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Messages - Benjam

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1
Hey guys,

I used to be a regular poster here but I've been inactive for a while. Unfortunately I'm going to be selling some beloved, mint condish decks due to moving house, plus I could do with the cash. I'll be shipping from Melbourne Australia (makes international shipping a bit hard, but I'm sure we can work something out). Email me at bma.stefano@gmail.com for questions about prices, the more you buy the more willing I'll be to give you a good deal!

Prices listed are negotiable depending on how many decks you'd like to buy :)

I would prefer to ship within Australia, but contact me for international shipping quotes if you'd like them!

Shipping to Australia - hard to estimate, but somewhere around $10, possibly more, possibly less (depending on where in Aus)

Shipping to USA - $14 for air mail (no tracking - your risk)
$20 for registed post air mail (tracking)

Decks:

T11 Monarchs (1) - $7

Bicycle League Backs - Blue - OHIO MADE (4) - $6

Aladdin 1001 Smooth Finish - Red (3) - Blue (3) - $5

RJTC Bee Watermelon Playing cards - OHIO - Red (3) - Blue (4) $9.5

D&D Arrco Tahoe no.84 Playing Cards (the ones with limited edition foil and seals) - Red (2) - Blue (1) - $11

D&D Smoke and Mirrors v6 (originals, not reprints) (1) - $16

Stud Playing Cards (Newer edition) - Red (1) - $6

Tally Ho BLACK Fan back (1) - $6

I may add more decks to the list later, depending how the sale goes.
I am also considering selling my SEALED Bee Wynns (Red Jumbo Index) - if you're interested in this, send me an offer, and if it's good enough I will be willing to sell that too.

I may also be selling some Ohio Arrcos (if the price is right), contact me to negotiate!

Hope to hear from you guys soon!

Ben

2
These decks are cool in that it's a great homage to Bruce Lee, and the cards look actually pretty cool. However, the $15 price tag is killing me. Combine that with D&D's $5 shipping, the deck really isn't worth it.

Oh noooooo!! $5 shipping, poor you :(

Come on man, that's nothing compared to what we pay outside the USA it's not even comparable haha
Regardless of the talk about this deck, I'd kill for the USA domestic shipping rate

3
Playing Card Plethora / Re: 2nd Edition fatboys
« on: November 16, 2013, 08:29:20 AM »
I dunno about you guys but I kinda preferred the colour scheme of the first edition, and now I'm regretting not picking some of those up haha

Also, there don't seem to be many pictures of the faces on the coterie website, which isn't great, I would wanna see what they all look like before I considered buying! From what I can tell though, the red looks like a purple kind of colour, but that's it.
Can anyone confirm that? I might consider these :P

4
Unfortunately I can't buy from this sale because I'm not from the US, but I'm really curious, how do you tell the difference between Cincinnati and Erlanger Aviator decks? :P
I'd really like to know haha

5
Playing Card Plethora / Re: "Cerca Trova" on Monarchs?
« on: November 10, 2013, 04:03:30 AM »
Yeah, plus the latin on these kinds of things is usually pretty terrible.. "cerva trova", like Don said, doesn't really capture what's supposed to be said haha
I also noticed once, one of the T11 pages was down and it said in Latin "The page which you seek cannot be found", but the grammar was all wrong :P Just one of the problems of studying latin I guess haha
the worst is when you see incorrect Latin on a tattoo hahaha

6
Playing Card Plethora / Re: Bicycle League Back
« on: October 12, 2013, 10:57:06 PM »
Great, thanks for the help :D

7
Playing Card Plethora / Re: Bicycle League Back
« on: October 12, 2013, 07:32:10 PM »
Ok, so if they're Ohio made, they'll essentially handle the same as a standard Ohio bike deck?

And yeah, the one way back doesn't matter for flourishing, so no problem for me :P

Thanks!

8
Playing Card Plethora / Bicycle League Back
« on: October 12, 2013, 08:15:16 AM »
Hey everyone, just a quick question about the bicycle league back decks, hoping the answer will be straightforward :P

I've been looking to get some Ohio Bike decks at a decent price for everyday use but I want to try something different from the Rider Backs.
I quite like the look of the League Backs, but I realise that they've been produced and reproduced a few times in both Erlanger and Ohio.

