The Whole Story of Walgreens STUD

[touya]

I have finished most of the detailed research on STUD Playing Cards, which was not clear until now, so I am publishing it here.

I may not be able to communicate well in English.
If you have any questions, please ask.
I will explain.

[touya]

Walgreens STUD newspaper ad

1932 No ads
1933 No ads
1934 No ads
1935 No ads
1936 No ads
1937  St. Louis Post-Dispatch  St. Louis, Missouri  Thursday, April 15, 1937  37￠※Many others.

[touya]

1938  Beacon Journal Akron, Ohio Thursday, January 20, 1938※Many others.
1939  Commercial Appeal Memphis, Tennessee Friday, March 3, 1939※Many others.
1940  Waxahachie Daily Light Waxahachie, Texas Wednesday, February 28, 1940※Many others.
1941  Evening World Herald Omaha, Nebraska Thursday, April 3, 1941※Many others.
1942  Democrat and Chronicle Rochester, New York Thursday, November 5, 1942※Many others.

[touya]

1943  Minneapolis Star Minneapolis, Minn.
 Thursday, May 20, 1943※Many others.42￠
1944  Lincoln Star, Lincoln, Nebraska, Thursday, January 13, 1944.    45￠
1945  Sandusky Register Sandusky, Ohio Thursday, February 1, 1945   45￠
1946  Tampa Times Tampa, Florida Thursday, October 17, 1946   45￠
1947  Tulsa Tribune Tulsa, Oklahoma                　　　　
 Thursday, January 30, 1947   47￠

[touya]

1948  Lubbock Evening Journal Lubbock, Texas Thursday, March 11, 47￠
1949  Marion Star Marion, Ohio Thursday, September 29,  47￠
1950  Memphis Press Scimitar Memphis, Tennessee Thursday, November 2,  43￠

So far, I have posted newspaper ads from 1937 to 1950.
Of course, I have researched everything up to the 2000s, but there is no end to it, so I will stop here.

I have only compiled them after a close examination of the past members of this forum who have already done so.

And with this source of advertising, I could see the whole picture of when STUD Cards was created.

Each edition will be explained below.

[touya]

1st STUD

I couldn't get the item.  So it will be information only for the illustration of the advertisement.
 The feature of 1st STUD is that the direction of the box is opposite to the modern one.
 This specification is the same as the BICYCLE brand at the time.
 Some brands ended in 1939, when World War II began.
 I assumed that the 1st STUD was also changed around 1939.
 The face design is unknown, but it is assumed to be US4.

[touya]

The images are not ready, so that's all for today.

I will post more. Good night.

[Chuqii]

Thank you for sharing.  Great research.  I did not know that Studs went back that far.

[touya]

Thank you for sharing.  Great research.  I did not know that Studs went back that far.

hi,Chuqii

It took a long time to organize the research because STUD had such a long history and was such a common deck for people.

[touya]

2nd  STUD 1940～1965  USPCC

STUD with 1pack Tax Stamp affixed.

COURTS DESIGN
1940-1960 us4? design.
1960 to present design.

1,The message on the side of the case is shorter than the modern version.
2,There are versions with and without markings on the top of the case to affix the Tax Stamp.

[touya]

Also.
As has been posted in the past on this forum, anything with a Tax Stamp on the short flap STUD is a fake.

[touya]

It appears that this old courts design was used until about 1960.

Do you know the correct name for this courts design?
I compared it to the 1960 Aristocrat, thinking it was a familiar design.
But it was a slightly different design.
I don't know, so I would appreciate it if you could tell me.

[touya]

3rd STUD  1966～1985   USPCC

General white border Vintage STUD.

Sealed pack packaging started in the 70's to early 80's.

STUDs at this time basically do not have closure seals because of this "sealed pack packaging".

My 1970s STUD also did not have a closure seal.

Since sealed packaging was also done for small items such as Chinese dice, I believe these sealed packages were done on the Walgreens side.

In this review video, you can see that the sealed-packed STUD was made in 1983 (E6217).
https://youtu.be/Q9X0iMa4w2k

I also found that the USPCC Code changed from Blue to Black in 1983, although this has nothing to do with STUD.
However, this is the case for standard decks.
There are exceptions for custom decks such as casino decks.
there are exceptions. (1987 GOLDEN NUGGET is Blue Code)

[touya]

Incidentally, the STUD images in the advertisements are often used and not very suitable for age discrimination. There is some discrepancy between the year of production and the year of distribution.

