Okay, so my uncle calls himself a wine connoisseur because he has developed a taste for good wine over many years. As good as his taste is he will swear up and down that you won’t get much quality difference in wines once they get above $60-$70 dollars. His philosophy is that if you are spending over $100.00 for wine you are more of a “collector,” in that it looks good in the wine cabinet but won’t taste any better on the table.

So here is my point. I was hoping to get a deck of the Jerry’s Nuggets and really put it through its paces. To see if it is worth all the hype. Well the prices this year convinced me that no deck of cards is that good. It might be nice for a collector but if you are looking for a performance deck of cards you are wasting your money. So like my uncle is to wine I decided I’m becoming a connoisseur of cards in that I am willing to pay high prices for cards that I will use but I am not willing to pay high prices just to put a pack in a display case.

Maybe someday when I am rich(yeah right!) I might be willing to start a card collection but for now, if I can’t use it I won’t buy it. Where do all you fall? Connoisseur, Collector, Neither?

Then he is a very odd "connoisseur", as all the ones I know, would dissagree. I even dissagree and Ive just started learning wine tasting a couple years back.

A connoisseur (Fr. connaisseur, from Middle-French connoistre, then connaître meaning "to be acquainted with" or "to know somebody/something.") is a person who has a great deal of knowledge about the fine arts, or an expert judge in matters of taste.

And to answer your question... I am neither really. I purchase bikes, and use bikes, but will also use whats at hand. I will take bikes though over anything, since thats what Im acustom to.

Well technically he would fit that description. How much will you pay for wine that you drink?
I assumed most would fit in that camp. That is why I think it's a more interesting question here than on one of the more "card" dominant websites.

Overall you got me thinking about this on a deeper level. My Uncle has acquired his palette through years of gourmet cooking, world travel, and winery hopping. That said his expertise is limited to a few extra factors. 1. He is upper middle class. So he can drop $60-$70 on wine and enjoy it as a nice treat but if a $200 bottle came out of his pocket he'd likely be thinking more on the price tag than the wine. 2. Unlike Dave he isn't a professional in the culinary arts. 3. Some people have more sensitive palettes than others. Some of the same factors apply to magicians and card appreciation. How much are you willing to pay for a deck you will use day to day and how much more for a deck that you just want to display?

Personally I would be willing to pay $20.00 for a deck I would use. It would be a treat and not something I would do very often but I could see myself spending that much for a deck I'm willing to trash with use and abuse. As for collecting cards for a display case...that just doesn't interest me right now.

Both for sure. Of course I had to get Nugget's since I'm into the history as well. I like to get all different types of cards just for practice sake. So you can perform if handed anything. Bridge size, circle shaped, oval, beat up and cards that appear to be 50 years old. It is a good idea to become acquired to the feel of each. However, since I perform mostly with my own cards, I try to use cards as new as possible, either Bikes or Tally.

I myself just use bikes. I cant see paying all that money on cards if you use them all the time. Because no matter what they will not be any good for magic after some time. But everybody is diff. But if your a Collector of cards they might be worth every penny.

I think a true professional can perform with anything or any deck and learns has to learn to adapt.

Yes and no. There are quite a few brands that will be a better dollar value in the long run for people who practice a lot. However, if you do a lot of signed card and TNR type effects not many can compete. Ann in the available gaffs that Bike has to offer and nothing can compete. USPCC is going to start limiting the Gaffs that can be used for Bikes so if another brand is willing to start producing gaffs we may start to see a new card come to the forefront in magic. Time will tell?

To Spiritcrusher: That's cool you got some JNuggs. I thing I'm getting to the point where I'll start collecting but I will likely start from the ground up. Buy some cards recently taken off the market and sit on them for a while.

This is certainly one good reason to experiment with different decks.

I am a collector of cards and just the other day while shopping at the local wal-mart I came across some Streamline brand playing cards. These are made by by the USPCC and I haven'y seen these since the last millenium. They were a popular card back in my youth and even Marlo himself used these cards exclusively. I was surprised in seeing them and the kicker is that they sell for a buck a pack! I picked up a couple decks to try them out and went back the next day and bought the last 6 packs on the rack.

They are reminiscent of the old Aviators of yester year in that they have a smooth (Ivory) finish and are very slick.
The edges are a bit rough but after a buffing (Youell) they behaved better. Pick up a few decks at your local Wally Mart...a buck a pack for some decent cards.

Best regardz,
Olmagi52

Streamline...I'll have to check that out. I'm becomming a fan of smooth finnish decks. (at least well made ones)