Memories... ye olde tymes... these competitors hearken back to an earlier time - one much earlier than the other!
Bicycle Series 1800 by Ellusionist, sometimes nicknamed "Vintage 1800" because of their appearance, are another of the handful of Bicycle Rider Back decks E did during their earlier years - they stopped with Arcane and haven't looked back! It's a straight-up reproduction, but with an ancient, weathered look, as if someone left them in the basement of the saloon for the past hundred years and the archaeologists just uncovered them before declaring the place a historic landmark. The original issue were, well - they had a sweet, somewhat hidden one-way design built into that pattern of dirt and grime on the card backs, but they also handled like Play-Doh. The new ones are slicker than grease, thanks to Performance Coating, but the one-way grime pattern is no more - E switched it up a bit so now they're still not symmetrical, but they're not all completely identical, either, with the pattern being semi-random. The box design also has that "lived-in" look to it, complete with torn corner, the faces are USPC-standard, slightly darker and cracked, with the gritty-dirt background we all know and love. The Ace of Spades is the standard (but aged) modern Bicycle model, with two identical black-and-dinge "King-on-a-bike" jokers, and the backs come in red or blue.
Vintage Plaid by Dan and Dave, sometimes called "U.S. Regulation Playing Cards" because that's what it says on the box (the name "Vintage Plaid" appears nowhere in the deck), have an altogether different vibe to them. To me, they evoke a classic style from the "one-pack" tax-stamp days (1940-1965). Reproducing the Bicycle Plaid Backs, these backs come in Arizona red (in the green box) and California blue (in the cream box) and are a simple cross-hatch pattern which vaguely reminds me of the Bee Diamond Back. The aging effect on this deck is achieved through the use of washed-out colors on a pale-green background to make them look like you found them in grandpa's drawer at the cabin by the lake, and it's all topped off with a cambric finish. They have one of the plainest Ace of Spades ever made, a pair of "buck" jokers, one of which has a card reveal between the antlers, and the extra cards are rather unique - one has a search word puzzle while the other has a recipe for an old cocktail known as the Sazerac. For some reason, the Arizona red reminds me of being out camping in the woods while the California blue makes me think of hanging out by the ocean shore.
So, go ahead, reel in those years, and let us know your favorite!
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