I believe a 1986 3rd STUD does exist, but production numbers may be low.
In order to separate the versions, I have set the 3rdEdition range to 1985 for now.

[touya]

4th STUD 1986-1987 ARRCO

USPCC was shut down from November 1986 to February 1987 due to a strike.
During this period, ARRCO replaced USPCC to create STUD.
ARRCO was bought out in February 1987, and we estimate that ARRCO STUD could only produce for three to six months at the most.

When ARRCO was acquired, it was explained that the Chicago factory would continue to operate for the time being, but when I checked the newspaper advertisement in 1988, the ARRCO deck was already made by USPCC. Based on that fact, I'm guessing that the ARRCO factory was abolished in 1987.

"Design Features"
ARRCO STUD could not use the USPCC design due to copyright. Therefore, the design was modified in a hurry to create the famous windmill design. If you look closely, the outer circumference of the back design is the reverse of the USPCC design.

What distinguishes the ARRCO STUD is that there is no thumb notch on the case. This is a feature of ARRCO STUD only.

(And there is another secret to the case. Only those who buy it will know.)

[touya]

5th  STUD 1987-1989  HOYLE

Hoyle STUD made after ARRCO.
HOYLE STUD was discontinued by 1989 as the 1989 USPCC STUD is found.

HOYLE STUD also could not use the ARRCO STUD design due to copyright.
Therefore, HOYLE reversed the back design of ARRCO STUD and produced it.
The face design is HOYLE.

HOYLE STUD's  closure seal was written "STUD" on white paper in the early days, and the blue paper HOYLE sticker was used in the later period.

The embossing on the cards is characteristic of each manufacturer and can be clearly seen.

[touya]

ARRCO STUD and HOYLE STUD use the exact same UPC CODE. This implies that they are the same product, and we assume that the change in manufacturer was quite abrupt due to the acquisition of ARRCO.

Also.
Only the first edition of the sealed packs are marked "U.S. Playing Cards Co.
The second and later editions of the sealed packs do not have the manufacturer's name on them.

Instead, a UPC CODE has been added to the back of the packs to identify them by UPC CODE.

[touya]

6th  STUD  1989-1991  USPCC
The last white border STUD.

From the 6th STUD, the USPCC will once again manufacture the product.
The major feature of the 6th STUD is the change in the manufacturing method of the deck and Tuck Case.
"tuck case"
1,Semi-short flap and
2,Short flap.

"Card Finish Roller"
1,Cotton roller until 1991
2,Steal Roller from 1992


The USPCC deck at this time was a transition period from the old vertical Tuck Case to the new horizontal Tuck Case.
These can be distinguished from the appearance.

USPCC case flap type

1,Long flap before 1990,
2, Semi-short flap as a prototype only around 1990,
3,Short flap since 1991 to the present,

There are 3 types of (see image)

For the 6th STUD, the face design is now the ARRCO design.
This is because the USPCC has obtained the copyright to the ARRCO design and is now free to use it.

A semi-short flap has no "claw" to hold the lid in place. In other words, when the lid is closed, it looks like a long flap, but when the lid is opened, it turns out to be a short flap.

Around 1990, the USPCC was undergoing a period of major change, and many decks, regardless of STUDs, had irregularities.
I think the existence of this 6th Edition is a factor that complicates the understanding of STUD variations.

[touya]

However, many of the decks produced during this period are masterpieces, combining the best of vintage and modern quality, and have many fans among magicians and cardists alike.
BICYCLE New Fan Back, Bee Centennial Edition, Blue Ribbon, Skoal Bandit, 6th STUD, etc. are some examples.
 

Below is a comparison image of the 6th STUD short flap version.

[touya]

By checking the bottom of the Tuck Case, you can distinguish it from other generations of STUD.

Notice that the boxes are folded differently.

[touya]

Ad of the time

[touya]

7th  STUD  1992- 2006 USPCC
The case design now has no white border.

This is the most major and most widely distributed of the Vintage STUDs.

Since they were produced for more than 10 years, there are differences in the quality of the decks.
There are no special characteristics to mention, but the quality differences can be roughly divided into the early, middle, and late periods.
All decks are of high quality and easy to handle.

STUDs from this era became famous for their thin cards.
Overall, all USPCC Deck cards from this era were made thinner.

Many variations appeared in the packaging at this time.

Notes.
Used STUDs were widely used by the American public, so they are often replaced with Tuck Cases or replenished with cards from a different era.
Note that from the late 6th STUD, the same steal roller finish as the 7th STUD is used.

