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Please excuse my ignorance, pretty new to all this and haven't had any experience with the "Lotrek" phenomena, but why are these cards 70 USD and next, are they worth it?

Thanks <3

I own multiple decks from Lotrek. The art work and craftsmanship of his card decks are (I'd say) among the best in the world. So yes, I believe the price IS worth it.

Why do Lotrek decks cost so much is a good question. Let me see if I can try and answer it from my perspective. First, not all of Lotrek decks are $70. Some are more, his Damask decks sold for $100, but others like his Arabesque Standard decks were about $10 each. So, why does Lotrek charge $70 for this deck (Silk)? This was a small custom run deck with like 350-400 decks of each type printed, so all his costs to design and manufacture the deck is divided among fewer decks. Also, each deck is printed with hot foil on the front and back. This foil design is also his most intricate so far (which is saying something). This involves a complex plate for the foiling to be made. The deck also has regular CMYK or whatever printing (not sure if metallic inks used), so the foil application has to be very precise so that the foil goes in the right space with the printed cards. If it is even slightly off, the whole sheet is wasted. His decks are just custom crafted works of art that cost a lot for him to make. In the case of the Damask deck, he used up to four different foil colors, so each side of paper had to be printed seperately up to four times, with exact registration each time or he ends up with a useless sheet of paper. Lotrek also applies his own varnish for the cards and hand assembled and ships the decks out. Also, worldwide shipping is included in the cost (a significant cost).

Is it worth it? That is up to each buyer. To me, yes. Many others will not pay that much for playing cards.

You ought to watch The Gentleman Wake’s YouTube review of Lotrek’s Arabesque Error deck.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRKlinX-Ttw[url][/url][/youtube]

I have to be honest, I'm not a fan of Arabesque ... please try not to be too devastated, Lotrek!

Ambassador's are nice, Damask got me a bit starry eyed as it was my first* purchase of his, but that's worn off a bit now, and I'm loving the look of Silk so far.

Were it legally possible, I would marry Golden Oath.


* or so I thought, until I realised Grotesk Macabre Inverted Inferno and Signature Edition were his, too. I am not a clever man.

Timmargh wrote:

Bradius wrote:

Only a moron would go for that.

He would only need 50 morons.

Me and another 49.

I'll take 2 decks so it'll need to be 47 more people.

Paying beyond $100 for a deck not on the after market wouldn't pass with many people.

shkorc wrote:Please excuse my ignorance, pretty new to all this and haven't had any experience with the "Lotrek" phenomena, but why are these cards 70 USD and next, are they worth it?

Thanks <3

They're $70 because of the amount of detail that Lotrek puts into his "luxury" decks. His manufacturing processes cost more than the big guys (USPCC, EPCC, Cartamundi) because of the stocks/personal finishes/details. He also often times has to reprint them.

Usually, they're worth the cost. You'll rarely see a deck go for less than 200% MSRP on the aftermarket, so you're paying out the ass if you miss out and decide you want/need one later.

I show the Silk blue variant deck no longer for sale. Last I saw there were about 60 decks still available. I assume any unsold decks will be back up on the website at $80 each. Overall though, it looks like the sale was a huge success. I hope everyone here were able to get the decks they wanted (could afford).

I look forward to getting mine. I can’t wait to here from you all in Europe when you get your decks soon.

Blue Silk tuck box, just in on Facebook page:

Holy Mother of Playing Cards! This is Stunning!

If you were wondering why folks think Lotrek is a big deal and gladly fling $70 a deck at him, this photo of just the tuck should help explain it. As great as this looks, I can't wait to hold the decks in hand.

I may not have picked up a brick, but I did manage a half-brick.

Most of the packages have been sent. There are a few to go out on Monday.
That was massive... Silk+Arabesque Silver+ Grotesk test decks in one shipping. Don't try this at home. [MURRAY]

I am excite. So excite that I can't spell correctly.

So both of the Silk decks are being delivered? As for Arabesque, what about the normal blue+red decks?

Timmargh wrote:I am excite. So excite that I can't spell correctly.

I am also very excite to finally get all this stuff, too.

I'm kind of excited, I guess.

I'm ignited too

Another amazing deck of cards

Thanks for sharing the photo of the cards. They look amazing. Soon...

Bradius wrote:Thanks for sharing the photo of the cards. They look amazing. Soon...

As you know, live, they look even better
I don't know enough, about photography, to be able to do these justice with a photo.

As you know, live, they look even better
I don't know enough, about photography, to be able to do these justice with a photo.

No worries. No photo or video will ever truly capture the amazing work of art that is a Lotrek deck. Seeing the Arabesque deck glittering in the light with my own eyes, was so much more than what TGW could ever do with his great video review. There is no doubt it'll be the same with Silk, IMHO

Reporting back: UK received.

I've done my best with these.... hopefully they've caught 1% of the beauty :

















Somehow Silk and Sanctus tuck designs fit so well together
Yes, I know it's sacrilegious to put Lotrek's decks under direct sunlight.

I don't know about the tuck boxes, but those stamps look gorgeous. Just kidding, the tucks look great too, but the stamps are really pretty as well. I am glad you got one of the last Sanctus decks Lotrek had on sale. I was surprised they lingered so long in his shop. They are a great deck he made. Now you need to...open them!

I WILL, as I always do, and @vasta41 can kill me over, but I got nine lives

As my second post, let me just share those pictures...
I am still under the charm of the Arabesque silver player edition tuckcase (its velvet feel inside), but the wonder of the Silk cards... Pictures can definitely not do them justice...

I got my decks, it'll hold me over until the blue deck arrives.

At 5:00 PM EDT today, some more Blue decks will become available for those who missed or want to add to their order.
The Blue decks will be sent in two batches, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

silk deck arrived today ...was a little worried as it was posted through letterbox, usually means damage....pleased to say there wasnt any. packaging was of the highest level as usual... havent yet opened the silk deck . i did have a look at the silvery blue arabesque players and v. happy, tuck box is great : ) cards are great : ) and the stamps were great too !

Silk and Ambassador Silver arrived today. Absolutely stunning. Neighbor saw all the Greek stamps and said "that's not baklava is it?" I said fancier, custom foiled cards.

The Greek stamps are a major hit in my decks!