Card Care
Before Use
Always make sure your hands are clean and dry before handling the cards. It’s always good to dry your hands first if you have excessive sweaty palms. Wash your hands after meals. You do not want to have your cards smelling like McDonald’s french fries. After washing your hands, your hands must be completely dry before use. There is a layer of ‘varnish’ protecting each individual cards, which will deteriorate when in contact with moisture. That means, never attempt to clean the cards with water! You may gently wipe off dirt with a tissue paper.
After Use
Always place the cards back into the box after use. Keep the deck away from direct sunlight.
Fanning Powder can be used on worn-out decks. Do not use excessively. Place a piece of paper underneath the cards, so that excess powder can be reused. Never use baby powder on cards; likewise, do not use Fanning powder on babies. They are of different ingredients.
A Card Clip should be used on your frequently-used decks. Cards warp due to high levels of humidity. Especially in Singapore, cards do warp more easily. Card clips will lengthen the life of your cards and flatten the cards after each use.
Joe Porper clips are a tad expensive, but it is the reason why card clips exist. Joe Porper is a magician who invented the card clips, so if you see other card clips in the market, you know they are just a cheap knockoffs that won’t benefit your cards.
Collection Care
Control the moisture
Store your collection in a dry, cool, well-ventilated storage area, as humidity and heat will speed up deterioration. You can use a Dry Box for your collection, or ziplock bags individually. The ziplock bag should measures 3.5” x 4.5” inches. It will be most preferred to store your collection in a closed environment: drawers, cabinets, boxes, etc.
Cards Trivia
Texture
Smooth/Ivory – no embossing pattern, found on Aladdins and Aviators.
Card Finish
Bicycle Air-cushion
Bee Cambric
Tally Ho Linoid
Linen
Magic finish
Performance coating [Ellusionist]
Card Stock
Aristocrat
Bee Standard stock
Bee Casino Grade Stock – thicker, last longer. Ellusionist
Card Quality
Q1 – The highest grade available. Given by its printing and finishing. Most favourite brands like Ellusionist, Theory 11 and Dan & Dave use Q1 for their decks.
Q2 – Similar to Q1, however more bad decks can be spotted.
Q3 – Personalized Cards offered by USPCC. They are not as good as Q1 and Q2.
Printing Press
Sheet Fed Press – small runs, quality not a concern
Web Press – Large runs, better quality
The above information is for your reference only. It does not reflect the current status and things that could change at the USPCC.
