Yet another question about Stud playing cards 🤷🏼‍♂️

[RichardC]

Hi everyone!

This is my first post here and been reading alot trying to find more information about Stud playing cards. I know, there are some posts about it but they are old and don't cover what want to know.

I've found out that there are several editions of Studs, like Vintage, old and new. What I understand is that the Vintage studs have white borders on the top and bottom of the tuck case and the old ones doesn't have these white borders. My question is are these Old Studs "as good" as the Vintage ones and what are they worth? Because I have found a brick of these old studs in mint condition and are on the verge on buying them.

[Don Boyer]

Hi everyone!

This is my first post here and been reading alot trying to find more information about Stud playing cards. I know, there are some posts about it but they are old and don't cover what want to know.

I've found out that there are several editions of Studs, like Vintage, old and new. What I understand is that the Vintage studs have white borders on the top and bottom of the tuck case and the old ones doesn't have these white borders. My question is are these Old Studs "as good" as the Vintage ones and what are they worth? Because I have found a brick of these old studs in mint condition and are on the verge on buying them.

Well, what you're probably looking at are some really old Studs.  Studs were first printed by Arrco in around 1980 or so, according to Playing Card Wiki - a great site that unfortunately is no longer being updated.  In 1987, Arrco was bought up by USPC, who became the new printer of Studs, using the same back design and faces.  The design of the decks and tuck boxes got a change in 2006, with a more modern-looking box and darker shades of red and blue for the card backs.  Then, briefly, they were off the market recently for a few years while Walgreens Pharmacy (the producer of the decks - it's their store brand) opted to instead try replacing them with what looked like a less expensive model call "Play-Right", which caused a lot of consternation among players and collectors - they came back perhaps a year or two ago.

If I was forced to guess - and yes, this is strictly a guess - you might be looking at some pre-USPC Studs here, made by Arrco.  Studs in general were good-quality, high-value, inexpensive cards, usually sold for less than a pack of Bicycles.  But even if they weren't pre-USPC, I'd say they're still a hell of a find - I'd buy them myself if I had the extra cash to spare! 

[RichardC]

Thank you for taking the time to explain 😊. I figure that these Studs will be very sought after, especially in mint condition, in a few years or more. But I will probably use 1or 2 to play around with 

[skinny]

Well, what you're probably looking at are some really old Studs.  Studs were first printed by Arrco in around 1980 or so, according to Playing Card Wiki - a great site that unfortunately is no longer being updated. 

The oldest Walgreens ad I've found for Stud playing cards is from june of 1974 at 4/$1!

[Don Boyer]

Well, what you're probably looking at are some really old Studs.  Studs were first printed by Arrco in around 1980 or so, according to Playing Card Wiki - a great site that unfortunately is no longer being updated. 

The oldest Walgreens ad I've found for Stud playing cards is from june of 1974 at 4/$1!

Then I guess the Playing Card Wiki isn't completely accurate.  But the burning question here would be: are they printed by Arrco, or by another company?  It's possible that Arrco started making them in 1980, but that another company was making them prior to that - but I really don't know for sure.  I don't suppose you have a copy of that ad, do you?  It'd make for a cool post!

[andrew daugherty]

USPC made Studs in those white tipped boxes in the late 50s and early 60s, still in tax stamp days. Arrco and Hoyle also printed them for Walgreens later on.

Hoyle cards from the late 80s have a slightly different back, Hoyle indices and face cards. The  jokers have vertical lines on the diagonal opposite the joker indices and have two or three lines across the top and/or the bottom of the tuck boxes. The proof of purchase font is slightly thinner than other print runs. Also, the Hoyle tuck box feels slightly thicker. Hoyle published bright red and blue Studs in poker, jumbo index and pinochle. Hoyles used the Stud ace and joker.

One suspects there were USPC trademark issues with the back design, so the Hoyles are different.

Walgreens looked to save money on USPC printing of some Studs in the 1970s. How? The face cards have no blue ink. Just black, red and yellow.

If the bottom of the tuck box reads “For particular players,” then the deck should be early 80s or older, no matter the maker. Walgreens sold Studs attached to the generic blue USPC cardboard hanger through the late 80s as well. 

[RichardC]

But those newer decks that don't have the white borders,the picture on the bottom, do they have a good feel to them? Are these sought after in any way or is mainly the Vintage ones with white borders and standard index?

[Don Boyer]

But those newer decks that don't have the white borders,the picture on the bottom, do they have a good feel to them? Are these sought after in any way or is mainly the Vintage ones with white borders and standard index?

Speaking as a collector and a magician, Studs do have their devotees.  Some magicians swear by them, many collectors enjoy them, and of course, there's always the poker playing crowd as well, though not so much the hardcore poker players - most of them swear by all-plastic decks, and only bridge-sized ones at that.

There are people who love the modern decks, there are people who get a kick out of the vintage ones - and some who are both.

Studs in general must be popular enough - why else would Walgreens have brought them back, after having replaced them completely with the Play-Right brand a few years ago?  It was believed that Walgreens did this to somehow save money, though I honestly can't say they were of inferior quality - they were just really boring in appearance, having some of the plainest card backs ever printed next to the NOC decks from HOPC/Blue Crown.  Oh, and there's also the fact that one color came only in standard index, while the other color came only in jumbo index, making it annoying if not impossible to play them as a "poker pair".  Whatever the reason, Walgreens appears to have completely abandoned the Play-Rights and brought back Studs in a big way - they're selling not only in Walgreens but in Duane Reade drugstores, a New York-based chain that Walgreens purchased a few years back and still operates under their own name.  It's a popular brand in New York - the name comes from the location of the first store and warehouse, which opened in lower Manhattan on Broadway between Duane and Reade Streets back in 1960.

