To brick or not to brick?

[Anthony]

I'm nowhere near the point in collecting yet to consider buying a brick of anything. But I was just wondering the reasons some of you buy bricks? I would assume if your a professional, it's to have fresh cards, do some of you pick up bricks as investments to flip later? Or do you just have way to much money on your hands

[10ofclubs]

I am by no means a professional, but I do perform magic a lot at school and parties. And your deck is practically ruined if you put it into a teenager's hands (for audience participation) so I try and stock up to save money.

[Nurul]

I use to buy bricks of normal bikes before. On the rare occasion I'll buy a brick of other decks (dealers for example)
I bought bricks because, like 10ofclubs, I perform to people and tend to do quite a few signed, TnR and gimmicked effects (which are mainly done in rider back) then I started purchasing  one way decks for these effects
Anyway, although you're not considering buying a brick of the same deck, mixed bricks are available too. For example, the D&D variety boxes. Although they're sold out on the website, they're still available through eBay

[Fred]

Simply put, if you're not rich with infinite moolah and/or do not perform, do NOT buy bricks.

It gets a lot more complicated than that though. I always have a tendency to want to hoard decks that i absolutely LOVE. It's human nature, really. I always reason with myself with shit like "Oh i can just resell them later at a high price" or.. "I can use them for trades" or "Higher quantity= lower price per deck". However, i've come to find that if i do end up getting a higher quantity of a deck, i hesitate to resell because i want to wait for a higher market price.. or in some cases i actually find it hard and troublesome to resell! I have never been marginally 'extra happy' buying greater quantities than 2 (1 to open 1 to add to collection).

Keep in mind though, if you're intending to buy bricks of decks for the purpose of monetary gain.. you have to consider a LOT of factors such as how well the decks will hold their value.. how demanded they are.. how much time are you willing to sacrifice conducting the sales/going to the post.. It's not as simple as "OH LUK DIS DECK RARE 2,5O0 PWINTED I MU$T BYE 10 BRIKZ!" If you're smart AND LUCKY you can get pretty good at determining the right decks to resell.. e.g. Uusi decks, Federal 52s, Oracle etc. I had a discussion last night actually with a mate about how even though the Misc co and goods deck by Pedale was on the same forefront in funding as compared to something like Federal 52, the retained value of the deck post KS is greatly different. We talked about the targeted audience.. design aspects and why the market price post KS was so different.. but i wont bore you with the analysis =p But then again, investing money in Kickstarter projects with a turnover period of roughly 4months isnt exactly the smartest thing to do... so ultimately, my standing on this topic, and advice to you, is still what i said in the opening sentence. Your money can be used and invested in MUCH better things that yield higher profit levels with faster turnover periods and greater consistency. You wouldnt choose $10 profit in 3months over $5 profit in a week.. right?

Look at this picture attached below posted on Facebook from a random customer. He mentions that he doesnt perform and only opens a single deck of every kind. In the comments, he also states that he has accumulated 100 decks by Daniel Madison, 58 Legend decks, 30 Chinatowns and recently the October decks for the sole reason that "i just get bunch becuse im in uk and for the price of shipping its better to make each order worth while haha". What do i think of this? Absolutely stupid. Stupid. Very utterly fooocking stooobid. Something to think about (:

[Paul Carpenter]

haha Fred, I know who that random customer is. He sure likes to buy stuff.

[Don Boyer]

I'm no where near the point in collecting yet to consider buying a brick of anything. But I was just wondering the reasons some of you buy bricks? I would assume if your a professional, it's to have fresh cards, do some of you pick up bricks as investments to flip later? Or do you just have way to much money on your hands

There's just a handful of decks I'd even consider getting in brick-sized amounts.  Mostly, they're decks that I will use as a magician.  The reason I would use a specific design over another is either a) they're cheap (Bicycle Rider Backs, Tally Ho), b) they're sort of cheap but really cool (Monarchs, Guardians) or c) they're decks I have gaffs for - either gaff cards or fully-gaffed decks (Arcane, Split Spades Lions).  Oh, and I'll buy SUPER-cheap decks (dollar store crap) for tricks that require destroying cards.

