PLAYING CARDS + ART = COLLECTING

Today we are going to speak about Erdnase 216 Bee Squeezers Playing Cards produced by the Conjuring Arts Research Center (CARC). The company produced these playing card in two different colours: tan and green. These two decks were printed by the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC) in 2013.

The Conjuring Arts Research Center is a not-for-profit organization located in Manhattan and dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of magic and its allied arts. It seeks to be an important cultural centre. Appealing to practitioners and performers of the conjuring arts, academic historians, collectors, writers and general enthusiasts, Conjuring Arts fills the gap between private collections of magic related history and information, and the public. In terms of a vault of magic literature it is like some kind of The Royal Library of Alexandria for appropriate target audience. But these guys are not only “librarians”. They are also producers of playing cards. Their decks of playing cards are mainly dedicated to magic needs and quite often have some historical roots.

These Erdnase 216 decks are the same design and similar feel as a rare Bee deck printed by the New York Consolidated Card Company in 1902. The Conjuring Arts Research Center in collaboration with USPCC created special Erdnase Finish for these playing cards to make them feel like the originals.

The deck: 52 playing cards + 2 identical Jokers. Poker size. Playing cards were printed on a special stock and have special Erdnase Finish (smooth). The only differences between these two decks are different colours of backs and tuck cases. There were used vintage court cards, indices and pips.

Read the rest of this entry »