Prototype Emblem Edition Crown Decks from The Blue Crown

[BiggerDee]

I love, and buy, most rare and limited editions, the more scarce the better, but these do absolutely nothing for me. Alex's signature has no value for me, and actually takes away from the value of a deck (except for the metal plate decks), so that's a negative, not a plus, for me. Although technically a "limited edition" a small print run doesn't add value to junk that would have been tossed into the dumpster just a few years ago.

[Don Boyer]

I love, and buy, most rare and limited editions, the more scarce the better, but these do absolutely nothing for me. Alex's signature has no value for me, and actually takes away from the value of a deck (except for the metal plate decks), so that's a negative, not a plus, for me. Although technically a "limited edition" a small print run doesn't add value to junk that would have been tossed into the dumpster just a few years ago.

Ah, but you're treating this as if it was just some ordinary prototype.  It was simply made using the methods of a prototype.  Prototypes don't usually have that nice little company history card unless it's a prototype of a deck commemorating the company history.  And yes, two years ago, people certainly would have paid a premium for not just a prototype deck, but even for individual cards from such a deck - it's happened right here on this forum and not just once.

Anyway, what matters is that you don't care for the deck, and that's fine.  I didn't care for it much myself, hence, I didn't buy any and was perfectly happy with my decision.  But it's plainly obvious that for some people, this is something of great interest or the deck would not have sold out in well under a day.  Arguing that they're not worth anything is moot - they are worth something to several people, and perhaps even more to others as these decks end up on eBay or traded elsewhere.

[seb]

I bought 2 of those and they suck. I understand this is not meant to be a "real" deck but this is completely useless. 50$ down the drain. Cheap cardboard cards. Dollar Store quality. Really disappointed.

[Card Player]

I bought 2 of those and they suck. I understand this is not meant to be a "real" deck but this is completely useless. 50$ down the drain. Cheap cardboard cards. Dollar Store quality. Really disappointed.

Hey, look at it this way. It was nice of you to help pay for Alex's trip to California this week. Lol He will be thinking of all the little people who helped him financially get him where he is today! Lol That was a very nice thing you did and for your donation, you got a deck of cards. Feel better?

All joking aside. Where's the love? Where's the passion and pride of owning a company? Is this what Alex wants TBC brand to be known for? Is the TBC nothing more then novelty or souvenir shop? When was the last time a respectable magician did a video produced by TBC? When you look at products from other companies like them or not, you see the effort, the time, the work, the thought process. I don't see any of that from Alex in his products anymore.

[seb]

I bought 2 of those and they suck. I understand this is not meant to be a "real" deck but this is completely useless. 50$ down the drain. Cheap cardboard cards. Dollar Store quality. Really disappointed.

Hey, look at it this way. It was nice of you to help pay for Alex's trip to California this week. Lol He will be thinking of all the little people who helped him financially get him where he is today! Lol That was a very nice thing you did and for your donation, you got a deck of cards. Feel better?

All joking aside. Where's the love? Where's the passion and pride of owning a company? Is this what Alex wants TBC brand to be known for? Is the TBC nothing more then novelty or souvenir shop? When was the last time a respectable magician did a video produced by TBC? When you look at products from other companies like them or not, you see the effort, the time, the work, the thought process. I don't see any of that from Alex in his products anymore.

Lol yeah I heard he's eating caviar on a stripper's ass tonight with my money.

[agera94]

I bought 2 of those and they suck. I understand this is not meant to be a "real" deck but this is completely useless. 50$ down the drain. Cheap cardboard cards. Dollar Store quality. Really disappointed.

But you spent that $50 even after reading:

"These decks are printed at a boutique card printer using a digital process and are not meant for high-level usage. The plain white window tuck box provides the perfect prototype vibe."

And still feel entitled to claim you've been ripped off. Well done. 

[Don Boyer]

I bought 2 of those and they suck. I understand this is not meant to be a "real" deck but this is completely useless. 50$ down the drain. Cheap cardboard cards. Dollar Store quality. Really disappointed.

But you spent that $50 even after reading:

"These decks are printed at a boutique card printer using a digital process and are not meant for high-level usage. The plain white window tuck box provides the perfect prototype vibe."

And still feel entitled to claim you've been ripped off. Well done. 

Hear, hear.  If you were expecting a kick-ass deck for performance or play, you bought the wrong product, plain and simple.

Reading - the lost art...

[Card Player]

I bought 2 of those and they suck. I understand this is not meant to be a "real" deck but this is completely useless. 50$ down the drain. Cheap cardboard cards. Dollar Store quality. Really disappointed.

