Unboxings and First Impressions

[katrinka]

Oooooh, it's Czech? Very nice!

[Niobium]

43 minutes ago, katrinka said:

Oooooh, it's Czech? Very nice!

It is, and from the same publisher who does the Czech Shadowscapes. As such the book is, well, not highly useful to me, though the cards themselves are in French. The art is so good, though, I don't feel like I'll much need a book. If an English translation ever surfaces I can snag a copy. Came well packaged and given the source in a pretty timely manner.

[katrinka]

1 hour ago, Niobium said:

I don't feel like I'll much need a book.

 

I agree. 
I had a look at more cards here https://www.ricardo.ch/fr/a/svatojansky-tarot-(in-folie-verpackt)-1131341264/

and in this walkthrough:
 

 

It appears to be TdM with little echos of RWS and Biblical scenes, for the most part. Nothing too unfamiliar for anyone who's been knocking around Tarot for awhile. And if any are, it's easy enough to type bits from the LWB into google translate - you shouldn't have to translate the whole thing. It looks like it could almost be read out of the box. 🙂

[gregory]

4 hours ago, Niobium said:

My Svatojansky Tarot arrived and wow I'm in love. Can't wait to get some time to work with it. 

https://www.kosmas.cz/knihy/210306/svatojansky-tarot/

The art on the illustrated minors really clicks for me, as does the sort of antique color palette. I do wish the corners were rounded; will need to get out my trimmer. The stock is a sort of heavy cardstock, should hold up well overall.  I don't care for the box--the cards float somewhat freely--so into a bag it goes.

A photo someone else took, as I've not had a chance to take some pics of mine:

 

Before I do something I will regret - that link is the DECK ? The translation in Chrome says "book".....

[Niobium]

2 hours ago, gregory said:

 

Before I do something I will regret - that link is the DECK ? The translation in Chrome says "book".....

This was my concern as well, but that link--which is from my order confirmation email--is the same one I used to order, and what arrived in the box pictured was the deck (in two separate segments, individually plastic wrapped) and the book. Said book is a 'large' white book, basically.

 

 

(My box got the flap bent during opening--this is why I despise tuck boxes.)

 

Side view showing the cardstock, which is white core: 

 

[gregory]

OK - away I go ! Thanks.

 

Hang on. How the HELL do I change my country ? It said I'd get to do that when I started to pay - but it's still determinedly Czech ! 

Edited September 18, 2021 by gregory

[Raggydoll]

37 minutes ago, gregory said:

OK - away I go ! Thanks.

 

Hang on. How the HELL do I change my country ? It said I'd get to do that when I started to pay - but it's still determinedly Czech ! 

If it’s PayPal, don’t they use the address you registered there? 

[gregory]

No paypal option. Credit card - that's fine. But....

 

It's just that I know the postage must need to be a bit more....

[Onibaba]

On 7/2/2021 at 9:29 AM, vulprix said:

I just received the Garden of Lucid Daydreams Oracle by Patrick Valenza!

 

I was smitten with the colors in this deck and the simple, quick imagery. His creativity never ceases to inspire 😄 

 

I am a lucid dreamer (is there a term for that?) and have worked very hard to be able to lucid dream. It didn’t come too easy for me! I wonder how Patrick’s “Am 👁️ Dreaming?” card will work as a trigger... I have not had luck with text triggering my lucidity before. My brain does loop de loops to justify wobbly text 😛

Wow I love this thread. So many interesting decks. I’m especially loving this one.  
 

Thanks for sharing you finds, everyone. 

 

 

 

 

[Niobium]

4 hours ago, gregory said:

No paypal option. Credit card - that's fine. But....

 

It's just that I know the postage must need to be a bit more....

 

I ran into this with the Shadowscapes Tarot. So, on the top of the page, when you're going to check out, notice where it says Czech Republic?

That's a drop down.

 

 

...I hope you're able to add it to your basket, though, as on my display it's not letting me add the tarot anymore, it says it can only be picked up in-store. !!

[gregory]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOH. OK I'll go and try that. Thanks.