Now when I went searching for League Back decks, I came across fullboatdealer's sale, and he advertised them as Q1 quality (obviously what I'm looking for). But I'm wondering, will all League Back decks from Ohio be of that quality or are there some dodgy ones out there as well?

This is the sale I'm looking at, because I live in Australia so this Australian seller is ideal
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2-Decks-LEAGUE-BACK-Bicycle-of-Playing-Cards-red-or-blue-808-RIDER-Poker-Sealed-/251235321346?pt=AU_Card_Games&hash=item3a7ecac602&_uhb=1

If anyone knows about different League Back decks, just drop a comment :)
thanks!

9
Playing Card Plethora / Re: Dan and Dave Deck stays
« on: September 28, 2013, 08:23:36 AM »
I really like the idea, I think it's awesome for people who like having a deck box rather than it being covered by a card clip... but then again, the fact that they're not reusable is bad I reckon. That's what ruins it for me, at least.
Great idea though, props to D&D for that!

10
Hey you've got a really great sale going on here! I'm considering the Ohio Print Tally Hos, but I was wondering if you had any Circle backs as well as Fan backs?
Thanks :)

11
Playing Card Plethora / Re: Arrco US Regulation JUMBO + KingMagic
« on: September 06, 2013, 02:55:59 AM »
Well, it's not impossible that they're Chicago-made Arrcos...  Kidding, it is!

I don't believe any jumbo-index Arrcos were ever made in Erlanger.

Having said that, any site selling fake Jerry's immediately becomes suspect to me.  Unless someone can personally recommend them, I wouldn't take the chance.

Yeah so I feel like they're either legit Ohio Arrcos, or fakes...
What I did notice though, was they've placed the Jerrys Nuggets under a "Made in China" category, while the Arrcos are in their section of cards imported from the US.. so that might be a good sign that they're at least honest about the Chinese fakes that they're selling hahaha
Therefore it's a good sign that the Arrcos are legit.. but of course I can't be sure, so I'll see if anyone else replies with something to say about king-magic.com.
Or maybe I should just order one deck and see for myself when it arrives? Maybe...

Look at it this way - it's a ten-dollar deck.  With shipping, I doubt it'll break the bank.

I was thinking that exactly... so I ordered 1 deck, it came to like $15 with shipping haha definitely not a bank breaker, and it'll be worth it if they ARE Ohio Arrcos, cause then I'll probably end up buying a fair few more of them :P
And if they're not... well, not too big a deal I guess, I'll just never buy from the site again haha

Only downside is, shipping takes around 3 weeks, if not more, to Australia... aaarrgh such a fucking long time to wait haha I hate that about buying online! Oh well..

Bro, if the place is in China or thereabout, it would take just as long to get here in the States, too.

That's true, but I'm just whining in general about shipping times to Australia, especially from the USA hahaha it's no big deal...

Did those jumbo-index Arrcos ever turn out to be legit?

Nah it was disappointing haha I ordered one deck of "jumbo-index" Arrcos and received a deck of Kentucky printed standard index Arrcos instead (which were really really bad)... so I messaged them about it and got a delayed response explaining that they actually didn't have any Jumbo-index decks in stock in the first place (which explains why they sent me standard index).
At the very least they were happy to give me a refund, so I'm not complaining... but still a bit disappointing :P

12
Playing Card Plethora / Re: The Apollo Deck Reprinted?
« on: September 04, 2013, 03:15:31 AM »
I have to agree with what's being said here. I love the look of this deck and would pledge the shit out of this project if it were more affordable, and if it gave savings to people who wanted to buy a brick of them!
Hopefully the project gets tweaked, because the cards look great.

13
Just received a package of 4 decks from Noobmachine in Singapore.
Very satisfied with the price of the decks and the seller's willingness to answer questions and communicate.
He shipped very quickly (I payed at night and he shipped the next day), and although the cards weren't wrapped in bubble wrap, they were protected in nice thick paper and the parcel itself had a bubble wrapped lining inside, so the cards were well protected.
Would recommend this seller

14

Just as a kind of general question, where would be the best online store to buy recent Tally Ho decks from 2011 onwards? Do you think Theory 11 sell the more recent ones, or would they still have stocks from 2009/2010? Because I want to make sure I'm getting new Tally Ho decks that are from AFTER the whole quality control issues!