[touya]

8th STUD 2006 - KY USPCC

The final STUD.
There are two types made in OHIO and KY.
It was discontinued once, but was reissued around 2011 by the KY factory.

It was also produced at the KY plant in 2017.

Nothing of note.
The Tuck Case design of the OHIO version and the reissued version has been slightly changed.

In recent years, the OHIO 8th STUD seems to be getting a second look.

[touya]

These are the contents of "The Whole Story of STUD".

This time I am using a term I coined myself. Please let me know when there is a correct name or a better way.

If there is anything else I don't understand, I will reply.


Thank You.

[touya]

I have read through all of the advertisements since 1937 and the STUD Deck face design listed was a USPCC design.

The results of this research are statistics derived from years of market research, information from collectors, and my own personal possessions. There are no lies or exaggerations.
I am sure there are some minor errors, but I feel that the overall historical picture is correct.

From these results, I think it is safe to conclude that the popular belief that ARRCO STUD originated was wrong.


However, there is no possibility that the long history of the STUD Deck hides the time when ARRCO produced it.

Yes, just like ARRCO Jerry's Nugget.

I would like to hear your opinions.

Thank You.

[Don Boyer]

It appears that this old courts design was used until about 1960.

Do you know the correct name for this courts design?
I compared it to the 1960 Aristocrat, thinking it was a familiar design.
But it was a slightly different design.
I don't know, so I would appreciate it if you could tell me.

Those faces look to me like standard ARRCO faces, which are in use today by a few brands, though not many - Crown decks from Blue Crown would be one standout example. USPC offers ARRCO faces for less than standard USPC faces with f you want to use them for your deck design.

[nikhilp95]

Great research! Kudos! Really helpful. Recently got my hands on these studs. Based on your research, they fall between 1960-1985 period. Correct?

[touya]

Great research! Kudos! Really helpful. Recently got my hands on these studs. Based on your research, they fall between 1960-1985 period. Correct?

hi

That STUD deck is a 3rd STUD, but I presume that the zip code and the sealed package were made after the mid-1970s.

I believe your STUD deck dates from the late 1970s to about 1983.

The reason for this is the amount of STUD decks in circulation at that time.

Thank You.

[Chuqii]

I got my hands on a 1936 Stud deck, and this seems to be the place to share Stud info.  Both sides have "STUD PLAYING CARDS"

10 Cent Tax Stamp and "W" date code make these 1936.  Earliest Stud deck I've ever seen.

[Chuqii]

And here are the Spade courts, Ace and Joker.  See above post for all sides of tuck for 1936 Stud Playing Cards.

[touya]

And here are the Spade courts, Ace and Joker.  See above post for all sides of tuck for 1936 Stud Playing Cards.

hi, Chuqii.

Thanks for the great find!

Based on the embossed shape, I believe that Deck was definitely made in 1936.

I am also very happy that that STUD Deck came to you and not someone else.

[Don Boyer]

And here are the Spade courts, Ace and Joker.  See above post for all sides of tuck for 1936 Stud Playing Cards.

Hey, Chuqii, are you sure that those are from 1936?


Every source I've found listing a history of Stud Playing Cards says that Walgreens didn't start making them until 1980.


http://playingcards.wikidot.com/other-uspcc:stud
https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/playing-cards/stud-playing-cards/#:~:text=In%201980%2C%20Walgreens%20began%20producing,cards%20with%20a%20complete%20makeover.
https://www.collectorplayingcards.com/2019/10/16/stud-playing-cards/
https://blackmarketdecks.com/products/stud?variant=31561835773986

I have an idea - are there any ZIP codes printed on the tuck box?  If so, it's definitively not from that long ago, as ZIP codes weren't developed until the early 1960s and weren't in widespread use until the early 1970s.

[touya]

And here are the Spade courts, Ace and Joker.  See above post for all sides of tuck for 1936 Stud Playing Cards.

Hey, Chuqii, are you sure that those are from 1936?


Every source I've found listing a history of Stud Playing Cards says that Walgreens didn't start making them until 1980.


http://playingcards.wikidot.com/other-uspcc:stud
https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/playing-cards/stud-playing-cards/#:~:text=In%201980%2C%20Walgreens%20began%20producing,cards%20with%20a%20complete%20makeover.
https://www.collectorplayingcards.com/2019/10/16/stud-playing-cards/
https://blackmarketdecks.com/products/stud?variant=31561835773986

I have an idea - are there any ZIP codes printed on the tuck box?  If so, it's definitively not from that long ago, as ZIP codes weren't developed until the early 1960s and weren't in widespread use until the early 1970s.

hi,don


The content posted on the wiki is just a volunteer compilation of preliminary information at the time, including rumors that were circulating in the industry. Why do you continue to worship the wiki's old information so much and deny the latest research? I don't understand.

