The Rarest of Rare

[tonyricciardi]

Was just curious what people thought were the rarest of rare decks. I know of some but I'm always learning and curious what others thought.

Here are some of mine in no particular order. Please feel free to contribute.

1.) Bund18 Red and Blue
2.) David Blaine - Microsoft Create Magic
3.) Bicycle Boss Deck
4.) Stranger & Stranger Gilded Presentation Deck
5.) Pre-Release Monarchs with Gold Ink on back
6.) Mailchimp Summer Edition
7.) Fontaine Red
8.) Theory 11 White Centurions
9.) Federal 52 Unbranded Reserve Note
10.) Green Rarebit

[vasta41]

Pretty good list! Is there a way to tell the difference between the "regular" Stranger & Stranger deck and the Gilded Presentation Deck from the exterior?

[tonyricciardi]

Not sure but I'll see if I can find any info on it.

BTW are those decks still for sale in your signature?

[ecNate]

Clearly you are only talking about modern decks, obviously there are quite a few vintage and antique decks that would be at the top.

I also assume you are including 'special release' variations of decks where it's the exact same deck, but a modified tuck. Or worse the exact same deck and tuck, but with a special seal. I never understood the appeal of getting a deck and then paying $20 more for a numbered sticker which makes it 'rare'. And then there are the custom small print run decks, even hand made that might be just 10 or even a single deck. Maybe a better question is what decks are the most desirable that are hard to find?

Anyhow, here's selections from my wishlist that might qualify
ALLSAINTS SPITALFIELDS


ANTI-FASCIST REPRODUCTION


YE WITCHES’ NO.62 FORTUNE CARDS


OUIJA DECK, THE

[Mike Ratledge]

Can't argue with the list, maybe one that was made by artificial rarity, but nevertheless everyone is in search of.

Also very true that this is only contemporary cards. The Dondorf Hundertjahrkarte single deck sells for $750-$1000 depending on condition.

[tonyricciardi]

Yes, I should have stated from the get go I was referring to "modern" cards. Clearly there are vintage decks that are very rare and highly prized. I also could have titled it "most desirable cards" but I felt that would shift the list towards decks like Madison's Hellions which were desirable at the moment but not necessarily rare. I did also try to limit decks that were artificially made rare. That was a tough one. After some consideration, I felt that there are decks that are made artificially rare by numbered, limited production that are not that desirable. My thinking being that even though they may be limited in production to "create" a scarcity, that didn't necessarily make them rare. I considered collector interest, resale value and demand. Hope that clears it all up!

[ecNate]

Sorry, most of my comments were more of a rant of practices in the industry than your list itself.

One of the things I did push to Alex was to see if there was a way to start getting simple overall metrics/lists from Portfolio 52 again. Things like the most owned and desired decks, since it would involve a simple query if it's not already built in. Another interesting one would be to see the ratio of wishlist/owned which would actually be an indication of what you are asking. For example, Dark Suits (which I do already own), has a pretty good example of few owned and many wanted. Over 4x want it than have it, but it's a smaller sample size compared to some of the Fed 52 or raw wishlist number of Rarebit Green. Still, this would be a possible indication of rarity and desirability where anything where wishlist/owned is >= 1 is probably pretty rare and also very strongly desired with the raw numbers being indicator of how widespread. There would need to be more complex maths to account for popularity to get a better true score, but this is a start.

Deck Name Wishlist:Owned Ratio (Wishlist/Owned Value)
ye Witches 3:0 (Div ZERO)
All Saints 6:1 (6)
Dark Suits v4 13:3 (4.33)
Ouija 3:1 (3)
Mailchimp Summer 22:16 (1.38)
Jerry's Nugget Blue 27:27 (1)
Rarebit Greet 42:47 (0.89)
Jerry's Nugget Red 22:24 (0.92)
Bund18 Blue 13:15 (0.87)
Bund18 Red 11:16 (0.69)
Run Bankroll 19:28 (0.68)
Fed 52 Black Reserve Unbranded 32:62 (0.52)
Boss 3:6 (0.5)
Ultimate Gilded 9:15 (0.25)
Fed 52 White Reserve Unbranded 18:104 (0.17)


So yeah, I think Dark Suits v4 qualifies, but it was a smaller multiple print runs (total of just 300 decks). Curator is another one that is almost impossible to get and often highly sought after, but the P52 ratio of 0.12 and raw wishlist of 14 doesn't obviously show that.

