PlayingCardForum.com - A Discourse For Playing Cards
Playing Card Chat ♠ ♥ ♣ ♦ => Playing Card Plethora => Topic started by: Russell CircleCityCards on July 13, 2012, 12:05:26 PM
-
Hey Guys!
If you haven't read THIS (http://aethercards.com/discourse/index.php?topic=2914.0) yet, please do so. It explains how Circle City got involved in the creation of the Hornet deck.
OK, now that that's out of the way let's get to the fun stuff! These cards are top-notch, I know this because I oversaw the whole production with USPCC. The cards are printed on premium-Aristocrat stock with Cambric finish. The design is a reprint from nearly 100 years ago and is one of USPCC's first designs. Only 2500 'standard' decks have been printed and we had a special run of 144 decks with gilded edges and gold wax seals. Much like the recent release of the CARC's Erdnaseum Bee Squeezers, I wanted to pay homage to the original while bringing it up to date ever so slightly including a couple of unique bonus cards.
Let's dive right in to what makes this deck stand out in a time where there are many options. First up are the Jokers, I take a great pride in showing these off! I played around with the idea of tying in the very concept of Hornets in many different ways. What you see below is the result! There is a subtle reveal on the second joker (Seven of Diamonds), can you spot it?
(http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af194/ElevatorHappyFun/Joker.gif)
Next up are the 'advert cards'. The first ad card:
The tried-and-true, long lost, ingenious 'SUBSTITUTE CARD' made famous in New York Consolidated Card Co's decks of cards. It works as a replacement for a damaged or missing card. Yeah, most people don't use them, but wow, it's a great looking card!
(http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af194/ElevatorHappyFun/sub.jpg)
The second ad card:
What ever happened to the good-ole-days of shameless self promotion IN the product that you can only see AFTER you bought it?!?! Congress playing cards were noted for doing this along with many cigarette manufacturers. There's something about the language used, the verbosity, that really makes you care about how the cards were produced and you feel the quality and time that went into making them.
(http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af194/ElevatorHappyFun/qual.jpg)
The back design:
These cards were originally printed in 1905 with a reprint and update in 1915. The brand of Hornet my have disappeared but the artistry of the back design holds the test of time. The fine details in the creases of the outer ivy and the dot perfect center ornamental flower are really something to behold. This is a classic design.
(http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af194/ElevatorHappyFun/back.jpg)
This deck is the first in a passion project of mine, The Heritage Collection. Twice a year I am going to be releasing a 'lost' deck from the archives of USPCC. I'm not the only one who will be picking what decks get a new lease on life, you get to choose the next deck in a poll! Each classic deck will be transformed to it's glory days and given a facelift. There are literally hundreds of cards to choose from, I have a few in mind and I can't wait to share them with you after the release of the first of The Heritage Collection - Hornet.
---------------
Enough about the design of the deck, let's get to what you really want to know, the cost!
The original flier that went around had pricing on it. Now that I am in charge of everything I've decided to lower the cost of everything. I thought it was a bit to high since this is hard times and the market is flooded with cards right now.
'Standard' deck is only $6.95. That's a great price for a premium deck, compared to how ridiculous the price of decks has gotten in the recent years. ($10 for a non-uspcc kickstarter deck?!?! Really?!?!) In quantity, the decks get to low as $4.95 each. Only 2500 of the 'Standard' decks were made.
'Gilded' decks are $9.95. There were only 144 gilded decks printed up and those are sealed with a gold wax stamp. There is a strict limit of 2 gilded decks per order to ensure anyone who wants one can get their hands on them. I will be hand numbering the bottom of each of those tuck boxes in gold ink.
Uncut Sheets are $50. USPCC has a minimum of 25 uncuts to be ordered. I will be selling 20 of them, each one will be hand numbered on the bottom in gold ink. (The other 5 are for personal use and won't be sold.)
---------------
This was a long post, thanks for checking it out guys! What originally was an 'oh-shit!' moment for me has turned into a great success so far. I can't wait to get them delivered to you. I should be taking delivery in 2 weeks and have them in my website right after that. You'll be able to pick them up at www.circlecitycards.com (http://www.circlecitycards.com)
Thanks again everybody!
- Russell
------ EDIT ------
The decks are now on sale!
-
The deck looks great! I loved it from the start! I'm really looking forward to having them!
-
Honestly, the design doesn't really work for me. However, knowing that you are in charge of it, if it truly handles as well as it is marketed to handle, than it seems promising. I also love the two extra cards and jokers. I'm also glad to hear about your heritage collection project. With the All Wheel Back deck, the heritage design sets etc, it seems like a popular idea, but I'm glad to hear it is a project of yours as well. Can't wait!
