Welcome one and all to The Cellar of Fine Vintages, a meeting ground for those interested in learning more about, and sharing their knowledge in, vintage and antique playing cards.
The collectors of playing cards seem, at present, to fit into two distinct groups. There are those whose main interest is collecting older cards; and those whose primary interest is collecting new, non-standard cards – particularly those emanating from the plethora of young designers who have realized that the modern computer gives them the tools to create wondrous new designs with a degree of precision that was not available only a generation ago. To be sure, there is some overlap between these collectors, but the majority at the moment lean either one way or the other rather than both.
This latter, more tech-oriented group also realized that the sharing of information about their hobby was easily accomplished through the Internet – discussion forums, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc. To a large extent, the collectors of vintage and antique cards, being an older crowd, pass over these tools for learning and communicating about their interests, preferring their generation's methods such as the telephone, the fax machine and the printed newsletter. They knew what they were familiar with and were comfortable with it.
Being one of the former type of collector, but having been exposed to some of the joys of the latter group, it dawned on me that each group had much to offer the other. Additionally, younger, more modern collectors have begun showing more interest in the classic designs of yesteryear, just as vintage card men such as I have begun to take notice of the artistry in some of the finer examples of the latest breed of custom playing cards.
A light bulb turned on – I saw an opportunity to "bridge the gap", to enable more communication between these groups. This was my main motivation for acquiring The Discourse when it became available. I realized it could be used a nexus for both groups to intermingle and "cross-pollinate" each other's interests, as well as providing a simple platform that can motivate the older collectors to give the newer communication tools a try.
The Cellar of Fine Vintages is a start. We have seeded the message board with many of the existing posts that we believe more properly belong here. We are fortunate to have a great moderator in Jonathan Rock, a member of both the Discourse and the 52 Plus Joker Club. You can bet that Judy and I, and slowly more and more of the "dinosaurs" from our world, will be here often to add content, to share our information and experiences and to answers questions from those seeking to expand their horizons. Rest assured, fellow dinosaurs, that you will find, as I have, a warm welcome from the membership of the Discourse, eager to learn from you and to offer you help when you need it. I look forward to many wonderful conversations here with all of you!
Tom
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