New Split Spades deck??

[aldazar]

email I got from MIcrosoft.....

Good day! Thank you for contacting Microsoft Customer Service.
 
I understand that you want a special edition of David Blaine deck of playing cards. Your request is subject for availability. I suggest that you contact US XBOX Support at 1-8004MYXBOX(469-9269), they are open daily from 6 AM-10 PM PST.

Canned auto-answer ftw! =P

[DarkDerp]

I'll  try asking through the Microsoft Partner's Portal.

[doubledouble]

Found a picture of the custom art for this deck. Looks like standard courts, but the joker and the AoS are custom.

http://i.imgur.com/1jPCWJQ.jpg

can anyone confirm if this is new art or not? i've never seen the face cards of any of the DB decks.

[argo]

Hi all,

I am a Microsoft intern.. and I have an extra deck. Would y'all be able to provide some help on valuation of this deck?

[hecrob]

Well im no expert, but since your deck is probably not going to be available anytime soon and it was specially made for that single event. It pretty much is on the expensive side.

Do you want to sell it? Im interested... 

[argo]

What qualifies as the expensive side? There's someone I know who's interested in purchasing, but I don't know how much the deck is worth.

[Don Boyer]

Hi all,

I am a Microsoft intern.. and I have an extra deck. Would y'all be able to provide some help on valuation of this deck?

Have you checked recently-completed auctions at eBay?  That's usually a decent barometer as to what people are paying for just about anything these days.

Ok...I just took a look.  There's not a single pack presently for sale, nor has there been in recent history.  Without a marketplace for the deck, it's hard to assess its value.  Anyone could give you a figure but it would be one of two things - either what they're willing to pay for it, or just a stab in the dark.

What qualifies as the expensive side? There's someone I know who's interested in purchasing, but I don't know how much the deck is worth.

How much would you be willing to pay for a small stack of paper in a paper box?  Expensive side is a relative term.  I'd consider $15-20 on the expensive side for a new deck - but there are new-condition decks out there that are way more expensive than that, some even in the low three figures.  There's the rarity factor, but there's no way to know how many were created or are in circulation other than that they were given away at an exclusive event.

Simply put, there are too many unknowns to account for before someone could offer an accurate assessment of the deck's value.  It's really a matter of what someone's willing to pay and what you're willing to accept.  If this "someone you know" is a friend, perhaps a friends-and-family discount would be a factor as well.

[doubledouble]

I'll give you a ballpark answer, since that seems to be what you're looking for. I can guarantee you that if you put that deck up for auction right now and advertise it here and at UnitedCardists, you are looking at at the very very minimum, $50. I suspect that it would easily sell for $75+, and if a few people decide they really want the deck, it might get up to $150+. The unique circumstances behind this deck and the talent that created it means that it's effectively a one of a kind deck and it'll only go up in value. My advice? Either take the chance of being the first seller on the market and sell it for an absurd price or hope that the value appreciates in the future. One could make an argument for either approach.

[argo]

Thank you for the advice.

The person I know is an acquaintance, not someone I know personally, so I don't know if he'd quote me an honest price.

To my knowledge, there are 2015 decks in existence, because that is the year they want us to return (cheesy, right?) David Blaine mentioned that we should hold onto the decks because they would be worth a pretty penny in the future.

I may end up putting up the deck for auction if a deal with the guy falls through-- I think the deck would be more appreciated in the hands of a collector.

[BiggerDee]

Also adding to the rarity is that many folks that got them aren't collectors, and may have (gasp!) opened them and used them, thus making an unopened and pristine (or even opened, but complete and in good shape, deck worth a lot more than if it were released to collectors only, where it would be pampered and preserved. If the deck goes on eBay, I'll jump into the bidding war to see what happens! :-)

[Don Boyer]

Just posted this in the Acquisitions topic.

The sticker seal is very similar to that on the Gatorbacks - and probably a few other recent Blaine decks.  The GBs have a silver seal, though, with an alteration to the bottom and it also appears larger.

Yes, the faces are standard - of a sort.  They're the old-school faces Expert/CARC put on most of their own decks, with the exceptions of the Jokers and Ace of Spades (as noted) AND that the courts are altered like most Blaine decks with images of his friends and family.

The coating is REMARKABLE - slicker than usual while not as slippery as USPC's Magic Finish.  This is a good thing.  Even a "specially-abled" fanner like myself can make a decent-looking fan out of them.

The box says "Special Edition of 2015", which one could look at two ways.  One could guess that the deck will be released next year for the public (if 2015 is a year but not a quantity) or, as mentioned by the Microsoft intern below, it's an indication of the number of decks that were made, specifically chosen because that's the year Microsoft wants the interns to return - a reasonable assumption.

[Anthony]

Based on some "Things" I have been told, I would hang on to that deck 

[Don Boyer]

Based on some "Things" I have been told, I would hang on to that deck 

Not planning to give it away, nope!  What are these "Things" you've heard?