Artist Showcase–Spencer Baumgarten

Welcome to the first of what I hope will be many Artist Showcase articles here on the Strictly Average site.  The plan is to take a few moments and celebrate creators, artists, and craftsman that are making cool things related to this awesome game.  I am currently opening this up to anyone interested in having their work showcased and discussed on the site.  Submissions can be sent through the Contact Us form. These articles can showcase items that are for sale, or just plain interesting and creative. In regards to artists selling their wares, I am merely going to share how to contact them to work out the details.  I do not encourage competition among the artists, as I believe it is possible to support all without tearing anyone down.

Today I bring you the amazing handmade deck boxes from Spencer Baumgarten. Spencer is a fixture among the PucaTrade Discord community and an avid user of the PucaTrade platform. On Puca and Discord, he is better known as 10101010101010. He has successfully married his love for the game of Magic, and his talent with handcrafts to produce some very beautiful and well-crafted deck boxes.  I recently ordered 2 EDH boxes, one for myself and one as a giveaway for my Patreon subscribers to protect the Battle Box that is going out at the end of the month.

The packaging and delivery of the boxes were flawless, and I was really pleased with Spencer’s turnaround time. My initial thought of these boxes was that they seem really light for such a solid piece of woodwork. At first, I was nervous as to how solid they would be, but they are strong and not flimsy at all. As far as space goes, I am able to store 120 double sleeved cards, a divider, and my silica pack (TIP: You can use these to remove moisture from around Foils, to avoid warping.)  I have become very familiar with my sweet new deck box, and I am happy with the quality and space.

The finish on these boxes is so clean that they almost appear to be machined, but after closer inspection, it becomes obvious that they are hand made. The two boxes I received were slightly different, as the lighter one has felt on the inside.  I chose to keep the dark wood for myself, as I had no preference to the felt or not, and I just like the dark wood personally.  I have already ordered a third one for a friend.

Spencer was also kind enough to share some photos of the next batch of boxes he is working on. These are from his personal workshop in his basement.  Not only am I jealous of his skill, but I would also love to have a work area like he has.

The current price for the deck boxes varies based on the project, the ones that I ordered run about $40. Spencer takes custom orders for different sized boxes.  Being as these are works of art, each request will be quoted differently.

Also keep in mind that as a small operation, Spencer is also at the mercy of supply costs, so if you are reading this long after the posting date, the details of cost may no longer be accurate. If you’re interested in contacting spencer to acquire some of his great work you can email him at [email protected].

May all your deck boxes be this awesome,
Strictly

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