 

Damn - they have actually sent me a bill, and now I can't get back to edit anything, as far as I can see. I have 14 days to pay, so I've emailed... I wish I had asked you that BIT sooner ! Thanks.

[gregory]

All sorted - they emailed me an invoice. and I now have a tracking number. I have to run everything they send through a translator - but that's OK !

 

Thanks for everything, @Niobium

[Niobium]

2 hours ago, gregory said:

All sorted - they emailed me an invoice. and I now have a tracking number. I have to run everything they send through a translator - but that's OK !

 

Thanks for everything, @Niobium

 

Sure thing! Glad it got sorted. 😄 It's such a cool deck, just needs a nice little bag or wrap to hold it safely.

[gregory]

I have a stack of bags looking for decks !

[katrinka]

On 9/22/2021 at 5:11 PM, gregory said:

I have a stack of bags looking for decks !

 

🤣🤣🤣

I'm sure you'll remedy that, gregory, You're quite resourceful.

As for me, I've been busy with the Rare Triumphs. It's a pip Tarot but with alternate Majors like you see in the Vieville, Minchiate, and others. It sounds a little complex, but it can actually be read quite easily right out of the box - just use what you know already whether that's a little or a lot, and it will speak. 😉

I don't do deck interviews, but I did cut three cards to see what it has to say and I got these:
 

.

 

The 4 of Diamonds shows material stability, and also documents (probably the deck itself as well as things I intend to study). With some practice, this deck will read clearly enough to use for occasional paid readings. But Eternity is a curious card, it shows our little world of time-space surmounted by a peacock (pride) and floating in the heavens which are outside of time. It's reminiscent of The World, but not exactly. I don't think it's completion, I think it's having to do with touching on some deep truths. These cards can be profound. And the final card is a young guy sitting by a crumbling wall and a dead tree. He's strumming a lute and seems perfectly OK with his surroundings. A Sultans of Swing type scenario. (One can only hope that "He's got a daytime job, he's doing alright." 😁 ) Taken all together, while this deck will occasionally make me a little money, it's mainly about insights and inspiration. It's not really a go-to for the moneymaker questions like "Why didn't he text back?", at least not until I'm very familiar with it. But I can spend a lot of happy hours with it, it has a lot to say.

I blogged it last night, with more images and lots of links, and I really don't feel like reproducing all that here. So I hope it's OK to post the link, if not, mods please remove. I'm not selling anything of mine in the post, though it does link to Ian's Etsy store.
https://fatekeepson.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-rare-triumphs-tarot.html

 

[ironwing]

I got the R. Black Tarot. I had already seen reviews prior to receiving my deck, so I definitely managed my expectations. 

 

The two-part box isn't rigid—I'm surprised it survived the journey without a dent. The bottom of the box is embossed with the name "Black Tarot." It's numbered and signed by Rich in silver ink. There are thumb tabs which make the box easy to open.

 

  

 

For the price, yes, the deliverables (packaging, cardstock, buying experience, etc.) could have been better. 

 

Since I knew what the quality of the cardstock was like coming in, I was able to objectively compare it to other decks of mine that are accessible at the moment. The cardstock of the R. Black Tarot is matte, and similar to that of the first edition of the Delos Tarot, or the True Heart Intuitive Tarot, or the fifth Edition of the Jonasa Jaus Tarot (the green, botanical-themed release). The cards are hand-cut, but the slight uneven-ness didn't bother me.

 

Some disliked the cards' sharp edges, and have taken a corner rounder to them. I use Meneghello decks, so this wasn't a problem. But with the quality of this cardstock, shuffling it for everyday use could honestly dent the edges. I don't see how anyone could riffle-shuffle this over the long term. I just do some gentle overhand shuffling.

 

 

 

The backs have an eye and several sigils that are really easy to miss in low lighting.

 

 

What I didn't expect was the card size. This is on me—I didn't read through the Facebook posts thoroughly, so I'm not sure if it was explicitly stated there. (I rarely read through FB anyway.) I believe the cards are slightly taller than bridge size, which is a pity, because the beautiful art could have been showcased by a bigger canvas.

