In this episode, we dive into the world of Bicycle’s slightly less famous cousin, the
age-less Tally-Ho playing cards, including looks at a faithful reproduction, a modern
built-for-cardistry take on a classic, and a beautiful interpretation of the brand from
one of my favorite designers and artist.
Plus, we announce the winner of the White Regalia deck and more!
Coming up next!
[Music]
If you’re watching this than the likelihood is you know the Bicycle brand of cards pretty
well.
It’s by far the most famous brand name, not just in the stable of brands owned and
distributed by the United States Playing Card Co., but in all the world.
The first Bicycle deck of playing cards was introduced in 1885.
But in that same year, another company, one run by a man by the name of Andrew Dougherty,
introduced another brand that’s stood the test of time, the Tally-Ho Playing Cards.
A few years later, the USPCC bought up Dougherty’s brand and instead of eliminating the competition
they merely added to the stable.
Over the years the Tally-Ho name and the designs associated with it have been re-issued, reinterpreted
and reimagined and we’ve seen many different decks built for very different purposes hit
the market; in this episode we’re gonna look at some of the best and most popular
recent examples of Tally-Ho Playing Cards; the 1885 restoration by Michael Scott, the
Cardistry-Con Hong Kong 2018 deck, and the Olive Edition from Kings Wild Project.
In fact, I’ll be giving away one of each of these amazing decks in a super giveaway
you are NOT gonna want to miss, so make sure to stay all the way to the end for that.
This is going to be a great episode!
For those of you who are new, I’m the Gentleman Wake and this is the go-to channel for the
playing card enthusiast.
Whether you are a cardist, a magician, a gamer or a collector, this episode is for you and
we hope you’ll consider subscribing if you haven’t already.
First up, let’s set the stage by looking at what the world considers to be a standard
Tally-Ho deck.
These are the Tally-Ho no.
9 decks in the traditional red and blue editions.
The Tuck boxes still feature Andrew Dougherty’s name plus a mention of the famous Linoid Finish.
More on that in a bit.
Aside from the choice in color, the no.
9’s come with two distinct card backs which have come to be known as the fan backs, so
called because of the small hand-fan like shapes seen throughout the design, and the
circle back, which of course features a large circle design.
Both designs are available in blue and red.
The cards faces themselves are bicycle standard--pips, indices, layout and courts.
The jokers feature a British gentleman fox-hunter in yellow riding pants and red coat, exclaiming
Tally-Ho!
The term Tally-Ho originates as a call-out used by hunters upon the sighting of their
prey, usually foxes.
It’s an conceptual choice that’s not too dissimilar to how Bicycle’s or Bee’s came
to be featured by other brands.
But although the name has been around since the beginning, the original Tally-Ho decks
produced by Dougherty in New York city, then only 21 years old, featured a unique design
that’s worth looking at.
This is the 2018 reproduction of the original Tally-Ho no.
9 playing cards produced in 1885.
Originally funded as a modest kickstarter campaign, this reproduction is by Michael
Scott, who has made a name for himself reproducing a slew of original decks like the triplicate
decks and the murphy’s varnish decks.
Original available in a limited, original and standard versions, which is the own seen
here.
The standard tuck box features brown ink on white glossy cardstock.
The front of the tuck has evidently not changed much since their inception The sides give
the address of the original factory.
The back of the tuck includes more branding and a circular trade mark design that features
a circle of cards fanned out around a spade pip.
The box is held shut by a vintage tax stamp seal.
Opening the box reveals that the card-backs do not feature a white poker border, instead
the backs show off a full edge bleed tan color contrasted with brown ink floral scroll work.
The design is intricate and busy but definitely vintage feeling and very different from the
modern circle and fan backs.
One hold over from this original deck that’s successfully made the transition to the modern
day is the circular floral design found on the sides, which is the same as the ones found
on the ends of the circle backs.
The faces themselves feature vintage feeling pips and indices.
The courts are the more crude, antique looking ancestors to the modern day standards down
to the traditional implements and poses.
The jolly jokers are not the fox-hunters we’ve come to know.
They feature a circle in the index.
The ace of spades is big and ornate and features the original ad copy.
The deck handles wonderfully--despite the reproduced artwork, these are of course modern
cards made to today’s exacting standards.
They are great for gameplay, built for collectors.
The included double backer gives them some magic utility and cardistry looks pretty good
too.
If it’s cardistry you’re after then this next version of the Tally-Ho’s is for you.
The Cardistry-Con Hong Kong 2018 deck and we’ll get to that deck in a second.
Before we do if you want to support this channel please visit the Gentleman Wake patreon page
to learn how you can help improve the content we provide.
The Tally-Ho linoid finish--I promised I’d talk about this a bit earlier--is quite popular
among cardists.
Whilst the slippery air-cushioned finish of Bicycle Rider-backs makes for easy fanning
and springs, the linoid finish, which features an additional chemical layer designed to increase
the longevity of the Tally-ho deck, lends itself well to packet cuts and maneuvers that
require a bit of ‘magnetism’ in the cards.
Don’t be fooled though, because the modern linoid finish decks fan and spring just as
well as any Bicycle decks.
The popularity of the Tally-Ho brand for cardistry has led the USPCC to dedicate some time and
energy to designing a deck of Tally-ho’s built for flourishing and what better place
to premiere the deck than at a convention for cardists.
The Cardistry-Con Hong Kong 2018 Tally-Ho deck was originally made available on the
floor of the convention, and subsequently through second hand online retailers as well.
The edition size was limited to 1000 decks.
