The 2017 52 Plus Joker Convention - a Travelogue

[Don Boyer]

Hey, folks,

I'm at work right now, on the overnight shift, which ends in just over an hour.  Once I've punched out, I'm hopping in my car, picking up a traveling companion/co-driver and heading out to the convention from here - not counting traffic or rest stops, it's a 10-hour drive.  I thought it might be interesting to write about the convention and my experiences there, a sort of a journal of what it's like.  I've been to one other 52+J con before, the 2015 event in Orlando, and I remember having a great time there, though that drive was brutal - 20 hours, thanks to a wicked weather-related detour that added two hours to the travel time, and I drove solo, with no one to share the driving duties and no time to hit a hotel en route for some sleep!  This one should be great - while it's a day shorter, it does include a trip to the US Playing Card Company factory!  And there's the Diamond Awards, too; I've been putting in a fair amount of work on them and I'm looking forward to hosting the award presentation at the dinner that's held on the final night, Saturday.

So, if you've never done a 52+J con before, especially if you're not a member, hopefully I'll be able to shed a little light on what it's like for you!  I'll include a few photos on the way as well.

[Don Boyer]

OK, so...first day!

I arrived last night after nearly 12 hours on the road.  At least I had company - I switched off driving duties with Bill Kalush - he had a lot of decks to transport, not something you want to leave in the hands of airport baggage handlers.

There was an impromptu cocktail hour already in full swing in the hotel's one bar/restaurant, so I joined in - lots of collectors old and new, a smattering of playing card designers, people talking collections, talking shop, and all in all having a grand old time.  We didn't stay too late - the bar closes promptly at 11pm!  I managed to wind down with a FaceTime call to my wife before finally falling asleep at 1 AM, after 29 hours awake!  I stopped drinking about a decade ago, but I remember what drunk feels like and that's the closest I've come to it in a while!

Woke up just before my alarm, about ten to 9.  Decided it was a great reason to head downstairs and catch a dip in the pool - and no, it's not heated!  The Jacuzzi next to it was OK, but sounded like it needed a little maintenance - OK, it sounded like a V-6 engine with a few pistons missing and a loose gasket!  But it was warm and bubbly, so it met enough of the main criteria.

Rapidly ate breakfast before getting ready for the TOUR - the trip to USPC's factory!  The hotel's bus had limited capacity, below what we needed, so I opted to drive over and gave Alex Chin a lift.  What can I say - it's an impressive facility, employs over 300 people and most of what else happened there can't really be discussed due to a non-disclosure agreement!  But seriously, they were great hosts to us and we had a good time.  We left with little goodie bags holding a few decks and a supply of Norwood Deck uncut sheets!

I barely had time to grab a little lunch with Alex and Will Roya of PlayingCardDecks.com at a nearby Five Guys before the Board of Directors' meeting began - two hours of discussing the club business over the past year and into the near future.  Big things are coming up but I'll wait for the annual meeting before I discuss them.

After that, it was a quick trip to Bill's room to meet Alex and get a pair of...wait for it...the club decks for 2017!  I can't give details, but there will be a LIVE STREAM of it tomorrow evening - I have to get the details on that.  In addition to the club deck, several new decks will be premiered at this event, so it's worth watching.  I brought Alex to my room where we worked on an impromptu photo shoot of the new deck - he's working on a slide show to present when he introduces the deck tomorrow night.  (After Mark Stutzman's great presentation last year, he decided he needed to step up his game and bust out the PowerPoint!)  I'll be helping him with giving the presentation - I have hardware and software that will allow me to project his slide show directly from my iPhone, saving the trouble of setting up a laptop computer.

Now, it's nearly time for the cocktail hour and registration.  I haven't spoken to my wife other than texts all day and it's high time I corrected that before heading downstairs!

Does any of this sound fun to you?  If it does, JOIN THE CLUB already!  http://www.52plusjoker.org/

[Don Boyer]

Nearly forgot - photo of Alex outside USPC!  Cloudy and threatening to rain without actually doing so.  Nice and cool!

[Don Boyer]

I was a little late getting down to the cocktail hour.  Had to iron a few shirts and spent some time connecting with my wife.  I would have loved to have brought her with me, but I'm afraid that the whole thing might have been a little boring for her - though I am making inroads with her!  I've been showing her a few Kickstarter projects and she's asked me a few times, much to my surprise, to pick up a deck for her.  Awesome... 

Man, I had a really good time!  I'm told that this time around, there's record attendance - over 70 members, plus a handful of guest attendees.  There's a lot of new faces - the luncheon for new members tomorrow is going to be packed - and a good number of people in the playing card business were there, representatives of Murphy's Magic, Penguin Magic, USPC, Expert PCC, etc., and designers galore!  If you're into custom decks, it's a great opportunity to rub shoulders with the people who make the cards you love so much.  I showed up there at 6:30 PM, took a little break to grab a bite to eat in the restaurant next door and only got back to my room a few minutes ago (it's about a quarter to 2 AM)!

