Read below to find what others are saying about Richard Turner’s Gold Seal Bicycle Cards. If you’re ready to try the cards, place your order.
Reviews of Gold Seal Bicycle Cards
From Banachek
When a mentalist performs with cards, it is very different than when any magician or magical card worker works with cards. A mentalist must make sure that any moves are not seen or suspected. He should be seen as lacking in skill with the pasteboards. As a result, many mentalists stay away from playing cards, those who do not will welcome the ease with which Richard’s Gold Seal Bicycle cards enable you to perform even the most basic of moves. Any advantage is most welcome. Richard has done us all card workers a service with the Gold Seal Bikes and deserves a huge thank you from all of us.
From Richard Kaufman, editor of Genii Magazine
These are the best Bicycle cards I’ve handled in the last 25 years. I recommend them without hesitation. I can do a Faro Shuffle with any deck, from bottom up or top down, so their ability to Faro is irrelevant to me. Their other qualities are what’s important: they handle beautifully, are not too stiff, and work in well.
Florian Kunne, Germany
Richard,
As for the Gold Seal Bicycle decks – I don’t really know what to say or even how to say it. I am a card fanatic and throughout my career have handled thousands of decks. I own most if not all of the “novelty” decks that have become so popular over the last few years. Your decks are hands down the best decks I have EVER used!!! It is almost as if the decks are performing the moves for me – it is that smooth. Let me thank you for putting in the time and effort to create these masterpieces, I cannot praise them enough!
From Lennart Green
The Gold Seal Bicycles are great .. but I don’t use Faro Shuffle so much, but I find it easier to do this shuffle with your cards. Now that I have got them I will practise more.
From Jon Racherbaumer
The cards just arrived. Wow! These are great; thanks a million. I just added a note to my Website gang. To wit:
Dear Website Members, Happy, creative 2009 to all! Also, check out Richard Turner’s GOLD SEAL Bicycle decks. They are indeed the best available, bar none! You might even be motivated to reexamine the Tabled Faro Riffle Shuffle!
From Allan Ackerman
“Eight out-faros in less than 1 minute – Wow. I did not even have to break them in. The only decks I have been able to do that with are Kem cards and they are about $15 a deck. These are going to be my performance cards.”
From Bill Malone
Hi Everyone,
I hardly ever make posts anywhere, but I’m excited that Richard Turner has finally created what I feel is the best quality Bicycle playing card I’ve had in my hands! They faro almost automatically. All serious card workers will want these. You will never go back to an inferior playing card after handling these cards. They are called “Gold Seal” and can be found on richardturner52. You have to check these out!
From R. Paul Wilson
I just got back from a dinner and I showed them off to some friends. I think they’re terrific. They’re working in very nicely – for me that’s a great thing because I prefer well-worn cards. The card stock and the traditional cut make for a fantastic pack of cards. Alex Conran is very happy with his, and Guy Hollingworth likes the cards a lot, too!
From Whit Haydn
Gold Seal Bicycle Cards handled beautifully right out of the box. I didn’t need to warm them up, and I could do one-handed shuffles face down from a new order deck! Really e nicest handling cards I’ve ever used.
From John Livingston, France
Concerning the Gold Seal Bicycle Cards, I like them very much! They are very strong and flexible, and perfect for faros. Really, I love them! That’s why I ordered several dozen. Gold Seal Bicycle Cards are very flexible. I can use them for many hours, yet they are always perfect and remain slippery. Table faros are easier, and so are in-hand faros. With a usual deck, when it was widely used, fans aren’t perfect. With Gold Seals, fans are very good, because the cards remain slippery. I have the impression that the Gold Seal’s edge is less clean (visually), but in fact the cut is more clear. That’s why, from now, I will use the Gold Seals.
From Floyd Orr
Just cracked open a deck of “gold seal” cards that I received today, and I am a convert. Never have I handled a deck that faros better. Furthermore the flexibility of the cards is outstanding. Many of the newer decks while very attractive in design shuffle like pancakes and take a grip of steel to spring. I am striving for a soft touch and this deck paves the way. It’s unlikely you need endorsements, but I will happily attest to my satisfaction with this product.
From Jason England
Just thought I’d make a post and tell you about a really good new product that I’ve been made aware of. Although I’ve commented favorably on several items in the past, I think this is the first time I’ve ever actually sat down to make a post that was essentially an advertisement for a product that I have nothing to do with!
As many of you know, I’ve collected various types of playing cards for over 20 years, and even maintained a website devoted to different types of cards for some time. The site is no longer public, but my passion for playing cards has never abated.
