(EBAY) Tax Stamped Vintage Arrco STUD 1st generation Cards - Only 6 Decks Left

[dealingdeuces]

Hey Everyone,

Today was my lucky day!! I was able to come across one brick of Vintage 1st Generation Arrco STUD Playing cards that are TAX STAMPED..

Out of the 12 Decks, I have 6 left to Sale..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271073517146?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

I have talked to collectors and magicians from around the world and have yet to find a single person who owned a used deck of these VTG STUD cards, let alone a deck still factory sealed..

These Tax Stamped Decks Are So Extremely Rare and Hard To Find that these decks may be the only ones left that exist in the world..

I have heard that a similar deck sold at auction for over $500 on eBay about 5 years ago, from a collector..

What made the deck so RARE was the fact that the back design is completely different than that of the Normal STUD playing cards.. This decks are SUPER IMPOSSIBLE to find as is, but to find a brick Still Factory Sealed and Tax Stamped, is simply extraordinary..

These decks are priced to sale quickly.. A collector purchased 6 decks already which leaves 6 decks left for sale..

I was lucky enough to come across these decks from a collector who worked for the Arrco Company in Chicago in the 1940's until it closed in the 1980's.  These decks were sitting in his storage and I was lucky enough to be able to get these 12 decks from him today.   

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271073517146?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

UPDATE: AUCTION STYLE LISTING for 1 DECK OF EACH COLOR LEFT..

Remaining Decks Have been Sold or Traded.. Good Luck...

[Don Boyer]

If anyone was curious, the tax stamp on these decks was used by all the card companies (with different cancellation stamps on them personal to each company) was in use by the IRS from 1940 to 1965.  Without seeing anything else of the deck, there's no way of knowing precisely which year they're from.

It's not beyond the realm of possibility that this deck may be a prototype of the old Studs.  Even prototype decks would require a tax stamp, I think, since the tax was on the creation of the deck, not necessarily its sale.  Tax stamps were paid for long before the deck got to the local retailers to be sold.  I would be one possible reason for the different and very rare design.

Does your collector remember when these decks were created?  Or at the least, when Arrco started manufacturing Studs for the Walgreens chain?

[dealingdeuces]

Hey Don,

The friend of mine is a very elderly man and is nearly 100 years old.  He use to work for the Arrco Playing Card Company in Chicago until USPC bought them out  and closed them down.

The man worked for Arrco for over 40 years, and he was able to collect alot of these decks over that time period..

He has a large collection of Vintage Arrco decks which I was able to purchase some of Today..

I was able to get some Vintage Arrco Tahoe Decks.. Some Vintage Club Reno decks - Pre-cursor to US Rgs... Some Vegas Clubs - which are pre-cursor to the Tahoes.. and some Vtg STUDS - with Rare Back design..

I have talked to collectors all over the world and no one has been able to show me a matching deck..

The closest thing I heard was one of these RARE STUD decks sold at auction on eBay for over $500 5 years ago..

I heard this story from 2 seperate sources..

Dan and Bave, The Buck Twins, I showed them a pic of the cards and they were completely dumb founded and NEVER SEEN them before ever.. They prob. have one of the largest Private Collections in the World..

They Definitely want as many of the decks as I can get though for themselves.. They couldn't believe that I came across such a stash and I still can't believe it either.. I am going to work out a Trade with them and I am selling 6 decks on eBay right now or on my site at: http://dealingdeuces.com. ..

I got them Priced to sell quickly at $199 a deck, which is a steal...

If anyone is wondering on what they feel like, they feel exactly like the VTG Vegas Clubs and VTG Foil Wrapped Tahoes with the Resilient Linen Finish.. These are DEF a true GEM, and once everyone realizes how TRULY FEW the # of decks are out there, they will be going at auction for alot more than Jerrys Nuggets..

If you think Jerrys Nuggets are a RARE deck , these are prob 10,000 times RARE..
For all I know I may have the only ones left in the entire world.. That would be CRAZY..
I am STILL waiting for Someone to show me another Deck like them...  I have tried finding another deck like this for weeks...

If you are interested in owning a deck of these, it's 1st come 1st serve on my site or on ebay..

http://dealingdeuces.com

Also I am open to Trade Offers also....

[Don Boyer]

I appreciate all of the rather interesting information, but you still didn't answer the questions I posed to you:

"Does your collector remember when these decks were created?  Or at the least, when Arrco started manufacturing Studs for the Walgreens chain?"

As far as their rarity relative to Jerry's Nugget decks, they sell for what they sell for not simply for their rarity, but also for the reputation they've gained among many prominent magicians both past and present for their smooth handling and durability.  They appear in many magic and cardistry training videos, and people like to use what the pros use.  The minute collectors caught wind of it, they swooped in on the market like a ravaging horde, driving deck prices into the stratosphere.

If you could find video or even just photos of someone famous in the field using those Studs, perhaps then they'd gain that rep.  For now, they're simply very unique.  Vintage collectors will drool over them, much as they do over rarities like the original Bicycle Victory series decks, but the market at large won't be quite as interested.

