Introduced in 1917. Discontinued in 1969. This basket-weave patterned back was probably issued to compete with the Consolidated Card Company’s Bee No. 92 pattern back. A long run for this design, but it must not have been very popular because you don’t see too many Club decks around.
The Club back is distinguished for being initially issued in 1917 in a very odd tuck box, pictured below in the first two images. The box was sealed with a rivet and could only be opened by ripping off the tabs that held the rivet. An interesting idea but it obviously did not catch on. Recently, however, I bought a deck of Club cards with the rivet closure that was dated 1936, based on the tax stamp and dating code on the ace of spades. This deck had been opened. To see what the box looks like opened, see the second image, below.
In 2021, Clay Boulware contacted me and shared the last image, below, from a USPCC wholesale price list dated 1920. Interestingly, this brochure indicates that the patented rivet closure was also offered on the Tri-Plaid back decks. I have never seen a Tri-Plaid deck in this type of box. This method of sealing cards was evidently not used on more than these two Bicycle brand decks, but it continued to be used for at least 19 years on the Club decks.
Also pictured below is a complete brick of Club decks. Finding a mid-century or earlier brick of any Bicycle back design is a very rare occurrence; even if they survive into today’s marketplace there is a good chance that a seller will offer the pristine sealed decks for sale individually as was done a couple of years ago with a brick of League decks. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say I disapprove of this practice, my own inclination is to preserve a complete or even partial brick of decks.
The next image, below, is from a Universal Playing Card Co. catalogue in the collection of a Japanese collector, Kei Izumi. Several of the backs in Universal’s extensive offerings bear a striking resemblance (or are identical) to USPCC back designs. The image below shows their adaptation of the Club Back design, along with some wonderful cards in the “Indicator” style. Also see the Angel, Expert and Nautic pages for more images from this interesting catalogue.
SALES DATA
Below is a photograph of a sealed Club deck (ca. 1940-1965) that sold on eBay for $788 on 10/08/16. According to the listing, this deck was “from the estate of Bruce Cervon. He inherited many decks from Dai Vernon, Senator Clarke Crandall, and other legendary magicians.” This is an extraordinary sum of money for a back design that is not especially desirable, although one would expect to pay a premium for a mint sealed example. I spoke to a fellow collector who knows more than I do about the history of magic and magicians, and he said that in his opinion the provenance does not alone justify the sum paid. Even as we try to quantify the value of our collections, the market fluctuates, sometimes wildly! For another example of the peculiar forces that govern the prices of Bicycle cards, please see the Cyclist No. 2 page.
A red US8e Club deck sold on eBay for $73 on 10/24/16.
A red US8c Club joker sold on eBay for $30 on 3/13/17.
A red US8c Club ace of spades sold on eBay for $19 on 4/22/17.
A MS red US8e Club deck sold on eBay for $235 on 4/30/21.