When I was looking through American newspaper advertisements, I found traces of Lee Asher. I admired his dedication to research. I would love to hear his opinion.


My guess is that the STUD deck that Chuqii posted was acquired from a famous collector, not from the general marketplace such as ebay. A 1936 STUD should be as rare as a Radium Deck.

[Don Boyer]

And here are the Spade courts, Ace and Joker.  See above post for all sides of tuck for 1936 Stud Playing Cards.

Hey, Chuqii, are you sure that those are from 1936?


Every source I've found listing a history of Stud Playing Cards says that Walgreens didn't start making them until 1980.


http://playingcards.wikidot.com/other-uspcc:stud
https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/playing-cards/stud-playing-cards/#:~:text=In%201980%2C%20Walgreens%20began%20producing,cards%20with%20a%20complete%20makeover.
https://www.collectorplayingcards.com/2019/10/16/stud-playing-cards/
https://blackmarketdecks.com/products/stud?variant=31561835773986

I have an idea - are there any ZIP codes printed on the tuck box?  If so, it's definitively not from that long ago, as ZIP codes weren't developed until the early 1960s and weren't in widespread use until the early 1970s.

hi,don


The content posted on the wiki is just a volunteer compilation of preliminary information at the time, including rumors that were circulating in the industry. Why do you continue to worship the wiki's old information so much and deny the latest research? I don't understand.

When I was looking through American newspaper advertisements, I found traces of Lee Asher. I admired his dedication to research. I would love to hear his opinion.


My guess is that the STUD deck that Chuqii posted was acquired from a famous collector, not from the general marketplace such as ebay. A 1936 STUD should be as rare as a Radium Deck.

It's not a matter of worship - it's simply that this information is in contradiction to all other information I'd obtained to this point.  That doesn't mean my sources are right - just different.

[touya]

And here are the Spade courts, Ace and Joker.  See above post for all sides of tuck for 1936 Stud Playing Cards.

Hey, Chuqii, are you sure that those are from 1936?


Every source I've found listing a history of Stud Playing Cards says that Walgreens didn't start making them until 1980.


http://playingcards.wikidot.com/other-uspcc:stud
https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/playing-cards/stud-playing-cards/#:~:text=In%201980%2C%20Walgreens%20began%20producing,cards%20with%20a%20complete%20makeover.
https://www.collectorplayingcards.com/2019/10/16/stud-playing-cards/
https://blackmarketdecks.com/products/stud?variant=31561835773986

I have an idea - are there any ZIP codes printed on the tuck box?  If so, it's definitively not from that long ago, as ZIP codes weren't developed until the early 1960s and weren't in widespread use until the early 1970s.

hi,don


The content posted on the wiki is just a volunteer compilation of preliminary information at the time, including rumors that were circulating in the industry. Why do you continue to worship the wiki's old information so much and deny the latest research? I don't understand.

When I was looking through American newspaper advertisements, I found traces of Lee Asher. I admired his dedication to research. I would love to hear his opinion.


My guess is that the STUD deck that Chuqii posted was acquired from a famous collector, not from the general marketplace such as ebay. A 1936 STUD should be as rare as a Radium Deck.

It's not a matter of worship - it's simply that this information is in contradiction to all other information I'd obtained to this point.  That doesn't mean my sources are right - just different.

I see.
If you think this doesn't fit with your past knowledge, please read this thread again to understand.

The information in this thread is the most current and accurate source of information.

The reason I researched the history of STUD was because I could not find the correct source of information anywhere. It was because there were many people in trouble because of it.

I have tried to summarize and publish the information quite carefully, but if you are not convinced, please collect STUDs from each period by yourself, verify them again, and make a decision.

[Chuqii]

Hey Don,

I think all of the newspaper advertising beginning from the 1930s conclusively establishes that Studs were a thing back in the 1930s.  Also, the 10 cent tax stamp is only from the 1930s. The large courts were only in use until 1954 at USPCC.  No zip codes on the deck as I showed all sides of the tuck.

[Don Boyer]

Hey Don,

I think all of the newspaper advertising beginning from the 1930s conclusively establishes that Studs were a thing back in the 1930s.  Also, the 10 cent tax stamp is only from the 1930s. The large courts were only in use until 1954 at USPCC.  No zip codes on the deck as I showed all sides of the tuck.

OK, I'm convinced - my old data is wrong.