The fact is that I don't know how many numbered limited edition decks of cards I have. But today I'm thinking about them and I found five of them in a few minutes of searching.
I started thinking about them this week with the passing of Pim Leefsma as written up Joop Muller. Since I know Joop and I have one of the Pim Leefsma's decks, I took it out and admired it.
And it got me to thinking, what is the ideal number of decks to print for a limited edition collectiable? Let's assume that the goal is for the deck to be a collectable which is ever increasingly treasured (and valued).
Print too many and there isn't enough scarcity for them to be highly treasured. But if you can sell them all easily, you do make more sales right at the outset.
Print too few and it's hard to establish any awareness of the deck. This second rules is generally true but it is less true if the artist or publisher has such a special reputation that a very limited print run does not limit awareness of the deck.
Does the cost of publishing enter into the decision? Is it four times more expensive to print 1000 than 250?
Here's a handful of limited edition decks that have made it into my collection through the years. I just noticed that they mostly have something in common. Try to figure it out and in any case, I'll explain it after showing the decks.
Pim Leefsma/Joop Muller - 250
Bosch by Sunish Chabba - 3200
E Lewis Aesop's Fables - 50
My Pim Leefsma deck is #108 out of 250. The artwork is incredible and I can why Joop was highly motivated to get a deck created with it. Thanks Joop.
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| Pim Leefsma's Artwork on Playing Cards |
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| Bosch Playing Card Jokers |
My Peter Wood transformation deck is #613 out of one thousand. I bought it (online) from Peter Woods when it first came out. At the time, I was travelling regularly to London on business and tried to arrange a visit with him. It never happened.
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| Peter Woods Transformation Deck Note how the nine hearts are integrated in the design |
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| Let me point them out for you.... |
I have #29 out of 50 of these hand-painted transformation decks by Elaine Lewis.
Confession: To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how to interpret "hand-painted". Does this mean, the art is done by hand and then reproduced? Does it mean that the black outlines of the art is done by hand, the deck is then produced, and then each card on each deck is hand-painted. I could go retrieve the deck and hold it up to the light studying the texture to see if there is hand work on each card and if nobody answers the question for me, I might.
My collecting does not focus on modern limited editions. Yet, I have at least five of them, why? What do these decks have in common?
These decks were collected either because of my interest in transformation decks or my interest in fine art. I don't seem to have collected any (or many) outside of the art or transformation arena.
My deck collecting focuses on antique decks where scarcity has to do with the amount of remaining decks, not a calculation by a publisher of how to purposefully limit the supply to create scarcity and value. My interest in cards start when the joker first appeared (I'm still primarily a joker collector) so I avoid decks from the 1860s and back.
Want to learn more about my collection of playing cards and jokers?
My transformation decks
When and what was the first playing card joker?
Visiting Joop in Zaandijk
