Monarch Playing Cards

   Today finds me reviewing "Monarch Playing Cards" ($6.95) by Theory11. Theory11 has many other decks of playing cards, but seeing as these were on sale at Huckberry, I thought I would get them and do y'all a review.

   The Monarchs, like pretty much all somewhat decent cards nowadays, were printed at the United States Playing Card Company. The box, simply put, is beautiful. The gold embossings are stunning, and it is by far the best card box I have ever seen. It has two latin inscriptions on the box, "De Duobus Maliz, Minus Est Semper Eligenoum" ("Of two evils, the lesser must always be chosen" -Thomas Kempis) and, "Cerca Trova" (Seek and ye shall find). The box is not quite black like it may appear, but rather a dark shade of blue.

   The cards, although made with imported paper, I found a bit disappointing. I thought the cards to be lightly gold colored, like it appears in the Theory11's pictures, but the cards are simply black and white. The "Premium 909 Finish" on the cards is very nice, but it handle's just as well as the Ellusionist's much more inexpensive Bicycle Masters. The face of the cards is nice, I enjoy the look of the royalties and the ace and jokers are uniquely charming, but I really was (as you can well tell, I'm sure) disappointed by the backs of the cards.

   So, in summary, would I recommend these cards? Well, as I said in the first part of my review, the box is stunningly beautiful, and so it alone almost makes it worth the money. I will probably place a different deck in the box of the Monarch's, just because the case is so beautiful. However, they are expensive at $7 a deck, and I would recommend buying the previously mentioned Bicycle Master's instead.

Roundtree & Yorke Classic Stretch Leather Buckle Gloves

Recently I purchased a pair of Brown "Roundtree & Yorke Classic Stretch Leather Buckle Gloves" ($21) sold at Dillard's. The are available in both black and brown, and after using them for a while, I decided to write a review for y'all. They are a nice pair of gloves, keeping you warm, but not toasty. They are appropriate for temperatures about 25-40° F. If you wear them at temperatures any colder than 20°, you'll wish you had invested in a warmer pair of gloves, but for cool (not cold) weather, they will serve you well.

The leather (unfortunately) is not full-grain, but it still wears well, and can handle a bit of abuse.  A buckle serves well to ensure that the glove stays on, but only two different levels of adjustment are provided, not allowing much personalization.

I have gotten several complements on the gloves, but personally would not recommend getting these gloves unless you can find them for a little less (I found them for $16 at a sale).

Bombay Brown Leather Journal

This time I find myself reviewing the Bombay Brown Leather Journal (available exclusively from Barnes & Nobles). I received this journal about a year ago, but wanted to give it some good use before I reviewed it.

The leather is rather good quality leather. It is not very thick, but it is very durable and could probably endure a fair amount of abuse. The leather doesn't get scratch marks like some other leathers, which provides for a more 'perfect' journal, but also subtracts from the character.

The paper within the journal is thicker than your standard copy paper, but other than that, it is normal. It is not "acid-free," parchment, or recycled but rater just plain (and thick) yellow paper.

The journal is small, measuring in as 4" x 6", but that makes for a good, personal touch. The journal can also be ordered in black, or can be ordered as a 6" x 8.5".

Overall, I would recommend this journal. It's inexpensive price (around $9) is extremely reasonable for the quality you get. However, if you would prefer to go all-out and spend a ton of money on a leather journal, I would recommend getting a refillable pull-up leather journal (8 1/2 x 11) with a basic screwpost. Col. Littleton make a journal that fits in the middle of these two, and it is refillable. The refills can be ordered blank, lined, or for golfing or fishing.