Probably someone like Theory11.  They are a smallish retailer, so they won't be carrying decades worth of stock, but at the same time they're popular, insuring that their turn-over is quick.

You could also try Wingra Direct, better known as shopbicyclecards.com.  They're owned by USPC.

Another one to try would be Kardwell International.  Kardwell might not have the freshest stock, though - when I ordered the Streamlines I use at the hospital, they sent me some cheaply made decks from China instead of the newer US-made stuff.

Last decent one I could think of is Murphy's Magic Supplies, but they only deal in wholesale - not a bad bet if your friend has the proper business licenses.

Regardless of who you choose, simply ask about what year the decks were made - it's clearly marked on the bottom of the tuck box.

EDIT: did some price checking.  Wingra has the worst deal - full retail, between $4.50 and $5 a pack depending on quantity.  Kardwell is SLIGHTLY cheaper than T11, but the minimum purchase is 72 decks.  T11 is likely the best bet you have for good price and fresh stock.

Good to know :) thanks again! I'll probably stick with T11 then

To everyone else, I'm still open to everything on that list!

15
Hey there everyone! For those that don't know me, my name's Ben and I live in Australia

HOWEVER I have a friend who's going to the US very soon who I have a bit of a deal with (he brings back decks of cards for me that I send to his address in the USA).

So I figured I might as well capitalise on this opportunity and post about some decks I'm looking for, in the (possibly vain) hope that someone has some they're willing to sell at a decent price.

If you have any of these and willing to sell, please don't hesitate to contact me and we can start negotiating :)
Contact by email or PM is fine (email: benjam.on.toast@gmail.com)

- OHIO Arrco US Regulations playing cards (red/blue) (looking for a fairly substantial quantity, up to a brick, but contact me if you've got anything)
- Bee Watermelon (RJRTC) playing cards (red/blue)
- OHIO Tally Ho Circle Back playing cards (red/blue) (doesn't matter if they have black seals, as long as they are MADE in the old Ohio factory and have that same old Ohio feel & stock)
- OHIO Stud playing cards (red/blue)
- Bee Expert at the Card Table playing cards (green) (v1 or v2 is fine, doesn't matter)

I'm not looking to pay HEAPS for these decks, but if I you give me a good price you will DEFINITELY have a buyer.
So yeah, thanks for reading... Contact me if you like the sound of this :)

Hey, Ben,

I should point out to you that the Tally Ho decks you're seeking really should have a blue seal on them.  Many if not most of the Ohio tuck boxes with the black seals are actually made in Erlanger when you look at the guarantee joker inside. The tucks were already printed and USPC didn't want to waste them.

But believe it or not, any deck printed after 2010 from Erlanger should be fine.  The quality control issues they were having were over by then, and a late-model KY deck could even exceed an OH deck in quality.  The tuck boxes now have copyright dating on the bottom.

Thanks for the info, I modified the post :)
And yeah, I am aware of that but I've always wanted to try out an old Ohio Tally Ho deck just because they seem to have such a reputation haha but thanks anyway!

Well, if that's the case - if you have a hard time finding a basic Ohio-made deck, try either the Gold Series or the Platinum Series decks.

The Platinum series was the green deck with the "platinum" border on the back of the cards commissioned by Tomohiro Maeda, a prominent Japanese magician.

The Gold series come in two varieties.  There's the "basic issue", available in red and blue, and there's the ones that were commissioned by Tomohiro Maeda (apparently he loves Tally Ho decks, even had a blue mini TH deck made).  The Maeda versions come in blue, red and "sky blue", a much lighter shade, and they have different jokers than the standard ones.  However, bear in mind that externally, there is NO WAY to tell the difference between the blue and red Maeda decks and the other blue and red Gold series decks - only way to know for sure is to open the box.  Every last marking on the tuck box that's visible is identical on both.

