Author (Read 6475 times)

Zenneth · « **on:** November 22, 2012, 07:47:33 AM »

Hi everyone,

First of all, please stop complaining to me, let me repeat this:
I do not have the final say on everything with Coterie1902, I only have the final say on product design.

However, all the complaints are directly to me, this is unfair to me as well.

I have explained the situation to The Exclusive Coterie about the possibility of releasing Gold Seal version.

Let's just say a small amount of Gold Seal version Coterie Bee could be released, but:

There will NOT be any unsigned, cellophane wrapped version of Gold Seal Coterie Bee available

and...just let me say this openly:

I, do not have the power and rights to arrange the sales of Gold Seal Coterie Bee privately. So, I won't be able to of help to anyone to get it.

If you are interested in getting the Gold Seal version of Coterie Bee, instead of sending emails to me personally, please send a email to:

info@coterie1902.com

Subject: Gold Seal Coterie Bee

You don't have to say anything in your email, if you hear back by the end of this month.

You'll know what to do.

Though, according to the number of PMs and emails that I received, most likely you will need luck to be able get it, so good luck.

Zenneth
p.s. seriously... stop blaming me...

Don Boyer · « **Reply #1 on:** November 22, 2012, 11:38:34 AM »

Sorry to hear about all the flack you're getting over this. I haven't heard a thing about Gold Seal Coterie Bees until now. I'm guessing it's the same deck with a new deck seal on it?

The extremes some collectors will go to is beyond me.

Zenneth · « **Reply #2 on:** November 22, 2012, 12:09:18 PM »

Hi Don,

The only difference between Gold Seal Coterie Bee and regular edition that we are selling to public is the Gold Seal Sticker.

You can't imagine how many private messages and emails that I have received about this.

It's just the Gold Seal version Coterie Bee is meant to be one of the items in Artiste member welcome package, and it's not easy to become an Artiste member of Coterie. We also forbid members from reselling this deck, so...the deck itself become quite difficult to acquire.

Anywy, I won't blame collectors, I can also understand why they are feeling unfair... afterall, playing cards collectors community contributed immensely to the launch of Coterie1902.com and I can only imagine Coterie will be needing the continous support from collectors too.

Both my colleagues and I have learned a very good lesson this time, we will have more thoughtful arrangement on this regard with our future releases.

Thanks,
Zenneth

Don Boyer · « **Reply #3 on:** November 22, 2012, 12:19:24 PM »

Well, there are times that such things are out of reach of collectors. When the Ellusionist deck Black Ghost First Edition came out, it was originally only available to select artists in the field. Practically all the David Blaine decks were originally created just for his own use, only later getting released to the public.

I wish I could give you an answer to the situation. The best I can offer is to keep such releases a secret!

Then maybe down the road you can clue people in.

Don Boyer · « **Reply #4 on:** December 02, 2012, 03:49:53 AM »

The Coterie1902 announced on Facebook that this deck is now for sale:
http://www.coterie1902.com/gscb

The $49 price tag sounds high, but when you factor in that you get three regular Bee Coterie decks as well as one with a gold seal, it's really a good price. As before, international shipping is included in the price!

This deck sale is private and, beyond the mention on FB, it will not be advertised.

The story behind this deck is interesting. Originally ALL the Bee Coterie decks were to have gold seals on them. But partway into the packaging, USPC actually ran out of gold seals and wouldn't have more ready in time for this job - only about 900 of the 5,200 total Bee Coterie print run got the seals. These were originally to be reserved for Coterie1902 Artiste members or higher ranks only, and you had to perform in person and unwrap/sign the deck in front of the other members. However, the word about it leaked and the collector community started having conniptions over it - it's a very rare and exclusive deck, and they wanted some!

Eventually the Coterie relented to the demands of their fans and this offer came into being. These decks will all arrive unwrapped with Zenneth Kok's signature on them. (Not the regular ones, just the gold seal ones!)

Knobz1 · « **Reply #5 on:** December 02, 2012, 08:10:30 AM »

Quote from: Don Boyer on December 02, 2012, 03:49:53 AM

The Coterie1902 announced on Facebook that this deck is now for sale:
http://www.coterie1902.com/gscb

The $49 price tag sounds high, but when you factor in that you get three regular Bee Coterie decks as well as one with a gold seal, it's really a good price. As before, international shipping is included in the price!

This deck sale is private and, beyond the mention on FB, it will not be advertised.

The story behind this deck is interesting. Originally ALL the Bee Coterie decks were to have gold seals on them. But partway into the packaging, USPC actually ran out of gold seals and wouldn't have more ready in time for this job - only about 900 of the 5,200 total Bee Coterie print run got the seals. These were originally to be reserved for Coterie1902 Artiste members or higher ranks only, and you had to perform in person and unwrap/sign the deck in front of the other members. However, the word about it leaked and the collector community started having conniptions over it - it's a very rare and exclusive deck, and they wanted some!