-
I like it + I won a free one so I am happy.
-
I'm good for a deck... I've enjoyed everything Circle City has done thus far...
-
Honestly, the design doesn't really work for me. However, knowing that you are in charge of it, if it truly handles as well as it is marketed to handle, than it seems promising. I also love the two extra cards and jokers. I'm also glad to hear about your heritage collection project. With the All Wheel Back deck, the heritage design sets etc, it seems like a popular idea, but I'm glad to hear it is a project of yours as well. Can't wait!
It's a vintage design, as far as I know Russell's job is to "recreate" the design in a vector format that allows for modern day printing. I'm sure he can do some modifications to the tuck case as well. Other than that, it would be a terrible reprint if he was like "AND NOW SKULLS" while doing the Jokers.
And of course the handling will be perfect, seeing as how it's USPCC and they have what, two options last I checked? Four possible combinations?
-
Russ, this looks to me like a fine deck and I'm looking forward to the release.
If that poll of yours for the next deck doesn't include at least ONE vintage Tally Ho design, "you 'n' me is gonna have some woids out in the alley..." :))
-
I love the idea of a subsitute card... Well done.
-
I love the idea of a subsitute card... Well done.
I have to say, I thought that was a pretty interesting concept as well. As a kid (when I couldn't always buy playing cards and they had to last), if a card was lost or ruined you just wrote the value in pen on one of the jokers and called it a day, usually making very crude-looking pips for the indices... This at least looks classier!
-
O.o - I agree with Joker, the Substitute idea is amazing. Great Work CCC!
-
Yeah, I really like the Sub card too. Each one of the following Heritage Collection decks will have a unique card similar to that one.
I'll have more info about future decks in the Heritage Collection after the release of the Hornet deck. Also, don't worry, I'll still be designing custom decks, this is just a side project.
Here is a rendering of the deck in the world famous Circle City perpective. Real picture to follow very soon.
(http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af194/ElevatorHappyFun/Untitled-2-1.png)
-
Wow, what a great looking deck! I will love to add these to my collection. The quality sounds like it will be great.
Thanks for the hard labor on this one.
Kingman
-
Thanks Kingman, welcome to the forums!
Here is the first shot of the gilded decks. We are really surprised how reflective the gold is! There will also be a gold stamped wax seal on the back of the tuck. We only had 144 of them printed up, they will be for sale the beginning of August.
Later today we have a special announcement to make. It's an event that you'll want to clear a bit of time out on your schedule Monday afternoon.
Click here to see the photo. (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=397862563614799&set=a.397864363614619.97222.203232096411181&type=1)
-
As promised, here is some great news for you!
As you might have known, the Hornet decks were originally scheduled to arrive this week from USPCC. They are now going to come in roughly 2 weeks. Here's why: All of the decks were boxed up and ready to ship; during the final quality control check someone noticed something was off. Does anyone remember the GOLD MONARCH situation? We are in exactly the same boat. Simply put; the color of the decks did not match the color of the tuck cases. After a couple conversations with my fantastic rep, we decided the best course of action was to scrap the whole thing and start from scratch. In all, 2,500 (+144 gilded) decks were destroyed in order to make sure we bring you perfect cards. They are doing a special rush job to get the decks to us in record time.
Before we get too far… let's back up. Before USPCC destroyed the cards, I had them deliver a few bricks of the misprinted decks to me. We received 4 standard bricks and 1 gilded brick. Again (similar to the Gold Monarch scenario) the boxes are identical, only the cards on the inside are mis-printed.
We are going to be selling off 50 decks of what might be the RAREST CARDS to come out of USPCC.
Out of the 50 orders, 10 people will be selected randomly to receive a Gilded deck (hand numbered). Because we are card enthusiasts first, the price of the decks will go for the same $6.95 that the standard decks will be selling for in a few weeks! Decks will ship immediately after your payment is processed. The page to purchase the cards will go live this Monday at 7pm Eastern time (11pm UTC). We really don't expect the cards to last more than a few minutes as there are only 50 to grab.
Also, we are on top of it. We asked our server host to bump up the server load for an hour just before and after the event. Hitting 'refresh' is the worst possible thing you can do when a site is slow, it bumps you to the end of the line. Don't do it.
Well, that's all for today. We will be uploading more info and pictures of the Hornet deck over the next few days. Sorry for the slight delay in the release.
