52 Plus Joker 2014 convention in Charleston SC Oct 15-18

[volantangel]

Mike: I don't suppose you'd be able to set up a camera and do a live stream from the biggest events of this weekend? That would be pretty cool if you could

Mike the teleconference ability might be put to good use, good thinking tom !

[Mike Ratledge]

Mike: I don't suppose you'd be able to set up a camera and do a live stream from the biggest events of this weekend? That would be pretty cool if you could

I'd love to do so, but I am not certain about the availability of AV type equipment nor costs for same. It would be very nice to (at a minimum) record the presentations. I don't see much usefulness in the auctions and that type of thing. I will inquire of Tom as to what we will have available.

[MagikFingerz]

Didn't even think about just recording, but that would be much simpler. Would be awesome if you could - thanks for checking, Mike!

[Mike Ratledge]

Mike: I don't suppose you'd be able to set up a camera and do a live stream from the biggest events of this weekend? That would be pretty cool if you could

Live streaming, likely not, but I did float the idea of "taping" (or digitally recording) the four presentations at the convention and I'm fairly certain that it will get done. I pretty much got confirmation already that we do have the equipment required to do so, and beyond that - I really don't think much of the rest of the proceedings, typically a large 'silent' auction followed Saturday morning by a even larger auction likely wouldn't prove to be very interesting, post-conference, unless of course somebody goes nuts and spends several thousand dollars on a single deck. It's happened before, and I don't doubt it can happen again.

The likely outcome is that we will have at least one 'outward-facing' presentation available publicly and the other three available to the membership in order to foster a little better membership coverage and encourage people to join as well. I'll see about maybe presenting it one-time for the membership here - hopefully some time shortly after the actual convention takes place, let's just shoot for the last weekend in October (the convention actually goes on into Sunday mid-afternoon, so the following weekend (24th, 25th) is the likely target for same.

Also note that as mentioned above we will have a joint membership get-together in my suite, perhaps Tom's as well depending on how many people come out for it. We've put it on the schedule for Saturday afternoon at 4PM, lasting an hour or ninety minutes, perhaps. We'll also be having both myself and Bill Kalush with CARC and Expert PCC presenting and hosting the nightly gaming sessions, including providing card decks to play and I personally have a 500-chip (13,5g clay) set for things like that. If anyone wants to bring along an extra set, please let me know what you're up to so we can get things setup properly before each evening session. Blackjack, poker and whatever level of interest we find will be entertained, and we also have dice from Jerry's Nugget and a set from an RJRTC "Watermelon" presentation set with both decks and five dice still in the box.

[Mike Ratledge]

Convention attendee and "significant other" banquet pricing: for people attending the four day convention that starts Wednesday the 15th and ends Sunday the 18th, the cost is $100 per person doing the full convention, and the price for the add-on including the ending banquet dinner for significant others is $50. I don't have a definitive answer as to how the ticket sales will work, but I have to assume that Steve Bowling, who is both the 52+Joker treasurer and in charge of putting together the convention planning - will be doing those. The September quarterly issue of "Clear The Decks" (we say "CTD") magazine, the American Playing Card Collectors Club magazine will contain the registration form along with the preliminary convention framework along with times for each of the events including the four main presentations. We are planning to record these and make them available publicly - likely on "YouTube" so that people unable to attend can still benefit from the proceedings. Other activities such as the live and silent auctions will not really lend themselves to video, and frankly I don't see any value in having them available. There will be a report available to member after the auctions have completed - on the "52plusjoker.org" website.

I will have extra registration forms, and you can easily go ahead and sign up for membership if you aren't already a member and wish to attend on the website.

