The Metropolitan Museum of Art x Lingo Playing Cards

[GandalfPC]

[GandalfPC]

[Strag]

I'm a little bit skeptical of this KS.

The creator has only one previous Kickstarter, from 7 years ago. There is no mention on the Met website of any such "collaboration". They don't even include a link to the Met website or any detail around it (not even the city that it's in)! 9 different USPCC decks with a very low funding goal. THe images being used seem quite stock and the design overall not any better than a standard souvenier deck. Even their own Lingo web site has no mention of the collaboration.

I could go on but I see no need to. Hard HARD pass.

[GandalfPC]

I’ll reach out to the Met and see what they have to say…

Spoke to corporate patrons dept as they were easiest to reach - they took the time to look it up kickstarter and were skeptical of it but they are checking with their retail division to see if its legit. They will call me back once they know, and I imagine the kickstarter will end if not legit.

[GandalfPC]

Found this on the Met website - seems to me “working with the met” may or may not be a loose term, and access to using their images may be quite fluid - though I am not sure using the name “The Met” on the box would be:


Open Access Policy

The Metropolitan Museum of Art creates, organizes, and disseminates a broad range of digital images and data that document the rich history of the Museum, its collection, exhibitions, events, people, and activities.

Images of artworks in the Museum's collection fall into two categories:

images of works the Museum believes to be in the public domain, or those to which the Museum waives any copyright it might have
images of works the Museum knows to be under copyright or other restrictions
On February 7, 2017, The Metropolitan Museum of Art implemented a new policy known as Open Access, which makes images of artworks it believes to be in the public domain widely and freely available for unrestricted use, and at no cost, in accordance with the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation and the Terms and Conditions of this website.

It also makes available data from the entire online collection―both works it believes to be in the public domain and those under copyright or other restrictions―including basic information such as title, artist, date, medium, and dimensions. This data is available to all in accordance with the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation.

Watch the press conference held on February 7, 2017, to announce the new Open Access policy on MetMedia.

[GandalfPC]

They called back - strange answer - said it was a legitimate collaboration, but it was not supposed to be on kickstarter - they suggested I find the main web page for it and buy it from there

[shermjack]

They called back - strange answer - said it was a legitimate collaboration, but it was not supposed to be on kickstarter - they suggested I find the main web page for it and buy it from there

Someone's trying to make a quick buck on the side or using Kickstarter as one of their marketing strategies.

[GandalfPC]

Here is the listing on the lingo website (where they legitimately belong)

https://lingoplayingcards.com/search?q=Met

$12 each, $108 for the set - not getting a buy button for the set though (as I do for the singles) - so it appears they have a kink to work out before I need worry about buying them - I notified them of the issue

[Strag]

Seems like they are using KS as a storefront, which is technically agains the rules but of course we known KS only cares about getting their cut. Still an easy pass for me as it's just a souvenier deck from the design for me.

[Daisho]

If you guys are so inclined, here are some of my inner thoughts. Once again, I've been doing this awhile, and this is more for beginners trying to understand how to identify a fraud campaign. These are translated from my gut feelings, so speculation abound:

There are definitely some funny smells coming off this campaign. Some of that can be attributed to the fact the creator hasn't started a campaign in about 7 and half years, and much has changed since then. He has two contributors that are more unknown than he is, but those could be American distributors, or they could just as easily be loan sharks he is keeping the loop so they don't pry off his kneecaps. Also, there is a low funding goal, but he claims it will be printed by USPCC, which has a 10,000 print minimum, if memory serves me. The story of the campaign, artwork, etc, is reminiscent of other fraud campaigns. Also, he has an American location, but a non-American denomination funding goal.

However, the creator has delivered a project before. There is an "official looking website" (I use all three words loosely) it the creator's profile and it does link back to campaign (https://lingoplayingcards.com/pages/kickstarter). There is a consignment storefront (I never heard of it, but seems to be legit) also listing the cards: https://helloabound.com/lingo . They are "Out Of Stock," but that is probably because they are waiting for the product. Anyways, between this, the website, and the fact Lingo is somewhat "established," well, it just seems like a lot of work for a fraud campaign. The kind most fraudsters wouldn't bother with, or if they did, their attempts would be significantly more obvious as fraud.

So, after researching it a bit, yeah, I agree with others. The cards could already be printed and nearing distribution, and Kickstarter is just another avenue of selling/marketing. Or maybe he is subsidizing or recouping the cost a bit while he is waiting for the cards to get to the distributors on the more "official" storefronts (both would explain why he has USPCC printing with a low funding goal). That is speculation at best, but where the research pointed me.

So, while there is enough to make me slightly doubt the legitimacy of the campaign, there is more than enough to make seriously doubt there is any fraud.

First-glance rating: About halfway between "Proceed with Caution" and "Back with Confidence." But of course, take everything with a grain of salt.

Also, others have posted in the day and a half since I started this post and the time it was complete. If any info or research is duplicated, you can just assume I stole it from them. I'm okay with that.

[Strag]

Now cancelled by the creator.

[Daisho]

[Strag]

Also just noticed that they never showed a single image of the card backs. That would be a HUGE warning sign for me!

[GandalfPC]

They replied to my email regarding the set not having a buy button - they say the cards will be available in April on their website. As the campaign is shut down I am sure the Met reached out to them and let them know (or reminded them) that kickstarter was a no no

[Strag]

These are now available from Penguin Magic for $12ea. Still an easy pass for me at half that price however.