---edit---
There is a limit of 1 deck per order. We want as many of you as possible to pick one up.
-
As promised, here is some great news for you!
As you might have known, the Hornet decks were originally scheduled to arrive this week from USPCC. They are now going to come in roughly 2 weeks. Here's why: All of the decks were boxed up and ready to ship; during the final quality control check someone noticed something was off. Does anyone remember the GOLD MONARCH situation? We are in exactly the same boat. Simply put; the color of the decks did not match the color of the tuck cases. After a couple conversations with my fantastic rep, we decided the best course of action was to scrap the whole thing and start from scratch. In all, 2,500 (+144 gilded) decks were destroyed in order to make sure we bring you perfect cards. They are doing a special rush job to get the decks to us in record time.
Before we get too far… let's back up. Before USPCC destroyed the cards, I had them deliver a few bricks of the misprinted decks to me. We received 4 standard bricks and 1 gilded brick. Again (similar to the Gold Monarch scenario) the boxes are identical, only the cards on the inside are mis-printed.
We are going to be selling off 50 decks of what might be the RAREST CARDS to come out of USPCC.
Out of the 50 orders, 10 people will be selected randomly to receive a Gilded deck (hand numbered). Because we are card enthusiasts first, the price of the decks will go for the same $6.95 that the standard decks will be selling for in a few weeks! Decks will ship immediately after your payment is processed. The page to purchase the cards will go live this Monday at 7pm Eastern time (11pm UTC). We really don't expect the cards to last more than a few minutes as there are only 50 to grab.
Also, we are on top of it. We asked our server host to bump up the server load for an hour just before and after the event. Hitting 'refresh' is the worst possible thing you can do when a site is slow, it bumps you to the end of the line. Don't do it.
Well, that's all for today. We will be uploading more info and pictures of the Hornet deck over the next few days. Sorry for the slight delay in the release.
... And you did this because we all love the Gold Monarch scandal, and because T11 got so much respect because of it?
-
Haha, no. We are just in the same situation. Circle City cards doesn't nearly have the same following as T11 or E. We wont have a huge server problem or angry fans. We have announced everything ahead of time and we are transparent with our customers.
Being upfront and not hyping is what sets us apart from other companies (big and small).
-
Tell USPCC that I would be happy to purchase the rest of the botched gilded decks at cost!
-
just found out i will be at work when this happen FML. I need to find someone to cover me, I so want this deck.
-
Just a heads up, the mis-print Hornet sale starts at 7pm (EDT). That's just around 30 minutes from now.
Only 50 will be sold, 40 standard decks and 10 gilded (randomly selected).
They are $6.95 each with a limit of one deck per order. They will start shipping immediately.
The order page link will be up at 7pm on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/circlecitycards
While you're there don't forget to 'like' us!
Thanks everyone and good luck!
- Russell
-
http://circlecitycards.com/hornetspecial.html (http://circlecitycards.com/hornetspecial.html)
good luck!
-
I made two orders without really noticing. A little mistake. Will I get two decks now or will I get send one and be refunded for the other one? Don't really care what it will be, I'm just happy I got one.
Are these sold out already or not?
Thanks
-
I also made 2 orders (one for me and one for my brother) I am expecting to recieve both so I would asume you also will.
-
If you made multiple orders you will receive multiple decks. Check out our Facebook page for more info!
Thanks everyone, it sold out in about 10 minutes!
-
Awwh man, my power went out, so I did not haw the chance to get them. Oh well though, I guess I will just need to get some during regular release. Good luck to everyone who got one!
-
i was at work. :(
-
Following the same pattern...
I was on vacation without internet...
-
Following the same pattern...
I was on vacation without internet...
I would have liked this, but I had trouble getting to sleep today and didn't wake up until 9pm Eastern.
-
Are you gonna combine shipping?
-
We are going to ship the decks together if you managed to get more than one. We are going to have all of the packages out by Wednesday afternoon.
-
Will we be refunded the extra shipping if we bought 2 decks?
-
Nope. Our system doesn't allow it and we also had the 1 deck per order limitation. The original plan was for 50 people to get the deck, but we obviously knew multiple orders would be made. Think of it as a die-hard collector tax. ;)
In all seriousness though, thank you to everyone who showed up for the release!
-
Missed the release because it was early morning for where I am :(
-
Nope. Our system doesn't allow it and we also had the 1 deck per order limitation. The original plan was for 50 people to get the deck, but we obviously knew multiple orders would be made. Think of it as a die-hard collector tax. ;)
In all seriousness though, thank you to everyone who showed up for the release!
