What a fabulous coversation topic, who doesn't have a horror story?

Many years ago Tom and I were asked to lend a few decks to a group who were producing a film on playing cards. They wanted to photo them at their studio. Being protective of our collection we said a firm no. However with some persuasion we reluctantly agreed but only if they came to our house.

Long story but on the last day they reneged because some of their equipment couldn't be moved.

They begged and we allowed them to take the decks.

When they returned them, a card was missing!
 
An argument followed but they did cover the cost of the cards but those who collect know its not the money but the joy of owning a complete, mint and a very old deck..

A few months later we were contacted by the new head of the studio. She apologised for the mishap and told me that the person who we had dealt with had been fired for incompetence!

Duh!

So am I my sweet man!!!

I love the "Bikes".   Maybe that is why I was not surprised to see that this nice Bicycle deck went for big bucks -  I actually thought it would go higher.  Why?  Because there are many Bike collectors and the early Bicycle decks have always commanded a BIG price - some bigger than others. The factors which dictate the greatest prices are; 1. The decks with the four earliest jokers - the “low wheeler” and the colored joker being the rarest, especially the latter (see all below).  2. The green and brown backs as well as two-colored backs as there were not many published. 3. Gold edges are very rare.  4. There are a few with rarer backs, especially “Oak Leaf”, published about 1885 with only about 4 examples known.  Of course. mint and completeness, including the joker and box are necessary to command a top price.  Lastly are the very, very rare four WW1 decks, published in November 1918.  These are definitely among the most valuable standard American playing card decks.

We collectors are nuts!
 

Welcome to the ranks "Bp69", you are so well respected on discourse and will be a great addition to the rest of the moderators without whom this website would not function the way it does. Thank you so much!

Nice find and one of my favorite pieces of playing card ephemera - full of good info on USPC'S/Russell/Morgan earliest issues. Now your challenge will be to find the other 4!!

In reference to the early Spade Aces, many of them are beautifully engraved and collectible,  I have always had a passion for them as well as the fantastic early Jokers and have collected them both for years. Those that advertise a product are delightful and there are great narrow ads as well as the wides to look for.  I rarely see much for sale but if I do and we don't have them I'm there.

Thanks Lief

I see that I must study our cards a little more closely, I never noticed that this brave Queen of Hearts is sporting a scabbard!  I bet your deduction is correct, otherwise why.....

I am delighted to see this topic being explored as I am a fan of the early wide Congress decks of which there are over 250 designs. For years, as collectors, we ignored these cards while seeking out other fields but suddenly they swam into our view and from then on they became collectible.  They were not popular then and we could buy them starting as low as $5 in good shape. However everything changes and so have their prices.  Recently the two decks below were sold. The first, near mint, for over $300 and second, mint in the wrapper, for $85.

Why this difference?

In this case it’s the category.  Any early Congress deck which features women is highly desirable.  Dogs and Native American subjects run a close second. Also condition and completeness are definitely a big factor in collecting these cards. In our years of collecting they have increased many times in value.

I think the later cards from the 40’s on have been overlooked. They are beautiful and quality decks and have a huge range of designs.
Kudos to Josh, for seeking them out - clearly they can only go up in value!

 I have been wanting to discuss the court cards in a deck in relation to what are commonly known as standard designs. The following deck was published c1860 by Dondorf, undoubtedly one of the finest German playing card manufacturers ever. Here we see these beautiful, colorful courts which are clearly recognizable as Kings Queens and Jacks and can see that they are based on the oldest standard playing card patterns. The Kings and Queens are three-quarter length and the Jacks, full-length with legs. Single-ended courts such as these were common until the mid-19th century, when they were slowly replaced by double-ended courts, making them much easier to see when playing card games.  Several manufacturers at this time were experimenting with decorative versions of the standard International pattern but this is probably the most outstanding example of this type.
Check out the following fabulous website for more information on this fantastic company as well as other great examples of early playing cards and manufacturers.
http://www.wopc.co.uk/germany/dondorf/. 

One of my favorite backs as well

This thread is such fun and particular thanks to Princess Trouble for showing me so many interesting and unusual decks.  This is definitely an education for me and it is quite fantastic how many creative people there are designing these wonderful cards - so much talent!

Maybe this should be a contest for a CTD write up!

I also like the others you posted but the first is the winner to date.

We do have WI - very unique packaging. Still the courts are not as clever as I would like. The following is a little more like what I am thinking of. 

http://www.graphic-exchange.com/images/02identity/jaqk2/JAQK_PLAYINGCARDS_CARDS.jpg

Very nice but too much going on - love a pure white background.  Keep posting!