Global Titans from The Expert Playing Card Co. (CARC)

[Card Player]

Legacy: yes, it is an homage, to NYCCC in general and the types of decks they produced while they were still an independent company.  Yes, they were printed in Shanghai, but the Expert Playing Card Company is a New York City card company.  They don't print in New York, but the designs and administrative decisions all come from New York.  I may have gotten some decks for free, but I'm actually giving some away as a means by which to promote the deck.  I'll probably launch a contest here soon.  It'll be easy - more of a sweepstakes, I think, but fun nonetheless.

@ Don Boyer:
I mentioned your free gift as opposed to me paying because free gifts tend to sweeten one's opinion. You do have a history of adding sugar to your friends cool aide. I tasted the cool aide, swished it around in my mouth and now I’m spitting it out.

Am I the only one that will say that the deck is a complete ripoff of one of my favorite vintage decks of all time... Add to that the generic swirly design and horrid mustard yellow color of the backs and I think that deck is hideous... Yuck... In addition, not USPCC... Come on here... Don, I think your too close to these projects to be impartial... This deck is nasty and not a good nasty... One last thing, is it me or does the king in the pic look like he has a black eye?

@ jmrock:
Have you read anything Collector and I wrote before you posted? Obviously you’re not the “only one”. I also agree with you about Don’s inability to be impartial when it comes to associates/friends projects.

Legacy Review: Gold Global Titans by The Expert Playing Card Co. (CARC)

The Tuck Box is made with descent quality paper. It’s nothing special but it’s not flimsy either. The tuck has a nice glossy feel to it. Only the word TITAN is embossed. Gold foil borders are present on the front, top, bottom and sides of the tuck. The word Titan also has a thin gold foil outline. The card back design is displayed on the tuck boxes back. The box is not engineered the same as a USPCC tuck would be but it serves its purpose without any noticeable flaws in its design.

The Global Titans has a total of 54 Cards per deck. The 54 cards consist of 2 identical jokers and the standard 52 playing cards. There’s no ad card and no gaff cards included. The two way back design is a simple, yet ornate illustrated design. The color of the back design is not really Gold (metallic), it’s more like mustard yellow.

The fronts of CARC cards are one of my favorites. The fronts use large suits and squeezer pips. The red suits are the bright standard red. Court cards are your older style standards using the famous magician faces. Royalty faces are flesh color peach/tan. The AOS is an elegant knock-off of the vintage Triton deck. The suits are inconsistently placed. This is noticeable on the court cards. Using the court borders and royalty heads as reference points, some suits touch the border or head on one side of a particular card and have appropriate spacing on the other half. I’m not sure if that’s due to the Chinese print or just part of the old style design? Also suits have minor ink spillovers and inconsistencies. I don’t see these flaws as major issues that can't be overlooked. The cards are all cut and centered nicely.

The cards have flat/sharp edges. Theses edges can be beneficial in some ways. Table shuffles are more consistent going from left card to right card accurately, where as a smoother edge might occasionally slip two cards from your fingers at a time. Lapaul spreads have better control right out of the box, where a smoother edge, slick USPCC deck might take some breaking in for Lapaul consistency. There is no upside with Lapaul spreads using the Global Titans though. They never actually get any better with use like a USPCC deck does. Global Titans will pharaoh shuffle over time but it’s never as smooth as a USPCC deck. The stock is flexible with a nice snap to them. It has “almost” a plastic feel and flexibility (without creasing). They Spring nicely as you might expect. Fanning is below average at best and only gets worse. Your best fanning will come right out of the box within the first 20 minutes. Pressure fans and under pressures start getting really sloppy and clumpy. At some point I started wondering why the squeezer pips are even on the deck since I could no longer do anything to utilize them. The cards start to warp noticeably after about 1 to 2 hours of medium use.

In summary, it’s a change of pace from USPCC. It does give producers more options. The flat/sharp edges and unimpressive finish might be a problem for those looking for reliability in their cuts and passes. Its durability and quality do not meet my standards. Even though Global Titans are a reasonably priced custom deck, a good handling rider back is a better option. Until there is a manufacture (in town or overseas) that cuts smoother edges and uses comparable finishes, USPCC has little to raise an eyebrow about. That does not mean producers should stop looking or stop trying other manufactures. The Taiwan manufactured Legends deck was a great success. Better cards, one way or another will be made as a result. A result that Global Titans and this Shanghai manufacture failed to achieve.

[jmrock]

Yes Legacy... Comments were read... I just feel that everyone here is just far too concerned with not offending anyone... I'm not saying there's any call to be rude, but just not so overly polite when commenting on a overseas knockoff deck that looks like garbage...

[Card Player]

Yes Legacy... Comments were read... I just feel that everyone here is just far too concerned with not offending anyone... I'm not saying there's any call to be rude, but just not so overly polite when commenting on a overseas knockoff deck that looks like garbage...

