PlayingCardForum.com - A Discourse For Playing Cards
Off Topic Chat => Introduce Yourself => Topic started by: dkrouskop on June 07, 2019, 07:49:46 PM
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Hello, everyone!
My name is Don, I'm from scenic Ohio, USA, and I've only been collecting playing cards for about three days now. I'm a 48-year-old widower with no children, so I really needed a hobby to immerse myself in when I'm not at work. Always loved the elegance & omnipresence of playing cards - there's an endless variety, they're available everywhere, and there's just something perfectly collectible about the size & shape of a deck of cards. It seemed a natural choice, so here I am!
In my short time as a collector, I've accumulated 24 different new decks. Nothing particularly fancy yet. My coolest decks so far are a pack of Bicycle Aureos & a pack of Bicycle Stargazers, but there are a few others I really like - a TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE deck, a black light deck, two neat Ohio State Buckeye decks, and a pack of Medalists which I think, though bought at Wal-Mart for under $2, look pretty stylish. I have no real set plan or agenda for collecting as of yet, save acquiring as wide a variety of different cards without spending myself into abject poverty. If there's a theme to my collection so far, it's "Cards That Would Be Cool To Have."
I've opted to remove the cellophane from my decks, but leave the seal (if one is present) intact. No real reason behind this except that there's something about feeling the cardboard of the box that makes it feel more like mine than when it's still in the cellophane. I'm too obsessive-compulsive to leave half the cellophane on, but too hands-on to leave a deck completely wrapped. Those decks which have no seal on the box I'll open once & thumb gently through IF doing so doesn't damage the box in any way. All that said, I'm not collecting for value or wealth. I'm just that guy who likes his stuff in the best possible condition. Down the road I may buy duplicates of sets so I can have one to open & use, but for now I'm focused on building up a decent-sized collection.
I'm hoping to make some friends in the collecting community, and make this hobby about more than just hunting for cards and (eventually) showing off what I've found. Always had that collector's impulse, but I've found that other things I've dabbled in collecting over the years have either been too limited in their variety, too expensive to build a sizable collection, or tainted by drama & competitive nonsense in the collector community. Have a very good feeling about collecting cards, though. I love them, and the community seems generally to be a very friendly & positive place.
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Hello, Don - I, too, am Don!
You have a good attitude toward collecting, it appears. Buy what you like, plain and simple. Get pleasure from the cards and not just from the boxes that contain them.
If you have any questions, please let us know!
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Thanks, Don!
One thing I've really been wondering about is if there's an FAQ or a Collecting 101 area where the basic terminology of the hobby can be referenced. I've picked up a fair amount from this board & watching Youtube videos (for example, I'd never heard a card box called a "tuck case" until I started collecting), but I still have much to learn. When collectors start talking about the process by which specific decks of cards are printed and such, I think "Boy, that sounds cool! If only I knew what it actually meant!" Is there a glossary of terms online somewhere, or a book you'd recommend.
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Thanks, Don!
One thing I've really been wondering about is if there's an FAQ or a Collecting 101 area where the basic terminology of the hobby can be referenced. I've picked up a fair amount from this board & watching Youtube videos (for example, I'd never heard a card box called a "tuck case" until I started collecting), but I still have much to learn. When collectors start talking about the process by which specific decks of cards are printed and such, I think "Boy, that sounds cool! If only I knew what it actually meant!" Is there a glossary of terms online somewhere, or a book you'd recommend.
We do have a Collectors 101 type of topic, but you can also please feel free to simply ask.
http://www.playingcardforum.com/index.php?board=21.0
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Hi Don,
Welcome!!!!
It's not hard to fall deep down this rabbit hole lol
Anyway, if you're on Facebook.. join the Bicycle Card Collector Group!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/183854315504115/
And, if you're on a desktop computer.. or a tablet... You can see most of my Bicycle collection here
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48685119052_3e14bc2647_o.jpg
Enjoy!
Jay