Beyond that, most people would buy in bulk with the intent of reselling for a profit down the road.  This doesn't always work out, however - I'm still sitting on the remains of a gross of Bicycle Americanas I bought with a partner as an investment...  But buy the right deck and sell at the right time, and you can make a pretty penny.  Some will also buy a rare deck in bulk for trading fodder down the line - we can't buy every rare deck, but we can trade for many of them!  It can at times be a much better value.

There's a rare few who are hardcore collectors - borderline obssessed, if you ask me.  They'll buy in bulk simply because they want it and they can (and sometimes, even when they can't).  I may never fully understand that personality type.  It's like the people who buy decks not because of the cool cards or even because of the box art, but simply to have a collection and be able to say their collection is complete.  It's just not my style.

[Nurul]

He mentions that he doesnt perform and only opens a single deck of every kind. In the comments, he also states that he has accumulated 100 decks by Daniel Madison, 58 Legend decks, 30 Chinatowns and recently the October decks for the sole reason that "i just get bunch becuse im in uk and for the price of shipping its better to make each order worth while haha".

What is this guy on about?! Shipping prices are a bitch, especially from companies like D&D and Ellusionist. I don't think he's factored in custom charges lol

[Don Boyer]

He mentions that he doesnt perform and only opens a single deck of every kind. In the comments, he also states that he has accumulated 100 decks by Daniel Madison, 58 Legend decks, 30 Chinatowns and recently the October decks for the sole reason that "i just get bunch becuse im in uk and for the price of shipping its better to make each order worth while haha".

What is this guy on about?! Shipping prices are a bitch, especially from companies like D&D and Ellusionist. I don't think he's factored in custom charges lol

I think the bigger question is "Who the hell would want so many copies of such a mediocre deck?"  Some people buy bricks of cars for similar reasons to why men in mid-life crises buy sports cars...bragging rights and the need to compensate for something lacking in their lives...

[Anthony]

I think the bigger question is "Who the hell would want so many copies of such a mediocre deck?

My thoughts exactly Don, even with my "Limited" knowledge, that wouldn't even be on the radar of decks to consider a brick of.

I hadn't even considered the destructon of decks/cards for some tricks....missed that scenario.

I think I'm kind of in Fred's camp.....I hate parting with my stuff, I'm the same way with Zippos. I will occasionaly sell or trade, but usually because I know I can replace said item relatively easily. I think if it was something really earth shattering and the price was right, I would go the 3 decks of something. I'm not seeing bricks in my near future.
 

[John B.]

I find that if I buy a deck with the intent of selling it or trading it, it sits forever. I still have a black crown and fantastique deck I want to unload. The only time I bought a brick, I pledge for it via kickstarter and still have not received my decks. pisses me off.

[BiggerDee]

This is a very good question,a dn I had never really thought it through before now. I have several thousand decks, a handful of bricks purchased that way, and another handful of decks in brick quantity, where I have bought enough individual decks to have a brick, but didn't buy it that way initially. I'm not a magician, although I purchase a lot of magic tricks to satify my curiosity about how they are done. The deceptive and creative skill showcased in some of these sleights and gimmicks absolutely fascinates me. I'm not a card flourisher (although I'd love to be!), so I'm basically a plain old collector. Thinking it through, I would have to reluctantly admit that, as far as cards go, I'm probably more a hoarder than a pure collector. I open a few decks, especially more common prints, and play with them, but never open my rare ones, and I keep them in crush-resistant plastic boxes, in airtight plastic storage. I do view them often, and show them off to others on occasion, all the while playing up the efforts of the designers, and outlining the complex process (from  my point of view) of idea to art to production to my hands. Although I know that they are art, I don't really think of them that way, but I think that ties in to the brick mentality, to a point. I buy the cards that I really like, regardless of popularity or rarity, never thinking about resale value, if any. There are a few designs that I really, really like, and I buy extras (or a brick) of them simply because I know that I will use them for the rest of my life and while they may be available on eBay in 10 years, they would most likely be cost prohibitive, when considered as a per-item pricing structure. Yes, I'm tying my money up now, but I'm fine with that. On occasion, I get cards that become successful (read: expensive to replace), like Fed52, and I keep them sealed, no matter how much I'd like to open them, just in case. All of this long-winded diatribe to state that I believe that it's simply a matter of the natural desire to hoard what's important to you, whether it be food, art, guns, cards, Beanie Babies, ceramic figurines, et cetera. This is purely from the "Not buying a brick because I will go through them performing regularly" perspective. Just my two cents...actual value varies!

