Jerry's Nuggets Decks - What's the Big Deal?

[RSLancastr]

Why are they so prized?

A magician friend of mine gave me a deck a few years back, and told me that they were sought after by magicians because of the way they handled when doing fans and flourishes.

Since they had standard courts, I would not have given them a second glance had I come across them in an antique store.

The friend that gave them to me had found a box of a dozen or so decks for $10 in an antique strore. I later saw single decks selling on eBay for more than $100 each.

So, what makes them handle any better than, say, modern USPC decks?

[alric]

So, what makes them handle any better than, say, modern USPC decks?

They don't. Period. And don't let any fanboy tell you otherwise. JNs are vintage decks decades old so its not reasonable to expect them to handle better than modern decks. There are 2 physical characteristics that do set them apart: They have a very thin stock. And despite the thin stock, they're remarkably stiff. That's it.

So why are they such a big deal? Hype. Plain and simple. A French magician, Duvivier, had a fondness for them and basically bought most of the remaining stock. JNs had no real intrinsic value and were commonly sold in gift shops in Vegas for $0.99 per deck. Then everything changed when Dan and Dave featured JNs in some of their videos. The bold, primary colors of the decks really stood out in the videos, and of course, anything associated with Dan and Dave is hyped to the heavens. There you have it, the artificial rareness created when Duvivier started hoarding most of the remaining decks coupled with the popularity of the Bucks and the hype machine created the iconic legend now known as Jerry's Nuggets.

[RSLancastr]

Thanks for that rundown, Alric.

I think they skyrocketed in perceived value before Dan & Dave got involved, though.

I remember seeing them on eBay for more than $100 back in the late 1990s.

When did D&D release that video?

[Evan]

Although I've never handled a deck of Jerry's, I can say that they do not handle better than modern deck, but they handle differently and uniquely.

[agera94]

I've got an opened JN deck, and I can say the following about them:
- The stock is incredibly stiff, but surprisingly thin. The closest thing you'll get to its stiffness is the UV500 stock, but even that is a fair way from it.
- The cards stay together quite well when flourishing.
- Overall they feel very different to decks today.

As I'm not affected by buyers bias, I can safely say that ho there really isn't that much else to them. I guess there is a prestige associated with owning a sealed or even opened deck.

[jmrock]

The history behind the handling of the deck is that the process used when applying the inks to the back of the card involved using materials that are now considered hazardous and the process is not able to be duplicated today... Thus, the ink covering pretty much the entire back of the cards is supposed to give the deck a handling that is superior... Personally I wouldn't mind owning a pair due to their value amongst the card collecting community... However, I could never bring myself to pay that kind of money for such a hideous looking deck... In fact they're so popular that D&D and Fulton sold thousands of their rip off version of the J.Nuggs all on the mystique surrounding the decks...

[RSLancastr]

Although I've never handled a deck of Jerry's, I can say that they do not handle better than modern deck, but they handle differently and uniquely.

As a non-cardist who only collects playing cards to enjoy the images, I doubt I would know the difference.

As long as the deck's finish is not so slick as to make a deck of them slide off the table and onto the floor (Air-cushioned Bikes have done this to me more than once. Have you ever tried to pick up 52 cards individually using a reacher/grabber? Not fun, believe me), I'm fine with them.

[reckone1999]

i don't understand how anyone could consider jerry's nuggets hideous.

the vibrant red and blue colors used for jerry's are the best shade of red and blue i've ever seen for a deck. and the simplicity of the design is one of the coolest designs for a deck. i say this because when the cards are used for cardistry and magic more complicated designs often seem muttled, or confusing as you're watching them in motion. and people are largely paying attention to the moves being performed, that's why a great simplistic design is really effective.

to all the collectors here ready to disagree with me here, please put your knives down , as i undestand for you guys the opposite can be true, since many of you don't use your decks and just collect them, the more embellished or ornate the deck the more interesting it may be because you are keeping it stationary. my main point here is to distinguish between collector and card user, because the advice given from both vantage points will differ for this reason.

yes they are overhyped. by the time the stories reach you, you expect the deck to have supernatural qualities. but as somone already said these were hyped WAY before dan and dave. they've been favorites amongst famous magicians such as dai vernon before dan and dave were doing their first sybil.

while they do fan, they don't fan exceptionally well, the stock is stiffer and heavier, these decks have a nice longevity because of that, it is also nice for flourishing as a result in my opinion, because for me at least, moves are easier to execute with some thickness and weight in the cards. also to note cards that were made by the same printing press around the same era, friars club, golden nugget etc. are often compared, but still are vastly different in terms of overall finish and stock.

