Erdnase Smith Back No. 2 Review

S.G

Feb 9, 2010
664
1
Erdnase Smith Back No. 2 Review: Ivory and Cambric

Hello everyone,

First of all, I would like to extend my apologies to Mr. Ricky Smith because he sent me these decks for review and I haven’t put up a review until today. Sorry about that Ricky!

Also, I am going to be reviewing both types of these decks and will be doing that in two separate parts. The reviews will be in the style of my other ones.

Enjoy!

Where to Buy: DnD is still selling them at $4.00 a pack. I think you can get Ivory by request as it doesn't show an option for it.

http://store.dananddave.com/erdnase-smith-back-2-playing-cards.html


Ivory:

Box: The boxes of the two are obviously the exact same except for one of them says “Ivory” on the top of the flap while the other says Cambric. The box is basically the box of a club special Bee deck but it has the characters “1902” above the words “Club Special” and the word “Erdnase” below the words “Playing Cards”. The back of the box says “Smith Back, Extra Selected For Club Special” underneath the little rectangle showing the back of the playing cards. One of the sides of the box says “Made in the U.S.A.” and the other side says “M.D. Smith Back No.2 Club Special.” And the bottom has the Jarden Corporation details and it also says “Card Back Designed by G.W.R. Hollingworth for The Conjuring Arts Research Center”. To tell you the truth, there isn’t really anything special about this box. It is just a modified Bee Club Special Box.


Extra Cards that you receive: These cards are actually really cool. One is a card that says “Ask Alexander” and it seems like an ad card. I don’t really know the purpose of it but, whatever. Another card talks about the book Expert at the Card Table and how back in 1902, they used worm backs which is what this deck is based off of. It also says some more things but nothing that is excessively important.


Jokers: These cards are probably some of the coolest cards in the deck. They are, who I assume to be, Erdnase sitting at a poker table. He is sitting with his back towards the one handling the deck. The top says “The Joker” and the bottom says “The Expert at the Card Table.” The interesting things are the reveals that are built into the jokers. The cards on the table in-front of Erdnase are different. On one joker, they are an Ace of Spades and an Ace of Diamonds and on the other, they are the Four of Spades and the Ten of Hearts. They will probably come in use if you guys use the reveals in decks. Have fun coming up with fun stuff with that!


Look of the Cards: The look of the cards is rather unique. The back seems to be another confusing design at first glance, but when you look closer, it is rather interesting. It is hundreds of hands that are in positions that are in EATCT. The design confuses the eye but it blends in really well. Good for gambling demonstrations I would think. The backs are not centered very well though. It is hard to tell because the entire card is white but if you pay attention it is visible. Not that big of a deal though so no complaints. The non-court cards are in an older style. The numbers are smaller and the shapes are more rounded. The Ace of Spades is a normal Bee Ace of Spades. Nothing special about it. The court cards are centered around the old style court cards. The faces probably represent someone but I can’t think of who for most of them.


Stock: Here is where the differences start to come in. The stock on the Ivory deck seems quite a bit thinner than the Cambric deck. The stock is stiff and has a nice pop to it. Smooth finish decks always seem to have a stiffer stock than other decks. This deck is no exception. The only problem that I have encountered with this stock is that it crimps easily. When I shuffle them or spring them, the crimps that result are rather difficult to get out. This deck is much better for shuffles that are on a table. But all in all, I would not recommend this deck to people that love to do riffle shuffles.


Flourishing: This deck is very much directed towards flourishers that love packet cuts. The fanning in this deck is not very good and clumps easily but the packet cuts are very good. The cards smooth finish is somehow...smoothER than the Aladdins. It is a weird feeling but when you so moves where the cards slide against each other, they just feel so smooth and they feel great. Definitely recommended for flourishers.


Magic: I don’t have much experience in magic so I don’t know how much weight my claims hold but I’ll try to do my best. These cards are not good for magic. They hold together well in things like doubles but when you try and o things like passes, they tend to be harder to handle. Again, this might be because I suck at passes. Either way, it is not a feeling that I can describe. I was working on some things from Drawing Room Deceptions, and the moves of concealment were rather difficult. It was really hard to do his “Waving the Aces” routine because the cards kept slipping. I think the difficulty would still be there for gambling sleights as well.


Overall, this deck is very recommended for flourishers but not so much for magicians. I am sure that you capable magicians could make this deck work but I don’t have too much experience. Either way, pick one up and see how you like it!

Continued in Next Post:
 

S.G

Feb 9, 2010
664
1
Cambric:

Now I am not going to describe the looks and the box again because, like I said, they are exactly the same besides the top of the box.

So let’s get started.

Stock: This deck is thicker than the Ivory but is also less stiff. The softer stock is just like any other Bee deck though. This deck is very much like normal club specials but another plus is the awesome back design.


Flourishing: This deck is for the more rounded flourisher. It is good for fanning and it also holds together fairly well. Bee decks are great for fanning and this deck is too. The white ink also seems to make the cards seem lighter. I am sure that if you weighed the deck, the difference is very minimal, it is a psychological feeling. At least for me. Get this deck if you like fanning but you still do packet cuts.


Magic: This is a great deck for magic. The cards stick together very well for doubles and are good for spreads. This deck is also very good for palms and everything that a normal Bee deck is good for. Gambling sleights and on the table shuffles are great and they feel great too.


Sorry for the short review on Cambric but it is exactly the same as a normal Bee deck.

These cards are great and at $4.00 a deck, why in the world would you not buy some? Give them both a try and repond to this thread about what you think!

Ask me about any other questions that you have on this thread.

Hope you enjoyed the reviews and thanks again to Ricky!
 
Jan 11, 2011
150
0
I don't really like this deck a lot.

If you have Genesis volume 2, the Card in Fan Recovery and the Card in Fan will ruin your cards.

A lot.

And don't do Faros with them. The corners of the cards are very weak.
 
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