Aristocrat Classic Edition by D&D

[GBrown]

Hi Folks,

Its been far too long since I posted last, but watching my little boy grow takes up some time!

Surprised to see (unless I have it wrong) that there have been no comments so far on the Variety Box release or the Aristocrats Classics?

I bypassed the box but picked up a pair of decks - by the community silence have I made a bad move.....?

I hope you are all well.

[HankMan]

Anyone has any I for about the aristocrat classic blue?
I never heard of this deck before 

[Cardfool]

The Aristocrat Classics are new releases and come in Red and Blue...check out the D&D website for more info

[BiggerDee]

Interesting side story on the Aristicrats being new old stock, from the Cincy days of Bicycle, and being limited to 1000 decks. The tucks are new but the cards are old and original. Did they just find uncut sheets/stored decks/stuff "lost" in a warehouse, or did they buy an old original quantity and re-tuck them (although that makes no sense...chunk the original tuck)?

[Don Boyer]

I'd guess that the cards came in boxes without cellophane, or with cello that was damaged by heat-shrink over the years.  They also probably came in the foil wrappers from the get-go.  They likely found a supply of the decks that had damaged or just shabby-looking tuck boxes, made their own tuck box (including those fun little stickers claiming them to be an edition of 1,000 each) and transferred the old cards to the new tucks with new stickers and wrappers.

While they can in all likelihood genuinely claim that these are Cincinnati-made, I'd question the claim that they're made as a series of only 1,000.  They were more probably part of a much larger print run, but this particular combination of cards and box are the actual limited edition.

I like them, but I'm not so sure I like them enough at that price.

BTW: I'm breaking up the topic - one for the VB, the other for the Aristos.  It's always better to have separate products in separate topics - someone interested in only one of the two won't have as many posts to wade through to find what information they want.

[HankMan]

to me they look like casino cards to me.. not a fan of the back design but I really like aristocrat decks.
Not sure if it is worth having for now...

If someone got them can we please have a review 
That will be much appreaciated.

[Card Player]

to me they look like casino cards to me.. not a fan of the back design but I really like aristocrat decks.
Not sure if it is worth having for now...

If someone got them can we please have a review 
That will be much appreaciated.

I personally love the back design. However your right. They are casino cards. I've always liked the aristocrat brand, casino or 727. These are basically cards that were printed in the 80's or early 90's inserted in a new vintage looking tuck. Made to look older then they actualy are.

[HankMan]

Anyway its sold out now..
that was pretty quick 

[Fess]

I am not one the people who decided to pick these up haha. Congratulations to those that did though.

[Don Boyer]

I personally love the back design. However your right. They are casino cards. I've always liked the aristocrat brand, casino or 727. These are basically cards that were printed in the 80's or early 90's inserted in a new vintage looking tuck. Made to look older then they actualy are.

Actually, they are - and aren't - casino cards.  The design is clearly the casino-style design, especially with the colors used on the court faces, but minus the casino markings.  If it was a genuine casino deck, it would have the casino's name on the card backs.

This is probably a product that was made at casino quality but for either consumer use or for distribution as a sample deck to casino equipment/supplies buyers.  The old "Bumblebee" Bee decks are an example of the former.  I have some Bee decks I was given that would be an example of the latter - they're in standard off-the-shelf tuck boxes, but they're traditionally cut and have barcoded tracking cards as used by casinos instead of the usual ad cards.  Bill Schildman gave them to me a while back for doing him a favor.

The dating you've picked, Card Player, is probably close to right, but a little off.  The photos on the site show an Ace of Spades with the code "E8053" printed on it.  Decks with an "E" code on the Ace of Spades were manufactured in (among other years) 2003 and 1983.  I'd guess at 2003, but the problem with my guess would be that I have no idea if USPC was still wrapping decks in foil as these were that late in their history.

