Uusi Gilded Decks

[Rob Wright]

Went on sale at 9am central

1 original blue blood deck / sterling silver  /  $185
 
25 bohemia red limited edition 23.5KT gold decks   /   $125 each
 
25 bohemia blue edition 23.5KT gold decks   /   $125 each
 
25 royal optik black limited edition 23.5KT gold decks   /   $125 each
 
25 royal optik red edition 23.5KT gold decks   /   $125 each
 
25 blueblood redux limited edition sterling silver decks   /   $125 each
 
50 pagan light 23.5KT gold decks / only 12 available   /   $125 each
 
50 pagan le dark 23.5KT gold decks / SOLD OUT

   I had the silver blue blood in my cart. I hit the checkout button-

Inventory Issues


Some of the items in your cart became unavailable during your checkout process.

[Justin O.]

  I had the silver blue blood in my cart. I hit the checkout button-

Inventory Issues


Some of the items in your cart became unavailable during your checkout process.

Same happened to me. I'm heartbroken.

[bamabenz]

 

[D. Dorn]

Couldn't swing the cash for these, but I did pick up a red Royal Optik deck, to round out my collection.

Now, just waiting for the Hotcakes!

Wonder who got the grand prize...?

[Justin O.]

Wonder who got the grand prize...?

Me to... *Cracks knuckles*
Seriously though, what an incredible deck to get to add to your collection... One of a kind edition of a deck already coveted by most collectors? I'm furiously jealous and a profound congratulations to the lightning fast mouse clicker that snagged it up!

[bamabenz]

Guys -- I guess I wasn't clear-- I scored blue bloods gilded.

[Justin O.]

Guys -- I guess I wasn't clear-- I scored blue bloods gilded.

You are a very lucky SOB.

So... what's your address? Nothing weird, just a random online stranger asking another online stranger his address... And if he has a security system.... Or a dog...

[Anthony]

Guys -- I guess I wasn't clear-- I scored blue bloods gilded.

Gratz on that one of a kind score! Still a little too rich for my blood on 1 deck of cards.

Would love to see pics of the sterling silver on that deck........please share when they arrive 

[bamabenz]

Guys -- I guess I wasn't clear-- I scored blue bloods gilded.

Gratz on that one of a kind score! Still a little too rich for my blood on 1 deck of cards.

Would love to see pics of the sterling silver on that deck........please share when they arrive 

It's a bit of a quandary, a custom seal on a one of a kind deck.
If I leave it be for 10 years and then open it will the gold have solidified to the point that it just flakes off?
Maybe I need to bite the bullet and get a Redux as well to open...

[BiggerDee]

It may just be me, but I'm not sure if the gilded editions will be that coveted. For a collector (admittedly like myself), maybe, but most folks really dislike gilded decks. The gilding makes handling clunky and at best, it starts shedding tiny specks immediately. Yes, I realize that these would most likely not be opened, but then again, people buy JNuggs and open them even as pricey (implied rarity) as they are. This would limit these to a collector only deck/investment. I've thought about buying adeck or two of my faves of these, but with my purchases, I want to buy things at a price where I can at least get my money back, if needed, at a future date. That means, keeping my potential customer base as large as possible. JNuggs (just as an example, but you could apply the same logic to other rare/extraordinary decks) would appeal to collectors or folks just wanting to feel the (arguably) best handling cards ever made. Gilded, while very nice, cuts down that market. It may be a moot point, but I'm just thinking out loud. I have some in my cart now, but haven't clicked buy because I'm thinking it through. I may be overthinking it, but I just thought that I'd present a different perspective for consideration.

[doubledouble]

It's a shame to take them out of their tuck case since you have to break the seal, but frankly I don't think you really have any choice unless you want to end up with one solid piece of gold welded together.