[Don Boyer]

I think the bigger question is "Who the hell would want so many copies of such a mediocre deck?

My thoughts exactly Don, even with my "Limited" knowledge, that wouldn't even be on the radar of decks to consider a brick of.

I hadn't even considered the destructon of decks/cards for some tricks....missed that scenario.

I think I'm kind of in Fred's camp.....I hate parting with my stuff, I'm the same way with Zippos. I will occasionaly sell or trade, but usually because I know I can replace said item relatively easily. I think if it was something really earth shattering and the price was right, I would go the 3 decks of something. I'm not seeing bricks in my near future.

When the Red Artifice deck was first released, I managed to purchase a brick of them before they sold out.  I knew I'd never need a brick, but I bought it anyway.  Turned out to be very good trading fodder to get other decks that I wanted.  So yeah, the right brick can help you.  But I also bought a brick of Fulton's Clip Joint.  Those weren't quite so much of a boon...  So you would need to "brick up" on the right deck.  Like right now, I'm sure many people bricked up on the Fed52 decks knowing full well they'd be posting some for sale on eBay or using them to trade for more decks they wanted.  I don't see that happening, for instance, with something like the Animal Kingdom deck or Fulton's October...  Fulton's October may be limited and rare, but so are many if not most of the other D&D decks.  Not all of them are "S&M v1" in terms of appreciated value.

This is a very good question,a dn I had never really thought it through before now. I have several thousand decks, a handful of bricks purchased that way, and another handful of decks in brick quantity, where I have bought enough individual decks to have a brick, but didn't buy it that way initially. I'm not a magician, although I purchase a lot of magic tricks to satify my curiosity about how they are done. The deceptive and creative skill showcased in some of these sleights and gimmicks absolutely fascinates me. I'm not a card flourisher (although I'd love to be!), so I'm basically a plain old collector. Thinking it through, I would have to reluctantly admit that, as far as cards go, I'm probably more a hoarder than a pure collector. I open a few decks, especially more common prints, and play with them, but never open my rare ones, and I keep them in crush-resistant plastic boxes, in airtight plastic storage. I do view them often, and show them off to others on occasion, all the while playing up the efforts of the designers, and outlining the complex process (from  my point of view) of idea to art to production to my hands. Although I know that they are art, I don't really think of them that way, but I think that ties in to the brick mentality, to a point. I buy the cards that I really like, regardless of popularity or rarity, never thinking about resale value, if any. There are a few designs that I really, really like, and I buy extras (or a brick) of them simply because I know that I will use them for the rest of my life and while they may be available on eBay in 10 years, they would most likely be cost prohibitive, when considered as a per-item pricing structure. Yes, I'm tying my money up now, but I'm fine with that. On occasion, I get cards that become successful (read: expensive to replace), like Fed52, and I keep them sealed, no matter how much I'd like to open them, just in case. All of this long-winded diatribe to state that I believe that it's simply a matter of the natural desire to hoard what's important to you, whether it be food, art, guns, cards, Beanie Babies, ceramic figurines, et cetera. This is purely from the "Not buying a brick because I will go through them performing regularly" perspective. Just my two cents...actual value varies!

To me, it's a shame that you don't open some of those rarer decks in order to enjoy them.  I own about 1,700 or so decks, but about 600-700 of them are opened, even most of the rarest ones, and the vast majority of those are "unique" in that I only have one opened pack of it.  The few I have more than one opened deck of are used in magic routines.  To me, not taking them out of the box is like buying a rare objet d'art and enjoying its beauty from inside the still sealed crate... 

But at least you're buying only those decks you really like.  So many people buy decks they couldn't give a flying fig about, solely because they know someone else will pay more for them at some future date - it kills the joy of the hobby for the real enthusiasts.  I will say, however, that the hoarding mentality will end up getting the better of you, if it hasn't already.  I mean, I started examining my collection after about 1,500 decks, wondering "How much is enough?"  I don't think I'd be able to go through all of the decks I own and wear them out before I die, assuming I live at least an average lifespan.  It's part of why I'm not buying any new decks right now.  Do I miss the new designs?  Well, some of them.  Will I live without them?  Undoubtedly.

