Bee 2nd Edition Erdnase Playing Cards
Here is the video suppliment for the Erdnase review. Not much for performance actually. This time I cover some thoughts on the ACR and I teach a move out of Erdnase. These are kind of becomming my card vlog Might be of interest to some of you newer guys, probably nothing new to the old salts....and the good new is that I could care less if you rate or subscribe!
Bee Erdnase ed. Video Suppliment on Vimeo
Where to buy: $4.95 available at…
Card Finnesse: http://shop.cardfinesse.com/Playing-Cards_c2.htm
Dan and Dave: Bee® Erdnase Playing Cards
Information about my reviewing methods: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=156760
Initial Impression:
Good news and bad news for some…but mostly good news. I originally had suspected, and now I’m about 95% sure, that the Bee Erdnase ed. Deck is indeed the same stock and finish as the Bee Stinger backs. This should come as no surprise as both decks advertise their construction characteristics in about the exact same way…”Printed on casino grade Aristocrat stock.” For those hoping that they might have got something a little extra “under the hood” I’m sorry to disappoint. The good news is that the Stinger backs were a very high scoring deck OOB. The other good news, at least for me, is that it gives me an immediate opportunity to try this deck out again in dryer conditions.(some may recall that the Stinger Back review was plagued with an unusual spell of heavy humidity and as a result didn’t fair so well in the longevity review) So for those who live in drier climates (fingers crossed that the weather holds) this review should suffice for both decks and for those who live in humid climates check out the Stinger Back review. For those in wet/dry climates like mine, read both! The last, as of yet, unanswered question is the plain old Bee Club Specials. Are they the same? I can’t say yet. Certain forum posters who have experience with both Club Specials and Stinger Backs claim that they are different, but all my research so far leads me to believe they are all the same stock and finish. Indeed it seems every limited run Bee card produced advertises the Aristocrat stock. It is possible that they reserve that stock for all their limited run cards(in the words of Sheriff Bart…’scuse me while I whip this out!) and it is also possible that they always use an aristocrat stock on all bee cards but only advertise it for the limited runs. So enough with the techno mumbo jumbo, on with the review!
The Look:
So the first thing to mention is the box. It is a standard USPCC tuck box that is printed up to look like a mini Expert at the Card Table book. Both it and the backs of the cards are printed in the green of the original edition of the book. The only actual trademark indicators will be found on the bottom of the box and on the flap tuck itself.
The back design is a standard Bee Diamond patter except that it comes with a boarder and the color, as mentioned before, is the green of the original book. The Ace of spades has the same character of the Bee AOS but the details have been changed. Instead of the bee hive and bees in the center of the spade pip there is a crossed…acorns? At least I think that is what they are? The flowers surrounding the spade pip have been replaced with green branches. The added color on an AOS was kind of a nice change. The ‘BEE’ at the top has been replaced with S.W.E. That stands for the author of the book, S.W.Erdnase, for you new folks who may not be hip yet to the immortals of the card world. The Consolidated Dougherty banner has been replaced by “The Expert At The Card Table” and the -92- has been replaced with “1902,” the original publication date.
The Jokers are quite dull. There is a big JOKER sign at the top, a silhouette of the crossed acorns, and a “Copyright, 1902, By S.W. Erdnase” on the bottom. There are no “pip” indicators on the Jokers either so if you use Jokers in effects you will need to spread a bit wider through the deck to find them. The advertising cards are actually quite cool. One is a reprint of the famous Erdnase preface in which he waxes eloquent about the fine art of card manipulation but then admits that the real reason for writing the book was because the author “needs the money.” The second ad card is of particular interest to read card geeks like myself as it is a reprint of the original title page of the book, which is different than the Dover edition that most of us are familiar with.
Other than the changes mentioned all colors and artwork of the pip and court cards are the same as standard USPCC. The actual font size of the pips is a tad smaller than standard 808s but you would really have to look close to see the difference.
Overall a nice looking deck and I really like these green earth tones on decks. I liked it in the Fournier 605s, the Smoke & Mirror v.4s, and I like it in these. It’s also really cool to walk around with a book printed like the original book. Indeed if you have an original copy of Erdnase you can show off your book’s “mini-me.” While I do love the overall look and color here is just a comment for other card makers out there…enough of the green! I love it but, four signature and specialty decks have come out in the last two years with an earth tone greens. I would hate for it to become as banal as the standard red/blue/white/blacks that dominate the market. Time to move on to a new color!
Card construction:
These cards were 14.8 mm or about three cards thinner than a bike. As I mentioned these cards “feel” just like a Stinger back but if you will look back to that review some may note that those were a bit thinner….by .3 mm! I’m pretty sure that is no more than standard error you can expect from the factory. They also weighed the same as the Stinger, 89 grams. Trust me it’s the same deck. As I mentioned in the Stinger review the Aristocrat stock is a softer flexing stock than most other brands on the market but that probably helps make the finish feel smoother as well.
