Question about 1971 and later RWS

Stark Raven

I recently bought my first 1971 RWS. A week later I ordered what I expected to be a 1985 -1995 deck, the seller knew nothing of the deck and their description was vague too, this is why my expectation of it to be 1985 - 1995. The first one purchased is an obvious 1971 RWS as per expert descriptions I have seen and is matte finish laminate on thin cardstock. The second one is not glossy as I had expected for the 85 - 95 printings, it is semi gloss, certainly wouldn't be considered shiny. Both decks have the same thin cardstock though; both considerably different finishes.

My question for experts here is this - Is it likely that the satiny one is also 1971 printing? Did some of them have more semi-gloss of an appearance? Or is the semi-gloss one I have likely 85 - 95 as originally assumed?

Tell me what you think and why please!
 

Abrac

Hey wiccanfaeriefey.

In my experience it's very difficult to make a correct analysis based on other people's descriptions of the finish. "Glossy," "matte," "flat'" "semi-gloss," "satin," etc. are way to subjective, and when you add to this attempting to communicate these highly-subjective impressions over the internet, confusion and frustration rule. Sometimes the variations are very subtle which can make things even more confusing.

The best way I know of is to familiarize yourself with the known concrete data - addresses, copyrights, reprint numbers in the booklet, and the different information printed on the back of the boxes. Then acquire a lot of decks and compare them.

For whatever it's worth, I've noticed more variations in the finish in the '85 - '95 period than before that. But here again, my impression of a finish may be totally different from yours. :)
 

Stark Raven

Abrac said:
Hey wiccanfaeriefey.

In my experience it's very difficult to make a correct analysis based on other people's descriptions of the finish. "Glossy," "matte," "flat'" "semi-gloss," "satin," etc. are way to subjective, and when you add to this attempting to communicate these highly-subjective impressions over the internet, confusion and frustration rule. Sometimes the variations are very subtle which can make things even more confusing.

The best way I know of is to familiarize yourself with the known concrete data - addresses, copyrights, reprint numbers in the booklet, and the different information printed on the back of the boxes. Then acquire a lot of decks and compare them.

For whatever it's worth, I've noticed more variations in the finish in the '85 - '95 period than before that. But here again, my impression of a finish may be totally different from yours. :)
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for this valuable information; I know I can negotiate the history of the decks just having digested this. I fully appreciate your taking the time to respond, thanks!
 

Teheuti

Also, note where it was printed - England, Belgium, Italy, China? At some point Pixie's lettering was removed and a type font replaced the card titles—that ruined it for me, but others may not mind it.

Even among the decks from the 70s you'll find a noticeable difference in the density of the blacks and other colors making some decks look slightly washed out by comparison with others. These differences are usually not apparent unless you are closely scrutinizing a couple of decks simultaneously.
 

Stark Raven

Teheuti said:
Also, note where it was printed - England, Belgium, Italy, China? At some point Pixie's lettering was removed and a type font replaced the card titles—that ruined it for me, but others may not mind it.

Even among the decks from the 70s you'll find a noticeable difference in the density of the blacks and other colors making some decks look slightly washed out by comparison with others. These differences are usually not apparent unless you are closely scrutinizing a couple of decks simultaneously.
Click to expand...

Thanks Teheuti, I know the font changed in or around 1985, the pointer toward the location of the printing(s) should narrow down dates and is a great lead; thanks so much!
 
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