I thought it was very nice of the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau to hand out goodie bags to all the members at registration - there was some snacks, bottled water, some info on local sights to see and a pack of cards and coupon for an entree at Jack Casino in Cincinnati!  It makes a person feel welcomed, don't you think?

I was going to cut a deck of cards for a customer - I'm "The Deck Tailor," making custom alterations to your favorite cards, while you wait!  But it's really late and the submissions for the auction start at 8 AM.  I'm thinking of submitting a deck I created - it's a Howard Hughes commemorative Aviator deck that I've modified into a short-edge stripper with a shallow cut and it has "blind markings," letting you read the cards blindfolded!  People have been really impressed with the work I've showed them so far, so it's looking like I might be a little busy tomorrow at my dealer table!

I think what I'll remember most, though, is something that a lot of convention goers here have in common - all the new people they meet and how quickly they become friends.

Gotta go, getting late...

[Don Boyer]

Man, I'm running around like crazy - cutting cards, went to lunch at a BBQ joint with a handful of card guys, watched presentations on Coca-Cola collector decks and the history of the International Standard in playing cards (where I had to pinch-hit as the remote control for the slide show!), had the annual meeting...

Now I'm helping Paul Carpenter and Alex Chin with presentations for decks they're debuting tonight - I'm not sure of the exact total, but it looks like about a half-dozen decks will be released, including the (also-frickin-lutely gorgeous) 2017 club deck!

I gotta run - I have people waiting on custom stripper decks that I haven't made yet!

[rousselle]

Tell us more! Tell us more! How did the rest of the show go?!

[Talisman]

Don, would you happen to know where the next convention is taking place?

[Don Boyer]

Wow, so much to tell, but not a lot of time right now.  I'll get back online tomorrow and give more of a recap.

I *will* say congratulations to our Diamond Award Winners
The Dawson Lifetime Achievement Award went to Gene Hochman, given posthumously to his son, Mike.
Playing Card Artist of the Year: Linnea Gits and Peter Dunham of Uusi, for the Blue Pagan and Hyde Park Mouldings decks.
Playing Card Deck of the Year: Golden Oath, by Lotrek of Oath Playing Cards.
Special Award given to Judy Dawson for her many years of service as editor of Clear the Decks.

Next year's convention will be in Cleveland.  It's a nod to the Chicago Playing Card Collectors, which is merging with 52 Plus Joker in the coming year - they specialize in single-card collecting!  I'm told that Cleveland was a popular destination for them.  It was further announced at the annual meeting that we're striving to get a deal for 2019 for taking the convention to...drumroll, please...NEW YORK CITY!  The details are still being worked out, but yeah, we're trying to get the Big Apple!  The club is looking to use some of its resources to help defray the overall costs involved with a New York convention, but it's all in the air as of yet, nothing's set in stone.  More information will be released to the club as we have more details to give.

[Worst Bower]

The Dawson Lifetime Achievement Award went to Gene Hochman, given posthumously to his son, Mike.

Next year's convention will be in Cleveland.  It's a nod to the Chicago Playing Card Collectors, which is merging with 52 Plus Joker in the coming year - they specialize in single-card collecting!

I'm glad Dawson got an award named after him. The last time I sent an email to him, I never got a reply. I didn't know it at that time, but he was already hospitalized.

The Chicago club is probably the oldest organization in the world dedicated to collecting playing cards. I think they've been around since the 1950s.

[EndersGame]

Rapidly ate breakfast before getting ready for the TOUR - the trip to USPC's factory! What can I say - it's an impressive facility, employs over 300 people and most of what else happened there can't really be discussed due to a non-disclosure agreement! 

Thanks for your report, Don!  And congratulations to the winners of this years Diamond Awards!

So does the above me that you aren't able to share any insights you gained about USPCC decks and how they are made?  For example, is there anything you gleaned that alters some of the conclusions suggested/discussed in this thread?

[willroya]

Thanks for the review Don, and great job at the rewards presentation!

I was really glad I got to attend, meet you in person and sit with you at the banquet.

[PrincessTrouble]

Any idea on when we can buy this year's club deck?

[Cardfool]

Any idea on when we can buy this year's club deck?

It's already available now for members, you can contact Steve Bowling directly at srbbowling@gmail.com.

1@38, 2@70, 3@100, 6@175 and 12@335 (domestic shipping included)... add 10 to any level for international shipping (which is a great deal for international members)
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[PrincessTrouble]

Any idea on when we can buy this year's club deck?

It's already available now for members, you can contact Steve Bowling directly at srbbowling@gmail.com.

1@38, 2@70, 3@100, 6@175 and 12@335 (domestic shipping included)... add 10 to any level for international shipping (which is a great deal for international members)
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Thanks.  I was checking the club website where all the previous years' decks have been sold.  Doh!

[NineLives]

Thanks for sharing Don, great for us faraway people to be given such an entertaining report of what definitely seems to have been a success and plenty of fun for all who attended. Congratulations to the award winners too