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Mail Call. Finally I have the Scarlet and Sapphire to complete the original Ornate series, and got a few extra to boot.

I don't have ANY of the Ornate series, but have always thought that the "Scarlet" one should have been named "Ruby" or maybe "Garnet", to better fit in with Emerald, Amethyst and Sapphire...

But I guess that if you think of them as names of colors rather than names of precious stones, "Scarlet" works just as well.

Randy pondered over that conundrum but ultimately went with Scarlet because it fit the design better, as in ruby was too short and looked funny.

Finally received my uncut back from framing. Very happy with the turnout and color combo. Definitely a special day for me as a card collector as this is my first uncut and card art piece. Can't seem to figure out why when I upload the picture it wants to rotate it to the left, but I think the point still gets across.

I want to get a uncut sheet and frame it sometime in the future.

Now for you coin collectors, what do you do with the coins? Seems to me you can only look at and admire them. Some are called dealer's coins so is there a certain purpose for them? I have a Tinker coin which looks good but it just laying in my dresser.

rpelberg wrote:Finally received my uncut back from framing. Very happy with the turnout and color combo. Definitely a special day for me as a card collector as this is my first uncut and card art piece. Can't seem to figure out why when I upload the picture it wants to rotate it to the left, but I think the point still gets across.

Nice, rpelberg!

I have yet to do anything with my uncut Bicycle Cigar deck, but am looking forward to getting it framed and hung.

Bikefanatic wrote:I want to get a uncut sheet and frame it sometime in the future.

Now for you coin collectors, what do you do with the coins? Seems to me you can only look at and admire them. Some are called dealer's coins so is there a certain purpose for them? I have a Tinker coin which looks good but it just laying in my dresser.

My StepDad collected coins, and had many of them displayed in framed, pre-made mats with pre-cut circular holes for the coins. Of course, they were for standard US coins, but I would bet that coin collector shops and web sites would know where you could have one made for non-standard-sized coins/tokens...

ETA:

http://www.bcwsupplies.com/cat/coin-supplies" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

rpelberg, very nice! Looking forward to when I can get my uncuts finally framed and on the wall!

Got a few this past week. I really like the Espionage one and the Alice isn't quite as bad as I've heard. I think the silver (b/w sketch) actually looks classier than the regular deck too. I've pretty much finally caught up with all the existing decks I would like. From here on it's mostly new KS and other special decks. It's been a whirlwind the past 3 months with new shipments! I'm still 'trying' to keep the numbers reasonable though, but originally I thought I could keep it under 20. Nope.

ecNate wrote:I'm still 'trying' to keep the numbers reasonable though, but originally I thought I could keep it under 20. Nope.

Under twenty!? Shyeah, right!

volantangel wrote:Shadowcat, which retailer is that? They stock pretty good decks and good service ! Kudos to them

An update on the replacement deck. The way they worded their reply to my inquiry, it sounded as if they were going to send a replacement deck. In fact I just read it wrong and they replied to a follow up email and told me to take it up with the manufacturer. My bad interpretation of the email. Oops! So, not the best customer service. Ah well! Missing a joker is an ideal card to miss in a deck!

shadowkat wrote:Ah well! Missing a joker is an ideal card to miss in a deck!

Not necessarily:

Back when my old web site was still a going concern, ONE of my criteria in deciding whether or not I wanted a given deck was how well it would lend itself to being an "exhibit" on my site (similar to my "Grid" scans I often post here).

Since those "exhibits" back then consisted of scans of:

1. A card from the Hearts suit,
2. A card from the Clubs suit,
3. A card from the Diamonds suit,
4. A card from the Spades suit,
5. A joker and
6. A card back
   
   (I only later added scans of:
7. An "Additional" (Title/Gaff/Advert/etcetera) card, and
8. The front of the tuck/box.

... a deck's containing a Joker made it more fitting as an "exhibit" on my site.

Back then, I did the majority of hunting for decks in various antique stores around Southern California.

At one point, I started noticing that EVERY SINGLE DECK THAT I FOUND in one of those stores was missing its jokers! I could only conclude that there was a joker collector who frequented that store, who was stealing all of the jokers out of the decks, making them less desirable to me!

Over time, this began happening at more and more of the antique stores I frequented!


I kept hoping that some day I would catch the bastard in the act, but it never happened.


So, while a missing joker is better (in my eyes) than, say, a missing court card, it's not always great. Just think of how it must ruin a deck for a joker collector!

RSLancastr wrote:So, while a missing joker is better (in my eyes) than, say, a missing court card, it's not always great. Just think of how it must ruin a deck for a joker collector!

