Just got mine in the mail yesterday. They look amazing!

That is great to hear! Thank you for the clarification of the deck. So I'm glad that I was not far off from thinking that this was similar to Pinochle. The shop owner who sold this to me kept telling me that they were tarot cards, which I know that they are not. He told me more that was wrong about the deck then nearly anyone I have met, haha. Although it did appear that he had an entire brick of Bee Squeezers for sale!

Look at the pips that are circling the ring.  The clubs that are on the top and bottom of the card are different sizes. One of them is clearly larger than the other.

[I just noticed the picture is sideways. The. Clubs are on the left and right of the picture I posted. And the are not the suits that are in the immediate center but they are the ones inside of the rings]

I sure will Don. Thank you!

Congress is a strange brand. I really like and enjoy the cards, but the backs are not designs. They are artwork in a sense, but not the same reason that other brands are. Take Bicycle brand as a prime example. Their backs are a universal back that it 2 way and uses only one plate plate because it is monochrome. These were made for mass production. Same with Bee brand and many others. Normally one design and one easy print.

Congress decks are not that simple. They have entire artworks on the back. This is a great thing if you like the subject matter! I bought a few decks of cards that had M.C. Escher just because it had his art on it. They were not made by Congress. But other than us card collectors who would be able to tell the difference?

Lets say that you had a picture of the Mona Lisa on the back of cards. And USPCC made a line of Congress cards with that image, and another company like Hallmark printed the same back design as well. Would an average consumer be able to tell the difference at first glance? Probably not. They would think, There's the Mona Lisa! I rarely find decks that I look at the back design and think "That is Congress!" I normally have to go looking for the Aces, Jokers, Case, etc. I think that this aspect is what makes Congress not recognized as well as other Brands.

With that being said, I still love my congress decks and I would probably never trade them, but I'm curious if other members agree with my thoughts.

As soon as I can convince the wife, I will want to pick up a few one these. I think they are spectacular because of the transparent sides with nearly perfect visibility.

But it is right, it isn't worth spending more on a case than what you spent on the cards. But if you didn't spend that much on your cards you wouldn't need to display them this way. Ultrapro makes some card cases that are only a few dollars and I use those to display a few of my decks that aren't worth as much. But these ones here are quality and expensive for a reason!

The detailed line work on three reminds of something that M.C. Escher would draw (My favorite artist.) Three is my vote as well.

Thanks Paul! I like their selections. I'm sure that I will be making a chart shortly on what I want and what options and prics may be the best soon. I will surely look into this company as well.

What else are you looking for in playing cards? What are some of the favorite in your collection and why? This way we can point you in the right direction.

My personal suggestion are White Knuckles. Read about them and why the designer designed them the way he did, great stuff!

Here are some pictures that I took earlier today. Let me know when you think.

Welcome Daniel!

Jackson, I know you are just brainstorming ideas here, but I would probably buy nearly every design you have posted so far! But I'm sure that your signature series will be perfect!

That is a good looking deck! I will be surely backing it on Kickstarter tomorrow. I have always enjoyed decks of cards that have a simple but sleek design. That folder is really nice too! Can't wait!