Bizarre as it sounds, you might find it easier to find one of those rare decks instead a standard-issue Circle or Fan back from the Ohio plant.  The deck is considered "regional" by USPC, much like Mavericks and Texans, which usually don't get sold outside of their region unless they appear in a card collector/magic shop - you wouldn't find it in the corner drugstore or convenience store outside of its region.  The region for TH, unfortunately, is VERY small - the city of New York and that's it.  Compared to Bicycle, Bee, etc., relatively few of those decks were made, so not many are left lying around.  Hopefully, they'll never stop making new TH decks, despite the small size of the region - but I wouldn't hold my breath on that region growing any time soon.  They argue that big national chains mostly want brands that people all over the country will recognize - which they never will if they aren't carried by big national chains...

Always the best advice from Don haha I'll keep that in mind when I'm looking through ebay, because I have seen those gold trimmed Ohio TH decks on ebay before, so maybe I'll just pick those up :)

And yeah, it is kind of paradoxical isn't it? THs will only become a big national brand if the big national chains stock them, which they won't, because TH decks aren't a big national brand like Bicycle hahaha
But yeah I agree, hopefully the Tally Hos continue!

Just as a kind of general question, where would be the best online store to buy recent Tally Ho decks from 2011 onwards? Do you think Theory 11 sell the more recent ones, or would they still have stocks from 2009/2010? Because I want to make sure I'm getting new Tally Ho decks that are from AFTER the whole quality control issues!

16
Hey there everyone! For those that don't know me, my name's Ben and I live in Australia

HOWEVER I have a friend who's going to the US very soon who I have a bit of a deal with (he brings back decks of cards for me that I send to his address in the USA).

So I figured I might as well capitalise on this opportunity and post about some decks I'm looking for, in the (possibly vain) hope that someone has some they're willing to sell at a decent price.

If you have any of these and willing to sell, please don't hesitate to contact me and we can start negotiating :)
Contact by email or PM is fine (email: benjam.on.toast@gmail.com)

- OHIO Arrco US Regulations playing cards (red/blue) (looking for a fairly substantial quantity, up to a brick, but contact me if you've got anything)
- Bee Watermelon (RJRTC) playing cards (red/blue)
- OHIO Tally Ho Circle Back playing cards (red/blue) (doesn't matter if they have black seals, as long as they are MADE in the old Ohio factory and have that same old Ohio feel & stock)
- OHIO Stud playing cards (red/blue)
- Bee Expert at the Card Table playing cards (green) (v1 or v2 is fine, doesn't matter)

I'm not looking to pay HEAPS for these decks, but if I you give me a good price you will DEFINITELY have a buyer.
So yeah, thanks for reading... Contact me if you like the sound of this :)

Hey, Ben,

I should point out to you that the Tally Ho decks you're seeking really should have a blue seal on them.  Many if not most of the Ohio tuck boxes with the black seals are actually made in Erlanger when you look at the guarantee joker inside. The tucks were already printed and USPC didn't want to waste them.

But believe it or not, any deck printed after 2010 from Erlanger should be fine.  The quality control issues they were having were over by then, and a late-model KY deck could even exceed an OH deck in quality.  The tuck boxes now have copyright dating on the bottom.

Thanks for the info, I modified the post :)
And yeah, I am aware of that but I've always wanted to try out an old Ohio Tally Ho deck just because they seem to have such a reputation haha but thanks anyway!

17
Hey there everyone! For those that don't know me, my name's Ben and I live in Australia

HOWEVER I have a friend who's going to the US very soon who I have a bit of a deal with (he brings back decks of cards for me that I send to his address in the USA).

So I figured I might as well capitalise on this opportunity and post about some decks I'm looking for, in the (possibly vain) hope that someone has some they're willing to sell at a decent price.

If you have any of these and willing to sell, please don't hesitate to contact me and we can start negotiating :)
Contact by email or PM is fine (email: benjam.on.toast@gmail.com)

- OHIO Arrco US Regulations playing cards (red/blue) (looking for a fairly substantial quantity, up to a brick, but contact me if you've got anything)
- Bee Watermelon (RJRTC) playing cards (red/blue)
- OHIO Tally Ho Circle Back playing cards (red/blue) (preferably blue seal)
- OHIO Stud playing cards (red/blue)
- Bee Expert at the Card Table playing cards (green) (v1 or v2 is fine, doesn't matter)

I'm not looking to pay HEAPS for these decks, but if I you give me a good price you will DEFINITELY have a buyer!
So yeah, thanks for reading... Contact me if you like the sound of this :)

18
Playing Card Plethora / Re: Arrco US Regulation JUMBO + KingMagic
« on: May 04, 2013, 08:23:34 PM »
Well, it's not impossible that they're Chicago-made Arrcos...  Kidding, it is!

