What is Carat Case Creations?
The playing card industry has exploded over the last decade, especially with constantly improving technology, and the arrival of crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter. Software gives creative designers the ability to produce high quality custom decks on their own computers, to partner with printing companies that can produce these decks at a high quality and in large numbers, and to connect with consumers that will provide the financial backing and market to make it all worthwhile and possible.
As a result of this, the playing card marketplace is thriving today like never before. Big-name publishers like USPCC and Cartamundi are booming, and there is a growing number of independent playing card manufacturers emerging that are producing high quality cards out of countries like Taiwan. Internet forums see high amounts of regular traffic from enthusiastic collectors, and the secondary market continues to do well. The number of online retailers specializing in custom playing cards continues to grow as well. The result is that we have a very lively industry that provides us with everything that modern collectors need. Surely all the pieces of the puzzle are solidly in place: designers, printers, and retailers, alongside reviewers and writers that cover the latest and greatest products.
Or are they? In my view there is one important gap in this market, which is begging to be filled. And that is: attractive and affordable ways to display your collection. What products are there for collectors to protect an individual deck, or more importantly, to show off part of their collection? This is a much smaller niche, and while there are some products on the market already that fit into this category, there's not a lot of them. Part of the problem is that any kind of storage unit is going to take up more space than a deck of cards, and so shipping costs quickly start becoming a bigger factor. But even so, there's a need here, just waiting for an enterprising creator to step into the gap, and take advantage of it.
That enterprising creator is Sherman Tsao. An enthusiastic and passionate collector himself, Sherman is the man behind Carat Case Creations. Under this brand, he produces the famous Carat Cases that many of us have already come to know and love in recent years, as one of the very best ways to showcase the favourite decks from our collection. We were able to arrange an interview with Sherman to find out more about the man himself, about his carat cases, and about his company.
The Interview
General background
For those who don't know anything about you, what can you tell us about what you contribute to the playing card industry?
I have been collecting cards for over 5 years and during this time, I have had the pleasure to meet and work with most of the top artists in the modern playing card community as well as get to know some of the most knowledgeable people in regards to vintage playing cards, which gives me a different insight than most.
Therefore, I believe that I contribute to the community in various ways, including:
(1) filling a gap/need in the market by providing quality products that allow collectors to protect and display their valued collection at a reasonable price so that the average card collector can afford and utilize them.
(2) providing knowledge about playing cards (history, odd bits of info, value, etc) through my Instagram posts, various forums and via personal discussions.
(3) supporting and giving back to the community by donating my products for events (various CardCons and similar events) and organizations (Magic Beyond Borders) as well as supporting various giveaways.
What can you tell us about yourself and your own background and expertise?
I graduated University with a Bachelors in Business Logistics (which I believe is called Supply Chain Management today). I worked for the oil industry in the US briefly (2 yrs) before moving to Asia to work in pharmaceutical distribution initially (5 yrs), and finally ending up in pharmaceutical informatics (20+ yrs).
What you do for a day job, and/or what are some of your other interests besides playing card related products?
I work for a Chinese company that develops and distributes clinical information on pharmaceuticals to hospitals, clinics and pharmacies as well as to governmental agencies. This information is embedded into their systems and allows them to screen patients' profiles to identify potential medication errors or complications, as well as provide referential information on drugs when needed.
What involvement and experience with playing cards did you have before you started Carat Case Creations?
Playing card games (i.e. Poker, Gin, Rummy, Bridge and Euchre) and gambling in Atlantic City and Vegas. I had been collecting cards for a little over a year before Carat Case Creations came into fruition.
How did you begin having an interest in playing cards?
I have always liked playing card games, but always with a standard Bicycle Rider Back or whatever souvenir/airline deck that was available. It was in late 2013 when I started to notice various well designed playing cards on Kickstarter and began to back a few projects.
The first project that caught my eye and which I backed was the Bicycle Emperor Playing Cards by Joanne Lin. I regret backing for only two red standard decks... of course, now I have multiple copies of both decks, though at a cost. The next deck that caught my eye was the Edgy Bros Bicycle Dia De Los Muertos and I backed it immediately as well.
