duration of cards
 

Hey guys,

I have some questions about the aging of decks:
-how can you make your deck last for longer and maintain the good handling??
-how can you keep it clean?
-how long can a deck remain fresh??
-where is the best place that I could keep my cards??(should I leave the cellophane on?)
and a random one....
- WHAT'S YOUR TWO FAVOURITE DECKS??(or one...:P)

Thanks a lot!!

Michael :D

Hi Michael.

Let me give you some tips that worked for me when handling a deck of cards:
1) Make sure your hands are clean and dry before you handle a deck of cads. You should use a little bit of soap and wash your hands. However, if you use too much soap, your hands will dry out really fast. This would lead to your hands producing more oil quickly to compensate for the dryness and if you are handling a deck of cards with really dry hands (with no natural oil on it), the sweat will be produced quick and all of it will be absorbed by the deck. So just be careful not to over-soap your hands when washing.
2) When you bend the deck one way, bend it the other way afterwards. This will keep the cards from being kept bent. For example, if you spring the cards, riffle up the cards the other way to keep the deck straight.
3) The deck can last a very long time with proper care and even more so with a little bit of fanning powder. The deck I received from mismag's 23 MISM contest last year was opened around January of this year. It's still perfectly fine. It's the orange deck I've used in my latest videos for both my channels.
4) I'm not sure cellophane really helps, unless you always have drinks near your decks, in which it could protect the deck box ;)
You should leave your decks in a cool dry area, such as in a cabinet. If it's too hot or warm while the room being really moist (some places are like that due to lots of rain), the cards will warp naturally and you will have one of those decks that click if you push the middle part.
5) My favourite deck would have to be... Bicycles! Because that's basically the only brand I use :p BUT when I get my miracles and compass decks, those will be my new favourites! :D

Well, I have some decks that I use for performing, and I have one for practicing. I try not to drop the performer decks, so they stay clean for a long time.
And my two favorite decks are Bicycle Red and Bicycle Blue:D

thanks a lot man!! ;)

-Making your deck last longer and maintain the good handling: try and use your deck in a cool area when you practice, the cooler it is, the less likely for you to start sweating when you use the deck( tho, think of the correct temperature for you as well, since if it's so cold that you're shaking, it's not gonna do much good. will it?)

-Keeping it clean: the first thing to do is never to let the cards drop on the floor, sit on your bed and do whatever you do or something. the second thing is what i heard a while ago, use sanding paper or a flat rough surface( DnD use their jeans, on the thigh part) to rub the edge of the deck after handling, that rubs off most residue of oil and moist that's on the deck, thus keeping it clean.( don't overdo this tho, it will eventually make your deck smaller...)

-how long can a deck remain fresh: well, worse case scenario, where you don't apply any of the advice posted, and you live in a tropical country, a deck will last you about 10 hours of constant handling after leaving the deck( the card will start to soften) and 1 month after that the cards will feel like so flimsy you wouldn't want to use it anymore; or, it will last 2-3 months if you don't only use it 1-2 hours max a day.

-a place to keep cards? i personally put it in a heat resistant box and in a cool room, some collectors put them in a suitcase with foam around it to make an insulation for heat. the cellophane won't affect the deck much, it adds a tiny bit of extra insulation around the bottom part of the deck, but that's it, you can take it off it you want, it doesn't really matter( collectors like to leave it on so it looks nice)

-fav decks: bees and aladins. one of them have really thick stock and stiff finish which i like, and one of them have the plastic coating that preserves the shape of the cards/

Seems la0o9 is truly an expert on playing card maintenance, so I have nothing to add apart from my two favourite decks, which are Bike standards/vintage series and Aristocrat Banknotes

thanks a lot this really helped ;)