I know Ellusionist is marketing one, but I was a little disappointed with them. Does anyone have any suggestions for quickly "aging" a deck of cards? I want to create a routine about how I inherited this strange deck of cards from a relative, and wow, doesn't it do the strangest things....
Chris

Tell you what - the first (and only) time I had to prep a deck for someone else, I was told to take a metal straight edge and "scrape" the card in all directions, front and back - and then leave the deck under something heavy to flatten them back down.

I didn't have a nice straigh edge, so I used a rather sharp and slightly askew metal plate - like what you could put over your light switch on the wall, or over an outlet.

It actually pulled the ink off the cards (these were bikes) and made them look very very old and worn. but they still handled well.

It wasn't quick, but they had a "been lost at sea and locked in a trunk" look about them. I bet if I had colored down the edges they would have looked older..

Just a thought!
(can you tell I'm not a card person?)

If you're really ambitious, you can try putting a deck (spread out and flip-flopped and mixed up terribly) in a clear plastic tub and let it sit in the sun for a few days... shake it up, and let it sit a while longer... then put it in a card press overnight in the freezer in a frost-free plastic baggie.
Again, not fast... but effective.

Have you thought about buying a vintage deck on Ebay and seeing if they can be "revived" (fanning powder, card press, etc.)? Perhaps something with a back design (or faces) that decidedly dates them? This would give you a deck that doesn't look like a worn-out deck of new cards.

Michael has a good idea here. I looked on Ebay under "vintage cards" and found a lot of hits.

I believe Bicycle also released a series of vintage backed cards from years past. They are new, but could be aged, and the unusual backs/fronts might help.

J

Ok kids the aged cards on elusionist are not going to look very aged because they where in fact just made. so you know those cards you have that fell behind the dresser? yeah you know the ones you and your buds played fish with? Guess what! them's the ones to use.
Now if you need period cards email Historic Williamsburg or museum replicas and buy a deck.
Moth describes part of the correct way to prep cards for manipulation. here is the full method.
take a NEW deck of cards of good quality and then do the following to them.
first use a wooden ruler with a metal edge "the kind they sell at the five and dime" and scrape them on both sides in several directions on both sides. this is best done by pulling them past the edge of the ruler pressed against the edge of a table. Tis will roughen the surface of the cards on both the face and the back.
Second take the cards and place them in a plastic bag along with some fanning powder. shake vigorously to coat the cards completely. Then once all the cards are treated, stack the cards into a deck. they will not sit flat at this point. and stack them in a card press. Press the cards for several days untill flat once again.
then you take the cards put of the press you will want to blow through them just to remove eccess powder.
then store in a dry place. your cards are now prepped for manipulation and will perform well for a long time for you.
This method is demonstrated by Jeff McBride on one of his Videos so if you want a Visual get Jeff's tape and follow the instructions of the master.
If you want a paper product to have that pirates of the carribean look use a weak solution black tew and a colth to stain the paper. to create a burnt edge that will not get your fingers black every time you touch them tear the edges then stain them with a strong solution of black tea.

Here is a link to one possible ageing method but they might not handle too well afterwards:

http://www.dragonskull.co.uk/artsandcrafts.htm

Ian

You might have a look in the bizarre magic section, they often age props for their performance.

Thanks everyone for the help!
Chris

I bought a few Parnell Faro decks from http://www.parcards.com

I lightly soaked them in various liquids to learn that coffee worked the best. I then pressed them dry again with a household iron. At this point my wife thought I was totally nuts.

Even then there wasn't enough staining so I went to my local magic supply store (Michael's Craft store) and found some paper antiquing ink in the scrapbooking section. The traditional choice is "walnut ink" but I found it was too brown, so I ended up with a premixed solution called "Antique Linen" that worked beautifully. It came with what looked like an ink pad, so I dabbed each card front, back, and edges with the pad, following up with dabbing each card with a wet paper towel to help the ink spread so it wasn't so blotchy. After another session with the iron, I had some beautifully aged cards that were nearly totally unusable for any modern sleights.


But they sure do look old!

By the time you finished all that work, they WERE old!! LOL

Here in Dixie we try not to under estimate the value of hot days and iced tea.

Soak paper towels in tea. Spread the cards (separately) face down on top of the wet paper towel. Put another paper towel wet with tea on top. Air dry. (Don't use sweetener!) If it's not dark enough, spray the paper towels again.

Don't stack wet cards!

It is also a great way to age treasure maps etc.

Good luck!

Col. Sanders

PS --- Drink the rest of the iced tea and sit and watch the shade move!

Col Sanders has the best "solution" But I thought they only had sweet tea down your way:)

hey I save my time and order from Ellsusionist.com

and YES the yare sucks....at that time The Vinatge 1800 is SOLD OUT so I email, ask for their Notification when The Vintage 1800 will be available again....its been month still no reply

so I go to their site and they already selling them.......

I need the Old Deck...so I order from them anyway....

Try coffee, it stains more...
spray, let it dry under sunlight, then leave it overnight in a porper card clip:)

that's what I did

Thanks for the tips, gents.

Here’s one of two, newer videos I found on this matter:

https://youtu.be/YJy-Ppkt7wI

AtPG

I left a deck and a colored candle in my trunk on accident once. The deck is now beautifully aged as the oils from the candle soaked through the pack in a very random fashion and stained it a lovely old brownish color.

Not completely on topic but I wonder...
why do so many people use the patter: I inhereted this box/deck of cards/wand/... from my grandfather
it seems to me the most cliché, thin storyline you can come up with.
just a thought