But I think the deck that sent me down the rabbit hole was Lotrek's Icons Imperial. When I first saw the price of one deck (US$80), my first thought was 'What deck is worth US$80?', but as I read the description and learned more about Lotrek, I was more and more intrigued. I was so intrigued that by the end of the campaign, I had backed the highest tier. After that, I had to have more, and started acquiring more - a lot more.
Carat Case Creations
When did you start Carat Case Creations, and how did this come about?
After collecting for about a year and amassing a number of expensive decks, I started to look for ways to store, protect and display my decks, but the lowest price for a playing card deck display was US$50 for a single deck. Being based in China, I decided to look around to see whether there were any factories that I could work with to develop cases for my own use and after reviewing a bunch of different acrylics manufacturers, I selected one to work with on my design. The minimum order quantity was quite high, but I figured I could use a good portion of the cases for my collection as well as try to sell the extras in the card collecting forum that I belonged to, United Cardists.
To my pleasant surprise, I sold out of over 500 extra cases that I had in less than a week. At that point, I realized that there was a need in the market and thus decided to improve upon the design a little (bevelled edges and rounded corners) as well as develop newer models to accommodate displaying multi-decks. Over the years, I just kept developing new cases as well as started to branch off into different mediums other than just acrylic (PET, Cardboard and now Wood).
What was your initial vision for the company, and how has that changed over time?
To be honest, I never really had a vision for the company as I didn't think of it as a business at the start and still I don't really treat it as one now. It is a side business that I run during my free time and I will continue to run it this way as long as it is fun and profitable. At the moment, I don't make much off of sales as I try to keep retail prices as low as possible while allowing resellers to have a good portion of the profits ... unfortunately, shipping is one of the biggest costs of the equation.
Besides yourself, how many people are involved with Carat Case Creations, and what role do they play?
Carat Case Creations is a one man operation, unless you want to count my son, who helps me out on occasion whenever I have to sort out issues with a particular production run or project.
The playing card industry has exploded over the last decade, especially with constantly improving technology, and the arrival of crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter. Software gives creative designers the ability to produce high quality custom decks on their own computers, to partner with printing companies that can produce these decks at a high quality and in large numbers, and to connect with consumers that will provide the financial backing and market to make it all worthwhile and possible.
As a result of this, the playing card marketplace is thriving today like never before. Big-name publishers like USPCC and Cartamundi are booming, and there is a growing number of independent playing card manufacturers emerging that are producing high quality cards out of countries like Taiwan. Internet forums see high amounts of regular traffic from enthusiastic collectors, and the secondary market continues to do well. The number of online retailers specializing in custom playing cards continues to grow as well. The result is that we have a very lively industry that provides us with everything that modern collectors need. Surely all the pieces of the puzzle are solidly in place: designers, printers, and retailers, alongside reviewers and writers that cover the latest and greatest products.
Or are they? In my view there is one important gap in this market, which is begging to be filled. And that is: attractive and affordable ways to display your collection. What products are there for collectors to protect an individual deck, or more importantly, to show off part of their collection? This is a much smaller niche, and while there are some products on the market already that fit into this category, there's not a lot of them. Part of the problem is that any kind of storage unit is going to take up more space than a deck of cards, and so shipping costs quickly start becoming a bigger factor. But even so, there's a need here, just waiting for an enterprising creator to step into the gap, and take advantage of it.
That enterprising creator is Sherman Tsao. An enthusiastic and passionate collector himself, Sherman is the man behind Carat Case Creations. Under this brand, he produces the famous Carat Cases that many of us have already come to know and love in recent years, as one of the very best ways to showcase the favourite decks from our collection. We were able to arrange an interview with Sherman to find out more about the man himself, about his carat cases, and about his company.
The Interview
General background
For those who don't know anything about you, what can you tell us about what you contribute to the playing card industry?
I have been collecting cards for over 5 years and during this time, I have had the pleasure to meet and work with most of the top artists in the modern playing card community as well as get to know some of the most knowledgeable people in regards to vintage playing cards, which gives me a different insight than most.
