Bee Erdnase (Cambric Finish) Deck by: The Conjuring Arts

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Bee Erdnase (Ivory Finish) Deck by: The Conjuring Arts Research Center


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Where to buy:
Secondary Market
Price: $8.00 / deck(at the time of the review)

For more information about my reviewing methods and a list of other reviews: https://www.penguinmagic.com/discuss...?f=10&t=156760
If you are interested in my Buyers guide
check out this link:
http://forums.theory11.com/showthread.p

Video Review Suppliment for "Ivory Finish" Deck(no vid yet for Cambric):

SWE Deck review Video Suppliment on Vimeo

Initial Impressions:

Another good deck that looks great and pays homage to the book (Expert at the Card Table) that inspired the legend (Dai Vernon) that has inspired the last three to four generations of close-up magicians. The “Erdnase” deck comes on a stock and with finish options that will likely appeal to a wider range of magicians than the “Expert At The Card Table” Decks did but I don’t foresee it reaching the “cult” status that those cards reached.


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The Look:

One of the coolest back designs ever concocted. The original run came in a borderless design though the ones I am reviewing(Ivory and Cambric finishes) come with a white border. The back is the same green as the original “Expert At The Card Table” book and instead of the usual Bee diamonds the background is filled up with miniature images of hands performing various techniques found in the book. [The hand images are pretty small so I can’t guarantee you the accuracy of this but it appears that the images are: Fig. 18- Indicating cut location from a crimp. Fig. 25- Bottom deal. Fig. 32- Stock Shuffle. And Fig. 44- Bottom Palm when cards are riffled. ] In the dead center of the back is a circle with four crossed acorn images set in a flower pattern. Jutting out from the small acorn circle are two larger circles that have a 1902 at the top and have a fancy SWE scrolled in the center. The Ace of Spades is a standard Bee tax stamp. The Jokers have sketch art of a man sitting at a card table, his back turned, and two aces can be seen on the table. The court cards are the “large image” court cards that many have seen on the Arrco decks. Though I don’t see anything unusual about the queens or jacks it is obvious that the kings all represent someone who had a hand in this deck. Those familiar with the split spade decks will recognize David Blaine on the King of Spades. I am fairly certain that Guy Hollingsworth’s profile view is used for the King of Diamonds. The King of Harts and the King of Clubs are definitely other magicians as well, at least different from standard artwork. I think Bill Kalush is the King of Hearts but I have no idea about the King of Clubs.


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Card Construction:

These decks are printed on the Bee Casino Grade stock. This is a thicker and stiffer stock than the standard Bee stock. Indeed it is reminiscent of the UV500 stock. There are two specific versions of the Erdnase cards. They come in standard Cambric pressed stock and in a smooth Ivory Stock. The Cambric will likely appeal to those who loved the now deceased UV500 stock and the Ivory might appeal to those who miss the Steamboat stock(though it is a much thicker card.) The Ivory finish cards will also have a stiffer feel to them than the Cambric. On the initial OOB measurements both the Cambric and Ivory versions were about 15.5 mm thick, about the same as Bicycle 808 stock, though I can say from experience(this review being written up about a week and a half into the Ivory longevity review) that the Ivory stock seems to swell quite a bit.

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Handling(Cambric)
With the Cambric finish this deck will feel a bit more familiar to most of you.

Fanning: OOB: 8.5
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
With the USPCC cambric surface and finish, everything fans better, even a stiffer, thicker stock like the Bee casino grade.


Spring Energy: OOB: 8
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
This stock won’t feel as stiff and springy as the smooth Ivory version but it will still appeal to those who want a deck on the stiff side.

Dribble: OOB: 8
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
Not as good at dribbles as most USPCC decks but it is still above average.

Crimp Hold/Recovery: OOB: 6
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
Just like the Ivory Erdnase cards these seem bend a little easier and not recover as well as a standard 808.

Single Card Glides: OOB: 8
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
A little above average in single card glides. Bottom card glides feel very secure an top card glides should be about the same as a Bike 808.

2+ Card Obfuscations: OOB: 7.5
1st Week: TBD
2nd Week: TBD
3rd Week: TBD
4th Week: TBD
The extra slipperiness of the cards make these perform less securely on most 2+Os than the Ivory version of the Erdnase cards but it will perform better than the bike 808.

Gaff construction and availability: None that I know of
XCM Flourishing: Just as good as a bike 808. The added stiffness may give you an edge for multi packet cuts.

Who Should Buy?: Fans of Erdnase, supporters of the Conjuring Arts Research Center, and People who love the Bee Casino Grade stock,.

Who should not buy:

Final thoughts:

The longevity review might shake out some more pros and cons to this deck but so far only one point really stands out. The Bee casino Grade stock is a thicker stiffer stock than what most people are used to in a Bee. My guess is that the stock is intended to stand up to the abuse of shuffling machines and card shoes. The standard Bee stock and it’s brother(or twin the Aristocrat stock are meant to shuffle and handle well for croupier style card handling. What does this mean for us? It is a point of style and preference. I prefer the stiffer thicker stuff for aerial flourishes and packet cuts as well as flourishy and knuckle busting walk around magic. I prefer the softer stuff for table faros, riffle stacking, bottom dealing, and other gambling and table magic. I’m obviously not alone in this preference(Lee Asher and Fournier vs. Richard Turner and his Gold seal series on the Bee stock). My only real complaint therefore would be the incongruity with the “theme” of the deck with the stock selection. This deck could be a great card for a generalist or someone with a flashy in hands style but it is kind of mediocre for table magic. So it is really not a big deal but I personally think of table magic and gambling demos when I think of Erdnase. For this reason alone I strongly doubt that this deck will be any serious challenge to the “Expert at The Card Table” decks sold at Dan and Dave’s website. If you can get past that hang up, which admittedly is a huge and unreasonable sticking point for me, I think you could really come to like thise deck. Especially if you are already a fan of some of the other cards that have been released on the Casino grade stock(Wynns for example.) One way or the other there are very few cards on the market that looks as down right cool as the Erdnase cards from Conjuring Arts.