They might be 1983 decks, and while 1963 is theoretically possible, I don't think they were using that set of court colors back then.  The reds are that deep shade of red sometimes referred to as "security red" - so named because the brighter shade of red typically seen on over-the-counter decks doesn't show up very well on black-and-white security cameras (the problem is less pronounced on a color camera, but even there the darker shades show up better).  Just judging from the state of closed-circuit TV technology in each of those years, I'd say that '63 is unlikely and '83 or '03 are the most probable choices.  Since I think they wouldn't have been using the foil wrap that late in the game, '03 can possibly be eliminated, leaving '83 the likeliest choice.  Older than any of those years would be extremely unlikely.

And of course, this assumes that the entire lot all share the same letter code.  It's entirely possible they don't, but the odds favor them being of the same print batch, hence the same year.  It would all depend on just how the Bucks acquired them and how the previous owner came to have them as well.

I am not one the people who decided to pick these up haha. Congratulations to those that did though.

You weren't alone.  They were indeed tempting, but I opted not to based largely on the price.

[Talisman]

I am not one the people who decided to pick these up haha. Congratulations to those that did though.

I for one passed as well. Wasn't exactly wanting to buy after realizing the sets were already sold out and having to shell out more "bucks" to buy them individually. So I said no thank you.

[BiggerDee]

I did pick up a couple of sets. They just shipped. Should be interesting.

[HankMan]

I did pick up a couple of sets. They just shipped. Should be interesting.

Please do a review of this deck when you get it = )

[Magic_Orthodoxy]

Claim on Instagram

"For those who wanted to know, here's the breakdown:  These are the original 2004 Aristocrat Decks, Casino-backs ("Broadway Seconds") from my last pic. Traditional cut and Linen Finish, there's a reason people go crazy for these decks. They're tough to track down and they last longer than any deck I can remember (case it point, this deck was minted 11 years ago and feels like it just came hot off the press) They aren't for everybody, but if you do any type of fine table work or you've used Standard-backed ("Banknotes") Aristocrats before, then I highly recommend them. "

and of course the claims from D & D

"Printed in Cincinnati within the walls of Bicycle's original factory, Vintage Aristocrat® playing cards are like nothing you've ever handled before and can never be printed again -- the printing press no longer exists. "

[HolyJJ]

They last longer than any deck they can remember?

Sounds like the person has used nothing other than standard Bikes till now.

Clearly, they've not used Lee Asher's Fournier 605s, the Pr1me deck, or any Legends or Expert decks.

I've used Broadway seconds before, and yeah, they do last longer than standard bikes... but that's about it brother! They don't hold a candle to the non USPCC decks of today.

[Don Boyer]

Claim on Instagram

"For those who wanted to know, here's the breakdown:  These are the original 2004 Aristocrat Decks, Casino-backs ("Broadway Seconds") from my last pic. Traditional cut and Linen Finish, there's a reason people go crazy for these decks. They're tough to track down and they last longer than any deck I can remember (case it point, this deck was minted 11 years ago and feels like it just came hot off the press) They aren't for everybody, but if you do any type of fine table work or you've used Standard-backed ("Banknotes") Aristocrats before, then I highly recommend them. "

and of course the claims from D & D

"Printed in Cincinnati within the walls of Bicycle's original factory, Vintage Aristocrat® playing cards are like nothing you've ever handled before and can never be printed again -- the printing press no longer exists. "

They got the year off by one...

"Broadway Seconds" - the term "seconds" usually implies that the deck is of "second quality" rather than "first quality" and has minor defects - enough to make the cards a little inferior but not enough to make them utterly unusable.  I'm just assuming - I've only seen pictures of the boxes, never actually handled the cards.

They last longer than any deck they can remember?

Sounds like the person has used nothing other than standard Bikes till now.

Clearly, they've not used Lee Asher's Fournier 605s, the Pr1me deck, or any Legends or Expert decks.

I've used Broadway seconds before, and yeah, they do last longer than standard bikes... but that's about it brother! They don't hold a candle to the non USPCC decks of today.

Let's give them the benefit of the doubt until someone around here has actually handled and tested them.  Aristos on a bad day are still better than most Bikes on a good day, and probably a number of other decks as well.

