A nice thing about specializing your collection in a smaller area is the helpfulness and comradery amongst collectors. I have often found more experienced collectors in my area to be more than willing to often good advice or engage in trades when there was something I really wanted. At one point, years ago, I was asking around about one thing or another. During my search, Scott Harmon suggested that patience often pays off, getting a better deal or a chip in better shape. Of course, it’s good to know when you are getting a truly unusual offer when it’s better to just get what you can while the chip is still available, but in most cases, Scott was exactly right.

Well, in 2004 or 2005, I saw a deck of cards from the King International Casino in Aruba come up for auction on ebay. I bid on the deck, but it ended up going for $12, which was more than I was willing to pay for a deck of cards from Aruba. I had never seen one go for more than $8 before that one. I figured I should be patient. Four or five months later, another King International deck came up for sale on ebay. The logo was similar, but not the same. The cards were not in great shape and had no box or jokers. The seller had a story about getting the cards, claimed they were the only deck to be let go by the casino and had a buy it now price of $95. I wrote to the seller, explained that Aruba cards never sold for much, and certainly not that much. I told him that $12 was the most I had seen and that deck of King International cards was in great condition, had joker and was in the original box. I offered to match the price, though. My offer was rejected. He wasn’t nasty, but not especially kind either. I wrote him again and told him if his deck didn’t sell, which I believed it wouldn’t, to contact me. Time after time, he relisted the deck for the same amount, $95. Once, probably by error, he listed it for $59. Of course, even at that greatly discounted price, it didn’t sell.

Later, the deck was still being offered, the US economy was tanking, collectors were running from most collecting hobbies (ours too, as we all know) and Aruba casino decks were starting to go unsold. Most decks I bought were at the original offer price. No one was bidding on them but me. What did the seller do, he bumped his price up to $125 and two months later to $150. I wrote to him in disbelief. He couldn’t sell at $95 or even $59, the economy was tanking, collectibles were in the tank and he was raising his price 50%. I extended my $12 offer again, but he never responded.

About a year ago, he dropped his price back to the $95 level. A few months ago, he lowered it further to $75, but still WAY too much. Anyway, one morning, I check ebay and there is a buy-it-now for the same King International deck of cards, different seller, but this seller wants…$12. Well, $12, when shipping is added in. And did I mention it’s for 4 decks, not one? And the decks looked unused (still no boxes and probably no jokers). I suspect I will give my friend a final message and tell him he should have taken my offer while he could.

Today they arrived, with one missing Ace of Spades (of course), but I’m still really happy with them. Great shape, even if no boxes or jokers. The blue code on the ace tells me that they were made in 1976 (the King International was only open from 1972 to 1985, so it couldn’t be any other date on the USPC date chart). The seller told me they were from 1977, which makes sense, since sale/giveaway date is often the year after the manufacture date.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that Scott was right. Patience pays off. Thanks for the advice, Scott. And thank you to SandsLV for turning down my offers and providing me with a decade of entertainment.

Michael Siskin