for the lamination of the card are rather slim.