They can't be mad at people for telling the truth. They can't blame us for having an opinion. They should put the blame where it belongs, themselves. We can't like everything and blow smoke up someones a$$ if we know their SH#$ is terrible. By "they" I'm saying generally of any company.

[ruicorreia]

@Legacy: very nice review. I totally agree.

[MrMollusk]

I most defiantly will be using the crap out of these.

I'm intrigued by these. I'll pick up a gold/yellow one.
IMO, the pearl one looks kind of tacky.

[Knobz1]

 I already said I didn't care for them.   Especially the butterscotch/mustard yellow ones.   They look fricken ugly and hideous.   And that's my personal opinion.   To those that like them, spend your money and get them.   These aren't worthy in my display cabinet.

[Card Player]

I most defiantly will be using the crap out of these.

I'm intrigued by these. I'll pick up a gold/yellow one.
IMO, the pearl one looks kind of tacky.

I wrote this before using the Global Titans Deck.  Yes, I have used the crap out of 1 deck. That's only to give them benefit of the doubt. To date, I stand by my review.

[Conjuring Arts]

Thanks for your interest in the Global Titans.

To clarify any confusion:

Printing in China is a decision made based on features and quality and has absolutely nothing to do with trying to get around intellectual property law or copyright law.

The Expert Playing Card Co. is not infringing on any copyrights or trademarks in any way whatsoever. We knowingly and openly are using old designs and names modifying them as we produce new decks of cards. We have an extensive (perhaps one of the bigger) collection of old back designs and tuck boxes from the 1890s to 1920s and fully intend on repurposing and remixing this amazing Art Nouveau artwork. In no way are we trying to imitate anything that USPCC is doing now nor has done for many decades. On the other hand, we will be using old styles, fonts and designs that we feel shouldn't be relegated to the dustbin of history.

Triton and Tritons are NOT trademarks of the USPCC and they were never trademarked by the USPCC nor the New York Consolidated Card Company, which used it as a brand circa 1895. However, the word “Triton” is trademarked by another American firm that makes playing cards for casinos. Here is a link to the design of their playing cards: http://www.catcogaming.com/Pages/Triton.html
I’m sure you’ll agree that our decks have nothing to do with the Triton playing cards currently on the market.

We chose the name Global Titan for fun reasons and make no representation whatsoever that we have anything to do with Greek mythology or gods of any sort at all. In fact, our intent was never to make decks that follow any ancient mythology or religion but instead to reinvigorate great old designs and Art Nouveau sensibilities. Mark Stutzman is not represented as a king in our deck and we never had the intention of our kings representing Olympic gods.

Enjoy the cards and please find us at conjuringarts.org
Feel free to contact us if you have any other questions.

[MrMollusk]

I most defiantly will be using the crap out of these.

I'm intrigued by these. I'll pick up a gold/yellow one.
IMO, the pearl one looks kind of tacky.

I wrote this before using the Global Titans Deck.  Yes, I have used the crap out of 1 deck. That's only to give them benefit of the doubt. To date, I stand by my review.

I was just making a joke about the typo. The deck looks nice, and Conjuring Arts has supplied me with nothing but well-handling and awesome decks in the past. And nobody made a fuss when CARC rebooted the old Erdnase back. Why is the Triton deck from decades ago being reprinted such a thorn in everyone's side? The box is neat, the back is ornate, and it's a generally cool deck.

Things

Welcome to the forum!
It's always awesome to see company reps drop by (even if it's just to defend themselves).

[Card Player]

I was just making a joke about the typo. The deck looks nice, and Conjuring Arts has supplied me with nothing but well-handling and awesome decks in the past. And nobody made a fuss when CARC rebooted the old Erdnase back. Why is the Triton deck from decades ago being reprinted such a thorn in everyone's side? The box is neat, the back is ornate, and it's a generally cool deck.]I was just making a joke about the typo. The deck looks nice, and Conjuring Arts has supplied me with nothing but well-handling and awesome decks in the past. And nobody made a fuss when CARC rebooted the old Erdnase back. Why is the Triton deck from decades ago being reprinted such a thorn in everyone's side? The box is neat, the back is ornate, and it's a generally cool deck.

I could lie and tell you its not a typo. That's want I wanted it to say. Lol  Damn iPhone auto-spell!?!

One of my favorite decks of all time are CARC's Black & Silver Acorn Backs. One of the best decks money can buy in my opinion. Magic finish in ivory (smooth) and cambric. Thick Bee Stock. A black & metallic silver back design. Squeezer pips and tan faced old style court cards. CARC did it right with that release and exemplified the true meaning of premium quality.

I know exactly what your talking about when you say "awesome decks in the past". If you are iffy in the slightest about this design, the handling of Global Titans will flat-out disappoint. These are nothing like Legends. They are advertised as if they are equals to Legends quality but they just aren't. CARC is about magic and sleight-of-hand techniques, I expect a reliable handling deck of cards first and foremost.