The One Playing Cards @ Coterie1902

[Zenneth]

Hi everyone,

I would like to introduce a deck of cards that is called The One Deck.
Made by LPCC in China, artwork by Stuart Palm, released by The One Entertainment.
A limited edition of 1000 decks, a few hundred of them are currently released through us per a special arrangement.

This deck is primarily designed for the magic artists at The One Entertainment to use in their shows, not exactly targeted at general sales.

Quality of the cards is similar to the Taiwan made decks, but more paper-ish.
I think LPCC might have located the same manufacturer as the Pr1me deck, because the tuck case texture certainly looks like it but I am not 100% sure.

It's now available at our store.

Thanks,
Zenneth

[Don Boyer]

Let me make it a little easier for your potential shoppers...

http://coterie1902.com/products/playing-cards/one-playing-cards

[HolyJJ]

I got my shipping confirmation today from Coterie1902 for my order of 'The One' decks. Thanks Zenneth.

I was actually thinking the same with regards to the paper used for cards with LPCC's Emerald Finish -- the cards do feel very similar to the Pr1me cards. I've discussed this with at least two friends, but none of us are 100% sure either.

The Serpentine deck, which was the debut of the Emerald finish was stated to have been made using imported, European card stock... and so it is possible that the paper is the same.

Either way, I'm looking forward to receiving the decks!

[chas0039]

Thanks Don.  Even his website makes it hard to get a clear, straight on look at the cards.

[Card Player]

These look great. I would totally buy these if I was not selling my collection.

[Don Boyer]

I got my shipping confirmation today from Coterie1902 for my order of 'The One' decks. Thanks Zenneth.

I was actually thinking the same with regards to the paper used for cards with LPCC's Emerald Finish -- the cards do feel very similar to the Pr1me cards. I've discussed this with at least two friends, but none of us are 100% sure either.

The Serpentine deck, which was the debut of the Emerald finish was stated to have been made using imported, European card stock... and so it is possible that the paper is the same.

Either way, I'm looking forward to receiving the decks!

I recently did an article for CARD CULTURE on stocks and finishes for Expert PCC.  Legend's Diamond Stock is the same as Expert's Master Stock.  Both use the same Classic Stock.  But Legends new Emerald Stock doesn't have an equivalent with Expert - and Expert recently added a new stock, Damask Stock, that Legends isn't using, and has a forthcoming heavy-grade stock, codenamed "Iron Stock" (it will probably be released with a different name sometime in the fall).  Assuming what you're saying about Emerald Stock is true, all the stocks from both companies are imported from Europe, from an undisclosed source (or sources) that Bill Kalush guards as a trade secret.

From what I've been told, you can get well-made Chinese playing cards - as long as the printers aren't using Chinese-sourced stocks.  The best Chinese-made cards I've seen were all on European stocks, and I hear the black-core stocks from Germany are popular.  Blue-core is not quite as good but is used for cheaper cards.

[HolyJJ]

Don, no need for anything to be assumed about the Emerald Finish... instead, we can get confirmation of the fact that the Emerald stock is indeed imported from Europe -- the sales page for the Serpentine deck at the LPCC website states this:

http://legendsplayingcards.com/products/serpentine

So, EPCC and LPCC do import all of their stocks from Europe... good stuff

[Don Boyer]

Don, no need for anything to be assumed about the Emerald Finish... instead, we can get confirmation of the fact that the Emerald stock is indeed imported from Europe -- the sales page for the Serpentine deck at the LPCC website states this:

http://legendsplayingcards.com/products/serpentine

So, EPCC and LPCC do import all of their stocks from Europe... good stuff

I read a little more on that same page - Emerald is described as, in terms of stiffness, being between Classic and Diamond.  That means it's between Expert's Classic and Master, with Classic in both cases being the softest.

Extended further, Expert's Damask finish is the softest of the lot of them, with the deepest embossing, as well.  Meanwhile, Bill Kalush's new super-stiff stock will have them all beat in terms of firmness - it's more firm than a pack of Bee Casino.  He has a tentative brand name for it but I'm going to keep it under wraps for the time being, until he's ready to introduce it to the world.  I refer to it in CARD CULTURE #08 as "Codename: Iron Stock" - but it would seem unlikely that will be the final name when it becomes available this fall.

[HolyJJ]

I received my order of "The One Entertainment" decks around the middle of last week, and I've been shuffling away with them ever since.

Very, very, very nice deck. The embossing on the‎ tuck is pretty cool (from the photos I didn't realise that there was any embossing), and the tuck paper is nice also. 

The cards themselves feel a lot closer to the Diamond/Master Finish than the Serpentines did -- very slightly stiffer than the Serpentines, and quite slick.  ‎
‎
There was something of a surge in recent months for designers choosing the Emerald Finish, and I think they'll be pleased with the feel and durability of the cards. I don't think I'll be needing to stock up on Pr1me decks anymore.‎
‎
I'm looking forward to the release of decks featuring the "iron stock", because I really do like stiff cards (one of the reasons why I like Lee Asher's 605 deck). If the "iron stock" really is stiffer and more durable than the Master/Diamond Finish, then I really will be impressed! Although the Bee Casino stock may be the stiffest paper that USPCC offer, it's far from what I'd consider to be particularly firm -- although it is thick, it's kind of "spongey", and so it's nowhere near as stiff as Master/Diamond Finish. 