The question came up about attending as a non-member: due to the very low price of the annual membership, you can pay for membership in addition to the convention if you are not already a member (and you will be one). Dues are $25 per year in North America, or 3 years for $60. The information details are also on the club website. Frankly, I know I've said it before, but the CTD quarterly magazine by itself is easily worth the price for membership. This is a labor of love created every three months by Judy Dawson, Tom's wife. It contains a fairly uniform array of items including one review of a contemporary item such as a KS campaign, usually done by a member of the club. People have asked why "two names", but "52+Joker" is simply the trade name used by the American Playing Card Collector Club, and it's more easily recognized (and takes up less space). "52+Joker" _is_ American Playing Card Collectors Club, and the membership goes way outside just the US, including quite a lot of members from Canada as well as a good number from Europe and other overseas locations including Hong Kong, etc.

[volantangel]

Well mike a simple laptop with a webcam + the hotels internet connection could possibly work if you wanted more people in for the meeting =D

[Cbkimble]

So the $100 is for members and the $50 is for each additional or is it $150 total + $50 each additional?

I'm still trying to find a decent hotel at a better price.

[Mike Ratledge]

So the $100 is for members and the $50 is for each additional or is it $150 total + $50 each additional?

I'm still trying to find a decent hotel at a better price.

The 100 dollar registration includes the banquet for members...

I doubt you're going to find a decent hotel at a better rate, frankly. $95 for two people including breakfast for two is pretty darned good for the Charleston area, and this is no "maybe" hotel, it's definitely first class. Sure, I'm certain you can find a cut-rate hotel cheaper, but as far as being right there where the action is, there just aren't any that are close enough to this particular location.

[Mike Ratledge]

I have gotten several requests from people with respect to getting some of the "52+J" decks Jackson is having done. I'll have to be honest and say I don't know how many will be available per person, but knowing the group I would suspect that I'll be able to get a few at least. Most of them are strictly vintage and antique deck collectors, and don't have a contemporary deck in their collection, but we're working on that. This year will be the best effort at influx of "new blood" into the membership, and a lot of people will be there that are deck artists we all know and love.

I'm hosting an entertainment suite along with Bill Kalush and Tom Dawson who all did the same, although I can't speak for them I feel certain we'll be having a lot of fun. Personally, I'm taking my 500-chip clay 14gram set along with 4 deck per night to be opened and used to play poker and blackjack. Some old (Watermelons, etc), some new (Fed52, Erik Mana decks, etc). Paul Carpenter and all will likely bring a few as well. I even tossed a 5-pack of Jerry's Nugget and old Bee dice in their, should be fun!

[Mike Ratledge]

Just so everyone is aware: Jackson tells me those special 52+Joker decks will be limited to 2 or 3 per registered member, so please don't get your hopes up. I'll see what I can do, but no promises. He did say that the balance would be sold through their "Clear The Decks" quarterly magazine (also to members only), so I might be able to snag a couple more that way, but being able to get one per even the 10 (and myself) that have requested that I "pick some up" just does not look promising. He will have more, and he's - as always - free to do as he sees fit with those, but I have no commitment. I'm working on it.

[Mike Ratledge]

OK, things are firming up really well today, Tom passed around a final schedule for comment, and the CTD issue should be printed in about a week, including the registration insert.

I didn't look back at what I said before, but one thing we need everyone to be able to make room for is a meeting of the minds for the forums:

Saturday October 18th from 4:00pm - 5:15pm - Meeting for Discourse and United Cardists Members (I think in Salon G&H, but I'll make certain and change it if I get it back differently).

[Encarded]

Looking forward to seeing everyone there! Got the room booked, and will bring along my little fam so you can see the kids that helped pack up your decks if you ordered Aurum, Deco or Zenith from me.

[Mike Ratledge]

Looking forward to seeing everyone there! Got the room booked, and will bring along my little fam so you can see the kids that helped pack up your decks if you ordered Aurum, Deco or Zenith from me.

Excellent, I was just checking on Alex Chin today, and he's got his information - time to get a ticket & book that hotel if you haven't already: it's filling up. It's a decent sized hotel, but I don't know how many rooms they blocked for the convention. I move in on Tuesday afternoon, in there until Sunday myself. I suppose we could fly home (not literally - it's about 35 miles), but I'm thinking Donna and I will be sticking close to the Charleston Plaza for that week.

