Black Lions - David Blaine

[fenderdemon]

Would some kind soul tell me who the J♦️, Q♣️ and the K♣️ are based on, please.

On a side note, I love the deeper red hue on the pips and court cards. Possibly Madison's input, there.

Also, has anyone noticed what appears to be a very feint 1 2 3 on the Lion's overcoat, as well as a 4♦️ (I can't confirm the suit, as my magnifying glass isn't strong enough and I've misplaced my loupe) and a bordered back design on the two Jokers, respectively.

Overall, I really like these cards. I think they handle extremely well.

The one gripe I have, is that I wish they were of the same stock as the WL'S, although they are still of a very high quality stock. David's cards are always special when it comes to stock, finish, et cetera, IMHO.

[hawk199]

Friend got this in mail


Edit: This is fake

Looks fake to me.
Try using better lighting.

[Card Player]

Got this in mail

Looks fake to me.

Try using better lighting.

[Cardfool]

Got this in mail

Sweet!  Looks like the Red Black Lions that he showed on his IG account...how did you get them, with your order of regular Black Lions?

[hawk199]

was half-asleep when i posted this.

This deck belong to my friend he said he ordered half brick, regular Black Lions. But must been a shipping mistake

[Don Boyer]

Would some kind soul tell me who the J♦️, Q♣️ and the K♣️ are based on, please.

On a side note, I love the deeper red hue on the pips and court cards. Possibly Madison's input, there.

Also, has anyone noticed what appears to be a very feint 1 2 3 on the Lion's overcoat, as well as a 4♦️ (I can't confirm the suit, as my magnifying glass isn't strong enough and I've misplaced my loupe) and a bordered back design on the two Jokers, respectively.

Overall, I really like these cards. I think they handle extremely well.

The one gripe I have, is that I wish they were of the same stock as the WL'S, although they are still of a very high quality stock. David's cards are always special when it comes to stock, finish, et cetera, IMHO.

I don't know what changes if any he's made for this series, but you can compare it to decks from earlier series at the Playing Card Wiki (Google for it, you'll find it, no problem).  The info there is dated, but of excellent quality, including a breakdown of who appears on what cards in many of Blaine's earlier decks.

Stock quality is always an issue with USPC - it has a lot to do with recycling regulations requiring a certain amount of the paper be made of post-consumer recycled content.  Recycled paper has shorter fibers and is of a lower quality.  Ellusionist was lamenting about this in their blog a few years ago.  Factor in that they don't make the paper, they buy it on the open market, and there's less ability to insure a consistent high grade of paper print run after print run.  (They do their own gluing, laminating and embossing to make paperboard stock, but the paper they use comes from someone else.)

[GamblersWarehouse]

Looks fake...

[hawk199]

Just sharing, if you think it is fake then it is fake

[HolyJJ]

I genuinely don't like these cards (in comparison to the White Lions)... and I'm having a tough time selling them off on eBay also.

I picked up the deck I'd initially opened, and gave them around half an hour worth of shuffles... and they're already starting to feel like newspaper that's been trodden on by wet boots. The cards feel really cheap in comparison to the White Lions and Bee decks of times gone by. USPCC card stock really has gone down the toilet.

I guess they feel even more cheap now, because I've spent the past few days using only the Superior Brand Robusto Classic by EPCC... and so maybe that's changed my view of Black Lions being mediocre, to Black Lions being cheap, flimsy, and handling like newspaper.

If Blaine releases any more colour variations, then I'll be passing on them as my assumption is that they'll handle just like the these Black Lions.

[crazyfandecks]

guys? fake or not 


source from my facebook friends 

[Don Boyer]

OK, first photo:

The colors look WAY OFF, and why name the deck Black Lions and not use the previously-established black box design?  The autograph looks right, but it's not impossible to forge it - tons of examples exist, even online.  Hell, I posted photos of mine when David signed stuff for me.

Second photo:
That's the Gatorbacks back design!  Why make Gatorbacks, then release the same design under a different name?  Makes no sense.

Is it possible the photos are legit?  Sure, and it's possible I can win the lottery on the same day I survive a lightning strike, or I can randomly shuffle two previously-randomized decks back into new deck order, or I can stand on my head and spit out wooden nickels.  It's not terribly likely, though...

[hecrob]

I think the box is legit.

The ones we saw in the instagram vid say Black Lions

Also i don't think the blue version of the gatorbacks is meant to be the cards of that box in particular, we are watching 2 different decks here.

[fenderdemon]

Would some kind soul tell me who the J♦️, Q♣️ and the K♣️ are based on, please.

On a side note, I love the deeper red hue on the pips and court cards. Possibly Madison's input, there.

Also, has anyone noticed what appears to be a very feint 1 2 3 on the Lion's overcoat, as well as a 4♦️ (I can't confirm the suit, as my magnifying glass isn't strong enough and I've misplaced my loupe) and a bordered back design on the two Jokers, respectively.