Hey, look at it this way. It was nice of you to help pay for Alex's trip to California this week. Lol He will be thinking of all the little people who helped him financially get him where he is today! Lol That was a very nice thing you did and for your donation, you got a deck of cards. Feel better?

All joking aside. Where's the love? Where's the passion and pride of owning a company? Is this what Alex wants TBC brand to be known for? Is the TBC nothing more then novelty or souvenir shop? When was the last time a respectable magician did a video produced by TBC? When you look at products from other companies like them or not, you see the effort, the time, the work, the thought process. I don't see any of that from Alex in his products anymore.

Lol yeah I heard he's eating caviar on a stripper's ass tonight with my money.

We've all been there! Lol

I just saw Wolf of Wall-Street not long ago. Funny how that popped in my head when I saw your comments. Let's hope it is caviar and not powered donuts. I really don't know any other way to explain it.

[seb]

I bought 2 of those and they suck. I understand this is not meant to be a "real" deck but this is completely useless. 50$ down the drain. Cheap cardboard cards. Dollar Store quality. Really disappointed.

But you spent that $50 even after reading:

"These decks are printed at a boutique card printer using a digital process and are not meant for high-level usage. The plain white window tuck box provides the perfect prototype vibe."

And still feel entitled to claim you've been ripped off. Well done. 

Oh no I did read "not meant for high-level usage" but that is just ridiculous. It's completely useless. And I'm not saying I got ripped off, I'm saying I'm extremely disappointed. Nobody made me buy this; I take full responsability...

[Don Boyer]

Oh no I did read "not meant for high-level usage" but that is just ridiculous. It's completely useless. And I'm not saying I got ripped off, I'm saying I'm extremely disappointed. Nobody made me buy this; I take full responsability...

You mean "responsibility", right? 

Honestly, what exactly were you expecting that made this purchase such a disappointment to you?  It sounds like the product fits the exact description given by the Blue Crown when you bought it.

If I sell you a Honda Civic, tell you it's a Honda Civic before you buy it, and you get a Honda Civic, you really can't complain too strongly about expecting it to be a Jaguar XJ8...or a Toyota Corolla...or a classic Volkswagen Bus...or a pineapple...or a Piggly-Wiggly...or a kick-ass, super-slick deck of cards with a coating made from angels' tears, so friction-resistant it merely hovers over the table instead of making contact when you try to put it down...

[volantangel]

I think what seb meant was that yes, he wasn't expecting uspcc quality, but he clearly wasn't expecting cardboard quality as well. Makeplayingcards, and other small printers have been known to be able to produce small runs that actually feel  and handle like playing cards instead of cardboard. If blue crown can't be bother to pay for a $5 deck of cards (we checked makeplayingcards) and has to put out $2 crap even tho the price point is set at $25, are you still going to give them credit ?

Seb expected a honda civic but got a go-cart, simple as that. So much for thinking about your customers eh.

[Don Boyer]

I think what seb meant was that yes, he wasn't expecting uspcc quality, but he clearly wasn't expecting cardboard quality as well. Makeplayingcards, and other small printers have been known to be able to produce small runs that actually feel  and handle like playing cards instead of cardboard. If blue crown can't be bother to pay for a $5 deck of cards (we checked makeplayingcards) and has to put out $2 crap even tho the price point is set at $25, are you still going to give them credit ?

Seb expected a honda civic but got a go-cart, simple as that. So much for thinking about your customers eh.

I still say he got exactly what he paid for.  If he's so unhappy with them, perhaps he should sell them on eBay and recoup at least some of his perceived loss, if not make a profit.  As I've never seen them in person or handled them, I can't attest to the quality of the stock - can you?  I only have his complaint to go by, and from the sounds of it, it's possible his opinion is a little biased.

[volantangel]

Well i wouldnt put someone who has just shelfed out $50 on two decks to be biased towards a company, would you ?

"not meant for high-level usage" doesnt translate into "Cheap cardboard cards. Dollar Store quality" for me. So I really dont think you can say people got what was advertised.

Im just quoting exactly whats been said, dont shoot the messenger.

Im through with arguing with you with regards to any issue involving the BC, you have been defending them from day 1. All the way through the Gold Crown issues, the Altruism screw up, and who knows what else ive forgotten.

Edit: HEY VICTOR ! IM FIGHTING WITH YOU FOR THE MOST DOWNVOTED POSTER ON THIS FORUM !

[Don Boyer]

Well i wouldnt put someone who has just shelfed out $50 on two decks to be biased towards a company, would you ?

"not meant for high-level usage" doesnt translate into "Cheap cardboard cards. Dollar Store quality" for me. So I really dont think you can say people got what was advertised.

Im just quoting exactly whats been said, dont shoot the messenger.