New, subject to change - but the tentative schedule:

CHARLESTON 2014 CONVENTION

Wednesday, October 15
3:00pm - Officers’ Meeting
6:00pm - Registration and Reception

Thursday, October 16
8:30am - Submit lots for Saturday Live Auction
9:30am - Trading room opens
10:00am - Official opening and brief announcements
12:30pm -1:30pm - New Member Lunch - trading room closed.
1:30pm - Trading resumes
2:00pm - 2:45pm - Presentation - John Lafler on Tarot as Playing Cards
3:00pm - 4:00pm - Viewing and bidding on silent Auction #1
4:00pm - Silent Auction #1 closes and settle results
4:15pm - 5:00pm - Presentation - Tom Gallegos on Decoding Jost Amman’s Charta Lusoria
5:00pm - 5:30pm - View Members’ Treasures - trading room closed
5:30pm - 8:00pm - CARC Designer and Member Reception – Unveiling of new Club Deck
8:00pm - 10:00pm+ - Poker and Games night

Friday, October 17
9:00am - Trading room opens
10:00am - 11:00am - Members’ Annual Meeting
12:00pm - 12:45pm - Presentation - Frieder & Klaus on Life of Fritz and Franz on Playing Cards
12:45pm - 1:15pm - Raffle drawings
1:30pm - Trading room closed
1:30pm - Tour Charleston and dinner

Saturday, October 18
9:00am - 10:00am - Viewing for Live Auction
10:00am - 12:00pm - Live Auction
12:00pm - 1:00pm - Lunch break - trading room closed
1:00pm - 2:30pm - Open public session for appraisals, etc.
2:00pm - Settle Auction results
3:00pm - 4:00pm - Presentation - Steve and Joseph on Bikes, Bees and other Brands
4:00pm - Close Trading Room
4:00pm - 5:15pm - Meeting for Discourse and UnitedCardists Members <=====<<< this is a group meeting for members of both forums
6:00pm - Hospitality and Silent Auction #2 viewing
7:00pm - Banquet [silent auction continues through dinner]
9:00pm - Silent Auction #2 settled
10:00pm - Official close of 2014 Charleston Convention

Sunday, October 19
Farewells

[sprouts1115]

What time is Mike's $20 buy in for Texas Hold'em in his hotel room. I would like to sign up for that? Are we doing the old ice and beer in the tub?

[Cbkimble]

Ok, I may not be able to make it till the 16th. Would that be a problem?

[Mike Ratledge]

What time is Mike's $20 buy in for Texas Hold'em in his hotel room. I would like to sign up for that? Are we doing the old ice and beer in the tub?

Sounds like a plan. It's a very elegant hotel, but I don't see why we can't do as we please inside the suites that Tom & Judy, Bill Kalush and myself and wife all rented. I'm bringing about 20 assorted decks to pick from, everything from an old Tally Ho Split Spades to Bee Watermelon unopened presentation set to more recent (as in several recent USPCC & Expert) decks, so we see some of the different cards we all (mostly?) hesitate to open.

Ok, I may not be able to make it till the 16th. Would that be a problem?

Not at all, realistically nothing happens on the 15th except the board meeting and registration is open in the evening. The convention has always been 3 days for all intents and purposes, and this year it's Thursday/Friday/Saturday as usual. As far as I remember only the year it was held in Erlanger KY I'm thinking it "slid" one day early because of the USPCC plant tours that were given.

[sprouts1115]

@Mike - Cool, I was hoping to get a game going. Are you bringing the chips? If you're going to open old decks, the first thing I would do is sniff them. It's like opening a bottle of fine wine.

[Mike Ratledge]

Of course! No doubt about that. I happen to have a 500 chip set of 13.5gm chips.

[Mike Ratledge]

I am printing the convention t-shirts for the club and giving one away with every paid registration. Is anybody who's not coming interested in getting one? I think they will be $12 each, made with a really high quality Gilden 8000 "50/50" (cotton/poly) staydry "self-wicking" T. It's going to be a white logo that Lorenzo designed on a Royal Blue colored shirt. I'll attach a rendering pix as well as a better graphic of the original hand scripted graphic Lorenzo made just for these shirts. I can get them made with something more "UC" later, but since I am already getting about 100 (150, maybe?) shirts printed I figured I would ask.