Eventually the Coterie relented to the demands of their fans and this offer came into being. These decks will all arrive unwrapped with Zenneth Kok's signature on them. (Not the regular ones, just the gold seal ones!)

Thanks for letting us know about that Don. And yes, that is a really good deal. I went ahead and par-took in it.

sr15 · « **Reply #6 on:** December 02, 2012, 08:29:04 PM »

this is a pretty great deal if you're looking for multiple coterie bee decks and don't own any yet (aka me). Unfortunately I don't have the money right now to get this, but if I did I probably would. I will say that I don't really get the fervor over needing a rare seal on an unchanged deck from the original. A different tuck box is one thing, and even then I don't really care all that much, but it's really just a different seal and nothing else unchanged. Oh well.

I do like the look of the deck and hopefully I'll get some soon

Don Boyer · « **Reply #7 on:** December 02, 2012, 11:35:07 PM »

Quote from: sr15 on December 02, 2012, 08:29:04 PM

this is a pretty great deal if you're looking for multiple coterie bee decks and don't own any yet (aka me). Unfortunately I don't have the money right now to get this, but if I did I probably would. I will say that I don't really get the fervor over needing a rare seal on an unchanged deck from the original. A different tuck box is one thing, and even then I don't really care all that much, but it's really just a different seal and nothing else unchanged. Oh well.

I do like the look of the deck and hopefully I'll get some soon

I know what you mean about the sticker thing. It's a little nuts, but there are collectors who are obsessed with getting every possible variant, regardless of how minor the difference is. It's why Dan and Dave could sell out on sticker-sealed version of decks that were previously sold without seals - and charge a premium in the process. The more rare the variant, the more they want them.

I was tempted to take advantage of the offer for two reasons having nothing to do with the stickers. 1) It's a pretty good package deal. 2) This exact version, with the King of Hearts gaff, will never be reprinted - future printings will probably have something like a blank-face card, a double-backer or a card that's gaffed on the face instead of the back.

It doesn't hurt that the gold-seal deck has Zen's signature on it, either!

If you can find a way to pay for it, you should. This package isn't selling the entire 900-deck run - most are still being reserved for Coterie members. I think only a third or less are available. So in other words, I'm surprised it hasn't already sold out.

agera94 · « **Reply #8 on:** December 03, 2012, 12:23:00 AM »

I just ordered me a package. I think it's great; 4 decks, 1 of which are somewhat rare in this sense and shipping included for $50. The decks also look pretty nice and elegant.

Don Boyer · « **Reply #9 on:** December 03, 2012, 02:18:09 AM »

Quote from: agera94 on December 03, 2012, 12:23:00 AM

I just ordered me a package. I think it's great; 4 decks, 1 of which are somewhat rare in this sense and shipping included for $50. The decks also look pretty nice and elegant.

"Somewhat rare?" Only 900 exist! There are more White Centurions out there than there are Gold Seal Bee Coterie decks. There are over five-and-a-half times more Black Ghost 1st Edition decks!

What's your definition of rare - hand-painted one-of-a-kind?

agera94 · « **Reply #10 on:** December 03, 2012, 02:45:50 AM »

Quote from: Don Boyer on December 03, 2012, 02:18:09 AM

Quote from: agera94 on December 03, 2012, 12:23:00 AM
I just ordered me a package. I think it's great; 4 decks, 1 of which are somewhat rare in this sense and shipping included for $50. The decks also look pretty nice and elegant.

"Somewhat rare?" Only 900 exist! There are more White Centurions out there than there are Gold Seal Bee Coterie decks. There are over five-and-a-half times more Black Ghost 1st Edition decks!

What's your definition of rare - hand-painted one-of-a-kind?

Haha true point there. I wasn't sure how to phrase it; just didn't want to go out on a limb and say super-duper-mega-weenie-deluxe-ultra-rare due to the nature of the seal and signature being the main difference. But I am eagerly awaiting my order to arrive one day

twiscold · « **Reply #11 on:** December 03, 2012, 01:30:27 PM »

i wont be getting them since i still havent got my brick and i ordered the first day. Anyway maybe because i am not really a collector i cant understand this but the idea of just having a gold seal makes this much difference just doesnt make sense to me. Now the ones they sell now is already signed and not wrapped. if you want them so much, why not just get a gold seal, stick it on your deck and re-seal it.

