Over the years I have purchased thousands of decks of cards for my work. Depending on when they were manufactured they feature different tactile qualities and capabilities. Paper and glue compositions change over time depending on sourcing. These affect the finished product in lots of ways. These qualities evolve over time and often casual end users have no awareness of the changes. It takes remove and reintroduction to fully appreciate.
I opened a deck of top brand playing cards from the early nineties last night and have to say, they were like butta’.
Smooth, precise, and crisp, they required virtually no “break in” before use. This is in stark contrast to contemporary decks that are prone to warping, snapping, and cracking along the edges.
The contrast was not surprising to me. I have a stash of several “vintages” that I jealously guard to break out on special occasions.
I have a practice of working with off-the-shelf playing cards that are immediately recognizable to the general public. The exotic stuff may have its place, but I believe that every wonder worker should be judged by their ability to move an audience and not distract them by the uniqueness of their tools (unless that is the goal).
Lay audiences may be surprised to learn that some manufacturers have been catering to niche markets to return physical properties to playing cards that were once common place. While I celebrate this and the variety of designs they produce, I mourn that the top recognized brand does not share our desire for quality.
Design or “flair” may tickle the optic nerve and pleasure centers of the brain for a moment, but the velvety, almost sensual experience fanning, ribbon spreading, or maneuvering a quality set of playing cards continues long after the visual novelty wanes.
Just a peek behind the curtain.