Several small changes were made to what ostensibly is a standard Tally-Ho circle back deck.
Perhaps most glaringly obvious is the garish color palette; bright orange, sky blue, and
cobalt blue.
The tuck box feels very reminiscent of course, with some notable exceptions being the omittance
of the A. Dougherty name and the replacing of No. 9 with the year 2018.
Pulling the cards out of the box we can see that the card-backs are full bleed edge-to-edge
casino style.
It’s a enlarged reproduction of the typical monochromatic circle back designed to creative
eye-catching patterns when fanned and spread.
One little note of interest, the card backs are subtly one-way--featuring nine orange
‘blades’ or spokes and seven blue ones, while the other side evenly divides them into
two groups of eight each--and whether intentionally or not, coupled with the included double-backer
that makes them somewhat magic friendly as well.
The faces also carry forward the color palette.
Cobalt blue replacing black on the spades and clubs, and orange replacing red on the
hearts and diamonds.
The courts are recolored bicycle standards and the jokers are recolored standard Tally-Ho
jokers as well.
There’s also an included card advertising Tally-ho on popular asian e-commerce sites--which
makes sense considering the deck was distributed in Hong Kong.
The deck works well enough for gameplay, and the commemorative nature of the deck makes
it attractive to collectors as well, but of course the draw here is how the deck handles
and looks during said handling.
As you can expect the stock flourishes brilliantly.
It’s modern cut, faroing back to front.
The loud color palette on the edge to edge design is certainly eye-catching, although
I don’t think this deck is going to win any awards in the design category.
Some might say It’s a desperate attempt at capturing a market obsessed with colorful
and modern ‘hype’ decks, and maybe they're right.
But I like that the USPCC is experimenting with cardistry focused decks, even if this
one is a bit of a miss on the design front.
I do think fans of Tally-Ho’s will appreciate them, and maybe fans of the John Elway era
Denver Broncos.
Coming up next, a Tally-Ho deck that does in fact feature top-notch design…
I’m not gonna sit here and regale you with words of praise for Kings Wild Project and
designer Jackson Robinson.
Frankly I’m sick of saying how awesome his designs are, what great attention to detail
the decks he produces have, and how I’m a big fan.
Blah Blah Blah… you’ve heard it all before.
Except, well, ok… maybe just one more time.
The Olive Edition Tally-Ho number 13 playing cards are the latest in a line of reimagined
takes on the venerable classics produced by Jackson Robinson.
He began the set with a blue-backed reinterpretation of the classic circle back.
And since some of the subsequent decks in the series, the Scarlet, Pearl, Emerald and
now Olive editions have featured the names of some of Jackson’s daughters.
I own three of the four, plus the original deck.
The scarlet deck--which I don’t own--is gilded in gold and highly sought after.
As is the usual case with Jackson, he designs multiple versions of the decks--the case here
with the Olive deck--more elaborate collector friendly Limited Edition tuck cases and simple
players editions as well.
The printed designs on both are identical but the collector’s deck is embossed copper
foil with olive colored ink on sage green matte cardstock.
The design is brilliant and the box is premium feeling.
The back of the tuck features a representation of the back design, somewhat of a cross between
the fan back and the circle back with the majority of the design being new elements
thrown in.
The inside of the limited edition box features a repeating olive leaf pattern.
Other than the name and some loose inspiration, Jackson’s versions of the Tally-Ho playing
cards are completely custom.
The card backs are metallic inks; light brown and olive green on white stock.
There’s a poker border surrounding the intricate design; a water-wheel like circle of floral
scrollwork.
On the faces, the pips are elegant and smaller than standard.
The clubs feature elongate stems.
The index font is fancier than standard.
There’s a double backer that features one side in a monochrome metallic copper.
The ace of spades is big and bold and features a olive branch wreath.
The jokers are a visual pun on the traditional fox-hunter, this time literally a fox dressed
as a hunter.
A nice included detail is the fact that the fox holds a martini with a olive in it.
I could simply let the courts--modified standard Kings Wild Project court cards--speak for
themselves, but instead I’ll tell you that these courts are simply gorgeous.
They feature amazing attention to detail and the metallic inks shimmer nicely.
The Kings Wild Courts are definitely contenders for my top ten court cards list--a video I’m
working on for the near future.
In fact I think the difficulty will come in deciding which version of the courts across
all of his decks are my favorite.
With regards to handling and utility?
These are USPCC Tally-Ho decks featuring the same stock and finish you’d come to expect.
These aren’t made for cardistry, but flourishing feels great nonetheless.
The true draw is impressing on poker night and of course on display in a collection.
The 1885 reproduction is still available PlayingCardDecks.com.
In fact use promo code: Gentleman10 to save 10% off your order.
The Cardistry Con deck may prove a little harder to find.
Ebay is a good option.
The Olive Tally-Ho Limited Edition is still available at KingsWildProject.com--this is
a premium deck so expect a higher price point for that one.
But if you want a chance to win a Reproduction deck, Cardistry-Con deck AND a players edition
of the Olive Kings Wild Tally-Ho deck here’s what you have to do.
1.
Like this video.
2.
Be a subscriber to this channel.
And 3.
Tell me a) which Tally-Ho deck is your favorite and b) do you prefer single deck episodes
or multi-deck episodes like this one?
One more thing!
Congrats to Robbie Tabbs, winner of the White Regalia deck.
Contact me Robbie to claim your deck.
Just a reminder to all of you out there… click here to subscribe if you haven’t already
and if you want to keep watching more content click here..
Thank you so much for watching, I’ve been the Gentleman Wake, see you next time!