Knobz1 · « **Reply #12 on:** December 03, 2012, 02:41:19 PM »

Quote from: twiscold on December 03, 2012, 01:30:27 PM

i wont be getting them since i still havent got my brick and i ordered the first day. Anyway maybe because i am not really a collector i cant understand this but the idea of just having a gold seal makes this much difference just doesnt make sense to me. Now the ones they sell now is already signed and not wrapped. if you want them so much, why not just get a gold seal, stick it on your deck and re-seal it.

I understand where your coming from as far as, "why buy the same deck with just a different seal." I feel mostly the same way about a lot of decks out there that have done this. And yes, I did end up buying the gold seal deck along with my brick. And I bought it because it had a lot more meaning to me than just a different seal. Do you know the story behind the Gold Seal Coterie Bee Deck? This isn't your normal, "oh were just gonna have a different seal for the first 500 people that buy the deck, and then were just gonna have a standard seal." This gold seal deck was meant for prestidigitation artists who would have to demonstrate there skill/ability in card manipulation, magic or cardistry in front of a council more or less to gain there membership. I'm not just a deck collector. I have been performing magic since I was around 8 years old. For me, this deck means more than just a silly gold seal slapped on an already available deck. I'm confident that I could demonstrate my own skill and be given this deck along with its membership. But that isn't gonna happen. So if I have a chance to own this rare deck, and place it my cabinet as a reminder to keep practicing, keep working hard, and keep touching people's lives with my magic. My question is.........why not own this gold seal deck.

twiscold · « **Reply #13 on:** December 03, 2012, 02:56:47 PM »

i do know the story, thats one of the reasons that keeps me from getting it. It was meant for those who proved their skills now its just another commercial release it loses its meaning. If this is the reason why people want it, then i understand but ill rather earn it the right way but thats just me.

Knobz1 · « **Reply #14 on:** December 03, 2012, 03:17:00 PM »

Quote from: twiscold on December 03, 2012, 02:56:47 PM

i do know the story, thats one of the reasons that keeps me from getting it. It was meant for those who proved their skills now its just another commercial release it loses its meaning. If this is the reason why people want it, then i understand but ill rather earn it the right way but thats just me.

This is by no means a "commercial" release. They are not distributing large quanities of this deck to everyone. This is a "private" release and is not going to be advertised to everyone. I know how you feel about it losing its meaning. But I dont think it loses it that much. Members still have to prove themselves to gain memebership. The gold seal decks we receive will already be signed by Zenneth as to make sure only the "true members" have proven themselves. We all know, no one is forcing anyone to buy this deck. Zenneth was nice enough to do this for us since some people were complaining, which I wasnt one of them. In the end, if you dont buy them other people will. But I respect why you dont want too.

Don Boyer · « **Reply #15 on:** December 03, 2012, 03:31:53 PM »

Knobz1 - actually, ALL of the decks were supposed to have gold seals. USPC just ran out. It was at that point they decided to restrict the gold-sealed ones for Coterie members of Artiste rank or higher. For those folks, they must still demonstrate their talents to receive the deck, and it must be unwrapped and signed in front of the membership as a sort of initiation - at which point, the deck itself, if you've read the text on the back, is like your membership card to get in the front door. Walking up to the door with a deck signed by Zenneth - when you look NOTHING like Zenneth - will not get you inside! It's why they chose this compromise - and they're only allowing a small number of these already-rare decks to get sold in the manner.

twiscold - you should look at it more like this. If you bought four decks in the store, without the seal on any of them, they'd cost you $13 a deck no matter which method you chose to buy them: four purchases of single decks or one single deck and one set of three. That's $52. But if you get one with the gold seal through this unadvertised offer, you actually spend only $49 - a savings of three bucks. And shipping is included in both cases. Personally, I'd rather save the cash regardless of how I felt about the gold seals - it's CHEAPER! There's nothing on Earth stopping you from using a gold-seal deck signed by Zenneth Kok any differently than you'd use one that's unsigned and unsealed. There's no "proving of skills" involved in getting a deck he signed, so that and four quarters will still leave you with a buck, if you know what I mean.

Zenneth · « **Reply #16 on:** December 10, 2012, 05:43:51 AM »

Hey Guys,

The Gold Seal packages are now completely sold out, I believe most buyers are from the collectors community.

Like I have said before, we have tried to make this available in the fairest way that we can think of.

Someone received the Gold Seal packages listed them on eBay for a much higher price (inevitably),

but I certainly hope those who asked for Gold Seal versions have already grabbed it when they were available.

Thank you all again for the support.

Best,
Zenneth

anep21 · « **Reply #17 on:** December 10, 2012, 06:19:39 AM »

your support team is awesome! got a reply within 5 minutes

thanks

Zenneth · « **Reply #18 on:** December 10, 2012, 07:45:44 AM »

Some afterthoughts about the release of the Gold Seal edition package:

We knew beforehand this release couldn't please everyone happy but there is no way to please everyone anyway,

we made sure that it's not a premium release, also it's not like you need to buy a brick in order to receive 1 gold seal deck.

