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« on: March 15, 2014, 02:29:18 PM »
The Case for Congress
I have been wanting to start this post for some time and am glad to finally get around to it. All collectors refine and tweak the direction of their collections as they move forward in a hobby. Often times it is necessary to focus in on the specific pieces we are after instead of throwing such a wide net because face it, good decks don't come cheap. I would like to make a case for some of the more under appreciated decks in our hobby; the Congress brand. Sure, the vintage wide Congress decks get their fair share of attention as well as some of the older narrow ones, but interest falls off when you start talking about the not so vintage yet not so new decks that were mass produced more recently. You know the ones I am talking about; they come side by side in a velvety box, have a vast array of back designs and are generally not as valuable or sought after unless the collector is seeking a certain theme of back designs. Until recently even I; the guy who buys everything, avoided them until one day when I really sat down and examined a deck for what it was. The back of this particular deck had a bust of an English Springer Spaniel holding a pheasant in his mouth. The artwork was beautifully done by someone who, more than likely, was creating art for purposes other than playing cards. And then I realized; these mass produced, widely distributed cards were a crossroads between a wider world of art and the playing cards we all love. There are some real gems to be found in Congress and for the most part they are a bargain when compared to the Vintage or Modern limited decks most collectors seek out. These are the perfect niche collection to have on the side when the big scores in your main collection are few and far between. Pick a theme, any theme and Congress probably printed a back for it. Yes, there are other brands that did similar style cards throughout the years in an attempt to appeal to bridge players and the like, but Congress is the most identifiable. So with that being said I am asking you to share your favorite Congress deck backs. Lets limit it to this brand only. It doesn't have to be old, just your favorites. I will kick it off with this silver edged deck showing two setters and a man on a bird hunt.