Evan wrote:Although I've never handled a deck of Jerry's, I can say that they do not handle better than modern deck, but they handle differently and uniquely.

evan? no offense, but if you've never handled a deck of jerry's how could you say anything as to how they handle except to take someone else's word for it?

in short i have some and got them both for under $100 and will keep them and only use them once in a while for a couple moves throughout the year and will eventually make a video with them. i would never pay $300 + for them.

that said, if you are lucky enough to get an open deck for a cheap price these are a really great deck to own for the reasons i layed out above, and if these weren't hyped and expensive i'd own several grosses i imagine.

[RSLancastr]

i don't understand how anyone could consider jerry's nuggets hideous.

the vibrant red and blue colors used for jerry's are the best shade of red and blue i've ever seen for a deck. and the simplicity of the design is one of the coolest designs for a deck. i say this because when the cards are used for cardistry and magic more complicated designs often seem muttled, or confusing as you're watching them in motion. and people are largely paying attention to the moves being performed, that's why a great simplistic design is really effective.

Given that perspective, Would a totally solid-colored back be even better?

As a collector (not a cardist), I've never paid much attention to a deck's back, other than to appreciate when it serves the deck's theme well.

[reckone1999]

you've just described the noc deck, except that it has borders, and they are nice. i like them very much and such prominent flourishers such as henrik, and ajek have both used them.

and they are fine, but with respect to what i was talking about, it's nice to have some kind of design, just minimalistic.

[reckone1999]

a perfect example of what i'm talking about is zach mueller's custom deck not available for purchase fontaine deck which can be viewed here in his trailer for his new effect splicer.

this is not intended to be a commercial for the trick, even though it's pretty good, but it's the cards i'm in love with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKCAk067wrY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[MJF]

So from this community's perspective, what are the Jerry Nugget's worth? Here's what I'm seeing in various auctions online and private-sale posts:

Jerry's Nugget Original Blue : $250-$600
Jerry's Nugget Original Red : $250-$600
Jerry's Nugget Reprint Blue : $35-$60
Jerry's Nugget Reprint Red : $35-$60
Jerry's Nugget Reprint Black : $60-$100

What are all of your takes on what they are really worth... I would like to, at some point, add them to my collection, but they sit on the royally expensive end of the spectrum...

[MagikFingerz]

So from this community's perspective, what are the Jerry Nugget's worth? Here's what I'm seeing in various auctions online and private-sale posts:

Jerry's Nugget Original Blue : $250-$600
Jerry's Nugget Original Red : $250-$600
Jerry's Nugget Reprint Blue : $35-$60
Jerry's Nugget Reprint Red : $35-$60
Jerry's Nugget Reprint Black : $60-$100

What are all of your takes on what they are really worth... I would like to, at some point, add them to my collection, but they sit on the royally expensive end of the spectrum...

For starters, none of the reprints are worth squat diddely

[phantom1412]

In China, the fake Jerry is cost less than 5$.

[Encarded]

So from this community's perspective, what are the Jerry Nugget's worth? Here's what I'm seeing in various auctions online and private-sale posts:

Jerry's Nugget Original Blue : $250-$600
Jerry's Nugget Original Red : $250-$600
Jerry's Nugget Reprint Blue : $35-$60
Jerry's Nugget Reprint Red : $35-$60
Jerry's Nugget Reprint Black : $60-$100

What are all of your takes on what they are really worth... I would like to, at some point, add them to my collection, but they sit on the royally expensive end of the spectrum...

The black ones should be worth almost nothing, really, as black JN's never existed and therefore those aren't a "replica " of anything. As a general cheap deck those should be just a few dollars.

Real JN can be had on eBay for around $250-300 but they don't show up everyday. If you can find an unopened perfect condition for less than $300 you probably did pretty well.

[MJF]

In China, the fake Jerry is cost less than 5$.

Yeah, I'm quite hesitant to place any bids on anything from the Asia/India section of the world since piracy and knock-offs are so rampant in that part of the world... hell, they even have a fake Apple store...