Therefore, I believe that I contribute to the community in various ways, including:
(1) filling a gap/need in the market by providing quality products that allow collectors to protect and display their valued collection at a reasonable price so that the average card collector can afford and utilize them.
(2) providing knowledge about playing cards (history, odd bits of info, value, etc) through my Instagram posts, various forums and via personal discussions.
(3) supporting and giving back to the community by donating my products for events (various CardCons and similar events) and organizations (Magic Beyond Borders) as well as supporting various giveaways.
What can you tell us about yourself and your own background and expertise?
I graduated University with a Bachelors in Business Logistics (which I believe is called Supply Chain Management today). I worked for the oil industry in the US briefly (2 yrs) before moving to Asia to work in pharmaceutical distribution initially (5 yrs), and finally ending up in pharmaceutical informatics (20+ yrs).
What you do for a day job, and/or what are some of your other interests besides playing card related products?
I work for a Chinese company that develops and distributes clinical information on pharmaceuticals to hospitals, clinics and pharmacies as well as to governmental agencies. This information is embedded into their systems and allows them to screen patients' profiles to identify potential medication errors or complications, as well as provide referential information on drugs when needed.
What involvement and experience with playing cards did you have before you started Carat Case Creations?
Playing card games (i.e. Poker, Gin, Rummy, Bridge and Euchre) and gambling in Atlantic City and Vegas. I had been collecting cards for a little over a year before Carat Case Creations came into fruition.
How did you begin having an interest in playing cards?
I have always liked playing card games, but always with a standard Bicycle Rider Back or whatever souvenir/airline deck that was available. It was in late 2013 when I started to notice various well designed playing cards on Kickstarter and began to back a few projects.
The first project that caught my eye and which I backed was the Bicycle Emperor Playing Cards by Joanne Lin. I regret backing for only two red standard decks... of course, now I have multiple copies of both decks, though at a cost. The next deck that caught my eye was the Edgy Bros Bicycle Dia De Los Muertos and I backed it immediately as well.
But I think the deck that sent me down the rabbit hole was Lotrek's Icons Imperial. When I first saw the price of one deck (US$80), my first thought was 'What deck is worth US$80?', but as I read the description and learned more about Lotrek, I was more and more intrigued. I was so intrigued that by the end of the campaign, I had backed the highest tier. After that, I had to have more, and started acquiring more - a lot more.
Carat Case Creations
When did you start Carat Case Creations, and how did this come about?
After collecting for about a year and amassing a number of expensive decks, I started to look for ways to store, protect and display my decks, but the lowest price for a playing card deck display was US$50 for a single deck. Being based in China, I decided to look around to see whether there were any factories that I could work with to develop cases for my own use and after reviewing a bunch of different acrylics manufacturers, I selected one to work with on my design. The minimum order quantity was quite high, but I figured I could use a good portion of the cases for my collection as well as try to sell the extras in the card collecting forum that I belonged to, United Cardists.
To my pleasant surprise, I sold out of over 500 extra cases that I had in less than a week. At that point, I realized that there was a need in the market and thus decided to improve upon the design a little (bevelled edges and rounded corners) as well as develop newer models to accommodate displaying multi-decks. Over the years, I just kept developing new cases as well as started to branch off into different mediums other than just acrylic (PET, Cardboard and now Wood).
What was your initial vision for the company, and how has that changed over time?
To be honest, I never really had a vision for the company as I didn't think of it as a business at the start and still I don't really treat it as one now. It is a side business that I run during my free time and I will continue to run it this way as long as it is fun and profitable. At the moment, I don't make much off of sales as I try to keep retail prices as low as possible while allowing resellers to have a good portion of the profits ... unfortunately, shipping is one of the biggest costs of the equation.
Besides yourself, how many people are involved with Carat Case Creations, and what role do they play?
Carat Case Creations is a one man operation, unless you want to count my son, who helps me out on occasion whenever I have to sort out issues with a particular production run or project.
