Gatorback Riders from David Blaine

[Don Boyer]

Yeah, $390 IS crazy, and probably not real.
The going price seems to be around $60 for Red's.
That's not too far-off what some hard-to-find year-old Kickstarter decks go for on eBay.
 
I got interested in his previous decks and bought a mixed brick of the original Tally-Ho split spades from somebody in France for $250.
Just got them delivered and they are pretty cool, interesting to see how the back design has evolved over what -- 8 years?
Not metallic, but that's OK.

/bama

The Tally Ho Blaine decks tend to get sticky over time.

If you look closely enough, there's a very subtle one-way mark on the Tally Ho and Bee Blaine decks.  When they altered the back to the "Split Spades Lion" design, they removed the hidden mark.  I suspect it might have been there accidentally, but regardless, it's there.

[DarkDerp]

The Tally Ho Blaine decks tend to get sticky over time.

Is that code for something?

[Don Boyer]

The Tally Ho Blaine decks tend to get sticky over time.

Is that code for something?

Yeah, it means "DarkDerp spend too much time with his mind in the gutter..."

They were made around the time USPC transitioned from Cincinnati to Erlanger.  Many decks of that period had issues.  Initially I though it was a shakedown period of the printing press, but I recently learned that it's something more.  The Federal Goverment passed regulations forcing playing card manufacturers to use all-recycled paper, vegetable-based inks and starch-based coatings.  OK, maybe not those combinations specifically, but they were forced to stop using 100% unrecycled stock, oil-based inks and plastic-based coatings and had to switch to something less toxic and more renewable.  They were forced to do some much-needed R&D work to find the right replacement supplies and still make a viable playing card.  I'm guessing that Magic Finish is one result of that R&D work.

So in general, custom decks from '09 and early '10 were the "lab rats" USPC used to try and make these supplies work while devising improvements.  Some noticed a loss in quality on Rider Backs - again, this is a possible culprit, and the fact that they were having trouble with the normal stock in use at the time (325 g/m²) on the new presses in Kentucky and stepped down to a slightly lighter stock (300 g/m²).  Sure there are differences, but I consider the current-issue Bicycles to be at least decent in quality - not godsawful, but not their finest work, either.

More to the point, the Blaine Tally-Ho decks were made, I think, during that changeover away from chemical inks and coatings.  Back then, you could get a pack to work well for you for a short while, but within a week or two of moderate use, the deck was shot because the cards had developed a much-higher friction co-efficient.  The starch coatings became tacky and glue-like, as starch does in foods when not cooked just right.

[bamabenz]

They were made around the time USPC transitioned from Cincinnati to Erlanger.  Many decks of that period had issues.  Initially I though it was a shakedown period of the printing press, but I recently learned that it's something more.  The Federal Goverment passed regulations forcing playing card manufacturers to use all-recycled paper, vegetable-based inks and starch-based coatings.  OK, maybe not those combinations specifically, but they were forced to stop using 100% unrecycled stock, oil-based inks and plastic-based coatings and had to switch to something less toxic and more renewable.  They were forced to do some much-needed R&D work to find the right replacement supplies and still make a viable playing card.  I'm guessing that Magic Finish is one result of that R&D work.

So in general, custom decks from '09 and early '10 were the "lab rats" USPC used to try and make these supplies work while devising improvements.  Some noticed a loss in quality on Rider Backs - again, this is a possible culprit, and the fact that they were having trouble with the normal stock in use at the time (325 g/m²) on the new presses in Kentucky and stepped down to a slightly lighter stock (300 g/m²).  Sure there are differences, but I consider the current-issue Bicycles to be at least decent in quality - not godsawful, but not their finest work, either.

More to the point, the Blaine Tally-Ho decks were made, I think, during that changeover away from chemical inks and coatings.  Back then, you could get a pack to work well for you for a short while, but within a week or two of moderate use, the deck was shot because the cards had developed a much-higher friction co-efficient.  The starch coatings became tacky and glue-like, as starch does in foods when not cooked just right.

I think these predate that period of time, from http://playingcards.wikidot.com/split-spades:original:

These are the original David Blaine playing cards, first commissioned by David Blaine and released to the market in 2005. The cards have Tally Ho’s classic linoid finish and are used by David Blaine and other sleight of hand artists.

I haven't played with them enough to check.

Here's a pic from the wiki:


/bama

[Don Boyer]

They were made around the time USPC transitioned from Cincinnati to Erlanger.  Many decks of that period had issues.  Initially I though it was a shakedown period of the printing press, but I recently learned that it's something more.  The Federal Goverment passed regulations forcing playing card manufacturers to use all-recycled paper, vegetable-based inks and starch-based coatings.  OK, maybe not those combinations specifically, but they were forced to stop using 100% unrecycled stock, oil-based inks and plastic-based coatings and had to switch to something less toxic and more renewable.  They were forced to do some much-needed R&D work to find the right replacement supplies and still make a viable playing card.  I'm guessing that Magic Finish is one result of that R&D work.

