Hey Guys!
If you haven't read
THIS yet, please do so. It explains how Circle City got involved in the creation of the Hornet deck.
OK, now that that's out of the way let's get to the fun stuff! These cards are top-notch, I know this because I oversaw the whole production with USPCC. The cards are printed on premium-Aristocrat stock with Cambric finish. The design is a reprint from nearly 100 years ago and is one of USPCC's first designs. Only 2500 'standard' decks have been printed and we had a special run of 144 decks with gilded edges and gold wax seals. Much like the recent release of the CARC's Erdnaseum Bee Squeezers, I wanted to pay homage to the original while bringing it up to date ever so slightly including a couple of unique bonus cards.
Let's dive right in to what makes this deck stand out in a time where there are many options. First up are the Jokers, I take a great pride in showing these off! I played around with the idea of tying in the very concept of Hornets in many different ways. What you see below is the result! There is a subtle reveal on the second joker (Seven of Diamonds), can you spot it?
Next up are the 'advert cards'. The first ad card:
The tried-and-true, long lost, ingenious 'SUBSTITUTE CARD' made famous in New York Consolidated Card Co's decks of cards. It works as a replacement for a damaged or missing card. Yeah, most people don't use them, but wow, it's a great looking card!
The second ad card:
What ever happened to the good-ole-days of shameless self promotion
IN the product that you can only see
AFTER you bought it?!?! Congress playing cards were noted for doing this along with many cigarette manufacturers. There's something about the language used, the verbosity, that really makes you
care about how the cards were produced and you feel the quality and time that went into making them.
The back design:
These cards were originally printed in 1905 with a reprint and update in 1915. The brand of Hornet my have disappeared but the artistry of the back design holds the test of time. The fine details in the creases of the outer ivy and the dot perfect center ornamental flower are really something to behold. This is a classic design.
This deck is the first in a passion project of mine,
The Heritage Collection. Twice a year I am going to be releasing a 'lost' deck from the archives of USPCC. I'm not the only one who will be picking what decks get a new lease on life,
you get to choose the next deck in a poll! Each classic deck will be transformed to it's glory days and given a facelift. There are literally hundreds of cards to choose from, I have a few in mind and I can't wait to share them with you after the release of the first of
The Heritage Collection - Hornet.
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Enough about the design of the deck, let's get to what you really want to know, the cost!
The original flier that went around had pricing on it. Now that I am in charge of everything I've decided to lower the cost of everything. I thought it was a bit to high since this is hard times and the market is flooded with cards right now.
'Standard' deck is only $6.95. That's a great price for a premium deck, compared to how ridiculous the price of decks has gotten in the recent years. ($10 for a non-uspcc kickstarter deck?!?! Really?!?!) In quantity, the decks get to low as $4.95 each. Only 2500 of the 'Standard' decks were made.
'Gilded' decks are $9.95. There were only 144 gilded decks printed up and those are sealed with a gold wax stamp. There is a strict limit of 2 gilded decks per order to ensure anyone who wants one can get their hands on them. I will be hand numbering the bottom of each of those tuck boxes in gold ink.
Uncut Sheets are $50. USPCC has a minimum of 25 uncuts to be ordered. I will be selling 20 of them, each one will be hand numbered on the bottom in gold ink. (The other 5 are for personal use and won't be sold.)
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This was a long post, thanks for checking it out guys! What originally was an 'oh-shit!' moment for me has turned into a great success so far. I can't wait to get them delivered to you. I should be taking delivery in 2 weeks and have them in my website right after that. You'll be able to pick them up at
www.circlecitycards.comThanks again everybody!
- Russell
------ EDIT ------
The decks are now on sale!
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