[tonyricciardi]

That's an excellent idea, Nate.

[tonyricciardi]

I was finally able to fine some info on the Stranger and Stranger Gilded Ultimate Deck.

http://www.notcot.com/archives/2012/12/ ... e-deck.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[themagiccardist]

Can't seem to find green rarebits anywhere

[chach]

Can't seem to find green rarebits anywhere

It's my understanding you can find them in North Carolina still I believe.

[Encarded]

I can think of a few of my creations that are probably on the rare side.

- Aurum Laser Cut Edition: 90 made
- Tendril Ascendant Special Edition: 50 made
- Tendril Ascendant "Stealth" deck: 2 exist
- Deco Personalized Edition: Probably less than 50 made
- Zenith Holographic Gilded: 1 exists

[Justin O.]

The Met's Blue Logan Punk! Chaos to Couture deck. Prize of my collection.
Gold New Era
Jaqk Cellars V1's (Burgundy/White)

I don't think Red Fontains are that rare, you can almost always find them on eBay, even if the asking price is a joke.


I have a set of the Bund decks for sale over in the marketplace as well if anyone is interested

[badpete69]

I can think of a few of my creations that are probably on the rare side.

- Aurum Laser Cut Edition: 90 made
- Tendril Ascendant Special Edition: 50 made
- Tendril Ascendant "Stealth" deck: 2 exist
- Deco Personalized Edition: Probably less than 50 made
- Zenith Holographic Gilded: 1 exists

Paul

I would say your Deco personalized editions are all 1 of 1 unless someone has the same initials. Anyone has a PR deco deck besides me?

[Encarded]

I can think of a few of my creations that are probably on the rare side.

- Aurum Laser Cut Edition: 90 made
- Tendril Ascendant Special Edition: 50 made
- Tendril Ascendant "Stealth" deck: 2 exist
- Deco Personalized Edition: Probably less than 50 made
- Zenith Holographic Gilded: 1 exists

Paul

I would say your Deco personalized editions are all 1 of 1 unless someone has the same initials. Anyone has a PR deco deck besides me?

Admittedly I was being a little tongue in cheek there, though the first two on the list would be pretty legit. We all see what the laser cut Aurums go for on eBay when they occasionally pop-up... those are definitely rare!

[JacksandJokers]

I was just browsing through the General playing cards discussion section and thought we should resurrect this topic.

Which Rare decks do you own & which deck is your White whale

Which deck is the rarest of the rare

[Bradius]

I haven't been collecting near as long as many here. As such I have some "rare" decks, but many are not like highly sought. One my early rare set acquisition was one of like 30 wooden box sets from Max's wood deck Kickstarter. That said, I don't know how sought out that is, but I like it. Definitely nothing like some of Jackson Robinson's Legacy sets. Lately I have been going after these type of things at least as they show up on Kickstarter. I am less inclined in pay big bucks on eBay or secondary market.

[theCapraAegagrus]

I have a lot...

3 1st Edition Black Ghost
1 Blue-Gold Monarchs
4 Gilded S&S/D&D Ultimate Decks
1/35 Tendril Trilogy Megatuck
1/50 Tendril Ascendant Special
2/200 Venexiana Gold
2/120 Icons Signature
2/130 Liturgy Treasure
2/160 Grotesk Signature
3/1000 Unbranded Black Reserve Note
2/200 Scarlett Tally-Ho Gold
2/200 Emerald Tally-Ho Silver
2 of each Alloy Gilded Deck

Even more...

[guru]

Handcrafted decks ( poker, Ganjifa etc. ) come to my mind when I hear this "rarest of rare" term being used. Because of the handmade nature, every deck is unique and one of its kind.

The price does dissuade people to go with regular machine produced decks but when I look at secondary market and eBay auctions where collectors pay $300 + for a deck then the value of handcrafted decks increase manifold in my eyes.