Kem Cards developing scaly texture (4 Viewers)

[alaereae]

Hey y'all!

I recently pulled 3-4 Kem arrows setups that I had out of storage after seeing how much more expensive they had gotten, only to find that many of the cards had developed an awful scaly texture on the faces. Is this an issue that is known to happen due to humidity or other factors, and do I have any hope of restoring the cards or replacing them under warranty?

 

[Jake14mw]

Mine have done this. I don't think there is anything that can be done about it. Doesn't bother me that much, we play with them anyway.

 

[Tomatillo2x]

Hey y'all!

I recently pulled 3-4 Kem arrows setups that I had out of storage after seeing how much more expensive they had gotten, only to find that many of the cards had developed an awful scaly texture on the faces. Is this an issue that is known to happen due to humidity or other factors, and do I have any hope of restoring the cards or replacing them under warranty?

I have a set of bridge size arrows and noticed that too, I prefer poker standard size for games now, check out the pix, the cards are still functional just have weird feel to them, maybe it’s the acetate material that just wears over time?

 

[upNdown]

It's known to happen, but I'm not sure we know why. People have gotten sealed decks like that, so it's almost certainly unrelated to wear. My guess is that it's caused by extreme heat. But it's just a guess.

 

[Tomatillo2x]

It's known to happen, but I'm not sure we know why. People have gotten sealed decks like that, so it's almost certainly unrelated to wear. My guess is that it's caused by extreme heat. But it's just a guess.

I’ve had other decks as well that didn’t get that cracking, hard to say what causes it, I wonder if anyone can get to the root of it? I want to get another set of bridge arrow (red/blue) standard poker size wide, but at $75 bucks! Yikes!

 

[twocannons]

Ive never had a set do this. Been using Kem for 25+ years. Dont use them very often anymore because they got so pricey.

 

[Tomatillo2x]

Ive never had a set do this. Been using Kem for 25+ years. Dont use them very often anymore because they got so pricey.

The cost is insane now, a lot of good brands out there that are a better bang for your buck for sure!

 

[twocannons]

Broken Arrow usually gets my money.

 

[Tomatillo2x]

Broken Arrow usually gets my money.

Right now: faded spade, Copaq, Da Vinci, Regal Monaco Elite, Quantum cards are taking me to value town!

 

[golosefast]

I have a set of bridge size arrows and noticed that too, I prefer poker standard size for games now, check out the pix, the cards are still functional just have weird feel to them, maybe it’s the acetate material that just wears over time?

do the cards ever smell acidic?

 

[Tomatillo2x]

do the cards ever smell acidic?

I have not encountered a deck with a PVC type smell, I can’t recall to be honest.

 

[Colquhoun]

KEMs won't smell like plastic, they'll smell like vinegar. I have a setup from the early 60s and it smells like salad dressing when you open the case. It's actually called "vinegar syndrome" and is common among cellulose acetate cards, as well as casino dice (which are the same material, ironically) and film as it degrades over time.

 

[Tomatillo2x]

KEMs won't smell like plastic, they'll smell like vinegar. I have a setup from the early 60s and it smells like salad dressing when you open the case. It's actually called "vinegar syndrome" and is common among cellulose acetate cards, as well as casino dice (which are the same material, ironically) and film as it degrades over time.

I’ve owned and played with vintage decks, this is good to know; the dang cards are going for $75 bucks a set now, so many other companies with good quality and way more cost effective.