52 Plus Joker

52 Plus Joker (52+J) is an American non-profit social organization focused on playing cards, founded in 1985 by Phil Bollhagen, Bob Harrison, and Lenny Schneir.^[1][2] The club has about 1,000 members.^[3]

52 Plus Joker

Formation	1985; 40 years ago (1985)
Founders	Phil Bollhagen Bob Harrison Lenny Schneir
Merger of	Chicago Playing Card Collectors Club
Type	Nonprofit (501(c)(7))
Membership	~1,000 (2022)
President	Lee Asher
Vice president	Bill Kalush
Publication	Clear The Decks
Website	52plusjoker.org

In addition to hosting annual conventions, 52 Plus Joker publishes a quarterly newsletter called Clear The Decks,^[4][5][6] originally created by Bollhagen,^[7] and has released a monthly digital magazine called Card Culture since late 2014.^[8][9][10] The club also produces annual custom playing card decks sold exclusively to members.^[11][3]

52 Plus Joker merged with the Chicago Playing Card Collectors Club in 2018.^[12]

The club's founding president was Lenny Schneir. Tom Dawson previously served as president,^[13] as did Ray Hartz.^[14] As of 2024^[update] the club's president is Lee Asher.^[15]

Annual conventions

52 Plus Joker has held conventions annually since 1987.^[16]

Year	Location	Notes
1987	Cincinnati, Ohio	Joint event with the Chicago Playing Card Collectors Club
1988	Chicago, Illinois	Joint event with the Chicago Playing Card Collectors Club
1989	Indianapolis, Indiana	Joint event with the Chicago Playing Card Collectors Club
1990	New Haven, Connecticut
1991	Cincinnati, Ohio	Joint event with the Chicago Playing Card Collectors Club
1992	Las Vegas, Nevada
1993	Kissimmee, Florida
1994	Arlington, Virginia
1995	Cincinnati, Ohio	Joint event with the Chicago Playing Card Collectors Club
1996	Las Vegas, Nevada
1997	Kansas City, Kansas
1998	Toronto, Canada
1999	Cincinnati, Ohio
2000	New Haven, Connecticut	Joint event with the International Playing-Card Society
2001	Albuquerque, New Mexico
2002	Atlanta, Georgia
2003	Wilmington, Delaware	Joint event with the Chicago Playing Card Collectors Club
2004	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2005	San Francisco, California
2006	Montreal, Canada
2007	Westborough, Massachusetts
2008	Las Vegas, Nevada
2009	Toronto, Canada	Joint event with the International Playing-Card Society
2010	New Orleans, Louisiana
2011	Denver, Colorado
2012	Erlanger, Kentucky	Joint event with the Chicago Playing Card Collectors Club
2013	Las Vegas, Nevada
2014	Charleston, South Carolina
2015	Orlando, Florida
2016	Chicago, Illinois
2017	Erlanger, Kentucky
2018	Cleveland, Ohio
2019	Charlotte, North Carolina
2020	Virtual event due to COVID-19
2021	Virtual event due to COVID-19
2022	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2023	Cleveland, Ohio
2024	Niagara Falls, New York

References

1. Liebenson, Bess (October 1, 2000). "How a Passion for Tarot Cards Led to a Full-Time Business". The New York Times. The museum exhibitions are results of interest expressed by three organizations to which Mr. Kaplan belongs: the International Playing Card Society; the 52-Plus Joker Club; and the American Game Collectors and Puzzle Association.
2. Schneir, Leonard (August 1985). "The President...". Clear the Decks. 1 (1): 2.
3. Floyd, Ingrid (1 May 2022). "For 52 Plus Joker Members Card Collecting Is The Real Deal". Antique Trader. ISSN 0161-8342.
4. Hyman, Tony (1994). Trash Or Treasure: How to Find the Best Buyers of Antiques, Collectibles, and Other Undiscovered Treasures. Treasure Hunt Publications. ISBN 9780937111031.
5. Wastrack, Harry (2005). Price Guide for Collectable Playing Cards. Xlibris. ISBN 1413493300.
6. Meikle, Margaret (1992). Dear Answer Lady: a Compendium of Astonishing Facts and Arcane Origins for the Passionately Curious and Easily Distracted. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre. p. 125. ISBN 9781550540499.
7. Dawson, Judy (March 2007). "The Queen in Court". Clear the Decks. 21 (1).
8. Gold, Anita (November 14, 1988). "Value of Antique Cards Depends on Many Factors". The Lewiston Journal. No. 125. p. 8B.
9. Depaulis, Thierry (January–March 2005). "From the Chairman's Desk". The Playing-Card. 33 (3): 139. ISSN 0305-2133.
10. Dawson, Tom (December 2014). "The President's Reflections". Card Culture. 1 (1): 3.
11. Bostock, Paul (December 2021). "52 Plus Joker's New-Deck Night". Clear the Decks. 35 (4): 18.
12. "About". 52 Plus Joker. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
13. Hawes, Rhonda (April–June 2016). "Thomas Commerford Dawson". The Playing-Card. 44 (4): 232.
14. Huxford, Sharon; Huxford, Bob (1999). Garage Sale and Flea Market Annual (7th ed.). Collector Books. ISBN 9781574321111.
15. Asher, Lee. "52 Plus Joker Playing Card Collectors Club". Retrieved 24 April 2024.
16. "Previous Years". 52 Plus Joker. Retrieved 24 April 2024.

See also

• International Playing-Card Society

External links

• Official website