I know I already said elsewhere, but you basically have to take them and (VERY!) carefully fan them out, and 'un-gunk' or un-stick them from each other, taking great care not to bend or otherwise "break the back" of the individual cards like you do when you shuffle them. Placing them back in their case is of course a minimum of care for these items, but I'd like to be able to display them inside the case but without the tucks on them

Saw this quote from Mike over at UC, can anyone else confirm this is how you should be treating gilded decks? Is he saying if you don't handle them then all the cards will eventually be stuck together?

[bhong]

It's a shame to take them out of their tuck case since you have to break the seal, but frankly I don't think you really have any choice unless you want to end up with one solid piece of gold welded together.

I know I already said elsewhere, but you basically have to take them and (VERY!) carefully fan them out, and 'un-gunk' or un-stick them from each other, taking great care not to bend or otherwise "break the back" of the individual cards like you do when you shuffle them. Placing them back in their case is of course a minimum of care for these items, but I'd like to be able to display them inside the case but without the tucks on them

Saw this quote from Mike over at UC, can anyone else confirm this is how you should be treating gilded decks? Is he saying if you don't handle them then all the cards will eventually be stuck together?

If you were to grab any of the Uusi's gilded deck, I'd say your best bet is always to get info from the source and I know Uusi is normally really good with replies to questions.

I don't have any Uusi gilded deck, but I do have (modern) factory gilded Aladdin decks. I will say that due to how they gild the deck, it's like the cards are "glued" together when you first break them out of the pack. You have to separate each card individually, but I've been able to riffle shuffle them without issue. Handling of it isn't too bad after you break it in a bit. They're cheap so I don't mind playing with them. I'm not sure I'd really play with a Uusi gilded deck, but they sure are very pretty and shiny.

[bamabenz]

I asked this question in the Pagan Kickstarter and here's the answer from Uusi:

When you decide to break the deck I would first flex the entire deck lengthwise and then just fan the deck slowly, one card at a time, using your thumb to separate any cards that stick together.

[Justin O.]

Such a beautiful and unique deck, please, get a Redux and open that, don't compromise the Blue Blood original, that would just be salt in the wound.

I know that, just from the Pagan updates, the process that Peter went through to gild these is much more intensive and detail oriented than a comercial gilder would use, I would like to think they would hold up longer and with fewer issues and quility gilding won't flake or wear off on other mediums, but wiht the way playingcards get used, even when handled delicately, I would be surprised if that didn't take it's toll...

[aldazar]

Guys -- I guess I wasn't clear-- I scored blue bloods gilded.

Wow.... So are you gonna actually open them and fan 'em to make sure they don't stick? If so, post a picture! =)

[Rob Wright]

Guys -- I guess I wasn't clear-- I scored blue bloods gilded.

Congratulations Bamabenz! 


[fake smile]gets off computer- runs in other room-  [/fake smile]

[bamabenz]

Thank you all for the kind words. I doubt if anyone is happy that there was only one Blue Bloods gilded deck offered. I pinged Uusi about 6-8 months ago when I first started collecting cards. I asked if they had any BB for sale and Linnea answered that all they had left is one brick in a safe. If they had more I'm sure they would have offered more gilded decks. And if they had I would have bought two!

Now here's a tip for those in Asia who are trying to score a BB deck:
http://themagicstreet.com/tms-c-91/kickstarter-c-91_172/blue-blood-playing-cards-p-21237

Unfortunately, they do not ship/sell to the US. Otherwise their dozen decks would be sitting on my shelf!

/bama

[shadowkat]

I went to my local comic book store today and I too purchased a gilded deck. This one was in my price range.   

[bamabenz]

I love Emily the Strange. But I've never seen this deck.

/bama

[BiggerDee]

Gilding on decks is beautiful but it's a shame that it's such a finicky coating. Then again, if it were easy to do it perfectly and it had no adverse effect on handling, they would be far more gilded decks, and they likely wouldn't be special anymore. What an interesting conundrum.