I don't believe any jumbo-index Arrcos were ever made in Erlanger.

Having said that, any site selling fake Jerry's immediately becomes suspect to me.  Unless someone can personally recommend them, I wouldn't take the chance.

Yeah so I feel like they're either legit Ohio Arrcos, or fakes...
What I did notice though, was they've placed the Jerrys Nuggets under a "Made in China" category, while the Arrcos are in their section of cards imported from the US.. so that might be a good sign that they're at least honest about the Chinese fakes that they're selling hahaha
Therefore it's a good sign that the Arrcos are legit.. but of course I can't be sure, so I'll see if anyone else replies with something to say about king-magic.com.
Or maybe I should just order one deck and see for myself when it arrives? Maybe...

Look at it this way - it's a ten-dollar deck.  With shipping, I doubt it'll break the bank.

I was thinking that exactly... so I ordered 1 deck, it came to like $15 with shipping haha definitely not a bank breaker, and it'll be worth it if they ARE Ohio Arrcos, cause then I'll probably end up buying a fair few more of them :P
And if they're not... well, not too big a deal I guess, I'll just never buy from the site again haha

Only downside is, shipping takes around 3 weeks, if not more, to Australia... aaarrgh such a fucking long time to wait haha I hate that about buying online! Oh well..

Bro, if the place is in China or thereabout, it would take just as long to get here in the States, too.

That's true, but I'm just whining in general about shipping times to Australia, especially from the USA hahaha it's no big deal...

19
Playing Card Plethora / Re: Arrco US Regulation JUMBO + KingMagic
« on: May 04, 2013, 07:15:13 PM »
Well, it's not impossible that they're Chicago-made Arrcos...  Kidding, it is!

I don't believe any jumbo-index Arrcos were ever made in Erlanger.

Having said that, any site selling fake Jerry's immediately becomes suspect to me.  Unless someone can personally recommend them, I wouldn't take the chance.

Yeah so I feel like they're either legit Ohio Arrcos, or fakes...
What I did notice though, was they've placed the Jerrys Nuggets under a "Made in China" category, while the Arrcos are in their section of cards imported from the US.. so that might be a good sign that they're at least honest about the Chinese fakes that they're selling hahaha
Therefore it's a good sign that the Arrcos are legit.. but of course I can't be sure, so I'll see if anyone else replies with something to say about king-magic.com.
Or maybe I should just order one deck and see for myself when it arrives? Maybe...

Look at it this way - it's a ten-dollar deck.  With shipping, I doubt it'll break the bank.

I was thinking that exactly... so I ordered 1 deck, it came to like $15 with shipping haha definitely not a bank breaker, and it'll be worth it if they ARE Ohio Arrcos, cause then I'll probably end up buying a fair few more of them :P
And if they're not... well, not too big a deal I guess, I'll just never buy from the site again haha

Only downside is, shipping takes around 3 weeks, if not more, to Australia... aaarrgh such a fucking long time to wait haha I hate that about buying online! Oh well..

20
Playing Card Plethora / Re: Arrco US Regulation JUMBO + KingMagic
« on: May 04, 2013, 06:06:29 PM »
Well, it's not impossible that they're Chicago-made Arrcos...  Kidding, it is!

I don't believe any jumbo-index Arrcos were ever made in Erlanger.

Having said that, any site selling fake Jerry's immediately becomes suspect to me.  Unless someone can personally recommend them, I wouldn't take the chance.

Yeah so I feel like they're either legit Ohio Arrcos, or fakes...
What I did notice though, was they've placed the Jerrys Nuggets under a "Made in China" category, while the Arrcos are in their section of cards imported from the US.. so that might be a good sign that they're at least honest about the Chinese fakes that they're selling hahaha
Therefore it's a good sign that the Arrcos are legit.. but of course I can't be sure, so I'll see if anyone else replies with something to say about king-magic.com.
Or maybe I should just order one deck and see for myself when it arrives? Maybe...

