Deck is now available for members on their website https://www.52plusjoker.org $30 per deck. Limit of 2 per member. The border around the cards reminds me of Jody Eklund's Stone Garden V2 deck.
"Created and printed by Jody Eklund (Black Ink Branded) and William Kalush (Expert Playing Card Company) exclusively for 52 Plus Joker. It’s a superb deck that embodies the world’s greatest playing card collector’s club. Fully customized. Print run of 1500 numbered decks."
QUICK FACT SHEET:
-52 + Two Jokers
-Regal & Refined Customized Court Cards With Classic Gameplay Style
-Full Flood Foil On Both Sides Of The Cards
-Beautiful Borderless Back Design
-Printed On Classic Finish Stock
-Tuck Box Made of Soft Touch Stock That Has Pillow-like Embossing And Red & Gold Hot Foils
-Custom 52 Plus Joker Seal
-Special Laser-Cut, Custom-Shaped Band Wrapper Foil-Stamped And Numbered In Foil.
-Sealed With A Fancy Unnumbered Custom-Shaped Label
-Manufactured In China
Bikefanatic wrote: ↑Thu Oct 06, 2022 8:01 pm
I'm not getting (yet) because courts and other pips aren't shown. I'm surprised last year's deck isn't sold out yet.
Credits to people at the convention right now:
P.S. now that I look at it more, the AoS kinda looks like a butt plug
vasta41 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 07, 2022 6:30 am
I would LOVE one if there are any good Samaritans out there. Please PM me!
Membership is $25 for a year. Deck is $30. Sign up next month, and then your membership will allow you to get this year's and next year's! You'll also be able to buy 2020 and 2021 since they're still available.
kevork wrote: ↑Fri Oct 07, 2022 9:23 am
Membership is $25 for a year. Deck is $30. Sign up next month, and then your membership will allow you to get this year's and next year's! You'll also be able to buy 2020 and 2021 since they're still available.
Harvonsgard wrote: ↑Sun Oct 09, 2022 1:36 pm
These will sit in store for long...
i agree. the courts designs and foiled pattern seem to be a wish.com lotrek and the tuck is nearly as plain as it gets, minus the sleeve. the characters on the jokers i like quite a bit. the rest of the deck is not for me.
wingedpotato wrote: ↑Mon Oct 10, 2022 10:07 am
So now you don't need to be a member to get the deck?
That's a great point. This also doesn't seem to have the 2 deck per member limitation on it, which isn't fair to members as well as convention goers who were capped at 3 per member. It goes against the principle of the cap, which is to allow for all members to have an opportunity to purchase the deck for now and the near future.
wingedpotato wrote: ↑Mon Oct 10, 2022 10:07 am
So now you don't need to be a member to get the deck?
That's a great point. This also doesn't seem to have the 2 deck per member limitation on it, which isn't fair to members as well as convention goers who were capped at 3 per member. It goes against the principle of the cap, which is to allow for all members to have an opportunity to purchase the deck for now and the near future.
I was surprised by this, too. But then I remembered that in other years the designers sold the decks on their own sites. But I think there was a difference, like non-numbered or something like that. I think the first deck by Jackson 10 years ago had a silver and gold version. Still trying to get my hands on that elusive silver version...
wingedpotato wrote: ↑Mon Oct 10, 2022 10:07 am
So now you don't need to be a member to get the deck?
That's a great point. This also doesn't seem to have the 2 deck per member limitation on it, which isn't fair to members as well as convention goers who were capped at 3 per member. It goes against the principle of the cap, which is to allow for all members to have an opportunity to purchase the deck for now and the near future.
So, just to clear this up...the designer of the club deck gets a gross to be able to sell on his or her own. Every year the club designer is able to sell the deck on their own. I just have 100 to sell.
Also, the club does not pay the designer for their work. They can't, since they are a non-for-profit organization. This is one way they get around not being able to pay the designer.
wingedpotato wrote: ↑Mon Oct 10, 2022 10:07 am
So now you don't need to be a member to get the deck?
That's a great point. This also doesn't seem to have the 2 deck per member limitation on it, which isn't fair to members as well as convention goers who were capped at 3 per member. It goes against the principle of the cap, which is to allow for all members to have an opportunity to purchase the deck for now and the near future.