That's understandable then with only 50 of these 1st release Hornets who knows how much would this cost in the market
-
36 of 39 orders went out today! The other three have address issues.
If you're in the USA you should have it by Fri/Sat
If you're overseas, well, who knows! Usually it takes 1-2 weeks depending on customs.
-
I missed it, didn't even realize these were on sale. When will the regular ones be on sale? Also I don't think it is fair that if there was a 1 deck limit that some people are getting more than one when some people didn't get any at all. A limit is a limit!
-
The full print run of Hornet cards will be available early August and we will start taking pre-orders in a week. In addition to the Hornet decks we will have a few other new items too!
-
Do the initial 50 decks have any features that the following release will not have? Special seal, etc...?
-
Other than being printed in the wrong color?
Yes, the full run will be wrapped in cello and the gilded decks will have a gold wax seal.
-
Thanks... So am I understanding correctly that the first 50 decks are missing cellophane? Is that the only difference?
-
Thanks... So am I understanding correctly that the first 50 decks are missing cellophane? Is that the only difference?
...and the card backs aren't the same shade of color as on the box, while the regular run is. That was the defect.
Though I will ask Russ this: does either version have a tuck box seal?
If the answer is no, then it will be VERY easy to tell the first fifty from the rest - look at the cards. Same if there's a difference from the main run and the first fifty - see which has a seal and which doesn't. But if they're BOTH sealed... Anyone could remove the cellophane from a standard deck and claim it's one of the fifty when they go to sell it.
-
The first 50 (misprints)
were sold without cellophane or a seal.
Sellers won't be able to pass off any deck as a misprinted one. (unless of course they dye the cards) ;D
-
The first 50 (misprints)
were sold without cellophane or a seal.
Sellers won't be able to pass off any deck as a misprinted one. (unless of course they dye the cards) ;D
...or left them out in the sun to fade for several days! :))
-
Correct, neither has a seal.
Of course, the date has been pushed back by a week or so. The cards are being made on USPCC-time which runs a bit slower than real-time. ;) We will still have a slightly early pre-sale for forum members a day or two before we go 'live' with the site. Expect it within a week.
Again, once the cards are out and delivered, we have follow-ups on our next two projects. Quicksilver's September Kickstarter launch and the Jan/Feb release of our next Heritage Collection deck.
-
Just a heads up, the cards are available for pre-sale right now. Shipments will begin next week.
2,500 decks were made and of those 144 are gilded and have a wax stamp seal.
We don't expect these to last long so to ensure you receive one head on over to our website: www.circlecitycards.com
Also, why haven't you 'Liked' us on facebook yet?
-
DANG... Only if I had cash to spare now :( I'll probably pick this up from a reseller after they've been released, the shipping is way too steep for me, probably if i could afford a brick, but $46 for 4 decks isn't exactly a good deal...
-
DANG... Only if I had cash to spare now :( I'll probably pick this up from a reseller after they've been released, the shipping is way too steep for me, probably if i could afford a brick, but $46 for 4 decks isn't exactly a good deal...
Let me guess - you're not ordering within the US, are you?
Have you considered pooling your order with others from your own country living not too far from you? You might make out very well on the shipping that way.
-
DANG... Only if I had cash to spare now :( I'll probably pick this up from a reseller after they've been released, the shipping is way too steep for me, probably if i could afford a brick, but $46 for 4 decks isn't exactly a good deal...
Let me guess - you're not ordering within the US, are you?
Have you considered pooling your order with others from your own country living not too far from you? You might make out very well on the shipping that way.
I don't know anyone else around me into cards :( It's all cool, there are a couple of very reasonable resellers where I live, with any luck I'll be able to pick up a couple decks for under $8 a pop.
-
I'm so glad I could order 4 guilded decks I thought they was all sold out I thought that other sale was the main one and there's was non left I was pleasently suprised =D but im spent up now ill have to get some normals ones later
-
Wow, I also wish I had some money to spend... Plus your prices are pretty low. But I guess I'll have to get them in retail sales.
-
I liked this deck and would love to buy some, but I figured i am getting one free so I should be ok.
-
Yes, if anyone won one in those facebook competitions, you will be receiving it early next week. I should have the decks in a couple days and will be pumping out all the orders through the weekend.
--- shameless self promotion ---
I'm going to push up the Quicksilver (Kickstarter) campaign to Monday Aug 20th. As always (since I am a collector too), there will be a limited number of decks for $5 each and the price of the uncuts are blow-out low!
