Obsessed With Keeping Decks Pristine

[Guest Night Shade]

https://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=212632

by claire1805

 

Obsessed with Keeping Decks Pristine

 

 

This has been another on-going 'problem' of mind relating to the Tarot for a long time. I am simply obsessed with keeping my decks as pristine as possible, in the condition it first arrived on my doorstep. I will go crazy if I even manage to spot a SINGLE dent, scratch, mark on the surface of the cards... And today, out of nowhere, I spotted two deep DENTS on the front of a card, the 'Six of Pentacles' and I nearly burst a vein right there and then...

 

I would like to know if the condition of a deck matters alot to you, like it is for me, and if you are bothered by the damages (markings, scratches, dents) dealt to your cards by accidents or just purely by everyday handling. I always feel the need to handle my deck in such a fragile way because I am OCD about their maintenance. How do I get over it?  I seem to have many questions lately, hope you don't mind at all!

[gregory]

If you can't use them, why have them. I mean - I don't have a big glass of wine standing precariously next to a spread, or shuffle with buttery fingers  - but other than that....

[Guest Night Shade]

I can really relate to this.  I hate getting any kind of dents, nicks, or scratches on my decks, and for the longest time I wouldn't even use most of them for fear that shuffling them would get them all bendy and worn out.  I've gotten over that for the most part, however, because I realized they were doing me no good just sitting in their boxes.  I still try to be extra careful with them, but now when I feel that a deck would be perfect for a reading, I actually take it out and use it, instead of settling for one of my "designated for use" decks.

[GreatDane]

OH good question.

 

I used to more than now. 

 

OK, if it is an expensive or OOP (which usually means expensive or at least hard to find), YES, I don't want to see them really damaged, but OOP, expensive, any deck, I am a SHUFFLER and I edge decks.  I like them to feel worn in.

 

If I were a collector, if I wanted their resell value up there, that would be different, but as a reader, I don't really coddle my cards.  I DO have them all in suitable "frocks" (custom cases) or tins or boxes and I take care of them that way, but when I am using them,  I USE them X/   

[TheLittleJackal]

Oh my gosh, me though. A lot of this is autism for me, I get deeply upset, like I have a meltdown of varying levels of severity depending on the item, if something I even vaguely care about gets damaged. Its always been that way. I can control it a little better now, but it's hard emotionally.

 

I'm super gentle on my cards. I'm careful when I shuffle, and handle them with kid gloves. I do riffle, but it's a soft table riffle, and only on decks that I know I can replace. No OOP or super expensive decks.

 

I like the aesthetic of well worn, well loved, working decks, but I think I would have a heart attack "giving up" one of my pristine decks to get a deck there.

 

I want to be a pro someday. I have no idea how I'm going to manage. They're going to get dinged or scratched or just generally roughed eventually! Either that or I'll be 75 years old sitting doing readings for people with decks that still look like they're fresh out of the shrink wrap :P My precious.

 

On the bright side, I find that once something has started to get dinged up, progressive dings get easier to handle (on that item). The first few are all hard, but then they start to get a little easier.

[GreatDane]

As I see tarot as a tool, and the best tools are used and broken in, that got me out of the must be pristine mode.

 

I black-edged my first ed Bohemian Gothic. 

 

I DO have clean hands when I use my decks, like Gregory said, I don't use cards with buttery fingers or while balancing a glass of wine.  I also put my cards away when finished.  But when I am using them, I am using them.

[Saturn Celeste]

I want to be a pro someday. I have no idea how I'm going to manage. They're going to get dinged or scratched or just generally roughed eventually! Either that or I'll be 75 years old sitting doing readings for people with decks that still look like they're fresh out of the shrink wrap :P My precious.

 

On the bright side, I find that once something has started to get dinged up, progressive dings get easier to handle (on that item). The first few are all hard, but then they start to get a little easier.

When I started to read tarot seriously I knew back then this was going to be my business and I went into reading with that in my mind.  So I bought up a lot of decks.  But one thing nice about having a lot of decks is they don't take on the everyday wear and tear that only one deck would receive.  If I do multiple readings in one day, I never repeat a deck, every reading I do per day gets a new deck for that reading. So what has happened with my decks is I have some that I use way more often than others and they are my work decks.  None of them have a resale value so I don't feel I might be losing money.  My really expensive decks like one of my Sola Busca decks that is very special, I don't read with it, instead I have other Sola Busca decks I can use and don't feel bad about.  I'm not saying to go out and spend thousands of dollars on an unimaginable amount of decks but if you do have several decks that are now going to be worth a lot of money, use them all!  It will be less wear and tear on them!  But that's just my thinking.  ^-^

 

[Thoughtful]

Fortunately l have had no mishaps with my decks, and l use and shuffle them a lot.