21
Playing Card Plethora / Arrco US Regulation JUMBO + KingMagic
« on: May 04, 2013, 09:03:51 AM »
Hey there everyone, I've got a bit of a conundrum...
Firstly, let me just say I love Arrco US Regulations... like seriously haha. Although they're hard to get your hands on, I noticed a lot of flourishers use Arrco US Regs with jumbo indexes, and so I thought they might be more readily available or something. So I did some research, and I've found them on this Chinese magic website called King-Magic.com. Here's the link:
http://www.king-magic.com/arrco-us-regulation-jumbo-index-blue-p-637.html

So I have a few questions that I really want answers to before I decide to buy these...

1. Does anyone know if they ever produced Jumbo Index Arrco US Regs in the Kentucky factory? Because I know from experience that what I really want are OHIO Arrcos, and I get the feeling that USPC never bothered printing Jumbo Index Arrcos when they did that reprinting run in the new plant... Essentially, can I be guaranteed that if I buy Jumbo Index Arrco US Regs, they'll be from Ohio?
From the looks of the pictures, the decks have blue seals, so that's a good sign, but I need to be sure!

2. Has anyone had any experience with buying from king-magic.com? As a whole, the site seems a tad bit dodgy, like for example I saw them selling fake Jerrys Nuggets and such... but can anyone verify that this site is legit and that I'm not going to be scammed with Chinese fakes or something?

I'm really hoping you guys can help me out and fuel my addiction for more Arrco US Regs... please hahaha
Thanks :)

22
Playing Card Plethora / Re: Casino Decks - my recent obsession
« on: April 13, 2013, 10:46:06 AM »

Wynn's other than the solid brown-backed ones aren't that hard to obtain, nor are they crazy-rare.

I've heard good things about Anglo decks - you should check them out.  Don't own any myself yet.

LV Club decks of the type you linked to have closed at auction typically in the US$20 range, with some red/blue pairs going for only $26.  I noticed decks sold for less have issues - for example, a deck without cellophane sold for US$9.99.

When it comes to eBay, look at the CLOSED auctions, especially the recent ones, to get a better read on what you should expect to pay.  Unless there was some radical change since the completion of the last sale to change the market value (such as a deck becoming a sold-out, out-of-print deck), those prices will be about what you'll pay.

Good advice, I'll look into it :)
You say Wynns other than the solid (logo) Brown ones aren't hard to obtain... so, you're saying the Red and Violet Wynns with the logos on them aren't that hard to find? That's strange, because I seem to have trouble finding them! Am I looking in the wrong places? haha I know Kardwells used to sell them, but not anymore... where should I look? There's none on ebay, unfortunately :P

23
Playing Card Plethora / Re: Casino Decks - my recent obsession
« on: April 13, 2013, 05:21:54 AM »

Great answer as always :) if it weren't for you guys I never would have realised how complicated the whole range of stocks and finishes is xD
Well I guess the notion I'm getting from your responses is just to try round a few different casino decks and see what I like, from the Aristos to the Bees... I actually have one of the CARC Bee Erdnase decks, it's in Ivory finish though (I didn't realise cause I picked it up at the magic shop here in Melbourne, Australia), so it's not ideal, but it does give me an idea of the Bee Casino stock :)
Anyway, I'm still interested in those Wynns above all other casino decks, perhaps I'll post an ISO thread in the STISO forum to see if anyone's got a bunch they're willing to sell off at a decent price... what price do you think I should try and look for when it comes to Wynns? I see a lot of prices between $40 and $60 for Brown Wynns, but I did once see Angel magic selling a Red and Violet Wynn deck for a mere $25 a set! I'm so bummed I missed out on that opportunity...

Today, for most custom deck orders, USPC will give you two choices of stock (Bicycle or Bee Casino), two texture choices (smooth or embossed) and two choices of finish ("standard" and Magic) and that's it.  Plain and simple.  Major companies they're willing to work with on stock variations and finish variations, but if you're some guy who just closed his first Kickstarter project, you get the short end of the choices stick.

Ivory Bee Erdnase is not a bad choice, really.  There are casinos that actually use and even prefer smooth-finish stocks.  Don't be surprised if you do indeed find smooth or "Ivory" finish casino-branded models.  The smooth decks, not having the slightly-weakened surface integrity of an embossed deck, are noticeably stiffer and harder to shuffle - some people like the stiffer cards more.

