UnitedCardists.com - The forum for Cardistry, Magic, Custom Decks and All Things Playing Cards.

The deck is listed on the design section rather than the playing card section of Kickstarter

I see a lot of people asking about printer in the comments, but the name is never given. Just an assurance that a great, but lesser-known factory has been found for the project. I don’t have to have USPCC or Cartamundi for every deck, but I would at least like to know who it is. Looks like the project has done very well given the very small initial goal. I also don’t feel that this warrants a limited edition given that only the jokers and color are different. I am intrigued by the concept, but not convinced on the execution. Even as an avid DSLR nerd / hobbyist, I will be passing on this.

Neat idea. I don't really like the courts though.

I like the courts. Hate the number cards. Not a photographer though.

Been on the fence about posting a comment on this campaign for a little bit. Ultimately decided I should. So here's me thoughts on a seriously hot Sunday morning, it's a real scorcha out there.

I like these courts, they look tasteful and well done. I don't know though because they're not all shown. I can say I love this selfie Joker, truly fantastic. I even like the one way card back, kind of. Selfie Joker is charming though, charming. Green deck jokers have an odd aspect of not being consistent they have differing facial features and the hat colors line up differently between the two, same colors just in different places. It's more interesting than simply having the leg color swapped but do I like then? I don't know. Not any where near as charmed with the greens as the Black decks self Joker.

Decks with basic helpful information for getting better photo's isn't new. It's not really new on KS either, there have been series of the things. Even so this deck has a lot to like and it makes itself distinct against the crowd that was. This looks to be leading the way into the crowd that is, for photography help playing card decks. While I can't see all of the information on the playing cards in terms of cheat sheeting for great snaps, what I can see looks like it's a little informative. It would be nice if we were able to see more though.

This is one of those strange campaigns that doesn't want to show us what it actually has in store. We see some of the courts but not all, we see some of the number cards but not all. We see snippits, only a little glimpse of what it actually is or could be. It's a whole lot of having faith in some chap I've never met and likely never will because there's a few pics, a video and some texty bits on a Kickstarter campaign page. And that is where the struggle begins, doesn't it?

Left out information and vague ideas. We have some comments given to us such as ...

I identified a top manufacturer to produce high quality cards that are really durable and have an elegant finish. I am confident that they can keep up with industry standard quality playing cards.

Okay, great to know Eric. Why don't you let us in on who you "think" the top manufacturer is? Specifically the one You identified. Of course, you haven't. So we dig further into the campaign and see he FAQ where it comments on "who will print the deck?"

In the playing card community, quality matters a lot so the choice of manufacturer is a hugely important question of course. I have spent a significant amount of time and money on samples to select a top manufacturer of choice but considering the massive demand for the deck in the first hours of the campaign I would like to keep options open for the moment and not disclose for now to avoid a change of plans and people being confused etc. I need to maintain options in case there is changes with the quantities or lead times to ensure a) best quality at a reasonable price b) timely delivery and c) happy backers. I hope you understand and I will update on some of the next updates. Best, Eric

Okay Eric, that's fine to keep your options open. Who are you keeping your options open with though? Give us some input and less circle talk that you had some samples sent to you and spent a shipping fee. We'd like to know the what contenders are heading toward the pitch.

Here's the issue for me, I don't believe there are manufacturer options. I think Eric has already selected ONE manufacturer. He comments in his video down on the page that he reached out to his manufacturer about a pvc version. So why not be a stand up chap and tell us who the hell it is so we know what to expect?

I find it a challenge to trust someone who is so guarded about these simple things. Want money to fund a campaign? Cool, show me what you're offering. I can then make a decision based upon the product. Here, I don't see the entirety of the product. I see a glimpse and a lot of texty blather that skirts around major issues when it comes to what the product is, Playing Cards.

Bottom line is that I feel there are some red flags on this campaign. Absolutely bright friggin red! Will it fulfill? I don't know. I certainly hope so for the more than 2,200 backers that are currently supporting this "could be, maybe" campaign. I won't however, won't be one of them. IF they're printed and IF this fulfills, maybe I'll pick up a black deck. Until then it looks to me like a possible scam to fund a trip around the world for some picture taking. Want our trust Eric, be transparent and show us everything. Buyer Beware.

My mind is blown that he has 10,000 backers for this campaign. So, are these decks already printed? His fulfillment target is August 2020, as in NEXT MONTH. Not possible unless they are printed already, but who would have expected 10,000 backers?

I am very diligent in the production process. Therefore I have started the production during the live campaign already (which is not super common in Kickstarter campaigns I believe).

So he already printed a test run of 500 decks......five hundred. I don't think that's how physical proofs work.

Also, he is doing a camera giveaway if you comment on his YouTube channel. This whole thing is just odd. It's a decent deck, but he has about 50% more backers than Mint 2, which is hard to imagine how.

Jamie has just spoken my hesitation for this project. However, the reasonable explanation for so many backers is not because of the deck but the other photographic stuff or whatever the creator is promoting. Whatever business lies beyond the backers reach, the project was HEAVILY, HEAVILY marketed towards the photography community. The deck didn't even show up in the KS playing card section. In addition, this campaign has popped up in my Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter feed, literally all over the place. Even when I've deleted the ad and told the platforms I don't want to see it anymore, it still continued to show up from time to time.

The creator's profile says this:

I'm Eric, a former Finance specialist who turned full-time creator and adventurer. I like Travel, Film & Photo.

Not throwing shade at anything yet, but this creator is extremely good at marketing, and thus the huge backer count I assume.

Not to mention the DSLR boom in recent years. It doesn't matter in which subculture you dive into, there're always folks that have the same passion for shooting photos of their kicks, cars, cards or whatnot as for the collection objects themself.

Photography is mainstream - Mint2 isn't. That's the simple explanation for the success of this campaign.

Harvonsgard wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 2:52 pm Photography is mainstream - Mint2 isn't. That's the simple explanation for the success of this campaign.

Absolutely, Photography is the #1 hobby in the world by a great margin. Was even before the advent of the Selfie, now pfffft forgetabout it. The next one isn't even close, I believe that's fish tanks? Loads of folks have fishbowls with a beta fish in them etc. Something underestimated like that anyway. Anyway, hope this fulfills.

Decknowledgy wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 2:29 pm Jamie has just spoken my hesitation for this project. However, the reasonable explanation for so many backers is not because of the deck but the other photographic stuff or whatever the creator is promoting. Whatever business lies beyond the backers reach, the project was HEAVILY, HEAVILY marketed towards the photography community. The deck didn't even show up in the KS playing card section. In addition, this campaign has popped up in my Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter feed, literally all over the place. Even when I've deleted the ad and told the platforms I don't want to see it anymore, it still continued to show up from time to time.

The creator's profile says this:

I'm Eric, a former Finance specialist who turned full-time creator and adventurer. I like Travel, Film & Photo.

Not throwing shade at anything yet, but this creator is extremely good at marketing, and thus the huge backer count I assume.

Simple explanation...he is using the same crowdfunding agency 'Jellops' that a few others have used....think we both already talked about that one in another thread. We have more photography enthusiasts compared to collectors and it shows here.

He could be using WJPC as airdeck used them for PVC decks and some of the description there looks identical...just saying as I got a promo message from WJPC on messenger today mentioning that playing card deck creators with most backers on Kickstarter are using them. I know airdeck was printed by them..and they had high number of backers, and same is the case with this one. High chance that WJPC could be printing this deck too.

Did anyone in the collector community back this project? I am really curious how they handle and how things turned out. The comments on the campaign page show happy campers along with people who haven't received their decks yet. I also wonder who they chose to print the cards in the end.

I backed it. I have a tracking number, but the deck appears to be somewhere between here and... Sparks, NV? Probably got lumped in with all those ballots they're still counting. I should receive it soon, though, I hope.

rousselle wrote: ↑Wed Nov 11, 2020 4:22 am I have a tracking number, but the deck appears to be somewhere between here and... Sparks, NV? Probably got lumped in with all those ballots they're still counting.

Allan stuffed the ballot box with 54 illegal votes, pass it on

Received my decks just a day or two ago, and they are really well done. I opened one green deck (traditional) and one blue deck (the PVC deck). The manufacturing on the cards in both cases is quite good; the colors particularly pop on the green deck, with awesome metallic golds offsetting the vibrant red and green. These also fan fairly decently out of the box.

The plastic cards are fine specimens. They don't fan for shit, but that's typical among the plastic cards.

I love that a "cut" card is included in each deck.

Very happy with this set.

Edit: I will note that the tuck cases are not particularly well glued, and are already starting to come apart. Too bad. The paper quality is good, the two-foil printing is also quite nice, but the adhesive that holds it all together... yeah, not so good.

Full Deck Scan:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/167981955 ... 6984676632

rousselle wrote: ↑Sun Nov 15, 2020 2:45 am
Edit: I will note that the tuck cases are not particularly well glued, and are already starting to come apart. Too bad. The paper quality is good, the two-foil printing is also quite nice, but the adhesive that holds it all together... yeah, not so good.

Been there done that, I'd faced this issue with WJPC long time back. Since then, I have always made sure that whicever printer I work with, I do message them before Production that the tuckboxes need to be tested for strong glue across the sides and flaps, you never know. And, then verify by askimg again that the step was done before making the final payment after the production has been completed. Once bitten twice shy. There is always a risk though and Murphy's law can strike anytime. This guy is new to playing card production and I am sure he would have learned this lesson the hard way.