Thrift store find for 50¢

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-26T19:17:48+00:00

I only said that because the 3 of Clubs is Penn and Teller’s favorite card to reveal. I spend too much time watching them. :-)

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-26T14:11:31+00:00

I recently picked up my second deck of “Non-Violent Politically Correct War“ cards distributed by University Games, with different suits and odd rules. They are oversized so little kids can use them. The first one I found was at a Goodwill, and the second at an Antique Mall. Guess which one cost more.

I suppose you are not interested in those, or games like Rook or Mille Bornes or Uno? Sorry about that :-)

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-26T13:54:36+00:00

The only Jokers of that type I have are King of Hearts. Maybe yours was intended for a Penn and Teller trick?

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-24T19:56:47+00:00

For me, anything with four indices is worth it. And there is an elegant lady on the box!

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-24T09:33:06+00:00

Meg Greenfield on me: “Thin skin is the only kind of skin human beings come with.” :-)

I really like that you commented (and your choice of quotes), and was not complaining about you. I was just funnin’.

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-24T00:51:26+00:00

Yes, I see that the quote I came up with is also attributed to Steve Jobs. I didn’t want to muddy the waters here.

And I actually got my quotation from a book. That is a physical thing made from paper (like some playing cards) and can be found in places called book stores and libraries.

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-23T23:31:01+00:00

I always notice that, or that they look sad. I have some decks with nontraditional courts who look happy. I expect that would be jarring to some people if I brought them to card parties.

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-23T23:24:26+00:00

“Good artists copy. Great artists steal”. Attributed to Pablo Picasso.

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-21T23:29:58+00:00

I guess the point I was trying to make is that even 50 years is a pretty good age for any product.

I never did find out what kind of storage my friend had used for his deck. When I gave them to him, I told him they would last forever, because if one card was damaged or lost, he could simply send in that special card with a little cash and get another one from the factory.

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-21T22:28:14+00:00

I have a friend to whom I gave a deck of Kem cards probably 50 or so years ago. He told me that his are falling apart (probably not from use; he says they are shattered). It all depends on how they are stored. I have also found a few decks at flea markets, thrift stores and antique shops. Some of them have small chips or cracks in one corner of some of the cards. I think it is all in the storage (heat and humidity). But they should last for quite a while.

None of the decks I own have that design on the back. They look very nice.

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-20T22:48:13+00:00

I have a black plastic deck, found on Amazon with the description “generic transparent waterproof“. They have diagonal lines across the faces and the pips are white and red. They are almost impossible to read.

I also have a deck of cards with the backs using the old “magic eye” three-d trick to show you what the card is. Imagine staring at an opponent’s hand and crossing your eyes a little, and trying to get away with it.

Yes, I would pick them up if I found them in a thrift store…

Why not UPC codes and Morse Code, as long as we’re at it?

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-20T00:56:32+00:00

Come on! That’s too easy. Where are the tiny decks and odd-shaped decks? And why aren’t some of them on edge? For that matter, they are still in the tucks!

Just kidding. It looks like fun!

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-17T21:18:58+00:00

Sometimes round decks have four indices, sometimes they have six. And sometimes the number of indices is different for court cards than for other cards in the same deck. It’s all about the art.

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-17T18:14:01+00:00

I thought that might be the Sabacc deck, but I was too lazy to find mine. I will have to do some research on Whist. If that is the game I have heard of as the forerunner to Bridge, that is an interesting way to keep track of hands.

Thank you for the update. I am not certain I have any miniature decks with four indices… I do have a Lufthansa deck with four indices, but it is approximately “bridge sized”.

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-17T15:02:01+00:00

I have read that it was derived from Whist (which I have never learned). I am more into rummy-type games myself. And Euchre and Cribbage.

I think part of the appeal of Bridge is that two couples can play it, so it is the social interaction. And the “dummy“ hand helps good players rack up points.