So in general, custom decks from '09 and early '10 were the "lab rats" USPC used to try and make these supplies work while devising improvements.  Some noticed a loss in quality on Rider Backs - again, this is a possible culprit, and the fact that they were having trouble with the normal stock in use at the time (325 g/m²) on the new presses in Kentucky and stepped down to a slightly lighter stock (300 g/m²).  Sure there are differences, but I consider the current-issue Bicycles to be at least decent in quality - not godsawful, but not their finest work, either.

More to the point, the Blaine Tally-Ho decks were made, I think, during that changeover away from chemical inks and coatings.  Back then, you could get a pack to work well for you for a short while, but within a week or two of moderate use, the deck was shot because the cards had developed a much-higher friction co-efficient.  The starch coatings became tacky and glue-like, as starch does in foods when not cooked just right.

I think these predate that period of time, from http://playingcards.wikidot.com/split-spades:original:

These are the original David Blaine playing cards, first commissioned by David Blaine and released to the market in 2005. The cards have Tally Ho’s classic linoid finish and are used by David Blaine and other sleight of hand artists.

I haven't played with them enough to check.

/bama

i believe you are correct.  In which case, perhaps the Tally Ho decks - or just mine and some others in particular - were a little off during the printing and paper coating.  Despite being part of the same print run, there can actually be differences from deck to deck within a run due to various mechanical and environmental factors.

FYI: the progenitor of this entire modern custom deck craze, the Bicycle Black Tiger, turns 11 this year.  It was initially created in a batch of 5,000 (we consider that common these days, but back then, it was rare - the smallest print run available), but those sold out in under four days.

[crazyfandecks]

sorry for bumped up this oldie, but i heard some rumors about Gatorback have been marked and "insane than White Lions B system", i dont know how to contact the official supporter of DB and i just bought them from retailer so i dont think he may reply me about the system code is there any VIP-customer of DB or professional marking system in our forum can help 

[HankMan]

are you sure about this?
I don't think that the gatorbacks is marked and be better than white lions series B.

[HolyJJ]

That's an interesting rumour... and honestly, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of there being truth to that rumour -- after all, it's a David Blaine and Mark Stutzman collaboration, and so anything is possible.

I'll take it for granted that if they are marked, the deck will be one of the ultra-rare few that legitimately pass the riffle test... because if they don't, then there'd be nothing remotely "insane" about the marking system.

I'll admit, now I'm very curious brother...

[HankMan]

hmm interesting, it is true though David Blaine and Mark Stutzman may create something that people never realised.

Crazyfandecks, by any chance do you know if this apply to all gatorbacks or just 1 or 2 particular colors?

[HolyJJ]

Hank, an educated guess would say that it applies to all, and if not, then it will apply at least to the black edition (which thankfully is the not-sold-out edition) because that is the deck that DB performs with.

Even with the White Lions, the black label deck was the one DB performed with.

I might get a deck just to check for myself if they are indeed marked. If they are, then rest assured that I will spot it brother!

[HankMan]

Hank, an educated guess would say that it applies to all, and if not, then it will apply at least to the black edition (which thankfully is the not-sold-out edition) because that is the deck that DB performs with.

Even with the White Lions, the black label deck was the one DB performed with.

I might get a deck just to check for myself if they are indeed marked. If they are, then rest assured that I will spot it brother!

I have been staring at the black deck and searching on the web for any other clue... man my eyes are tired..
if there really is a marked system on the deck, I'm not sure I can find it haha

[crazyfandecks]

well, this guy said it does, but never show any hint  now i'm using dealers and legends for tricks, white lions B is so hard to read the whole value so i passed. i have gators but too lazy to open and use it (opened over 70 decks and they still in good condition to play so...). i wonder if DB use the same "God eye" illusion like White lions B or "Riffle to stoke the flames of fire & What language do computers understand?" system like Legends or not, hmm, open or not open gators to check, that's the question to me  just hope someone who really close to DB could ask him about this rumor

[Don Boyer]

I looked.  If these are marked, the markings are so subtle as to be practically unusable.

I seriously doubt they're marked.  Not only would the markings have been discovered long before this, but the system would have been revealed online, exactly like what happened with the White Lions.  And all colors would have been marked - the same exact printing plate would have been used for all the colors.  All of his decks have monochrome backs, so using the same plate for making the other colors is more cost-efficient.  Remember, the purple White Lions decks exist only because he switched from blue ink to red (or vice versa - I don't know which color was first) in the middle of the print run for the two decks!

[HankMan]

I have a feeling he was messing around with people about the marked Gatorbacks