Curious...the Venexia Gold deck, with the full foil, stated (if I remember correctly) that it had a coating to protect the foil. Since gilding is (more or less, but not exactly, I know) very similar, could something similar be done during manufacturing to protect the gilded edges without totally ruining the handling properties? Don, you are far and away the guru/inside source amongst us, have you ever had any conversations with manufacturers about gilding?

[Sher143]

It's a shame to take them out of their tuck case since you have to break the seal, but frankly I don't think you really have any choice unless you want to end up with one solid piece of gold welded together.

I know I already said elsewhere, but you basically have to take them and (VERY!) carefully fan them out, and 'un-gunk' or un-stick them from each other, taking great care not to bend or otherwise "break the back" of the individual cards like you do when you shuffle them. Placing them back in their case is of course a minimum of care for these items, but I'd like to be able to display them inside the case but without the tucks on them

Saw this quote from Mike over at UC, can anyone else confirm this is how you should be treating gilded decks? Is he saying if you don't handle them then all the cards will eventually be stuck together?

Anyone who ordered a gilded deck got a note from Peter and Linnea instructing them to give it about two weeks before attempting to handle the deck, to allow time for the glue to settle. That's all I know. I just asked Linnea about it, so I'll get back to you on that.

[shadowkat]

I love Emily the Strange. But I've never seen this deck.

/bama

I have seen the deck show up on ebay, but never gilded.  It doesn't have repeating courts, and since it's Emily's deck, there is a suicide queen instead of the king.  The fronts of the cards have some metallic silver ink too.  For under $10.oo I am very impressed! 

[Don Boyer]

Thank you all for the kind words. I doubt if anyone is happy that there was only one Blue Bloods gilded deck offered. I pinged Uusi about 6-8 months ago when I first started collecting cards. I asked if they had any BB for sale and Linnea answered that all they had left is one brick in a safe. If they had more I'm sure they would have offered more gilded decks. And if they had I would have bought two!

Now here's a tip for those in Asia who are trying to score a BB deck:
http://themagicstreet.com/tms-c-91/kickstarter-c-91_172/blue-blood-playing-cards-p-21237

Unfortunately, they do not ship/sell to the US. Otherwise their dozen decks would be sitting on my shelf!

/bama

I've spoken with Linnea and Peter in the past and yes, they did not hang on to many of the original Blue Blood decks.

BTW: that shop is very likely out of stock - or selling counterfeits.  Out of stock is the more likely.  They'd had it for sale since May of 2012, and it's priced rather low for such a scarce deck.  I didn't do the cash conversions, but I'd say that if they have Aviators for RM10.00 and other late-model custom decks between roughly RM20.00 and RM30.00, their price of RM45.00 is very, very low.

Gilding on decks is beautiful but it's a shame that it's such a finicky coating. Then again, if it were easy to do it perfectly and it had no adverse effect on handling, they would be far more gilded decks, and they likely wouldn't be special anymore. What an interesting conundrum.

Curious...the Venexia Gold deck, with the full foil, stated (if I remember correctly) that it had a coating to protect the foil. Since gilding is (more or less, but not exactly, I know) very similar, could something similar be done during manufacturing to protect the gilded edges without totally ruining the handling properties? Don, you are far and away the guru/inside source amongst us, have you ever had any conversations with manufacturers about gilding?

I could be wrong but I have a theory.  I believe that at one time in history, USPC was using an automated process for making cards gilded, much like they came up with automated processes for printing and cutting decks.  I'm thinking this process was inferior and after the company changed hands several times starting in the '70s, the process was abandoned due to the waning popularity of gilded decks in the latter quarter of the last century.

Today, if USPC offers gilding at all, you had to pay through the nose, and after doing it once recently (Blades Blood Metal) they further decided that you had to place a large order.  The process today is to apply gilding by hand, so making large orders sounds counterintuitive - it's possibly a way to allow them to keep it on their list of offerings without actually having to provide it - price it so high that the client loses interest!

Uusi did their gilding on their own, using nearly pure metals in the process, not some shiny analogue and not some low-grade substitute.  It was a better deal than they could get from USPC.  In the end I think it led to a better quality of gilding.