Im through with arguing with you with regards to any issue involving the BC, you have been defending them from day 1. All the way through the Gold Crown issues, the Altruism screw up, and who knows what else ive forgotten.

Edit: HEY VICTOR ! IM FIGHTING WITH YOU FOR THE MOST DOWNVOTED POSTER ON THIS FORUM !

You have a LONG way to go for that record.  We had one guy in the negative triple digits once...

I'm waiting to hear what Seb has to say about the specifics of what he found disappointing, or more accurately, what he was expecting.  Think of it more like playing Devil's Advocate than defending Blue Crown.

[Card Player]

Think of it more like playing Devil's Advocate than defending Blue Crown.

I understand why Don defends TBC. Friendships go a long way in this industry. Many hold the brotherhood/sisterhood of being a magician very seriously. Say something bad about one magician (his/her products) and you have made enemies with a few people you might not realize. I get that! Although, I don't necessarily agree with blind loyalties or turning the other cheek and pretending everything is okay. They say don't burn bridges you may have to cross later. I say, I don't mind swimming if the bridge was f***ed up to begin with.

[seb]

Oh geez Here we go... First of all; responsibility and not responsability.. Sorry but j'aimerais te voir écrire une phrase en français, Don

I don't know why my opinion would be biased; I'm usually satisfied with the Crown.

With 1500 decks in the collection, I know what a good deck, an OK deck and a mediocre deck is. I never complain about decks but this one is total crap even though BC said it wasn't really meant to sustain long time usage. Like someone said, I was expecting a Pinto and I got a used bicycle with no wheels. Until you have one in your hands, you can't understand. The deck is literally Dollar Store material. I don't know why Don is making such a big deal about my... opinion.

Ok let's go out in the sun

[vmagic]

Good to see I'm not alone, lol

[Card Player]

A used bicycle with no wheels

LMAO!

Just to be clear, where does this rank on the "Crap Of All Time Crap List" (COATCL)? Lol

[seb]

A used bicycle with no wheels

LMAO!

Just to be clear, where does this rank on the "Crap Of All Time Crap List" (COATCL)? Lol

Oh it's way up there

[Don Boyer]

Oh geez Here we go... First of all; responsibility and not responsability.. Sorry but j'aimerais te voir écrire une phrase en français, Don

Pardonnez-moi, monsieur!  Ma mère est Québécoise, mais je n'ai jamais appris le français.  Cela vient à vous avec l'aimable autorisation de Google Translate.

I don't know why my opinion would be biased; I'm usually satisfied with the Crown.

Ok let's go out in the sun

Sounds like a plan - I'm done talking about this!

[seb]

Oh geez Here we go... First of all; responsibility and not responsability.. Sorry but j'aimerais te voir écrire une phrase en français, Don

Pardonnez-moi, monsieur!  Ma mère est Québécoise, mais je n'ai jamais appris le français.  Cela vient à vous avec l'aimable autorisation de Google Translate.

I don't know why my opinion would be biased; I'm usually satisfied with the Crown.

Ok let's go out in the sun

Sounds like a plan - I'm done talking about this!

Lol Deal! And Google translator did a pretty good job for once

[Don Boyer]

Lol Deal! And Google translator did a pretty good job for once

I intentionally kept the sentences simple to give it a helping hand.    Plus I input "quebecoise" myself, to which they simply added the accent marks.  I know just a TINY amount of French, as I did take a year of it in college about a lifetime or two ago.

[seb]

Lol Deal! And Google translator did a pretty good job for once

I intentionally kept the sentences simple to give it a helping hand.    Plus I input "quebecoise" myself, to which they simply added the accent marks.  I know just a TINY amount of French, as I did take a year of it in college about a lifetime or two ago.

Oh cool!
I'm from Montreal; where is your mom from?

[volantangel]

Yup this just reinforced the notion that BC didn't have the decency to produce these decks at a half decent printer. Ok enough flogging of the dead horse, everyone can make their own conclusion about what happened here.

Actually, BC could have easily resolved this whole issue by having a relationship with a small decent printer like MPC to get them to sponsor the decks, and have a simple note to where the decks were produced for a greater exposure for the printer. A mutually beneficial relationship. But instead people just got this piece of crap.

[Don Boyer]

Oh cool!
I'm from Montreal; where is your mom from?

Mom was born in Montreal, but her family lived in Quebec where her dad worked as a cabbie.  Eventually they moved to New York and her dad got a better job as a resident manager of a luxury apartment building.  She got left back two grades in high school because she was unable to speak English, but by the time she graduated post-high school classes at a secretarial school, her first employer sent her back because her English had too much of a Brooklyn accent!

She's lived in a few different places around the country and presently is just outside of the Piedmont Triad in North Carolina.