As far as getting a bunch at a decent price - I wouldn't go crazy chasing down brown Wynn decks like that, honestly.  They're terrifically expensive.  Perhaps one or two for the collection is great, but if you're buying it to put to good use, get something that doesn't cost about a dollar a card!  There's plenty of other alternatives out there that won't cost you an arm and a leg.

As you know, in the US, USPC is the proverbial 800-pound gorilla in the playing card market - and this holds true for casino orders as well.  However, there are a few other players out there.  Gemaco is one - the name usually appears with a "superbar" over the "a", making the pronunciation geMAYco.  They're actually a wholly-owned subsidiary of USPC, but they're still operated independent of the "mother ship", dealing primarily in the casino market - they probably catch the casinos that decided they couldn't afford USPC/Bee!  Print quality is OK, but the handling on most Gemaco decks I've encounter is terrible.  Unless someone specifically recommends them (or you don't care about performance, just the appearance), avoid them.

There's another company, Paulson, that's casino-only - I can't speak much for them, since most Paulson decks I've ever seen were used and canceled.  Alex would know better.  I understand they've been around a while, though - you don't survive if you keep making crap cards, right?

Lastly, there's Cartamundi.  (At least lastly for me - I'm sure there's more that I never heard of, but as I've never heard of them, I can't speak about them, really, now can I?  :)) )  They're based in Belgium but have operations here in the US - I'm pretty sure they print in this country as well.  The quality can be VERY hit-or-miss, usually more of a miss when compared to USPC.  They also print non-casino decks, many licensed properties - they currently hold licenses for Star Wars, Harry Potter and James Bond (they made the actual decks used in the casino tournament scenes of "Casino Royale", and offered them for sale).  The last pack of theirs I handled was the previous generation of Magic Castle decks - and they were awful, mediocre print quality and a finish not even a mother could love.

I mention them because what I know of them - frankly, I've been wrong before.  I wanted you to know these print companies exist, and gave you my assessments of them thus far, but for most of them my experience is rather limited, especially when compared to USPC.  Just know that they're out there and be prepared to evaluate them for yourself - you may agree completely, partially or not at all with what I've said of their work.

Thanks again :) yeah I realise that going after Wynns (probably the red / violet ones rather than the brown ones) could be difficult, there's just something about the design I love xD anyway, I'll see how I feel about buying Wynns later hahaha maybe I'll do some scouring for some...
And yeah I've heard of all those brands, but never really heard anyone give me a run down of their quality, so thanks for that! It's true though, knowing that nearly always the USPC's quality is superior, and safer in terms of knowing what you're going to get, I've never bought from a different company. I have considered picking up an Anglo deck from Sweden, but I'm not so sure yet...

Also, while I'm here, I don't really want to start a new thread, but do you guys know much about the Las Vegas Club playing cards? They're pretty vintage, not sure exactly when they're from however.. I saw them on dealingdeuces for like $40, but I'm seeing some on ebay, sealed, in an auction for around $5 at the moment... here's the link to the auction (if these are highly prized cards, please don't tell me they're shit and win the auction for yourself ;) ) haha I'm sure you guys wouldn't do that to me...

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Rare-Las-Vegas-Club-Casino-Playing-Cards-Poker-Deck-Red-/140951338236?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20d15abcfc&_uhb=1#ht_500wt_1363

24
Playing Card Plethora / Re: Casino Decks - my recent obsession
« on: April 13, 2013, 04:17:20 AM »
As for everyone else's replies, thanks it really helps haha finding out more about casino decks :) still another question though, what is it about the Wynn decks in particular that made them so sought after for flourishers? Do they differ from other Bee Casino decks in terms of their stock / finish / handling? Or is it purely aesthetic? And also, does anyone know if Bee RJRTC Watermelons use the Bee Casino stock, or just regular Bee stock? Because I have some Bee Watermelons, it would be good if I could get an idea of exactly what a Bee Casino stock is before I buy Bee Casino decks!
I know the answer to that question probably won't be very straightforward, but I appreciate the replies :D

The brown Wynn decks were reputed to have better handling, specifically for cardistry.  Theory11 was selling them for a while, which contributed to their popularity and scarcity.  There should still be a cardistry video up on the page for brown Wynns at T11's store.  Note that it was only the brown Wynn decks with the solid-color backs that were believed to have superior handling - the other colors and patterns for some reason did not.  I wouldn't read anything too big into that - it could be as simple as a difference in temperature and humidity in the plant the day they were printed.  Just as no two print runs are 100% identical down to the last detail, so are no two print runs of the same deck in different colors.