In recent years, the quality of playing cards coming out of the USPCC in Cincinnati has fluctuated. When the cards are good, they’re very good. Their Bee, Aristocrat casino, vintage Bicycle line, Tally-Ho and the better Bicycle Rider cards have always been of excellent quality. However, their “everyday” Bicycle cards have often suffered from poorly cut edges. And most, if not all of even their better cards have been non-traditionally cut, a process by which the blades go through the back of the card first.
This process creates a deck that is slightly more difficult to riffle shuffle than a deck that has been traditionally cut (where the blade enters the face of the card first). If you have ever attempted a tabled-faro with a non-traditionally cut deck of cards, you know that it can be almost impossible. Turn the deck face up however, and it often faros with ease.
Where is all of this leading? To a new run of Bicycle Rider-back cards produced by the USPCC under the guidance of Richard Turner. Richard has been the “official” paper-tester for the USPCC’s R&D department for many years. I’ve personally seen the letters from the head of R&D while visiting Richard in his home. They send him new batches of cards periodically for him to test and evaluate. Suffice to say, he knows playing cards as well as anyone I’ve ever met.
When Richard decided to produce these new Bikes, he did it using the most exacting standards that USPCC was capable of producing. The cards have been printed on the finest paper available, hand-selected by the folks at USPCC. They have been traditionally cut and they table faro right out of the box with almost no effort at all. The cards are available in both red and blue, and each deck comes complete with two matching Jokers and a blank-faced card that can be used as either a “cut card” or to produce an all blank fan.
The cards are $60 for 2 dozen. That works out to $2.50 per deck. I believe this to be a very fair price considering the quality of the cards.
In short, I recommend these cards to anyone serious about using professional tools. I’ll continue to practice with a variety of different playing cards in various states of wear and tear, but I’ve found my performing cards for the foreseeable future – no doubt about it.
Thanks Richard.
From David Malek
I have always maintained that by using anything other than ordinary cards Bicycle or even Bee that you handicap yourself as a magician. By using one of the new fangled back designs especially if you perform even just a little cannot help but bring suspicion to the cards. Finally my dear friend Richard Turner has decided to help magicians out. He has had Bicycle Cards made up on Bee Casino card stock.
As you know Bee is a casino card and is used for gambling and the cards must hold up to a lot of use without breaking down. All I can tell you is that you have to get a deck of these cards and try them out for yourself. They are slightly more expensive than the regular Bicycles but you’ll save money by having a deck of cards that will last you a long time, keep their shape and become better with use.
What’s even better is that Richard has had the USPCC cut the cards to his specifications. That means the blades that did the cutting did so in such a way that the cards faro on the table and in your hands (face down) like a dream. If you have ever wondered why you cannot do clean tabled faros with cards this is the reason. Richard has solved this problem.
You will immediately notice the difference in the cards, even the packaging is special. The cards come with a gold seal and there is even a gold cellophane strip on the cards, these are the Rolls Royce of Bicycle Cards. Having worked with cards every day of my adult life I can confidently say for practice or performance these cards are the best. Bar None! Buy a few decks and see for yourself, you’ll be glad you did.
In addition, I don’t know how he does it, but if you order 12 decks you get another 12 decks for free. That’s 24 decks for the price of 12. Not a bad deal at all. That’s only $2.50 a deck – there is no way to beat this price for this quality of card.
Send Richard an e-mail and tell him David Malek sent you and he will treat you like a king.
From John P.
First may I say that, unlike some of the reviewers, I did not open up a deck and immediately perform a perfect tabled faro. But that’s because I’m a klutz with cards. I opened up the deck and immediately performed a tabled faro which was only ‘off’ by one card in one place – unprecedented!
Thereafter I actually managed to complete a couple of perfect tabled faros. Instant expertise! I’m not about to do this in front of watchful eyes, but trust me – from someone at my level this is a glowing endorsement.
They’re lovely cards. Feel good and look perfect. The only problem is they’re no use as one-way decks! The bulk bicycles from Sam’s are often printed so off-center that I’ve used them as one-ways!
I’m looking forward to watching the DVD’s. Who knows, I may even develop some expertise…
Many thanks for a great product and excellent service.
From Fabrice Prin, France
I received the cards and they are great! I’ve opened one deck and performed a lot of shuffles, false en true, a lot of cuts, palming etc. and my deck is always in good condition. In fact when I use it, it’s as if I was using a Bee deck.
My friends in France who bought your Gold Seal Bicycle Cards have the same feeling. And the price is unbeatable! The best cards, for a lower price. I will order some more at the end of this month, along with some Bees, too!
From James Mock
Great news, I got the cards last night. I’ve only had a couple of hours to test drive the Gold Seals cards but so far, I like them. They are exactly as advertised. They feel as good as Bee’s but have the Bicycle design on front and back. The finish is good and the stock is stiff. They feel a lot better than those other “premium” cards sold by folks like Ellusionist. The cost per pack is a lot less, too.