Well, it did have one Joker and they are identical in the deck, so I feel only partly cheated

shadowkat wrote:Well, it did have one Joker and they are identical in the deck, so I feel only partly cheated

You seem to be a "the glass is half full" kind of person...

I envy you that.

I recently purchased two Braille Bicycle decks (a red and a blue) on eBay, and they were both missing their jokers.

<insert joke about a blind Bridge player here>

It only just now occurred to me: is there some Braille mark on the cards which would tell a blind person what color the back is on each card?

Latest Additions, over the last few months.

Strag wrote:Latest Additions, over the last few months.

Yeow, Strag! Do you buy a brick of each deck?

RSLancastr wrote:

Strag wrote:Latest Additions, over the last few months.

Yeow, Strag! Do you buy a brick of each deck?

I bought extras of the Bike decks to sell to my fellow UK collectors as they are harder to obtain over here. The brick of NOCs I won from Mike R as part of the 2013 deck contest. Otherwise I usually just buy 2 of each (one to open and open to "keep nice").

Great haul strag ! Did you get it while you went across the pond the other time ?

Look what little goodies I got today !

A little unusual pair of decks arrived in the post today: 2 OG Star Trek / 1992 in tin, box is beat up, but everything else in mint condition. (oh, and I won't show yet another copy of the deck, but my "Icelandair" White Whale deck arrived from Wayne today as well! Nice work, buddy!)

Nice, Mike! The decks are standard (other than the backs), IIRC, right?

I believe there is a similar DD tin for Star Trek: TNG as well. (By the way, it's "Star Trek: TOS" (The Original Series), Not "OG Star Trek". Careful, Trekkies would string you up for far less!

RSLancastr wrote:Nice, Mike! The decks are standard (other than the backs), IIRC, right?

I believe there is a similar DD tin for Star Trek: TNG as well. (By the way, it's "Star Trek: TOS" (The Original Series), Not "OG Star Trek". Careful, Trekkies would string you up for far less!

heheheh. OG in every case/sense means "Original", but yes - "TOS" = "The Original Series" for that specific series, I know. "TNG" forced that on them, I suppose. As far as I know they are standard courts et al, but as always - I don't open decks unless I have a partner for them, and for these I do not.

Back in the late 1990s, there was a web site (it may still be out there, I'll do some digging) where a collector shared images from her collection of many decks of Star Trek-themed playing cards. There were quite a few!

ETA:

iT'S STILL OUT THERE!!

http://www.jklm.net/atn/playing_cards.htm

A new one that came in yesterday:

==========[ Bicycle_DarkTemplar ]==========

My scans here are a bit washed out - sorry.

Can't say I'm all that crazy about this one (my apologies if someone here designed it).

Overall too dark, the pips very difficult to make out, and I would have preferred double-ended courts.

Mostly my personal preferences, though - and well-executed for all that.

I did enjoy the diptych title card(s)!

Robert: in answer to your previous question - it's the "Enesco" decks - two different backs in a tin with the original (albeit quite beat up!) cardboard wrapper.

Mike Ratledge wrote:Robert: in answer to your previous question - it's the "Enesco" decks - two different backs in a tin with the original (albeit quite beat up!) cardboard wrapper.

When I run into mine in the "vault", I'll post a picture and we can decide whose cardboard wrapper is in worse shape.

I got my 3 decks from Jessica Feinberg's Dragon Scale kickstarter today. They are very well done for non-bike decks! Air cushion finish, nice colors and clarity, good edges, strong tuck box. Each deck was in a different order when I opened them up, not sure if they were printed out of order or collated by hand or what. All the cards were there, though, so np. Every card has a picture on it, and each of the 3 decks is all different... Jessica sure is prolific!

samurai007 wrote:I got my 3 decks from Jessica Feinberg's Dragon Scale kickstarter today. They are very well done for non-bike decks! Air cushion finish, nice colors and clarity, good edges, strong tuck box. Each deck was in a different order when I opened them up, not sure if they were printed out of order or collated by hand or what. All the cards were there, though, so np. Every card has a picture on it, and each of the 3 decks is all different... Jessica sure is prolific!

Samurai, don't forget the "look" in the thread/topic's title!

Found these at Walmart today. Looks like a new back on the black Bicycle Club Tattoo deck.

Interesting! Faces the same, though?

I got these a couple of days ago. They were a surprise gift from my boyfriend, just because. When the second batch of Legends came out, I was asleep and by the time I woke up, only the red ones were left. He said he bought it on impulse because he knew I wanted them.

So, it sounds like... lucky in cards and lucky in love, all at the same time. Nice.

rousselle wrote:So, it sounds like... lucky in cards and lucky in love, all at the same time. Nice.

Thanks I definitely feel lucky. He even made these playing card roses for me: