Unboxings and First Impressions

[Raggydoll]

3 hours ago, Aliki said:

I need 😯 a deck with my name in it 😅 since i stumbled upon this deck what's your thoughts on this one so far?

I decided to sell this deck, for two reasons. Reason number 1: While this deck is fun and colorful, I almost never ended up reading with it. The 'guidebook' was a ridiculous print out that you were supposed to fold into a booklet, and the minuscule information for each card was not particularly helpful. She did not refer to the Alice books (like Baba studio does in their amazing Alice guidebook). I also did not like that the artwork felt so inconsistent. Some cards were so well drawn and really pretty, while others looked like rough sketches. Which brings me to reason number two, which was the by far most important reason for me:

 

After buying this deck, I learned some things about Dame Darcy and how she creates art. Her very first deck, the mermaid tarot, ended up being quite controversial. Many forum threads were addressing this topic, but basically, people realized that her artwork was very (VERY) reminiscent of another mermaid tarot deck, plus there were other images that seemed to be copied from glossy magazines. I will direct you to some of the sources if this interests you: https://benebellwen.com/2016/03/25/update-addendum-to-my-dame-darcys-mermaid-tarot-deck-review/  https://www.tarotforum.net/threads/recycled-art-in-dame-darcy-deck.253824/

But lets get back to the Alice deck. I feel that what she has done in this deck is likely not problematic in a legal sense, but it still put me off the deck. Basically, all the pretty cards were copied from the original Alice artworks, which have gone out of copyright. And for the cards that she did not find original art to rely on, it is her own sketches. And that is why they do not match the rest, and they simply do not look as good. There were also some cards that looked really good that I couldn't trace back to the original Alice drawings, and I think it is possible that she traced another source there. I can't prove it, but that is what I believe. The difference is so clear if you compare the cards.

 

For instance, look at the 4 of wands here. The hands and the faces... 

 

 

And compare with, for instance, this one:

 

 

Here is the original drawing, by the way..

 

 

 

[Aliki]

5 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

I decided to sell this deck, for two reasons. Reason number 1: While this deck is fun and colorful, I almost never ended up reading with it. The 'guidebook' was a ridiculous print out that you were supposed to fold into a booklet, and the minuscule information for each card was not particularly helpful. She did not refer to the Alice books (like Baba studio does in their amazing Alice guidebook). I also did not like that the artwork felt so inconsistent. Some cards were so well drawn and really pretty, while others looked like rough sketches. Which brings me to reason number two, which was the by far most important reason for me:

 

After buying this deck, I learned some things about Dame Darcy and how she creates art. Her very first deck, the mermaid tarot, ended up being quite controversial. Many forum threads were addressing this topic, but basically, people realized that her artwork was very (VERY) reminiscent of another mermaid tarot deck, plus there were other images that seemed to be copied from glossy magazines. I will direct you to some of the sources if this interests you: https://benebellwen.com/2016/03/25/update-addendum-to-my-dame-darcys-mermaid-tarot-deck-review/  https://www.tarotforum.net/threads/recycled-art-in-dame-darcy-deck.253824/

But lets get back to the Alice deck. I feel that what she has done in this deck is likely not problematic in a legal sense, but it still put me off the deck. Basically, all the pretty cards were copied from the original Alice artworks, which have gone out of copyright. And for the cards that she did not find original art to rely on, it is her own sketches. And that is why they do not match the rest, and they simply do not look as good. There were also some cards that looked really good that I couldn't trace back to the original Alice drawings, and I think it is possible that she traced another source there. I can't prove it, but that is what I believe. The difference is so clear if you compare the cards.

 

For instance, look at the 4 of wands here. The hands and the faces... 

 

 

And compare with, for instance, this one:

 

 

Here is the original drawing, by the way..

 

 

 

Thank you for letting me know 😅🙂

[Aliki]

I adore the hardback big guidebook the packaging the details and how it so instantly connected to me and so spot on right away 😅 i was doing my first shuffles to see how it shuffles and connect give it my energy a bit (may not be your ideal cardstock but it shuffles really nice on hands btw and it's quite steady matte cards a bit bended but hard at the same time?) Anyway and it literally got me some jumpers with some details of my natal chart and the sun sign with the sun and element on top and bottom of the deck of the guy I'm dating currently 3-4 times out of nowhere) 😅 so i guess we're bonded already nice energy too gentle and not hard at all to connect with

 

Here's the packaging and some of my favourite artwork on the cards so far

Edited November 30, 2022 by Aliki

[KiMo]

So my birthday present to myself arrived recently, and it’s fair to say that I’m head over heels. It’s the Ritual Tarot by Tiera May, one of the last boxed editions with no keywords. It follows a combination of the RWS and Thoth. I think my camera is struggling a bit these days but hopefully this gives an impression of how special it is… 

 

 

Top row from left to right: the High Priestess, the Six of Wands, the Ace of Cups.

 

Bottom row from left to right: the King of Cups, the Ace of Swords, the Six of Coins.

 

 

I also recently got a copy of the second edition of the Dream Vision tarot through the Kickstarter campaign.

 

 

The colours in this deck really glow, and I love the spacy, minimalist vibe.

[AlbaTross]

My Seaglass Tarot set by Bailey Noles finally came! 
 

 

It’s everything I was hoping for and then some!  It crosses four things off of my wish list for a Tarot deck, and it’s just beautiful!  The card stock is high quality, and it even comes in a high quality box.  The only thing that isn’t perfect is the guidebook, which is only marginally better than a LWB.  With that said, that’s a minor nitpick, and I have my share of decks with much worse guidebooks or none at all.  

 

For context, the first reading is the deck interview, Who are you (the deck), who am I, and what are you here to teach me?

 

The second is a matter at work involving something I’ve been wrongfully accused of.  I’m still awaiting the ruling of HR on that one, and it has been causing a lot of stress.  I went to draw a single card to inquire about the outcome, but before I could even do my usual shuffle and draw, I accidentally grabbed those two cards while removing the small guidebook, and they’re amazingly fitting.  In fact, the timing of this deck’s arrival has been perfect, as it has been a bit of a companion in this challenging time.

[Karrma]

The Norse Tarot

My studies for the past few years have been about my ancestors and ancestral knowledge. Scandinavian or Norse, Runes, and Finnish, Baltic and Germanic. I just searched on The Norse Tarot and while the new edition had just been sold out, found a used set at the beloved Powell’s Bookstore in Portland, Oregon. I believe my ancestors wanted me to have this deck.  The plastic box is excellent, has a few pressure marks showing it was probably in a stack The back showed the markings that it is the 1989 edition from Aquarian Publishing.  Inside , the book is practically unopened and the cards were still in cellophane.  I asked the cards what will be the best way to use this deck .  Ace of Swords  Study, knowledge.  What will be the weakness of the deck.  Ten of Wands.  ?    And third  why do my ancestors want me to have this deck.  Strength    It will give me more knowledge and confidence.  Yes I know how lucky I am to have the ancestors and guardians with me  

[Karrma]

2 minutes ago, Karrma said:

The Norse Tarot. I asked the cards what will be the best way to use this deck .  Ace of Swords  Study, knowledge.  What will be the weakness of the deck.  Ten of Wands.  ?    

Possibly it is not a deck to read with for others but for study. 

[Wyrdkiss]

So many lovely decks arriving in your mailboxes.  @Karrma I'd like to see more of this Norse tarot, it seems wonderful. Congrats on discovering a copy.

[Niobium]

Bumper crop in the parcel box. Eternal Tarot Sun and Moon, Taisho Roman Tarot, and Tevada's Sage Rabbit Tarot. Also the Dungenerator decks but those aren't tarot decks.

 

Eternal Sun/Moon is, though gorgeously made, not particularly useful as a tarot. Alas; I am doomed to D&D decks never quite hitting the mark. I'm going to hold on to them for now for TTRPG purposes, but I might not keep them long term. A shame, as the quality of the decks is top notch. Foiling on soft, easily-handled cardstock *without* gilding, lovely colors...

 

 

Ah well.

 

The Taisho Roman deck was a shock because I only just backed it earlier this year. Surprise! It's actually a Luna Factory deck. I know they have something going on where only some of their decks are available stateside, and indeed this one isn't on their US distribution site, so I bet this KS was an end run around whatever is causing that issue.

 

 

Lovely little deck, RWS with a Taisho-era art flavor. LWB is full color and in Japanese and English.

 

Finally, the Sage Rabbit Tarot, because I needed another rabbit deck, obviously! This is a mini deck, I got the Limited Edition for the extra visual bling.

 

 

Sadly my King of Pentacles was clipped in packaging, from the look of it, so I'm needing to get a replacement card from them. I'll report back on how much effort this takes; since it's a fairly inexpensive mini deck I might wind up with a whole second deck. We'll see. The LWB on this one is in Chinese and English.

[Niobium]

Per the KS thread, my Epigraphic Tarot by Siren's Bagpipes (WohStudio) has arrived via Taobao. Overall the process was pretty painless so I can say if you find something and Taobao is the only place it seems available, that's a possible route. Obviously like buying from any random third party vendor on Amazon, YMMV and buyer beware, etc. My tuckbox sustained some mild damage due to the shipment not being in a more rigid, outer box.

 

I purchased the Standard Edition; the KS pre-launch page by SENGIA seems to indicate they will be offering the mini and fancy box type as well.

 

The booklet is in Chinese and English. Although this deck is relatively similar to the artist's previous decks, I like their work so much I cannot stop myself from buying them. 😐 At least it wasn't terribly expensive! It came with a little black velvet bag that's unfortunately too small; the deck box could easily get damaged coming in and out. The deck itself should fit in it just fine, though.

 

Two more that came! First up, the Lilien Tarot. This Jewish deck uses art by Ephraim Moses Lilien. There's a free PDF guide which can be purchased to go with it. I'm going to make a box for this one, as it doesn't come with one but could REALLY use it. 

 

Lastly, one I've been working hard to get hold of, the Earth Tarot. In this case, I found a copy of the Overgrow Edition, which has themes of plants and green tones added to the artist's usual sepia style.

 

 

The booklet is fairly necessary as the artist has done some re-interpretation of the cards, though not IMO in any way which renders the deck hard to use. This one came from First2Mine, who are a small operation that similar to LoveMagicSparkles make overseas items available to their locale (the Phillipines in this case) but will also go in the other direction if you're willing to pay the postage. For such a rare deck I was more than happy to, and they were very communicative and helpful. 

 

[Niobium]

So one of the more popular decks in recent years has been the Somnia Tarot, by Nicolas Bruno. He's a fabulous photographer, and made a photographic deck based on dreamlike impressions. The imagery is quite good, but I'm sadly not particularly interested in photographic decks.

 

Well. He's just released an illustrated version of the deck, done in a sort of woodcut with coloring style, and it's phenomenal. Sadly the edges are gilded; that's honestly the only complaint I can muster.

 

 

If like me the photographs were a no-go, consider this alternative!

[FindYourSovereignty]

11 minutes ago, Niobium said:

So one of the more popular decks in recent years has been the Somnia Tarot, by Nicolas Bruno. He's a fabulous photographer, and made a photographic deck based on dreamlike impressions. The imagery is quite good, but I'm sadly not particularly interested in photographic decks.

 

Well. He's just released an illustrated version of the deck, done in a sort of woodcut with coloring style, and it's phenomenal. Sadly the edges are gilded; that's honestly the only complaint I can muster.

 

 

If like me the photographs were a no-go, consider this alternative!

Thank you for sharing this. The photographic one was a no go for me as well. I’ll investigate this one for sure. 😊

[Natural Mystic Guide]

On 9/11/2019 at 4:19 PM, Raggydoll said:

I used printerstudio to print my own copy of the Greenwood tarot, using Chesca Potters free images

Lovely.  Lovely.  I went to what was supposed to be the site with the free images of the Greenwood tarot.  There were less than 78 cards.  They were not individual card images, but cards that were grouped together.  So I was absolutely clueless as to how to send these to a printer.  If you could offer any advice, I would be so grateful.  This is the only deck that has been on my wish list for many years.  I'm not holding my breath for the announced re-printing of the Greenwood Tarot.  Thank you and enjoy your treasure.

[Raggydoll]

11 minutes ago, Natural Mystic Guide said:

Lovely.  Lovely.  I went to what was supposed to be the site with the free images of the Greenwood tarot.  There were less than 78 cards.  They were not individual card images, but cards that were grouped together.  So I was absolutely clueless as to how to send these to a printer.  If you could offer any advice, I would be so grateful.  This is the only deck that has been on my wish list for many years.  I'm not holding my breath for the announced re-printing of the Greenwood Tarot.  Thank you and enjoy your treasure.

Sure, I believe I used the pdf document and cropped out the cards individually. I then straightened them and edited so that they fit the bridge size format for printing borderless on Printerstudio. It was a fair bit of work but worth it! 
 

I don’t know if you are familiar with Printerstudio, but they have templates that show the format and it specifies the allowances for bleed lines you need to make. I prefer a smaller format so that’s why I went with borderless and bridge size. I know that other people have done more traditional sizes and included titles plus borders. 

[Natural Mystic Guide]

1 hour ago, Raggydoll said:

I believe I used the pdf document and cropped out the cards individually. I then straightened them and edited so that they fit the bridge size format for printing borderless on Printerstudio. It was a fair bit of work but worth it! 

This and all of the other information that you shared is very helpful.  Thank You!  I hope that I can figure it out.  Have a beautiful day!

[Raggydoll]

26 minutes ago, Natural Mystic Guide said:

This and all of the other information that you shared is very helpful.  Thank You!  I hope that I can figure it out.  Have a beautiful day!

If you have any further questions, why not create a separate thread and ask. There are several of us here that has used Printerstudio many times for deck projects so I’m sure we’ll be able to help you 🙂

[Bodhiseed]

12 hours ago, Niobium said:

So one of the more popular decks in recent years has been the Somnia Tarot, by Nicolas Bruno. He's a fabulous photographer, and made a photographic deck based on dreamlike impressions. The imagery is quite good, but I'm sadly not particularly interested in photographic decks.

 

Well. He's just released an illustrated version of the deck, done in a sort of woodcut with coloring style, and it's phenomenal. Sadly the edges are gilded; that's honestly the only complaint I can muster.

 

If like me the photographs were a no-go, consider this alternative!

Ack! If I hadn't already shelled out money for the photographic one, I'd have gotten the illustrated one (I much prefer it too)!

[Raggydoll]

The two Oracle decks I purchased from Jacqui Lovesey have arrived!! I’m so excited !!

 

I have the White hare wisdom deck since before, and this time I bought The Aboridium and the Majick cottage. The packaging was so lovely and lots of extra goodies were included. 
 

I’ll of course show you some pics! 😁
 

This one is pocket sized and it has both a tuck box and a bag that the guidebook came in. I’ll turn it into a proper drawstring bag for the deck

 

 

The artwork is adorable and the keywords are unique. That’s what I love about her decks. 

 

The second deck is more like a traditional Oracle deck in size and comes with a sturdy box. 
 

 

The artwork really stands out in this size of cards! 
 

Perfect for the season…

 

 

Very happy to receive this today, it makes for a great weekend! 🥳

[akiva]

😯 @Raggydoll they look beautiful! I hope they read well for you. That cornerstone card is like the gnomes/rock spirits you were telling me about 😁

[FindYourSovereignty]

@Raggydoll, please share how you feel about the pocket size version. Are the visuals as clear - still easy to see? Card-stock? That is the only size she has available right now for the Aboridium deck and it is quite expensive. Poker size decks are much smaller than the standard oracle and I am hesitant to order. Thank you!

 

Edit to add: do you feel each of the decks has a different energy?

Edited October 6, 2023 by FindYourSovereignty

[DanielJUK]

@Raggydoll They are so cute 🥰

[Raggydoll]

37 minutes ago, FindYourSovereignty said:

@Raggydoll, please share how you feel about the pocket size version. Are the visuals as clear - still easy to see? Card-stock? That is the only size she has available right now for the Aboridium deck and it is quite expensive. Poker size decks are much smaller than the standard oracle and I am hesitant to order. Thank you!

 

Edit to add: do you feel each of the decks has a different energy?

I’ll do some comparison pics for you 

 

First a size comparison 

 

 

then a close up of the aboridium

 

 

To me, the artwork is not difficult to see. But I will say that the larger size makes the colors pop even more. However, I like how well the smaller decks shuffle... Sooo ..I think I like both sizes! 😄 The decks do have different energies, that’s apparent even at a quick glance. I think I like these two decks even more than the White hare wisdom (the latter is more wintery and these have a warmer energy - majick cottage is probably the warmest of them all), but I’ll have to evaluate how they read too. I will let you know how I get on with them!  
 

oh and the cardstock of aboridium seems to be linen - very nice !!

Edited October 6, 2023 by Raggydoll

[Raggydoll]

57 minutes ago, akiva said:

😯 @Raggydoll they look beautiful! I hope they read well for you. That cornerstone card is like the gnomes/rock spirits you were telling me about 😁

Yes it totally does look like them ! ❤️

Edited October 6, 2023 by Raggydoll

[Raggydoll]

29 minutes ago, DanielJUK said:

@Raggydoll They are so cute 🥰

Yeah, so cute! And I don’t even like cutesy decks 😆 But this particular style I genuinely adore! I think it is to do with how these decks are built on a book series. I haven’t read the books but I can tell that it’s like it’s own universe where everything is really well thought out. And the guidebooks are very helpful too. They reveal many layers to the art and it has the complexity of light and dark that I like in my readings. 

[FindYourSovereignty]

Thank you! I look forward to hearing your thoughts. I’ve been seeing your many posts with the White Hare and that deck has been calling to me also.
 

I have the Majick Cottage because I couldn’t pass it up on the Kickstarter after seeing the Cornerstone card. 😍 I am mostly concerned about not seeing the images and details well with the smaller deck. The linen card-stock does call to me though. It really is a lot smaller… 😏😊