So, just to clear this up...the designer of the club deck gets a gross to be able to sell on his or her own. Every year the club designer is able to sell the deck on their own. I just have 100 to sell.
Also, the club does not pay the designer for their work. They can't, since they are a non-for-profit organization. This is one way they get around not being able to pay the designer.
Thanks Jody! It is quite helpful to receive this perspective from you. I'll happily buy a deck from your site to support you directly as I've already reached my cap on the 52plusjoker website.
And you get signed decks. Would have been nice if club members also got signatures on their decks. But it is what it is. I already got two from the club and won't be needing any more. And I also understand that this is a way for the designer to get some reward for their work, which is ok.
jodyeklund wrote: ↑Mon Oct 10, 2022 10:23 am
Also, the club does not pay the designer for their work. They can't, since they are a non-for-profit organization. This is one way they get around not being able to pay the designer.
I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that is not what "not-for-profit" means. Non-profit status has more to do with what the organization does with the income they receive after they account for operating expenses. Non-profit orgs generally have to pay for goods and services just like any other entity does. There's nothing to prevent them from negotiating for donated goods and services either, but they certainly have the ability to pay like any other organization would. So, this explanation is incorrect, or perhaps incomplete. I'm assuming that 52PJ actually paid for the decks themselves, since your sales of a gross could not possibly cover production costs. Or perhaps EPCC also donated their decks? If you have donated your design work in exchange for the visibility and prestige, and also the right to sell some of the decks yourself, then that seems like a reasonable arrangement.
Personally, I think the tuck is fantastic, but the courts are too standard for my tastes. So I won't be buying. I think the comparison to Lotrek's courts is apt, and I've stopped buying his decks for the same reason. But that's just my taste, and clearly, your decks are selling out. Congratulations on being selected for this year's deck, Jody!
GandalfPC wrote: ↑Mon Oct 10, 2022 2:05 pmSold out.
Don't scare me like that! I thought you meant that they were also sold out from 52+J - grabbed one from them just now, I can live without the signature
While I am not Sinjin, nor am I a lawyer of any kind, I've worked for and with several non-profits over the years, and served on a few boards of same, and yes, non-profit organizations *are* allowed to pay for goods and services. Happens all the time.
I happen to think that 52+J tradition of paying in a gross of the deck rather than in cash is a fine idea, and it's obviously working for all concerned (or, at least, it appears to be).
I also think that Jody is a wonderful choice to make this year's deck. Since they are sold out on his site, I'm picking up my two from the official 52+J site, and that's all fine and wonderful.
But... if Jody is interested in any feedback (are you Jody?), here are my two cents on the Stone Gardens decks (which this club deck evokes):
I have both Stone Gardens decks by my bedside (amongst many piles of books and piles of cards... I'm such a nerd), and every so often I like to pull them out and fondle... I mean, admire them.
Here's the thing.
I love the backs from v2. I love the faces from v1. I hate the backs from v1. I hate the faces from v2. The reasons for hating v1 backs should be obvious: I mean... right? The reasons for hating the v2 faces shouldn't be too hard to figure out: the indexes are all black, including the ones that should be red; the background is busy and also monotonous and fails to grab the Lotrek vibe it seems to be reaching for, and the color design in general is just... well, instead of popping with all the bling, it just looks muddy. I say this knowing that Jody is a brilliant designer and could design circles around me when it comes to playing cards. I also love the fact that he keeps trying new things. Nonetheless, the best batters will still occasionally swing and miss. But, all that said, I know what I like, and this is a summation of how I feel about Stone Gardens.
If Jody were to release a version of Stone Gardens with the backs from v2 and the faces from v1, I'd be alllll over that action. The faces from v1 pop; love the use of the metallic inks, the clean design, and the easy index/pip readability.
I'm buying this club deck because it's the club deck. And, I *do* like the way the backs look. The faces... yeah, they don't seem to quite resolve all the issues of the Stone Gardens v2 faces for me. This is NOT meant as an attack on Jody. It's just an expression of personal preference. If this had been Stone Gardens V3 instead of the 52+J club deck, I'd skip. But, marry the back from v2 (or another one very much like it) with the faces of V1 (or something much like those), and I'd likely pay Stone Gardens princing for a few.
@playingcardophile