[MrMollusk]

I've never even considered buying a brick.

2 Decks? Yes.

3 Decks? Maybe.

4 Decks? Eeeeh...

5 Decks?



Honestly, if you're not going to use the cards, don't buy a brick for "the collection". I have maybe 10 sealed duplicates, and I have over 160 decks. I just see no point in keeping the beautiful things locked up.

[Anthony]

2 Decks? Yes.

3 Decks? Maybe.

Ya, I think I'm right there with ya MrMollusk

[Jamm Pakd Cards]

I haven't purchased a brick yet! But not to say that I wouldn't.   I usually cap at about 4 maybe 5.  I like to have two for my collection and I play poker at least once a week so when many people handle the cards they get bent or beverages get spilled on the decks. So I like to have a few back ups.  Shout as I am trying to learn some new card tricks and flourishing tricks I might need more.   

 I really like when cards have the same design but different colors because at the home games we will have two decks going.  One being shuffled and one being delt, that way we get more hands per hour. So I have purchased 4 decks per color before. 

[Robert Adams]

I have to speak up for the brick. Well at least for the well designed brick box.

I have a few DnD bricks that look great amongst my collection. I bought them because they looked pretty, just the same as I would a deck of cards that I wasn't intending on using.

It may not be a great investment and people shouldn't spend more than they can afford but surely every collector would like to have a few nice brick boxes as well as uncut sheets, original artwork etc.

Before I am accused of being one of the 'borderline obsessed' collectors, I do stick to a budget and sometimes a brick of a deck I love wins out over a dozen individual decks that I like. I think a nice brick box full of cards is a nice object.

As my collecting matures, I'm leaning towards displaying a handful of beautiful cards, bricks and uncut sheets rather that filling a room with hundreds of clashing designs of individual decks. If you love the design of your cards surely you want to display them like they are an artifact in a museum or a painting in an exhibition rather than a poster in a warehouse full of posters!

So I say buy a brick if it looks great and will make you happy every time you see it and don't worry about missing out on a few other designs.

[Anthony]

Actually Robert, you brought up something I hadn't really thought about...what the brick may or may not look like. I never really considered that a brick was anything more then just a box for 12 decks.

[RandyButterfield]

Besides the custom Brick Boxes, what about the custom 6PK Boxes as well? I love creating custom Boxes to go with any of my Decks and enjoy seeing others do the same.

Thanks, Randy

[Don Boyer]

Actually Robert, you brought up something I hadn't really thought about...what the brick may or may not look like. I never really considered that a brick was anything more then just a box for 12 decks.

The majority of the decks you're going to run into have plain-jane white brick boxes.  A few custom deck designers go through the trouble of having special custom-designed brick boxes made to match the decks inside of them.  It generally costs extra for the designer and thus costs extra for the consumer, unless it's a bigger company doing the selling, like Dan and Dave - they frequently get custom brick boxes for their decks and don't charge a premium for them.  The custom brick box is a good enticement for collectors to take the plunge and buy that brick.

Besides the custom Brick Boxes, what about the custom 6PK Boxes as well? I love creating custom Boxes to go with any of my Decks and enjoy seeing others do the same.

Thanks, Randy

Well, Randy, you are thus far the first of only two people to create a custom "half-brick" box.  The other was the Blue Crown, and only for their Summer Club kit, limited to 144 memberships.  It has the appeal of being a nice-looking custom package that costs about half what you'd shell out for a brick.

You're also the first and only person I've heard of who offered brick boxes that have a "pop-up" design - they can be constructed and folded flat for shipping, then unfolded to the original shape for loading decks into it, no dismantling of any kind required.  It's ingenious for people who want to collect the brick boxes but don't have a lot of space to store them after using up some of those dozen decks - or, as you smartly did, make them available for sale separately from a dozen decks of cards

But that's sort of a tangent to the core of the discussion, which is the motivation for buying a dozen (or more) decks of cards, regardless of how cool the packaging is.  Getting a custom brick box can be a motivator, but it's certainly not as big a motivator as, say, getting a rare exclusive deck for buying twelve decks of something else.

