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Thanks for helping me take every option into consideration. Fortunately, a couple of people pm-ed me after I posted this so there is still a chance! However I ain't considering anything other than the deck itself since I won't even have space to store nor ship them haha

If you REALLY want one now, here's a full 7 deck collection with extras for $550

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Gemini-Playing ... 2662160326" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

hsbc wrote:If you REALLY want one now, here's a full 7 deck collection with extras for $550

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Gemini-Playing ... 2662160326" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I saw this, No.
I'm not THIS dumb hahaha

Or buy a Pullox Beta from Dyntine for $140. You can also see if the one on hold is going through, if not try to nab it. You never know.

Bradius wrote:PipChick, if I had that Dr. Strangelove deck, I would give it to you for free including shipping just to get RID of it! That thing gives me the serious heebie jeebies. Shudder...

Aw thanks, Brad - I wish you did have this deck because I'd most certainly love to take it off your hands for you lol

And it's funny that it creeps you out so much because I absolutely adore it lol - but I, myself, also tend to creep people out too... lol

Anyways, if anyone out there does happen to have this deck, PLEASE let me know what I can do to pry it from your hands so I can finally add it to my own collection lol

but seriously, I want this deck bad

Bradius wrote:Or buy a Pullox Beta from Dyntine for $140. You can also see if the one on hold is going through, if not try to nab it. You never know.

Hey Brad, in fact I did go through Dentyne to ask about the one on hold which I totally missed when he misplaced it under Lotrek's category. Seems that I'm in luck because he did mention he might have a spare one. But...

The crazy thing isn't that this particular luck favored me, but instead I completely struck GOLD with a different source
That means that currently I do have a Gemini Experimental being sent to me at the moment! But before I conclude that my white whale has been fulfilled, let me just make sure I receive this deck before I update anything here

Well, almost congrats on hooking a white whale! Let me know when you get it. I am looking forward to picking up Lorenzo's Gemini notebook, but especially an uncut Experimental tuck and most especially an original sketch (I already have a sketch of the Jack of Spades from House of the Rising Spade that I love). If you like Lorenzo's stuff, you should really consider becoming one of his Patreon Sponsors. I have never been disappointed by backing any of Lorenzo's projects.

So, so much for the anticipation of a white whale fulfilled, here's mine in its glorious glamour!
I couldn't be grateful enough receiving this deck since the source that sent me this deck was... none other than the man himself: Lorenzo.

Chance was I was asking him about the patron options he has on Patreon, which eventually happened to be my very first successful subscription on the site. And by chance, I came up with the idea to go for it and ask whether he happened to have any Gemini Experimental lying around. Previously, I've been contacted by a few UC members happy to spare a deck, which I'm most grateful to, but the price tag was so high I can't afford it. But with Lorenzo, not only was he willing to spare a deck for me, he struck me an affordable deal (still high but good enough for my budget) and track-mailed it to me within hours. I got the deck within 4 days .

Anyways, there's my fulfilled story of my White Whale. In addition, this fulfilled my Gemini collection since the Experimental holds the Terra deck anyways. I don't bear slaying the REAL White Whale from Stockholm, but the creature was gracious enough to drop me this awesome gem as an unforgettable souvenir.

Thanks Lorenzo! Such a guy of great culture.

Wow Decknowlegy, that’s awesome!

That's a great story with a great ending. Congratulations, Decknowledgy, and hats off to Lorenzo for being such an awesome human being.

I contacted him myself when I was trying to get hold of a No. 17 Le Chat Rouge some time ago. I managed to find and order one soon after and then, coincidentally, Lorenzo replied and offered me one from his private collection; I felt terribly guilty because I had to decline his kind offer as I couldn't afford to buy both.

Thanks for sharing these stories. Lorenzo is a class act.

rousselle wrote:Lorenzo is a class act.

My thoughts exactly

Glad you worked it out!

For those who read this post and don’t know it, Lorenzo has a Stockholm 17 Patreon program. He is looking for folks to sponsor him for $25/month. He is just starting out on his own as a full time deck designer and it is scary I am sure quitting you full-time job and the steady income it provides. Kickstarter is great, but not for steady income. So, if you love Lorenzo’s work (who doesn’t), this is something to seriously consider. He will send a nice package of goodies to his sponsors that I am sure will not disappoint. Besides, it is also for a great cause.

If anyone wants to help and can’t find the link to his Patreon page, let me know and I will add a link.

Bradius, I would love to back Lorenzo in this effort. Can you provide the link? That would be great.