If there are at least a handful of people interested, I will post the item on "DeckRefinery.com" 'offers' page with a link to PayPal. Sorry, these are practical only in the US, frankly - since shipping them overseas is outrageous! I am only going to make them available in S, M, L, XL and XXL sizes. You can pay an extra $1 per size over XXL (meaning they cost an extra dollar each size you go up and those are only going to be available by special order: S/M/L/XL/XXL are $12, then an XXL is $13, 4XL is $14, etc

[Encarded]

the shirt looks great, I'll take one, Medium.

[PrincessTrouble]

I'll take a shirt too, even though I can't make the convention this year.

[Cbkimble]

I just bought a lot of opened decks that are in great condition. I'll bring them and we can use some of those. I don't have any nice chip sets so I'll let Mike handle those.

[RandyButterfield]

What time is Mike's $20 buy in for Texas Hold'em in his hotel room. I would like to sign up for that? Are we doing the old ice and beer in the tub?

Sprouts, you're going to the Charleston convention?! This just made me a little nervous / excited / worried all at the same time. It should be an interesting few days!! My wife and I will be there.

Thanks, Randy

[sprouts1115]

What time is Mike's $20 buy in for Texas Hold'em in his hotel room. I would like to sign up for that? Are we doing the old ice and beer in the tub?

Sprouts, you're going to the Charleston convention?! This just made me a little nervous / excited / worried all at the same time. It should be an interesting few days!! My wife and I will be there.

Thanks, Randy

Yes and it's going to be your 10th anniversary with your wife. I'll stick by my same joke earlier in the year. I hope I don't get a room next to yours. I might hear some strange noises. I'm planning on giving you, Jackson, Mike, Don, and whoever a free deck of my cards. I would really like to get a good game a Texas Hold'em with the End crowd at night. Can you imagine having a fun game with all the right ppl. At conventions you are suppose to make connections.

[RandyButterfield]

Yes and it's going to be your 10th anniversary with your wife. I'll stick by my same joke earlier in the year. I hope I don't get a room next to yours. I might hear some strange noises. I'm planning on giving you, Jackson, Mike, Don, and whoever a free deck of my cards. I would really like to get a good game a Texas Hold'em with the End crowd at night. Can you imagine having a fun game with all the right ppl. At conventions you are suppose to make connections.

Ahh, I remember that joke from earlier in the year. I just didn't remember it was from you Sprouts!I think my wife and I are looking forward to a nice trip without the rug rats just as much as everything else.

I'm always up for some late night Poker! Hopefully we can switch it up throughout the night and not do a long Hold 'Em tournament. Hold 'Em's great, but it gets a little dull after a while. Gotta throw in some Omaha, Kings, Black Maria, Royal Chicago....!

Thanks, Randy

[Cbkimble]

Damn, I'm gonna have to start studying up on some poker. My friends and I usually play other games.

[JacksonRobinson]

Im in for poker if we can play anything but Texas Holdem, I'll also be bringing my KEM arrows and my 1000 chip set of Fed 52 chips as well.... maybe.

[Maddest Hammer]

Im in for poker if we can play anything but Texas Holdem, I'll also be bringing my KEM arrows and my 1000 chip set of Fed 52 chips as well.... maybe.

Oh, so it's ready then...

[sprouts1115]

I'm in it to win it.

Sounds like we have a game with Mike & Jackson & Randy. I guess we have 2 slots open for a 6 player table. Maybe more. What is the size of the table Mike? THUNDER-DOME-POKER. Who else is in? $10 buy in. Of course, with multiple buy-ins. Dealer plays 3 hands of choice then switch? Friendly Game. Any more rules?

[MagikFingerz]

Any news on possibilities of streaming and/or videotaping some stuff?