 

 

On the image on the right, R. Black's Three of Pentacles is in the middle, with the Tarot of Delphi's The Garden on the left, and the Mesquite Tarot's Three of Pentacles on the right for comparison. Not sure why the above images are so blurry.

 

Anyway, there's no guidebook, but there are cards that feature keywords. Those are prefaced by the title, "The Black Deck." So now there are three names I have to contend with: R. Black Tarot (from the launch), Black Tarot (on the box), and The Black Deck (on the keyword cards). It's like a spy, with many aliases.

 

At this point, I've gotten over all the cons of this deck. I like the art, the colors and the style. It's a straightforward read. My husband won't dare use it as a coaster.

 

I enjoy this deck for what it is, and I'm meeting it in the middle every time I pick it up.

Edited October 4, 2021 by ironwing

[gregory]

I finally got my Svatojansky. It is indeed rather lovely. Also CHEAP !

[Wyrdkiss]

The Somnia Tarot arrived, permeating the shores of my subconscious. It is dreamwoven, dusk shot, ethereal and a bit unsettling. I like it. 

 

[AlbaTross]

I impulse bought a cheap deck at a gift store yesterday, just to see what would happen, mostly because it was cheap: 

I was skeptical, and as you can see, I was right to be.  This set seems more concerned with looking cool and having fun mythological and fantasy beings than it is with accurately reflecting the Tarot.  There also seems to be a half-effort to add astrology to the cards.  There is no guidebook by the way, so any explanation that could shed light on the thought process behind each card is completely absent.  I do like the idea of both popular folklore figures and astrology elements, but they need to have apparent connections with the Tarot.  Also, what's the deal with the numbers on the bottom left of some of the Major Arcana?  Some of them correspond to their actual number, but as you can see, some do not.  What does the number 30 have to do with anything? Above is the deck interview I did. 

 

If this is what mainstream novelty decks are, then this is hot garbage.  There is a reflective gloss on each of the cards, but they're otherwise quite flimsy.   The artwork is perhaps the only thing I think this deck actually has going for it.  It is fairly decent.  It's just not a great Tarot deck.  

Oh, the cards also came clumped together, and had to be peeled apart.  I've literally never had that before.  Also, they weren't in any apparent order.  Some cards were laid out sequentially, some weren't.  When I got home, I had to sort them out into their suits by number just to confirm they were all there.  I thought I was missing The Empress, though she turned out to be stuck to the back of The High Priestess.  Yeah...don't buy this deck.  If you're on a budget and need a deck, a traditional RWS deck doesn't normally cost that much, and if you're really on a budget, Everyday Tarot isn't much more than this one and is actually a pretty great deck IMHO.  

Edited November 16, 2021 by AlbaTross

[bastetly]

@AlbaTross I think quite a few peeps have bought the Spencers deck at one time and I certainly did.  I just kept looking through it.  It looked better online to me, but in hand made no sense.  I sold mine on craigslist for what I paid for it.   Win some, lose some.  But for that price one gets tempted even against better judgement 🙂  

[AlbaTross]

13 minutes ago, bastetly said:

@AlbaTross I think quite a few peeps have bought the Spencers deck at one time and I certainly did.  I just kept looking through it.  It looked better online to me, but in hand made no sense.  I sold mine on craigslist for what I paid for it.   Win some, lose some.  But for that price one gets tempted even against better judgement 🙂  

Yeah.  In my case, I wasn't exactly in need of a Tarot deck.  I have at least a dozen others, all of which are better than this one.  I was more curious than anything, and figured $10CAD was worth finding out if a good deck can be had for that price.  As it stands, I can't be too angry at it.  On the other hand, I really hope it's not commonly picked up as a first Tarot deck, because that would be a great way to confuse a new reader.  Because the cards themselves look alright to the untrained eye, it wouldn't be immediately apparent to a newcomer what is off here.