Thanks

Here you go. If you have a problem with it, let me know. You will need to set up a Patreon account to sponsor someone there. I know that TheGentlemanWake and Gio also have Patreon programs as well.

https://www.patreon.com/stockholm17/overview

Awesome story! I want to join the Stockholm17 Patreon but I just can't justify $240 for a mystery package in March 2020 Great to see it working out though, he's already at 21 patrons

Never planned to use Patreon and had never had an interest in any of these sponsorship stuff. However, Lorenzo's and Gio's work had me so stoked all the time that I decided to patron for both of them

I really enjoy the subscription model. I'm not sure what the future holds, how it'll play out against Kickstarter long-term, but it's great to be a part of and I hope it lasts a while. (UC's "top-tier" designers and the "hype" cardistry creators don't really overlap at all; personally I'm wondering how many Fontaines/Anyones is too many, where's the breaking point?) And there's also the Lotrek model of pre-orders - is there anyone else making decks in that price range? How long until someone else tries? It's also encouraging to see MPC continuing to improve with their linen finish, and I've read (maybe here?) about how "soon" printers will be able to customize each and every deck. Very exciting! This turned into a bit of a rant, oops

Top premium decks are definitely pushing the boundries for many collectors. I think the air gets thin fairly quickly. For direct purchases, I think Lotrek still holds the top spot with his foiled decks, but you do get a high quality deck carefully made and artfully designed with that price, and he usually includes shipping in the cost. Keep in mind some of Lotrek's standard decks can sell orignially for as low as $10 each, which is quite reasonable. I like that Lotrek has all ranges of prices, as do most other designers. Gio's Cartamundi holographic foiled Black Monolith is going for about $30 for a single deck, plus shipping. Jackson's new gilded Subscription deck is pushing $45 each plus shipping. So these premium versions (forget super limited decks in fancy boxes) are getting really pricey. Those on budgets (ultimately, we all have budgets) have to choose what to purchase. I am not sure how much more premium I can afford. It is already forcing me to pull off of some other campaigns or significantly reduce my orders.

And it's only going to get worse.

Got my Turku Castle deck (that was printed in 1940s)! Thanks Lorenzo!

I said it on the last post, but my new White Whale is a Soviet Black Palekh deck from 1937.

Shout out to @theOutsider for cluing me in on my "White Whale". I should have them next week.

TwoPiece wrote:Shout out to @theOutsider for cluing me in on my "White Whale". I should have them next week.

That's great! And it is...?

Räpylätassu wrote:

TwoPiece wrote:Shout out to @theOutsider for cluing me in on my "White Whale". I should have them next week.

That's great! And it is...?

The Hana Signature decks.

TwoPiece wrote:The Hana Signature decks.

That's great news! I can stop feeling guilty now.

Timmargh wrote:

TwoPiece wrote:The Hana Signature decks.

That's great news! I can stop feeling guilty now.

Tim don't forget you've also fulfilled my Minty's Osiris "white dophin"

Decknowledgy wrote:Tim don't forget you've also fulfilled my Minty's Osiris "white dophin"

I just got one of the Gemini Notebooks for sale on Stockholm17's Shopify site. I think there are two still left.

The price is a bit steep, but it comes with an uncut Gemini Experimental Tuck (signed) and an original pencil drawing. I just got it in today.

The notebook is super nice to add to my Gemini collection. The original drawing is awesome. The uncut Gemini Experimental Tuck is great. Lorenzo also sent some crazy nice extras. So much so that I would have paid the cost of that notebook for the extras. Not sure what others got, and I am not going to mention some of the items for fear of raising expectations. Anyway, I got some really cool stuff with that notebook. Not a white whale, but a really nice package filling out some nice corners of my collection.

Timmargh wrote:

TwoPiece wrote:The Hana Signature decks.

That's great news! I can stop feeling guilty now.

Yes. I am no longer sad.

OK, so after realizing that Camelot wasn't as rare as thought, it was at the back of my head, just waiting for Jackson to open the slot for display decks.

On the other hand, Expert just posted a giveaway on their IG, giving out the Chosen deck by Nick Vlow, released during the 2017 52 Plus Joker Convention. Upon seeing this, it reminded me that there was a period where I was frantically searching everywhere for this deck in vain, earlier than Camelot and even earlier than Gemini Experimental. I just love the color scheme and pattern so much, but the deck is extremely hard to come by... Therefore, I'm listing this as my ongoing White Whale from now on.

Does anyone have this deck in their collection and is willing to sell?

The right one: