Playing Cards/Limited Edition Playing Cards

OrangeCrush · 09-21-2016, 02:34 PM

Since I started a thread regarding the collecting of precious metals, bullion, commemorative coins, etc., I figured it might be nice to start a thread dedicated to the collecting of playing cards as well. This is another collecting genre that is lacking on StatueForum. I don't know how many people in here collect playing cards, but there really aren't many great forums for collecting playing cards so I figured I would make a thread on here and see how it went.

I have been collecting playing cards since the late 80's and while I mainly focus on limited edition decks now, it still remains one of my favorite collecting hobbies. Kickstarter has really been a godsend for people that collect limited edition playing cards as you see great limited edition decks released on Kickstarter on a regular basis now.

There are also a couple of online companies were you can get limited edition decks from time to time. The 3 I would reecommend are Theory11, Ellusionist, and the 808 Club from Bicycle. And again, while I mainly collect limited edition decks now, there are still a lot of great decks out there that arent limited edition's. Theory11 and Ellusionist carry some really amazing open edition decks that I would highly recommend. When companies like Theory11 and Ellusionist do release limited edition decks, they usually sell out extremely fast so its best to check those sites on a regular basis if thier limited edition decks are something that interests you. You can expect to pay at least 3X the normal price on eBay once they sell out.

Here are the links to those sites:

Ellusionist

http://www.ellusionist.com/playing-cards

Theory11

https://www.theory11.com

Bicycle 808 Club

http://www.bicyclecards.com/club-808/

I just think it would be nice to add some of the other genre's of collecting to Statue Forum's Website. I would love to see Statue Forum make dedicated threads for these collecting markets, but in the meantime the general forum will have to do.

OrangeCrush · 09-21-2016, 02:43 PM

One of my favorite decks from Theory 11 is thier Mystery Box deck. It was created by Theory 11 and J.J. Abrams/Bad Robot. You can buy individual decks or you can buy the Lockbox edition which comes with a really amazing woodern lockbox.

Here is a picture of the individual deck:

Quote:

Each deck is individually wrapped in letterpressed black paper, with the Mystery Box question mark emblem printed foil stamped on the front.

And here are some pictures of the wooden Lockbox:

Quote:

The Lockbox includes 12 Mystery Box Black Edition Playing Card decks wrapped in letterpressed black paper. The decks are housed in a handcrafted wood box made of 100 year old reclaimed wood. Each lockbox is iron-branded and locked with an alpha-numeric combination lock.

The lock box also includes a letterpressed note from J.J. Abrams enclosed in a kraft paper envelope stamped with a black wax seal. Each lockbox is handcrafted.

Here is the link for the Black Mystery Box Decks:

https://store.theory11.com/products/...-black-edition

They also have the same decks, but wrapped in a beige Kraft paper instead of black. These are considered the "first edition" and the black version is considered the "black edition" Here is a picture of the first edition deck:

And here is the link for the first edition decks:

https://store.theory11.com/products/mysterybox

OrangeCrush · 09-21-2016, 08:47 PM

Another one of my favorites from Theory 11 is thier White Artisan decks. They truly have one of the nicest designs on the back of the cards that I have seen to date. Each card has gold foil hot stamped onto ultra-lux white paper derived from sustainable forests. They aso have a black edition as well. Here is a quote from Theory11's website:

Quote:

Artisans are featured in the May 2013 issue of Departures Magazine. David Copperfield called them "the best playing cards ever produced." With this new White Edition, we unveil a perfect complement to the original Black Edition.

Here are a few pictures:

And this set also has a special wooden box edition and its not nearly as expensive as the JJ Abrams wooden box as it only comes with 4 decks (2 black and 2 white) as opposed to 12 decks. The box itself is absolutely stunning. I not only ordered one for myself, but I also purchased a bunch more during X-mas last year and gave them out to a bunch of family and freinds. Everyone immeditaly fell in love with the set when the saw it:

Here are some pictues of the box set, which again contains 2 white decks and 2 black decks.

The ace on the top of the wooden box is laser engraved and the detail is abslutely stunning. They also have an edition number sticker on the front of each box. While I really like the wooden box for the JJ Arbram Mystery Box set, especially the alpha numric locking mechanism that comes with it, I personally like this wooden box better. Again the laser etched ace on the top of the box is absolutely stunning and has to be seen first hand to truly appreciate it.

Here is the link in case anyone is interested:

Black Version

https://store.theory11.com/products/artisans

and the white version

https://store.theory11.com/products/white-artisans

OrangeCrush · 10-06-2016, 02:20 PM

Just recieved Theory11's new Tycoon Box set and it is another stunning set by Theory11. The box set contains all 4 versions of the new Tycoon deck (Red, Blue, Black, and Ivory) and comes in a wood box that has a laser etched Tycoon Ace of Spades on the top.

Here are some pics:

The set is $125 and I definitely recommend it. Its one of Theory11's nicest sets to date. The leather strap is a really beautiful touch.

https://store.theory11.com/products/...-playing-cards