 

Just looking at the three cards above...what does a ghost have to do with the Two of Swords?  It's a ghost.  It shouldn't have any tough decisions anymore.  In fact, it likely already made its decision to stay and haunt a place.  As for the Three of Cups, if Winifred were accompanied by Mary and Sarah, the card would be a lot more accurate, but she's on her own here, so huh?  That Imp isn't forced to hang there.  He can leave at any time.  I suppose one can choose to hang to gain some perspective, as that is part of the card's actual meaning, so in that sense this card is a bit more accurate than the other two.  However, note that the imp isn't even completely upside down, and seems to be using that plank to anchor himself more than anything while he focuses on the task at hand.  He's clearly not there for perspective.  

 

This deck interview was a standard "Who are you, who am I, and what are you here to teach me?"  So, the deck is introducing itself as a fraud who doesn't need to make any tough decisions, but will presume to advise me on such anyways.  It thinks I'm a community oriented individual who spends a lot of time alone (ok, fair).  It's here to teach me perspective, I guess, but without a clear understanding of what that entails.  

Edited November 16, 2021 by AlbaTross

[katrinka]

I don't think it's intended to be read. As you mentioned, the images have bleep-all to do with the card meanings. It looks like it's just a prop deck for Halloween parties and the like.
But it really needs to be labeled as such.

 

To be fair, though, I've seen pricey indie decks that were just as bad. Better stock, I'm sure, but really random images.

Edited November 16, 2021 by katrinka

[AlbaTross]

4 minutes ago, katrinka said:

I don't think it's intended to be read. As you mentioned, the images have bleep-all to do with the card meanings. It looks like it's just a prop deck for Halloween parties and the like.
But it really needs to be labeled as such.

 

To be fair, though, I've seen pricey indie decks that were just as bad. Better stock, I'm sure, but really random images.

Yeah...I'm quite open-minded when it comes to alternate imagery, and believe that each deck can potentially tell me something at least slightly different by virtue of its imagery carrying a little extra meaning, but even I have to admit this is definitely a prop deck.  I'm just trying to bridge the gap between the imagery and the meaning here, but it's a stretch.  

[Rose Lalonde]

1 hour ago, AlbaTross said:

Also, what's the deal with the numbers on the bottom left of some of the Major Arcana?  Some of them correspond to their actual number, but as you can see, some do not.  What does the number 30 have to do with anything? Above is the deck interview I did. 

 

If this is what mainstream novelty decks are, then this is hot garbage.  

 

Wow, that is awful. Images look like they came out of a random generator.

 

For 30 on the Hanged Man... I wonder if they were making a poor attempt to put the number value of the Hebrew letter assigned by the Golden Dawn, like the Haindl tarot does. But if that was their intent, they got it wrong, since Hanged Man would be 40. 

Edited November 16, 2021 by Rose Lalonde

[Niobium]

So, got a look at the '3rd Edition' of the Silhouettes Tarot, the one on KS. It's apparently been printed already, the KS seems to be a method for pre-sales.

 

I'm pretty sure this was licensed from Masa due to the quality of the art. They're for sure prints from vectors, due to a slight art adjustment. The deep, sharp colors are now less saturated, a bit softer, and the solid blacks have been replaced with less opaque deep grays and brown-blacks. As a result, you can see the underlying image layers in faint outlines. This is what convinces me these are prints from original vector files and not scans. Scans would be much muddier. Additionally, this gives the deck a look more similar to the newer decks. On the other hand, Happy Squirrel was renamed to 'Hibernation'. ?? This makes no sense to me and I wonder if there was some sort of misunderstanding or mistranslation. ...or, if it's a bootleg.

 

The text on the cards has changed--it's a bit easier to read, and the numbers and titles are split between top and bottom. Thin but sturdy linen card stock, good for shuffling despite the gilding.

 

Overall, I think 2nd Edition is superior, but this includes the different cards and is borderless, unlike the 'second' 1st Edition decks you can still get, and has a very nice package (slip-case rather than tuckbox). An acceptable alternative for anyone who doesn't care for a 'second' of the 1st Edition, and to all appearances it seems to be a legitimate copy. Of course, we might always hear it's not, so buyer beware.