Overall, I really like these cards. I think they handle extremely well.

The one gripe I have, is that I wish they were of the same stock as the WL'S, although they are still of a very high quality stock. David's cards are always special when it comes to stock, finish, et cetera, IMHO.

I don't know what changes if any he's made for this series, but you can compare it to decks from earlier series at the Playing Card Wiki (Google for it, you'll find it, no problem).  The info there is dated, but of excellent quality, including a breakdown of who appears on what cards in many of Blaine's earlier decks.

Stock quality is always an issue with USPC - it has a lot to do with recycling regulations requiring a certain amount of the paper be made of post-consumer recycled content.  Recycled paper has shorter fibers and is of a lower quality.  Ellusionist was lamenting about this in their blog a few years ago.  Factor in that they don't make the paper, they buy it on the open market, and there's less ability to insure a consistent high grade of paper print run after print run.  (They do their own gluing, laminating and embossing to make paperboard stock, but the paper they use comes from someone else.)

.

That site was the first thing I checked, Don. The cards I mentioned, are indeed, new people, or should I say, based on new people, therfore, it still remains a mystery.

I'm familiar with the stock issues at USPC. One run can be very good, the next, atrocious. Shame there is no consistency.

[fenderdemon]

The Red Black Lions deck in the carat case, looks genuine to me. I have the same deck, in the same case, with the exact same wording.

[crazyfandecks]

OK, first photo:

The colors look WAY OFF, and why name the deck Black Lions and not use the previously-established black box design?  The autograph looks right, but it's not impossible to forge it - tons of examples exist, even online.  Hell, I posted photos of mine when David signed stuff for me.

Second photo:
That's the Gatorbacks back design!  Why make Gatorbacks, then release the same design under a different name?  Makes no sense.

Is it possible the photos are legit?  Sure, and it's possible I can win the lottery on the same day I survive a lightning strike, or I can randomly shuffle two previously-randomized decks back into new deck order, or I can stand on my head and spit out wooden nickels.  It's not terribly likely, though...

The Red Black Lions i still not find the source, but the Blue Gatorbacks photo i found it from a UK card collector 

[PrincessTrouble]

The Red Black Lions i still not find the source

Here is a screen capture from the IG video.

[crazyfandecks]

The Red Black Lions i still not find the source

Here is a screen capture from the IG video.

i mean the source of my photo  my friend just spammed me that photo without any description or source. i think everyone in this thread knew about this IG video already

[hawk199]

It's real...my friend got that too and in taht same casing. (seen in my previous pic post but w/o the case)

So there is blue one too..interesting

[hecrob]

And how did they get those? 

[fenderdemon]

And how did they get those? 

Mine was part of a care package from David, personally. I had to promise not to post it until they are released, so the day they are released, I'll post mine.

[Magic_Orthodoxy]

"Would some kind soul tell me who the J♦️, Q♣️ and the K♣️ are based on, please."

Looks like

JD is Doug McKenzie
KC is Dan White
QC is Alizee Guinochet

those are my guesses......

[Wilko]

@fenderdemon, just out of interest, what qualifies you to receive a care package from David Blaine? I'm just curious as there seems to be a lot of people receive these from lots of different playing card people. To an extent I can understand David Blaine sending say Daniel Madison a few decks but these seem to be getting sent out to whoever. Don't get me wrong, I'm not attacking it. I think it's great for these people but just wonders what qualifies someone for it. For all I know fenderdemon may be personal friends of David Blaine, in which case i'd totally understand. Or is it something more trivial like they get sent out to people who happen to spend a lot of money in the store.

[Don Boyer]

@fenderdemon, just out of interest, what qualifies you to receive a care package from David Blaine? I'm just curious as there seems to be a lot of people receive these from lots of different playing card people. To an extent I can understand David Blaine sending say Daniel Madison a few decks but these seem to be getting sent out to whoever. Don't get me wrong, I'm not attacking it. I think it's great for these people but just wonders what qualifies someone for it. For all I know fenderdemon may be personal friends of David Blaine, in which case i'd totally understand. Or is it something more trivial like they get sent out to people who happen to spend a lot of money in the store.

I've met David Blaine.  He's an exceptionally nice guy and known for giving good customer service, which at times includes sending little surprises to a select few people, chosen sometimes at random or on a whim.  I met him because I had a customer service issue, lived in the city where he had his office and (here's the whim part) have the same initials he does.  When I suggested swapping the wrong product for the right one in person, he agreed and that's how I met him and was even invited to join him for dinner with his staff and guests.  I know someone else who had an issue with a damaged product that he paid a fair amount of money for - David sent him some gaff cards including several that are not included in any of the sets he's made available at retail; basically they were cards from his own personal stash that he uses when performing.

[cardician]

Nice,

[PrincessTrouble]

Just posted on IG.

"Blue Edition. Available January 15 at shop.davidblaine.com. First 24 hours only $6 per deck."