[skinny]

I've never seen tax-stamped Studs. I've seen lots of claims and fakes of tax-stamped Studs.

I'm ready to be wrong.

Each time I've seen them, there's either a barcode on the bottom or the bottom isn't shown at all. The timelines of tax stamps and bar codes NEVER overlapped. I'm ready to see the bottom of a tuck without a bar code.

I did another search and found Studs as early as November 1973. I've attached a blurry ad from july 1974. If anyone has a subscription to newspapers.com, there are a LOT of results where the date is visible with the ads that show them.

[Chuqii]

Saw this recent listing on ebay and thought of this thread.  Here is a tax stamped Stud pinochle deck in a lot of mid-century decks.  No pic of bottom of box, but some evidence of actual tax stamped Studs.  https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-lot-of-11-decks-playing-cards-Stud-Aviator-Centaur-5th-Avenue-Others-S-8-/113789639641?hash=item1a7e641bd9%3Ag%3ApN0AAOSwQjxc-yyq&nma=true&si=tG8r3YccVdd2rhyyJ27%252B89%252FHAKQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

[skinny]

There is a picture of the bottom of the box! In the first pic, it simply says PINOCHLE. Thanks Chuqii!

Looks like someone scored Thistle Backs, too, in a lot that sold for $8.

[skinny]

I was looking at that deck and that listing. When I see the USPCC star-shaped cancellation, I usually think of earlier decks. Later cancellations are usually just text.

So... I've changed my search considerably. Now, I've found "New" Stud Playing Cards alongside Centaur and Peau Doux from 1938. I might even have a 1937.

Sorry for the double-reply, but this is crazy to me.

[Don Boyer]

I was looking at that deck and that listing. When I see the USPCC star-shaped cancellation, I usually think of earlier decks. Later cancellations are usually just text.

So... I've changed my search considerably. Now, I've found "New" Stud Playing Cards alongside Centaur and Peau Doux from 1938. I might even have a 1937.

Sorry for the double-reply, but this is crazy to me.

It's making me wonder just how far back the Stud design goes - it would seem to be old enough to appear in the Hochman's, wouldn't it?

[skinny]

Yes, I have been looking for months. 

The earliest absolute proof I have for the existence of Stud Playing Cards comes from 17 feb 1937. The ad seems to indicate that they are a new brand. I'm sure their "Smooth, linen finish..." means they are a slick Linen Finish, as opposed to a Smooth Finish.

There are a LOT of ads for Studs in 1937, from Illinois and Missouri to the earliest example I've found from Idaho.

I find it very interesting that the back shown here is the same as the modern back. (I thought the "multiple windmills" back preceded the modern one.)

Quick reminder to those searching for tax-stamped Studs - UPC codes and tax stamps NEVER coexisted! There's a gap of 10 years between them. There are pictures of UPC / Tax stamp Studs even here on PCF. Be warned. From "Studs came out around 1980" to "These tax stamps and UPC decks are legit," there's a bit of misinformation.

Attached, find a full page Walgreen's ad and 2 zoomed sections. The Post-Register - Idaho Falls, Idaho - 17 february 1937.

@Don - It does seem old enough to appear in Hochman's.

[Calvingrace]

I like the part about "if it says for particular players" it's from 1980s. But then this poster from the 30s has "for particular players" on the bottom of the deck. Lol, you'd be surprised how many collectors out there are incredibly wrong about so many things they "swear by" I have a legit tax stamped stud deck, "for particular players on the bottom" and the seal is going over the face of the box as apposed to the back.

[nikhilp95]

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QuoteModify
I recently purchased this deck of Stud Playing Cards. All the information I have read about these cards has been pretty conflicting. What I do know is:
1. They were first produced by Arrco and then by USPCC.
2. They were produced in 1980s

Can someone please tell me more about this particular deck I bought?
1. When were these produced and by whom?
2. Why is there no seal on the deck?
3. Do all the studs have this kind of blue packaging?

Additionally, when were the first Studs produced, and how many versions are out there?
Any kind of information is appreciated. Thank you,

[Chuqii]

Check out these well-researched posts from touya for answers to your Stud questions:

http://www.playingcardforum.com/index.php?topic=13807.msg133579#msg133579

[Don Boyer]

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Posts
Reputation: 0
QuoteModify
I recently purchased this deck of Stud Playing Cards. All the information I have read about these cards has been pretty conflicting. What I do know is:
1. They were first produced by Arrco and then by USPCC.
2. They were produced in 1980s

Can someone please tell me more about this particular deck I bought?
1. When were these produced and by whom?
2. Why is there no seal on the deck?
3. Do all the studs have this kind of blue packaging?

Additionally, when were the first Studs produced, and how many versions are out there?
Any kind of information is appreciated. Thank you,

I just answered some of your info for you in a related topic you posted.

Also, as far as Touya's research, it's exhaustive, to be sure, but when he's referring to the different versions of Studs, it's mostly variations in the packaging.  If you count just the actual cards themselves, there's been three versions to my knowledge:
1980-1987 - manufactured by Arrco in Chicago
1987-2007 - manufactured by USPC in Cincinnati - they bought Arrco in 1987 and pretty swiftly started printing the Arrco brands at their own factory.
2007-a few years ago - still by USPC, but redesigned backs with darker shades of red and blue.

Today, they're out of print.  Walgreens at some point a few years back gave up printing their own decks and started selling Bicycles instead.  They probably got a wicked-good deal for massive bulk purchasing, similar to what Walmart would get - the chain is freakin' huge these days, so they probably do have that level of buying power.