I can't say with certainty whether the Watermelon Bees were standard or casino stock in the Bee range.  I suspect they're casino stock. Now, however, if measured by the standards they apply to new custom deck printings today, they'd be considered "in the range of" Bee Casino whether they were made with standard or casino stock, because they no longer offer a standard Bee stock.

If you really want to check on the performance of a Bee Casino stock, besides getting a casino deck you could pick up a CARC-designed Bee Erdnase (with the exception of the Erdnase 216), Professional Bicycle (Rider or Skull & Bones Back), Ask Alexander or Bee Erdnaseum deck.  Also suitable would be the Bee and Bicycle decks designed by Richard Turner - the Bees are tough to find, but the Bicycles (they're often called "Bicycle Gold Seal" because of the gold sticker on the back of the box) can still be had for around $5 a pack at most card dealers, available in red and blue.  All of those decks I listed above are made on Bee Casino stock and additionally are also traditionally cut, like most casino decks.  Most of the CARC-designed decks come in two finishes, Cambric and Ivory, the difference being embossed or smooth stock texture.  The Bee Erdnase 216 is an exception because of the use of a unique, thinner stock and custom-designed finish, both of which were created under the guidance of CARC founder William Kalush; they aren't anything like a standard Bee Casino deck of today.

Great answer as always :) if it weren't for you guys I never would have realised how complicated the whole range of stocks and finishes is xD
Well I guess the notion I'm getting from your responses is just to try round a few different casino decks and see what I like, from the Aristos to the Bees... I actually have one of the CARC Bee Erdnase decks, it's in Ivory finish though (I didn't realise cause I picked it up at the magic shop here in Melbourne, Australia), so it's not ideal, but it does give me an idea of the Bee Casino stock :)
Anyway, I'm still interested in those Wynns above all other casino decks, perhaps I'll post an ISO thread in the STISO forum to see if anyone's got a bunch they're willing to sell off at a decent price... what price do you think I should try and look for when it comes to Wynns? I see a lot of prices between $40 and $60 for Brown Wynns, but I did once see Angel magic selling a Red and Violet Wynn deck for a mere $25 a set! I'm so bummed I missed out on that opportunity...

25
Playing Card Plethora / Re: Casino Decks - my recent obsession
« on: April 12, 2013, 10:04:56 PM »
If you ever visit Vegas, let me know. I know of several places that sell uncanceled casino decks. They were hard as tit balls to find.

My biggest scores were from antique shops. I talked to owners of booths and got some amazing stuff from Vegas casinos. I had to sort through hundreds of garbage decks, but I did eventually find a few hidden gems. Off the top of my head, I found Dunes, Golden Nuggets, and Sahara decks. Sealed in near perfect condition. Outside of casino decks, I also found vintage 80s Bikes, 90s Bikes, 60s Pinochle Arrco's, Virginia Slims, and tons more. They were all $1-10 each.

The most heart wrenching thing I found was several bricks of Gnugs and Jnugs stacked in the back of a dude's shop. They were opened, in horrifying condition and pretty much worthless trash. I asked him about it, he said he and his buds used it for card games for years before he opened his shop. I told him they were worth $100-300 each if they were sealed, and I don't think he ever believed me. I told him to look them up on eBay.

tl;dr: Nobody here in Vegas knows the value of vintage cards. If you ever visit, spend a day card hunting, you will find some sweet swag.

That is actually the most heart wrenching thing I've ever read hahaha that is just... terrible. But yes I would love to go to Vegas, not just for card hunting haha however I guess I'll have to wait till I'm 21 to actually make the trip worthwhile!



How long do you have to wait? I remember waiting for 21 like it was the second coming of christ. Being able to drink, gamble, and hang out with adults instead of college freshman is underrated.

Well I'm turning 18 in August! Being an Australian though, I can drink, gamble and do everything here once I turn 18 xD unlike in the US, where you have to wait till 21 to do all that stuff!

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