[dealingdeuces]

Don,

I tried to answer your ? the best I could earlier.. The truth is the guy is near100 years old and that his memory isn't the best if you know what I mean.   He isn't always "with it" so to say..

His son is a close friend of mine and he is my go between for the most part..

I asked him ?s about the cards, when I first seen them, and he told me that the cards are from the Factory in Chicago and date back to the Mid 1960's to the early 1970s..

He worked for the Arrco Playing Card Company for nearly 50 years..  So he printed alot of cards.. He did it all there..

He would take a few decks home from work every week or couple weeks and save them in storage...

They sat in storage for 40 years until I was able to get them...

And as for a famous person using them, Ed Marlo, was from Chicago and one of the biggest fans of Arrco Playing Cards and used them religiously..

Yes in the Magic community unless a deck is started on KS, and hyped up, no one knows about it and before the decks are even financed and paid for they are being hailed as being RARE and Limited Edition and selling for $100s of dollars a deck.. LOL.. Sad but True...

These cards are TRULY RARE and I know this because I have talked to collectors all around the world and no one has seen them.. After Dan and Dave Buck seen the cards, They were absolutely AMAZED and wanted All The Decks I could get My Hands On, to work out a trade so they could feature them on their site..

I have already managed to see several decks out of the 12 and Traded another Set away to a friend..
I have 6 Decks listed on eBay and then that is it...

As far as I KNOW, I am the only one in the World that has these Cards, and the few ppl that bought a deck or traded me for a deck are the others.. Now that is TRULY RARE and LIMITED EDITION..

With STUD ERA coming to an end, it is funny how the entire thing has come full circle with the end of an era, and then finding 1st Gen STUDS manufactured by arrco with the unique back design..

The Quality of the cards speak for themselves and anyone who owns a VTG Deck of Tahoes, with the Resilient linen finish Know exactly what feel I am talking about..

[Don Boyer]

Don,

I asked him ?s about the cards, when I first seen them, and he told me that the cards are from the Factory in Chicago and date back to the Mid 1960's to the early 1970s..

They can't be any younger than 1965 - that's the year the tax on playing cards was repealed and manufacturers switched to making their own company stamps to serve as deck seals, eventually becoming the adhesive stickers we know today.

And as for a famous person using them, Ed Marlo, was from Chicago and one of the biggest fans of Arrco Playing Cards and used them religiously..

But did he use these Studs in particular?  Because that's what I was referring to.  We still know very little about this deck - it might have been some kind of rejected or shelved prototype, made only in tiny quantities.

Yes in the Magic community unless a deck is started on KS, and hyped up, no one knows about it and before the decks are even financed and paid for they are being hailed as being RARE and Limited Edition and selling for $100s of dollars a deck.. LOL.. Sad but True...

Well...  I don't know of a single Kickstarter deck that sells for over a hundred in the after-market.  KS decks have to be hyped up, because otherwise no one would know they were there and they'd end up never being created.  There's only a handful of decks made from the current wave of custom decks that would sell in the $100+ range.  That's more like good vintage territory...

These cards are TRULY RARE and I know this because I have talked to collectors all around the world and no one has seen them.. After Dan and Dave Buck seen the cards, They were absolutely AMAZED and wanted All The Decks I could get My Hands On, to work out a trade so they could feature them on their site..

I have no doubts about the rarity.  But as to whether they'll gain the hype and price range of Jerry's Nugget decks any time soon, it is not very likely.

As far as I KNOW, I am the only one in the World that has these Cards, and the few ppl that bought a deck or traded me for a deck are the others.. Now that is TRULY RARE and LIMITED EDITION..

Again, this is entirely possible.  It's also impossible to verify without knowing every single trader in the world well enough to inquire if they happen to own any packs of these or if they've seen them elsewhere.

Maybe if you can stumble across someone still alive who was a young executive at the time these decks were printed, you might be able to learn more of the history of this deck.  If you wanted, I could inquire with Tom and Judy Dawson.  Few vintage collections are larger than theirs - I was blown away just by the tiny fraction of it I saw in their home on Memorial Day weekend this year.  Lee Asher introduced us when I was in town visiting - he would be another excellent person to ask as well.  Let me know if you're interested.

With STUD ERA coming to an end, it is funny how the entire thing has come full circle with the end of an era, and then finding 1st Gen STUDS manufactured by arrco with the unique back design..

The Quality of the cards speak for themselves and anyone who owns a VTG Deck of Tahoes, with the Resilient linen finish Know exactly what feel I am talking about..

I think it's a huge shame that Walgreens opted to drop this line of cards and replace it with the somewhat inferior "Play Right" brand they made.  They'll never be as popular as Studs, especially when you consider that the standard index decks only come in blue backs and the jumbo index decks only come in red backs, making them not very desirable for poker.  Maybe they'd make a decent, almost cheap practice deck, but I can get American-made Streamlines from WalMart for under a buck a pack plus tax.[/quote][/quote]