They look like normal cards without any red flags that shout “gimmicked deck.” The designs are familiar to everyone who uses Bikes but handle much better. They aren’t suspicious looking so people aren’t looking for any funny business, less chance of my friends asking to exam the deck every 10 seconds. And, unlike those other premium cards, these Gold Seal cards will probably see actual use.
They feel “crisp.” I know when I went through a pack of Aviators, the cards became soft and lost their spring after an hour or so of handling. These, however, even after working with them after two hours still have their “snap.” They hold up better than normal bikes, too. I compared these gold seal cards to normal bikes and, oddly, the normal bikes I have were beginning to feel like Aviators.
I have never done a one-handed Faro shuffle but while practicing with the Gold Seals, I’ve gotten closer than I ever have before; more cards correctly interlaced with each other (and that was without having to break them in by beating them into submission). I also noticed that the double-lifts with the Gold Seal cards feel like triple-lifts with normal bikes. When I first did a double-lift, I had to stop and spread the cards because I was sure I had only two but the thickness felt like three. Wow, this is good stuff; these cards will last a while.
The good thing about the Gold Seals is that I have so much more control over them. Sometimes, when I pinky count the cards, two or three slip by and I lose count. With these gold seal cards, I haven’t had that happen. With more practice, and muscle development, I hope to be able to have better control over more cards than before. Gotta love that!!! I’m thinking if I use these cards to develop the control over the difficult stuff, if I ever have to use ordinary cards again (like a borrowed deck), it’ll be a piece of cake.
While I make no claims to be a card expert, I do like the feel of these cards. I also appreciate the printing of a blank-faced card in every pack. After 52 packs, I won’t have to buy a blank-faced deck.
From Bret Maverick, gambling regulator and longtime playing card enthusiast
Upon review of Jason England’s informative and very well written appraisal of Richard Turner’s Gold Seal Bicycle Cards and the many great responses following it, I noted that there were a few questions remaining that I will attempt to shed light on.
To avoid any confusion or the appearance of partiality up front, please note that I am a friend of Richard’s and was with him when he examined the last ten decks of the dozens of test decks from which he selected the model for his new playing cards.
That being said, I have been employed for the past thirty years by the same governmental regulatory agency in a position relying upon integrity, and my friendship with Mr. Turner in no way influences my endorsement of these cards, or any of his other products that I may, from time to time, recommend. Please note that I have no interest in his business, financially or otherwise, and I will not be compensated for what I am about to write.
If you are willing to accept my caveat, we can get down to business; if you think that my friendship with Richard or his gift of extra cards clouds my ability to remain impartial, close this thread and read another:
As Jason explained, Richard has been a touch analyst for USPCC for many years, a responsibility that neither he, nor USPCC’s Director of Research and Development takes lightly. During the hours that I was privileged to spend with Richard handling the test decks over the course of two days in November, I was truly awestruck by the sensitivity of his gifted hands. I can’t say that was able to discern the minute subtleties as he did, but I did learn a great deal and was able to note the faint distinctions between many of the cards. My “lessons” watching him analyze the cards were enlightening, inspiring and, for one who loves to watch a master cardman at work, nothing short of breathtaking.
Gold Seal Bikes are “traditionally cut” and are slightly thicker than “normal” Bikes, but that’s only one facet of their construction that sets them apart from normal Bikes (or any other card, for that matter). And, if they feel more like a Bee card, that’s because they are Bees!
First of all, Richard selected Bee paper, the finest USPCC stock available and each sheet was hand-selected by a USPCC employee to ensure that it was of the highest quality.
Second, the paper was stamped to the caliper (thickness) that, in Richard’s expert opinion, creates the most flexible, yet durable and long-lasting card available.
Third, Richard selected his favorite embossing pattern and had it stamped to a depth that allows good handling and card separation, yet does not break down the structural integrity of the card, allowing each deck of Gold Seal Bicycle Cards to breathe properly and avoid the “gum-up” often caused by finger moisture, while withstanding hours of card handling pleasure.
Fourth, Richard mandated that the ink penetrate the surfaces of each card to a depth that also plays a significant role in its flexibility.
Last, but certainly not least, Richard hand-tested a number of card finishes from among USPCC’s very best, selecting a durable, yet “soft” and flexible coating that handles moisture well, which also aids in reducing “gum-up”. (Interestingly, Richard often licks one or more of his fingertips when testing cards, to determine how well they react to moisture – those that hang-up receive low scores on his ranking scale of one-to-ten.)
For those of you have liked the feel of Richard Turner’s souvenir Gamblers Playing Cards, the Gold Seal Bikes are made to the same specifications and, having worked with both products I assure you that if you liked the feel and handling of the Gamblers Cards, you will be just as pleased with the Gold Seal Bikes.