Linnea Gits requested my services to provide the board with a review of the gilded decks.  I'll be cracking open a pack and putting it through its paces to see just what kind of deck we're looking at.  I'll also compare it with the Blades Blood Metal, which was made by USPC - I received a small number of them from De'vo to use for my hospital performances.  I expect them to compare favorably.

[Sher143]

It's a shame to take them out of their tuck case since you have to break the seal, but frankly I don't think you really have any choice unless you want to end up with one solid piece of gold welded together.

I know I already said elsewhere, but you basically have to take them and (VERY!) carefully fan them out, and 'un-gunk' or un-stick them from each other, taking great care not to bend or otherwise "break the back" of the individual cards like you do when you shuffle them. Placing them back in their case is of course a minimum of care for these items, but I'd like to be able to display them inside the case but without the tucks on them

Saw this quote from Mike over at UC, can anyone else confirm this is how you should be treating gilded decks? Is he saying if you don't handle them then all the cards will eventually be stuck together?

Here's Linnea's response:

No, the deck will not stick together more the longer you wait on breaking it. Once the sizing (which is really just linseed oil) has set with the gold leaf the gilding process is essentially finished. Since traditional gilding is more an art form than a machined process, the drying time for the sizing can be anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months depending on the climate and conditions the deck is kept in (moist climates have longer drying times). But once the sizing has set, a hand gilded deck will break the same way in 3 months as it will in 10 years or more.

All gilded decks "stick" when you break them as the gilding has created a solid metal surface on the deck's edge. But after you thumb the cards apart, the deck is completely playable and has zero stickiness. The great thing about using this traditional method of gilding and solid gold leaf is that it allows the cards to remain flexible. I know one or two of you have already broken your decks and played with them and have mentioned that they work great. No one ever gilded a deck to make it more playable – its definitely an artistic, decorative process – but if done right you should be able to enjoy it in any casual game of cards you play. Of course, with constant, repeated use eventually the deck's gilding will begin to wear, but really all decks do if used regularly. And even when they wear, some of the very old gilded decks we have look super cool with that distressed gold edge.

Here is a longer explanation that Peter recently sent to a backer:

The gold (or silver) leaf is applied when the sizing is at a drying point – when it has just an ever so slight tack; almost dry but not quite. Once the gold (or silver) leaf is applied it deprives the sizing of oxygen and dramatically slows down the final drying/curing rate, thus making it important to wait a minimum of two to three weeks before handling or breaking the deck. Waiting longer is better as it ensures the sizing has completely cured. There are old historical English records of gilding drying times taking up to three months (of course there are many factors involved in drying time). It's not an exact science, really the entire process is about having a feel for it – hand gilding is an art form, not a production process.

One of the other things floating around out there is the "flaking off" of the gilding - this isn't going to happen with a traditionally gilded deck. To the best of our knowledge, all the other gilded decks that have been available in recent years have either been some sort of imitation gold or most likely foil stamped with gold foil or silver (not real gold or silver). I believe we are the first people to traditionally hand gild playing card decks in a long, long time. Artificial gold was patented and used on card decks some time in the 1920's and has been widely used in machines as well as hand gilding ever since. Its cheap and easy and makes sense if you are doing large production numbers.

We use gold leaf that has the highest amount of gold in it. The layer of gold leaf on our decks is incredibly thin, so of course it will wear the more you play with the deck - but this has always been the case. Gilded decks are somewhat of a novelty, definitely a collectors item and all collectors are different with how they interact with their collection. Some like to be able to use their collectables (by the way Linnea plays with one of the gilded decks here at the studio and after she broke it in, she says it plays great) and some just display them on a shelf, never to be used. Whatever your plans, gilding a deck is not done to make it more playable, it is again, essentially an artistic and highly decorative process, but if done right, they can be enjoyable to play with in casual card games and will actually look really cool as they wear.

[BiggerDee]

Good and interesting info Don, thank you.