Don made a very good observation, it's in fact cheaper than buying 4 decks of Coterie Bee individually.

Coterie mailing box was built to best pack 4,8 or 12 decks with it, that's why we offered it with a modest decks package.

Quote from: anep21 on December 10, 2012, 06:19:39 AM

I buy the deck on 5/12/12 and still didn't receive any shipping info yet. Is that normal?

thanks

Yes, actually it's kinda normal, we are still updating the website, so during this period of time, when you log in your account and if the status of your order shows"processing", that means it has been shipped, right now we can only ask for your patience, hopefully we can soon sort out sending out the shipping notification part.

Zenneth

P.S. we are still trying our best to provide more value with the Coterie Bee deck, hopefully this week we can upload the third video of KH Gaff card application

MrMollusk · « **Reply #19 on:** December 10, 2012, 10:40:15 AM »

Quote from: Zenneth on December 10, 2012, 07:45:44 AM

Some afterthoughts about the release of the Gold Seal edition package:

We knew beforehand this release couldn't please everyone happy but there is no way to please everyone anyway,

we made sure that it's not a premium release, also it's not like you need to buy a brick in order to receive 1 gold seal deck.

Don made a very good observation, it's in fact cheaper than buying 4 decks of Coterie Bee individually.

Coterie mailing box was built to best pack 4,8 or 12 decks with it, that's why we offered it with a modest decks package.

Quote from: anep21 on December 10, 2012, 06:19:39 AM
I buy the deck on 5/12/12 and still didn't receive any shipping info yet. Is that normal?

thanks

Yes, actually it's kinda normal, we are still updating the website, so during this period of time, when you log in your account and if the status of your order shows"processing", that means it has been shipped, right now we can only ask for your patience, hopefully we can soon sort out sending out the shipping notification part.

Zenneth

P.S. we are still trying our best to provide more value with the Coterie Bee deck, hopefully this week we can upload the third video of KH Gaff card application

Although I missed out, I'm very happy about the pricing. So many card companies *cough*fultonsmidnightfuel*cough* make you buy a $100 dollar brick to get a limited deck. The idea of 4 decks, 1 rare for $50 is awesome! More companies should do it.

therealmackay · « **Reply #20 on:** July 08, 2013, 04:25:48 PM »

Hi Guys

Wandering if you could help me out!

Ive got a gold seal Deck signed by Zenneth. However i cant find his Autograph anywhere on the net as proof. Ive got a tenner riding on it - what does Zenneth's autograph look like on the box?

Cheers!

Don Boyer · « **Reply #21 on:** July 09, 2013, 06:03:18 AM »

Quote from: therealmackay on July 08, 2013, 04:25:48 PM

Hi Guys

Wandering if you could help me out!

Ive got a gold seal Deck signed by Zenneth. However i cant find his Autograph anywhere on the net as proof. Ive got a tenner riding on it - what does Zenneth's autograph look like on the box?

Cheers!

With a handful of exceptions, all the gold seal Bee Coterie decks "out in the wild" have Zenneth Kok's signature on it. It was a condition of putting them on the market. Originally all 5,000 decks were to have gold seals. USPC fouled up and ran out of the seals less than 1,000 into the print run. So at that point, he figured he'd save the gold seal decks for actual members of the Coterie of Prestidigitation Artists - members are required to tear off the wrapper and sign the deck in front of the membership, at which point it's like their club ID card. But collectors got wind of the existence of the gold seal decks and freaked out, demanding to buy them. Zen created a compromise: he allowed a portion of the gold seal decks to go on sale, but you would receive them without cellophane and signed by Zen himself. This allowed him to continue using the deck as identification for CPA members while letting collectors get their hands on a few.

therealmackay · « **Reply #22 on:** July 09, 2013, 08:08:08 AM »

Thanks Don for the insight, it is much appreciated!

Cheers

Scott

BiggerDee · « **Reply #23 on:** July 09, 2013, 03:47:54 PM »

Great info Don, thanks!

Paul.Middleton · « **Reply #24 on:** July 10, 2013, 08:17:55 AM »

Quote from: therealmackay on July 08, 2013, 04:25:48 PM

Hi Guys

Wandering if you could help me out!

Ive got a gold seal Deck signed by Zenneth. However i cant find his Autograph anywhere on the net as proof. Ive got a tenner riding on it - what does Zenneth's autograph look like on the box?

Cheers!

Hey Scott,

As you bought it from me, and I bought it from Zenneth directly! I can categorically say it is real!

By the way, I replied to your tweet just now.