[Jamm Pakd Cards]

Actually Robert, you brought up something I hadn't really thought about...what the brick may or may not look like. I never really considered that a brick was anything more then just a box for 12 decks.

The majority of the decks you're going to run into have plain-jane white brick boxes.  A few custom deck designers go through the trouble of having special custom-designed brick boxes made to match the decks inside of them.  It generally costs extra for the designer and thus costs extra for the consumer, unless it's a bigger company doing the selling, like Dan and Dave - they frequently get custom brick boxes for their decks and don't charge a premium for them.  The custom brick box is a good enticement for collectors to take the plunge and buy that brick.

Besides the custom Brick Boxes, what about the custom 6PK Boxes as well? I love creating custom Boxes to go with any of my Decks and enjoy seeing others do the same.

Thanks, Randy

Well, Randy, you are thus far the first of only two people to create a custom "half-brick" box.  The other was the Blue Crown, and only for their Summer Club kit, limited to 144 memberships.  It has the appeal of being a nice-looking custom package that costs about half what you'd shell out for a brick.

You're also the first and only person I've heard of who offered brick boxes that have a "pop-up" design - they can be constructed and folded flat for shipping, then unfolded to the original shape for loading decks into it, no dismantling of any kind required.  It's ingenious for people who want to collect the brick boxes but don't have a lot of space to store them after using up some of those dozen decks - or, as you smartly did, make them available for sale separately from a dozen decks of cards

But that's sort of a tangent to the core of the discussion, which is the motivation for buying a dozen (or more) decks of cards, regardless of how cool the packaging is.  Getting a custom brick box can be a motivator, but it's certainly not as big a motivator as, say, getting a rare exclusive deck for buying twelve decks of something else.

Don, You did remind me of Randy's brick boxes.  Those were really cool. The Ornate Deck is still one of my favorites and the brick boxes Randy made were awesome. That was probably one of the times I was tempted to buy a brick but honestly didn't have the money at the time so I picked up just the decks.

[RandyButterfield]

Well, Randy, you are thus far the first of only two people to create a custom "half-brick" box.  The other was the Blue Crown, and only for their Summer Club kit, limited to 144 memberships.  It has the appeal of being a nice-looking custom package that costs about half what you'd shell out for a brick.

You're also the first and only person I've heard of who offered brick boxes that have a "pop-up" design - they can be constructed and folded flat for shipping, then unfolded to the original shape for loading decks into it, no dismantling of any kind required.  It's ingenious for people who want to collect the brick boxes but don't have a lot of space to store them after using up some of those dozen decks - or, as you smartly did, make them available for sale separately from a dozen decks of cards

But that's sort of a tangent to the core of the discussion, which is the motivation for buying a dozen (or more) decks of cards, regardless of how cool the packaging is.  Getting a custom brick box can be a motivator, but it's certainly not as big a motivator as, say, getting a rare exclusive deck for buying twelve decks of something else.

Actually, I put the designs together for the TBC Summer 6PK Box, a TBC Magic Live! 6PK Box and the NOC Brick Boxes when those 4 items went to print on a combo run. Alex did a quick mockup of how he wanted the Summber 6PK Box to look, I just had to build a clean version in hi res and spice it up a little. The Magic Live! 6PK Box was a mix of the TBC Blue Luxury Brick Box and the TBC 2012 Holiday graphics. It turned out nice!

Personally, I would much rather purchase 6 or 12 Decks to get a custom 6PK or Brick Box any day over getting a special variation of a Deck. Part of that is because I never sell or trade any Decks and open them up, so I could care less about the value of them. I care more about having a cool box, or other packaging item, to display them in.

For example, I would much rather purchase the Monarch Giant Tuck Box to get the cool box over buying 12 Brown Rounders to get 1 Blue Rounder - which is exactly what I did.

thanks, Randy

[BiggerDee]

Radny's brick boxes are very well designed, adn it's obvious that he goes to great lengths to give the person that buys the brick that something extra. I bought quite a few of the brick boxes alone when he had his store open. A cool design is great eye candy, even if it's just used to store normal Bikes!