Here is the video suppliment for the Erdnase review. Not much for performance actually. This time I cover some thoughts on the ACR and I teach a move out of Erdnase. These are kind of becomming my card vlog Might be of interest to some of you newer guys, probably nothing new to the old salts....and the good new is that I could care less if you rate or subscribe!
Bee Erdnase ed. Video Suppliment on Vimeo
Where to buy: $4.95 available at…
Card Finnesse: http://shop.cardfinesse.com/Playing-Cards_c2.htm
Dan and Dave: Bee® Erdnase Playing Cards
Information about my reviewing methods: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=156760
Initial Impression:
Good news and bad news for some…but mostly good news. I originally had suspected, and now I’m about 95% sure, that the Bee Erdnase ed. Deck is indeed the same stock and finish as the Bee Stinger backs. This should come as no surprise as both decks advertise their construction characteristics in about the exact same way…”Printed on casino grade Aristocrat stock.” For those hoping that they might have got something a little extra “under the hood” I’m sorry to disappoint. The good news is that the Stinger backs were a very high scoring deck OOB. The other good news, at least for me, is that it gives me an immediate opportunity to try this deck out again in dryer conditions.(some may recall that the Stinger Back review was plagued with an unusual spell of heavy humidity and as a result didn’t fair so well in the longevity review) So for those who live in drier climates (fingers crossed that the weather holds) this review should suffice for both decks and for those who live in humid climates check out the Stinger Back review. For those in wet/dry climates like mine, read both! The last, as of yet, unanswered question is the plain old Bee Club Specials. Are they the same? I can’t say yet. Certain forum posters who have experience with both Club Specials and Stinger Backs claim that they are different, but all my research so far leads me to believe they are all the same stock and finish. Indeed it seems every limited run Bee card produced advertises the Aristocrat stock. It is possible that they reserve that stock for all their limited run cards(in the words of Sheriff Bart…’scuse me while I whip this out!) and it is also possible that they always use an aristocrat stock on all bee cards but only advertise it for the limited runs. So enough with the techno mumbo jumbo, on with the review!
The Look:
So the first thing to mention is the box. It is a standard USPCC tuck box that is printed up to look like a mini Expert at the Card Table book. Both it and the backs of the cards are printed in the green of the original edition of the book. The only actual trademark indicators will be found on the bottom of the box and on the flap tuck itself.
The back design is a standard Bee Diamond patter except that it comes with a boarder and the color, as mentioned before, is the green of the original book. The Ace of spades has the same character of the Bee AOS but the details have been changed. Instead of the bee hive and bees in the center of the spade pip there is a crossed…acorns? At least I think that is what they are? The flowers surrounding the spade pip have been replaced with green branches. The added color on an AOS was kind of a nice change. The ‘BEE’ at the top has been replaced with S.W.E. That stands for the author of the book, S.W.Erdnase, for you new folks who may not be hip yet to the immortals of the card world. The Consolidated Dougherty banner has been replaced by “The Expert At The Card Table” and the -92- has been replaced with “1902,” the original publication date.
The Jokers are quite dull. There is a big JOKER sign at the top, a silhouette of the crossed acorns, and a “Copyright, 1902, By S.W. Erdnase” on the bottom. There are no “pip” indicators on the Jokers either so if you use Jokers in effects you will need to spread a bit wider through the deck to find them. The advertising cards are actually quite cool. One is a reprint of the famous Erdnase preface in which he waxes eloquent about the fine art of card manipulation but then admits that the real reason for writing the book was because the author “needs the money.” The second ad card is of particular interest to read card geeks like myself as it is a reprint of the original title page of the book, which is different than the Dover edition that most of us are familiar with.
Other than the changes mentioned all colors and artwork of the pip and court cards are the same as standard USPCC. The actual font size of the pips is a tad smaller than standard 808s but you would really have to look close to see the difference.
Overall a nice looking deck and I really like these green earth tones on decks. I liked it in the Fournier 605s, the Smoke & Mirror v.4s, and I like it in these. It’s also really cool to walk around with a book printed like the original book. Indeed if you have an original copy of Erdnase you can show off your book’s “mini-me.” While I do love the overall look and color here is just a comment for other card makers out there…enough of the green! I love it but, four signature and specialty decks have come out in the last two years with an earth tone greens. I would hate for it to become as banal as the standard red/blue/white/blacks that dominate the market. Time to move on to a new color!
Card construction:
These cards were 14.8 mm or about three cards thinner than a bike. As I mentioned these cards “feel” just like a Stinger back but if you will look back to that review some may note that those were a bit thinner….by .3 mm! I’m pretty sure that is no more than standard error you can expect from the factory. They also weighed the same as the Stinger, 89 grams. Trust me it’s the same deck. As I mentioned in the Stinger review the Aristocrat stock is a softer flexing stock than most other brands on the market but that probably helps make the finish feel smoother as well.
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