Interesting that USPC has authorized repros of a deck they believe they have rights to. My view, being fortunate to have the real thing, is that it will aid in the education of collectors and make the few originals around more desirable.
They've done this in the past - one example that comes to mind is the Bicycle All-Wheel. They accidentally titled it "All-Wheel No. 2" because it was the second deck listed in Mrs. Robinson's book! Straight-up reproduction, ordered by a third party, sold with serial-numbered seals in a run of 2,500 decks. New Fan Backs by both Dan & Dave and Zenneth Kok, Steamboats, etc. - lots of them out there. Did I miss something in what you were saying regarding "a deck they believe they have rights to?"
BTW: I'm really liking that card back.
What I was thinking if they are sure of the rights why not do it themselves - like Big Gun?
Because the Big Gun wasn't exactly a huge success for the company! It went from an MSRP of $39.95 a pair to $0.99 a pack on the clearance page.
In the shoes of a USPC executive, I'd be thinking it's far better to let some third party pay up front to reprint the deck rather than publishing it for themselves and risking a poor market response. Plus they probably make a lot of easy, no-risk money this way, because it doesn't cost them anywhere near as much to make a deck as what they charge per deck to custom deck designers! Once the contract is paid for and the cards are printed, USPC need not think twice about whether the deck succeeds or fails - they got their cash, it's not their problem. This is using short-term thinking, of course, since that's what all too many companies use when it comes to the bottom line, rather than considering the possible damage to the brand name. Even an unbranded deck usually says "USPC" on it somewhere.