But there is one deck l will be obsessive with, that is my highly anticipated Visconti Modrone arriving hopefully soon. l think l will be super careful when opening up the box and handling the cards. The cards themselves look quite fragile.  But they are so splendid, luscious gold on the cards as well as the edges.

l won't have it as a working deck but more a collectors tarot. I probably won't be able read it anyway  :)) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Little Fang]

I like a worn deck that shows it's been loved, handled, used, and may give people the impression of experience. Even my OOP decks get some use!

[Raggydoll]

I actually love the exquisite feeling of using a precious, rare or vintage deck. So there is not a single deck in my collection that doesn’t get used. Life is too short to hold back, in my opinion. I don’t want to miss an opportunity to indulge and work with my most beautiful decks. I have never understood why I would spend money on something and then only store it in waiting for someone else to purchase or inherit it from me. Do other people count more than me? Am I only the keeper or caretaker of things? Allowed to admire and gently polish them, but never to actually use and delight in them? That doesn’t sit right with me.

[gregory]

I'm with Raggy. The only deck I have that I don't ever use is my One in Ten

 

http://www.tarotpassages.com/oneinten.htm (she did a second edition; it is no longer technically a one in ten thing - mine is no 17 of 100...)

 

- and that only because the gold paint is SO thick that the cards literally stick together and I have to store them with tissue between each pair... There is literally no possible way to shuffle them - even though it's majors only.

[Grizabella]

Raggydoll makes a good point. Why save them and just let someone else enjoy them when you're gone? Who knows---the one who inherits them might think they're possessed and burn them or something. X-D

 

I use my decks. If I went to a reader whose decks were pristine, I'd think maybe they weren't very experienced with reading the cards. If the reader's deck was all worn and showed it had been used well, I'd have more confidence in the reader.

 

On a kind of humorous note---I said this once on AT and then suddenly I started seeing questions from people wanting to know how to artificially age their decks. If there's anyone reading here who thinks this would be a good idea, don't bother because an artificially aged deck is different looking than one that's aged from actual use.

 

If I ever have to replace a deck due to the old one being too worn, I'll still keep the old worn one out in plain sight. I'm 73, though, so even though I've wheedled with the Universe that I should be able to live to be a hundred, there's not very much chance I'll wear any clear out. I don't know, though----I accidentally creased the corner of my Everyday Enchantment Queen of Wands so I'm wishing I could afford a backup of the deck. It looks like I might need one. That's the first time I've creased a card on any of my decks.

[sandrang123]

If they're cards I read with, they are not pristine at all and I love them for that. They have wear, are loved, sometimes they are even downright scrappy. (I'm talking to you, Cat People, Sacred Rose, Enchanted, and Scapini, especially!)

 

That said, I agree with SC, in that if you have enough decks you like to work with, the wear can vary. My Cat People at this point might (sniff) need replacement soon. The images are actually fading/lifting from them. Scapini shows a lot of wear. Everyday Witch...just breaking in. Thoth...I so rarely use that deck for anyone but one or two or myself on those same small occasions that it's actually held up pretty well in 20 + years.

 

Then I have other decks which are pristine because I haven't really worked with them. Sometimes the vibe isn't quite right but might be later. That said, if I have a deck that I haven't used in 5+ years, I often try and find it a better home. To be honest: Historically, I generally resonate with a deck right away, or I don't. And that said: I HAVE to feel them. I think I said this before, but this fact seriously makes me miss the old-school days of shops where you could go in an handle "promo" decks vs having to buy remotely. :(

[reall]

life is to short & full of unpredictable circumstances, natural disasters & possible Apocalypse & All other things that may happen out of our control to not use something you like?;)

so yes I take good care of my decks (no food & drinks near when i'm shuffling!:) & DO say o wtf! when i notice bend or tear but forget about it later, & thats why I like aged look!;) & have spare in stock of my fav golden & rws!^^ facepalm lol BUT if I have some *better deck I don't feel comfortable using I just find it new home (like with every other deck that give me cool reply!^^;) better give it new home & someone to play & have fun with than me freaking over its *safety!^^ & I notice decks often bend even without use!x,x facepalm lol

 

[stephanelli]

What a great question.