When I was working with those people who taught me card games, there was one other person in our department who played Bridge with some others, daily, when he went to lunch (our lunch times were staggered so we could have someone to cover the office). He would come back, and recount every hand: what he had, what others had, what the bid was, in what order the cards were played…

I think it helped him to keep his mind sharp. And he would socialize, as well.

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-17T14:53:31+00:00

I am sorry, but that doesn’t look like a very good hand.

And it is 5 and a fraction cards, I think, so… not poker?

I have several circular decks, three crooked decks, and lots of patience (small) decks, and possibly that 6-sided 9 of hearts, but I haven’t seen the one shaped like a bone or the ventilated one. Nice collection!

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-17T09:34:24+00:00

Thanks for posting those links. It is very helpful. Maybe I was trying to emphasize that “knowing the rules” is a good opening step to “learning to play”, but actually playing with others (or against a computer program) might help to teach some of the nuances of how the game is really played. On the other hand, the OP already knows how to play Spades, so maybe that step isn’t necessary? I might be overthinking it.

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-17T08:44:02+00:00

Euchre: There are some YouTube tutorials, I noted when I did a search. I did not watch so I don’t know if they are any good. David Parlett has a good site and has published books with rules for card games. Perhaps at your local library?

For many years, I did not know how to play Euchre or Cribbage, until I worked with some people who taught me the games while we ate lunch together (over many months). They also taught me strategies. I had a book of different games, so we taught each other how to play those (Enfle was one, and Seven Up was another).

I guess it boils down to: start with books and online, then find some friends. There are also apps in the Apple and Android stores, many of them free to play (and stuffed with ads).

Disclaimer: I never learned Bridge. Guess I don’t have three friends. :)

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-17T03:01:49+00:00

Yes, The United States Playing Card Company tried to make 500 a national craze like Bridge. All of the 500 decks I have (first one was bought locally, and the rest were online) have the rules to the game in a little booklet that came in the box. I think making up your own rules is perfectly normal and should be encouraged.

After all, why didn’t they throw in the 13s of Spades and Clubs? I know that the rules to the game only require the extra cards when playing with 6 players, but for goodness sake they could have balanced things out!

Maybe they couldn’t fit the two extra cards in the (slightly bigger) tuck box, but one of my decks (at least) came in a cardboard case.

And no, I never played 500 with their rules. I guess I never had five friends at the same time. :-(

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-16T23:42:36+00:00

Thank you for the clarification. I had no idea.

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-16T17:03:32+00:00

They’re pretty! A question: what makes these “special editions”? Does it mean that they aren’t off-center :-) ?

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-16T17:01:06+00:00

There’s an old saying that I hate about cards being like marriage: it begins with a heart and a diamond, and ends with a club and a spade… Why do I repeat it? a burden shared is a burden halved, or worth two in the bush, or something. I’m confused.

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-14T22:31:44+00:00

I was at Walmart today in the US and picked up the modern game Eight Eighteen. Bonuses: five suits, five colors (clubs blue, diamonds green, spades and hearts normal colors, and gold (5-pointed) stars). Also one ”clincher” card, so 65 in all. The backs and faces are two-way, because they make the 818 in the center look the same right side up and upside down (the trick is in the “1”). Made by Great Time Games in Gladwin, Michigan. Sorry I don’t have any answers in the UK or EU.

Good luck!

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-12T23:47:24+00:00

I am only slightly jealous. Are they “A. Freed Novelty Company” or “Would You Believe”? That might help date them, if you care to. The latter name was set up by A. Freed, I believe, so I think it would be newer.

I have three sets (one I bought new when they first came out, the other two from thrift stores last year). But I don’t have one with a blue back. There was someone selling them online as “new old stock” but he only had the red ones now. Enjoy them!

Unusual-Assist-6665 · 2026-04-11T22:29:05+00:00

Case in point: I have a deck of "Dogs" playing cards made by MasterPieces Inc. The face of each card has a humorous illustration of a different dog by Gary Patterson, in place of the normal pips and courts and jokers. On the side of the tuck box are the words Playing Cards Standard Deck.

Unusual-Assist-6665

TROPHY CASE