(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/c3.0.843.403/p843x403/427562_407052726029116_837241168_n.jpg)
-
O.O - Only one week left! I can't wait! I'll be there to reserve my $5 deck...but let's see how the deck looks first, any teasers?....aside from this one?
-
Wow, already! That's awesome! I admire you for putting so little hype! And I second the motion demanding another teaser. Anyhow, I can't wait, Russel.
-
one word. AWESOME. Just got my deck and man, out of the box not to slippery like some deck, and great for fans springs and spreads. I played around for 20 mins and its still good. Question though, the black cards seemed like they might have been a dark blue not black, is it suppose to be or is it just my eyes playing tricks?
-
I received mine today as well and I am really liking them too!
I'll be doing a review soon.
@John, the spades and clubs are blue and the hearts and diamonds are gold.
-
that is what i thought. It really hurt my eyes. I will do a review in a week or so after I put this deck through a lot to see how it really stands up.
-
Recieved my decks yesterday. All I can say is superb job! I would say the wax sealed gilded decks just moved their way into my TOP 3 list!
-
Thanks munro!
We are still shipping out decks, the 200+ orders from the first day have been shipped out. Orders from the second day are packed up and almost ready to go out. It should go pretty quickly after that.
OK back to 'work' staring at my kickstarter numbers. ;)
-
got mine i love them!
-
i'm surprised these aren't sold out yet. Bought a bunch of these decks awhile back and they are some of my favorite cards in both feel and design. Love the off white color and the very simple box design. Also, nice touch with the bar code and effective use of the ad cards. I do believe however that the word "Heritage" is spelled wrong...(on the bottom of the box its reads "Herritage")....oops?
-
i'm surprised these aren't sold out yet. Bought a bunch of these decks awhile back and they are some of my favorite cards in both feel and design. Love the off white color and the very simple box design. Also, nice touch with the bar code and effective use of the ad cards. I do believe however that the word "Heritage" is spelled wrong...(on the bottom of the box its reads "Herritage")....oops?
Nice catch on the typo - I never noticed that before!
They are great cards. The Hornets, though, are the last actual deck that's currently in stock there. Given just a bit more time, I'm sure they'll be sold out as well.
-
I just bought two then. Mostly because I had some cash and I thought they were sold out but obviously not! I cannot wait to receive these. I have heard great things about them so lets hope they live up to the hype! can anyone tell me if it was worth the $20.05 (including shipping)?
-
I just bought two then. Mostly because I had some cash and I thought they were sold out but obviously not! I cannot wait to receive these. I have heard great things about them so lets hope they live up to the hype! can anyone tell me if it was worth the $20.05 (including shipping)?
I'd say so. I'm pretty fond of them. It's got a real old-school vibe to it going back to the late "tax stamp" era.
-
The Hornets are absolutely worth buying...I probably would have purchased a couple more just so it's worth the shipping/handling costs (I paid around $6 shipping for 7 decks back in August). For me it's just not worth buying one or two decks if they have to be mailed to me. My rule is generally 4 or more.
They really are great though. I love the design and I really love how they handle. You'll be satisfied for sure Joshua.
-
Anybody know of any good resellers with these in stock? I want to pick up 1 with a couple of other decks but I can't seem to find them at a very good price at a lot of places.
-
Anybody know of any good resellers with these in stock? I want to pick up 1 with a couple of other decks but I can't seem to find them at a very good price at a lot of places.
I really doubt you'll find anyone selling them as cheap as CCCC does. Either get yours cheap from them and place a different order elsewhere, or buy them together with the other decks you want from a single shop and consider it a convenience tax or something. Better still - do a price comparison on both and see which option works out to be the cheapest.
Don't forget to check the bottom of the NDR - y'know, the place where we keep coupon codes for sellers and resellers? :))
-
How come the international shipping for 3 decks is expensive? there is a big jump on the price for the shipping when you buy 3 but cheap if you buy 2
-
How come the international shipping for 3 decks is expensive? there is a big jump on the price for the shipping when you buy 3 but cheap if you buy 2
When international shipping is charged by the ounce and the average deck minus any packing materials is 3.3 ounces, yes, it can make a difference.
-
Because paypal only lets you have 5 shipping tears. The jumps are from 2/3 8/9 24/25 etc... The prices are based of of USPS flat rate boxes when shipping more than a couple decks.
We charge for shipping, not handling. We don't make a dime on the shipping costs.
We are in the (slow) process of getting a real shopping cart which will allow for better rates at the under 8 decks level.