 

I actually prefer to see the wear on my decks because it makes realise how far I've come as a tarot reader.

 

I just think of the marks in a different way.  Each little dent and mark has a story (even if I don't know what it is) that comes from my experiences I've had when reading.

 

Sent from my Nokia 1 using Tapatalk

 

 

[TheLittleJackal]

I think part of the reason I get so uncomfortable is (beyond those mentioned above), because when I like a deck, it's like... a sculpture, I guess, to me.

 

If I bought a mass-produced from now until the end of time basic RWS deck, sure, I'd use that until it fell to bits. A basic RWS deck or similar is like a pair of running shoes. It's new once and I'll love it and admire it new, and then I'll love and admire the feeling of beating it to bits and laugh and grin as I finally concede that it's beyond saving and I need to fork out again.

 

But pretty decks? That I genuinely love and feel connection to deep in my heart? And Gods forbid they're OOP or expensive or or or... those are like my favourite expensive sculptures, gold leafed, gleaming and magnificent. Something to be admired, and handled with great care lest that gold leaf get damaged and need very expensive replacing. They're my works of art on the wall, bought because they're beautiful and I want to look at and adore them as much as because they're usable. I want to be able to take them out and sift through them and just sigh at how wonderful they are.

 

Most of my decks, unfortunately, tend to fall into category B :P Some more than others. Some of them are probably cheap enough (Tarot Mucha, Shadowscapes etc) that I can get a second deck at some point to be my "working" deck to take the hours, should I ever find my time spent reading does go up. They're massmarket right now but I wouldn't want to risk them ever going OOP like my Ancient Egypt deck did, and catching me by surprise just as my current ones get ratty! I imagine I'll buy duplicates of some of my decks as my hours spent reading go up.

 

I do like the fact that using multiple decks is less wear though. That gives me hope that my decks will survive until I can afford to buy duplicates to take the pain, hah.

[Thoughtful]

 

But pretty decks? That I genuinely love and feel connection to deep in my heart? And Gods forbid they're OOP or expensive or or or... those are like my favourite expensive sculptures, gold leafed, gleaming and magnificent. Something to be admired, and handled with great care lest that gold leaf get damaged and need very expensive replacing. They're my works of art on the wall, bought because they're beautiful and I want to look at and adore them as much as because they're usable. I want to be able to take them out and sift through them and just sigh at how wonderful they are.

 

 

Exactly this!  that's how l know l will feel about the Visconti Modrone when it arrives.  To look and admire each card in its profound golden beauty will give me hours of pleasure.  l can become absorbed in the history of this deck.  Already l feel that faint musty echo of bygone medieval castles, the quiet swishing of long gowns, and the smell of scented gardens.

[River]

I used to be like that with tarot decks, in the very beginning, even though in general I'm by no means a perfectionist. I like repaired clothes, messy notebooks, worn-out shoes, even scars from various adventures on my own body. I was like that with tarot though, because I was obsessing over the idea that I shouldn't be able to recognise the cards from their backs. So if one of them had a tiny mark or something, I was thinking of it as a very serious flaw. I gave up this idea for practical reasons:

1) I'm terrible at keeping anything in pristine condition, I'm clumsy, I break everything I use for a little time. And I like using things, taking them with me, practicing, throwing them in the bag.

2) Many decks, from what I've seen, have minor diffenerces between cards or some tiny marks here and there. Even in a new deck, sometimes it's unavoidable. Kinda makes it unique too. My Morgan-Greer has a tiny white blotch on the back of the 10 of cups, and the backs have all slightly different shades of blue, but I don't care.

3) I don't think that being able to tell apart a couple of cards because of a mark or something is so serious. Usually I don't even pay attention.

4) I'm not a collector and I don't own expensive decks. If, in the worst case scenario, I bent a card, it wouldn't take me long to save money and buy a backup deck.

[gregory]

4) I'm not a collector and I don't own expensive decks. If, in the worst case scenario, I bent a card, it wouldn't take me long to save money and buy a backup deck.

I am, I do, and it would.

 

But I still use them :)

[Raggydoll]

4) I'm not a collector and I don't own expensive decks. If, in the worst case scenario, I bent a card, it wouldn't take me long to save money and buy a backup deck.

I am, I do, and it would.

 

But I still use them :)

 

Same here.