Well, when EPCC do finally release their first deck to feature the new stiff stock, ‎I really hope they go all out to create an awesome design for it so that the cardstock has a memorable debut!

[Card Player]

I received my order of "The One Entertainment" decks around the middle of last week, and I've been shuffling away with them ever since.

Very, very, very nice deck. The embossing on the‎ tuck is pretty cool (from the photos I didn't realise that there was any embossing), and the tuck paper is nice also.

The cards themselves feel a lot closer to the Diamond/Master Finish than the Serpentines did -- very slightly stiffer than the Serpentines, and quite slick.  ‎
‎
There was something of a surge in recent months for designers choosing the Emerald Finish, and I think they'll be pleased with the feel and durability of the cards. I don't think I'll be needing to stock up on Pr1me decks anymore.‎
‎
I'm looking forward to the release of decks featuring the "iron stock", because I really do like stiff cards (one of the reasons why I like Lee Asher's 605 deck). If the "iron stock" really is stiffer and more durable than the Master/Diamond Finish, then I really will be impressed! Although the Bee Casino stock may be the stiffest paper that USPCC offer, it's far from what I'd consider to be particularly firm -- although it is thick, it's kind of "spongey", and so it's nowhere near as stiff as Master/Diamond Finish.

Well, when EPCC do finally release their first deck to feature the new stiff stock, ‎I really hope they go all out to create an awesome design for it so that the cardstock has a memorable debut!

Nice review from a credible source.

I was looking forward to hearing about the made in China quality. I know quality can vary with all imported products. I've had both good and bad experiences with products made in China. Thanks

[Don Boyer]

I received my order of "The One Entertainment" decks around the middle of last week, and I've been shuffling away with them ever since.

Very, very, very nice deck. The embossing on the‎ tuck is pretty cool (from the photos I didn't realise that there was any embossing), and the tuck paper is nice also.

The cards themselves feel a lot closer to the Diamond/Master Finish than the Serpentines did -- very slightly stiffer than the Serpentines, and quite slick.  ‎
‎
There was something of a surge in recent months for designers choosing the Emerald Finish, and I think they'll be pleased with the feel and durability of the cards. I don't think I'll be needing to stock up on Pr1me decks anymore.‎
‎
I'm looking forward to the release of decks featuring the "iron stock", because I really do like stiff cards (one of the reasons why I like Lee Asher's 605 deck). If the "iron stock" really is stiffer and more durable than the Master/Diamond Finish, then I really will be impressed! Although the Bee Casino stock may be the stiffest paper that USPCC offer, it's far from what I'd consider to be particularly firm -- although it is thick, it's kind of "spongey", and so it's nowhere near as stiff as Master/Diamond Finish.

Well, when EPCC do finally release their first deck to feature the new stiff stock, ‎I really hope they go all out to create an awesome design for it so that the cardstock has a memorable debut!

Damask is the thickest stock EPCC has at present - and the most deeply embossed, which is why it's their softest stock.  The new stock (it won't be called "Iron Stock" but I'm not at liberty to give out the name yet) is roughly a full millimeter thicker, and it's two millimeters thicker than their thinnest, Master.  I know some people measure thickness differences in number of cards thicker - a terribly inaccurate way to measure anything, akin to cubits and digits - but this would be several cards thicker than any EPCC stock and probably any USPC stock presently in use.  A millimeter is about the thickness of a US dime (10¢ coin, the thinnest US coin in production), which is equal in height to "a couple to a few" cards, depending on stock used.

[HolyJJ]

Nice review from a credible source.

I was looking forward to hearing about the made in China quality. I know quality can vary with all imported products. I've had both good and bad experiences with products made in China. Thanks

Hey man!

If you haven't already tried a deck with Emerald Finish, then I definitely would recommend "The One Entertainment" deck!

‎The edges of the Emerald Finish cards are similar (although not as bad) as cards cut by USPCC‎ -- not as smooth as the cards cut in Taiwan for decks featuring Diamond or Classic Finish.
‎
There is a big similarity between the output of this China factory and the legendary Taiwan factory for one thing though -- printing precision. ‎The artwork doesn't move even a single pixel when you riffle the cards.
‎
I think those that find the Diamond/Master Finish too stiff would probably like Emerald Finish more. I'd say that Emerald Finish is slightly stiffer than Bee stock, and not "spongy" like Bees.

Also, Emerald Finish doesn't feel as "oily" as Diamond Finish‎ cards, yet they still have just as good slip factor.

I did like the Pr1me decks a lot, but the only thing I disliked about them was that they weren't traditionally cut... and so even though the cards felt great, they didn't shuffle as well as they could have. With this new deck though, that problem is a thing of the past.

I think it is fair to have reservations about production in China, seeing as there are a fair few horror stories out there. However, this factory that are dealing with orders for Emerald Finish decks are clearly a legit player. Lawrence Sullivan is known to be a perfectionist whose attention to detail on matters relating to quality are on a level of its own... and so I'm not too surprised that he was able to find afactory in PRC which delivers to a standard which is above and beyond expectations.

In my humble opinion, "The One Entertainment" deck handles better than the Pr1me decks. Give it a go!