Playing Card Buyers Guide: The Artists
What are the “Artists?”
The “Artists” are the decks which started out with a softer flexing stock. If it is married to a good finish and cutting job, these decks also tend to be the best at fans and spreads. The baseline deck for these is the Bee Club special.
Flourishers who like these decks might be influenced in the classic stage manipulation or cardistry that relies heavily on long “Anaconda” dribbles, card springs, giant fans, and long spread catches. Jerry Cestkowski, De’vo, and Jeff Sheridan might be good examples of influence for this style.
Magicians who like these decks will most likely favor card magic that uses lots of culling, false counts, complex shuffling techniques, bottom, second, and center dealing, and table magic in general. Some greats in this style are Steve Forte, Richard Turner, and Michael Close.
Bee “Expert At The Card Table” deck.
Going Rate: $7.00-$10/deck
Width: 14.8mm (-3 or -4 Bikes) Surface: Dimpled Cambric
These are printed on the Bee Aristocrat stock. If you like Gambling demos there is simply no better stock than the Bee Aristocrat. These are printed with a white boarder and the backs and box are the same green as on the original Erdnase book. The box is a miniature reproduction of the original book. This was one of my Five-Star decks as I love how they handle and I love how they look. Now that they are off the main market and into the collectors market they join the ranks of “The Immortals.” If you are a student of the classics in magic and you enjoy tabled magic this is a must have deck.
Dan&Dave Smoke&Mirror v.4 (Greens)
Going Rate: Fluctuating to fast to predict.
Width: 14.8 (-2 or -3 Bikes) Surface: Dimpled Cambric
Who would have thought such a great card could be made on recycled paper. They take longer to break in than many other cards but when they do they are a thing to behold. The minimalist, retro look worked well with these. This is a fantastic deck for flourishers and general magic as well. This card just edged out the Bee EATCTs as my favorite of the “Artist” class. Now that they have slipped into the overpriced abyss of the secondary market they have been retired to “Immortal” status.
Dan&Dave Smoke and Mirror v.5 (Blue)
Going Rate: Unpredictable
Width: 14.8 (-2 or -3 Bikes) Surface: Dimpled Cambric
Basically the same card as the v.4s but with a different color. The box has changed and people who get excited about card boxes may get excited about that. This one only got 4 stars from me and that is honestly because I’m not a real fan of blue decks. All and all, anyone with a real smooth style will love a Smoke and Mirror deck.
Galvanic deck
Going Rate: Unpredictable
Width: 14.8 (-2 or -3 Bikes) Surface: Dimpled Cambric
A well designed deck by a Kickstarter artist. Sean Whelan’s design is excellent and he opted to put his cards on an Aristocrat stock. The quality controls don’t quite measure up to other cards in the Aristocrat line but the beautiful looks help make up for that.
Massa Deck
Going Rate: $2.00-$3.00 / Deck
Width: 14.8 mm (-2 or -3 Bikes) Surface: Mini Dimpled
Massas have a very elegant design that is both modern and classical at the same time. These cards perform well “ Out Of The Box” but deteriorate faster than any other deck I have reviewed. The stock and finish of this deck is a real disappointment. I don’t care how rare these cards get on the secondary market, if you pay more than 3 bucks you are getting screwed.
Richard Turner “Gold Seal” Bicycle
Going Rate: $3:50-$5:00 / deck
Width: 14.8mm (-2 or -3 Bikes) Surface: Dimpled Cambric
A deck of Bees printed with a Bike Rider Back design, given a more precise “traditional” cut, all under the supervision of the legendary Richard Turner. Gee let me think on that…AWSOME!I played with these for only a short time before I realized that these were to good a card to abuse as I do in my reviews. It probably won’t be a deck that can take much of a beating but who cares! This deck is the best deck ever made for gambling demonstrations. That alone makes it a 5 Star deck!
T-11 Bee Stinger Backs
Going Rate: $5.00/Deck
Width: 14.8mm (-2 or 3 Bikes) Surface: Dimpled Cambric
Exact same stock and finish as the Bee EATCT cards. It got 4 stars instead of five because I liked the looks of the EATCTs better. It still is a good looking deck and recently it was released with a more colorful red back.
Texan ’45 Palmetto Backs
Going Rate: $4.00-$5.00/ Deck
Width: 14.8mm (-2or -3 Bikes) Surface: Dimpled Cambric
This is a great looking back design placed on a standard Bee Club Special stock. Texan ‘45s are about the same quality as a Club Special but nowhere near the quality of the “Aristocrat” Bees. Originally sold only in Canada I believe these are now completely discontinued, making a once rare card even rarer. I wouldn’t recommend searching high and low for these but if you happen across some for a reasonable price it’s worth it to have a few in your collection.
Waddingtons No. 1 Poker Deck
Going Rate: 2-3 English Pounds
Width: 15.5 mm(Same as Bike) Surface: Dimpled Cambric(though distinctly different than the USPCC Version)
A lot of POHMys like to jump on forums and trash this deck from time to time. I honestly think that is unwarranted. Certainly this isn’t a great card by any stretch of the imagination but, it is every bit the same quality as the Bike 808. If you can find this deck for prices similar to what you would pay for a Bicycle by all means try it out. It should match an 808 in quality and give similar performance to a Bee Club Special.
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