[HankMan]

I still find it funny, but people do go crazy for Cincinnati made cards.
I also recently got a few of bicycle second which was printed in Cincinnati plant.
Would this mean they gonna cost a lot now? Haha they do handle better than the current bicycle, apart from some softer colour on the court faces.

[Don Boyer]

I still find it funny, but people do go crazy for Cincinnati made cards.
I also recently got a few of bicycle second which was printed in Cincinnati plant.
Would this mean they gonna cost a lot now? Haha they do handle better than the current bicycle, apart from some softer colour on the court faces.

It has a lot to do with how terrible that quality of USPC decks was around the time of the transition.  The decks made today are better in terms of the quality of the machines used to make cards today.  But there's also the variances in how cards are made now, with some of the decks from the 1960s and 1970s being made with the right combination of old-school methods and relatively up-to-date materials and hardware, giving them (at least in the eyes of some collectors) an edge over today's decks.

[BiggerDee]

Ok kids, here's a preliminary report. Pics to follow. I'll keep the flowery descriptions to a minimum so that the pics can tell the story. The tuck is a basic uncharted cardboard, but it's very well done. Simple, yet elegant, and some thought went int to the design. From my POV as a collector, I like it. I normally don't open decks, but I had one that had an unstuck seal, so I cracked it open, just for you good folks! :-) The seal is very nice and artistic, worthy of the Aristocrat title. Very nicely done, elegant once again . The deck is foil wrapped, but not sealed, so I was able to sneak a peek at the cards. They are definitely 2004 as there is a 2004 calendar card included.There's a barcoded card included with a date stamp of SEP 07 04, and a tine of 18:03 3 on the card. The cards have a wonderful feel to them, much less slippery than standard Bikes. They feel thinner than Bikes, but not lower quality, almost like a thinner, yet higher quality stock was used. I am pleased with the purchase! Once I get my pics done, I'll add them to this post.

[HankMan]

Oh boy that looks good 
I am assuming they have the normal cushion finish then?
Are you going to review them in terms of handling?

[BiggerDee]

I don't have any prior experience with Aristocrats, so I can't say that they are as good as the older versions, I can only comment that, as compared with recent releases, they feel and move much more favorably in my untalented card-handling hands! I'd love to be able to contribute more of an accurate review in that regard, but I just don't have the experience to do so. I will say that I was immediately impressed with the feel, whether due to finish, stock, age, or a combination of the three!

[Don Boyer]

Ok kids, here's a preliminary report. Pics to follow. I'll keep the flowery descriptions to a minimum so that the pics can tell the story. The tuck is a basic uncharted cardboard, but it's very well done. Simple, yet elegant, and some thought went int to the design. From my POV as a collector, I like it. I normally don't open decks, but I had one that had an unstuck seal, so I cracked it open, just for you good folks! :-) The seal is very nice and artistic, worthy of the Aristocrat title. Very nicely done, elegant once again . The deck is foil wrapped, but not sealed, so I was able to sneak a peek at the cards. They are definitely 2004 as there is a 2004 calendar card included.There's a barcoded card included with a date stamp of SEP 07 04, and a tine of 18:03 3 on the card. The cards have a wonderful feel to them, much less slippery than standard Bikes. They feel thinner than Bikes, but not lower quality, almost like a thinner, yet higher quality stock was used. I am pleased with the purchase! Once I get my pics done, I'll add them to this post.

Yup, that bar-coded card is the one that indicates this was "casino-style" and likely meant as a sample deck for the people who purchase decks for casinos.  The Bees "casino samples" I have are similar.

These would be some pretty high-grade cards.  They're likely traditionally cut, as well.

[Fess]

Nice pick up there. 

[BiggerDee]

Thank you, I agree!

[Magic_Orthodoxy]

My red deck bar code card didn't have a date on it - but yes - they are traditionally cut - just checked

Also, D&D should have better quality control on their graphic designers... the logo is off center on the box