EmpyreanKnight Posted October 7, 2017 Posted October 7, 2017 The discussion of Tarot decks would be incomplete if we ignore the part of it which shares almost half of its total surface area: its back! So share all the Tarot backs that move you: the ones you love and the ones you find distasteful. Post those which are out of this world, which even the people here know very little of, or which you simply are very curious about. If you can, try to post pics, alright? :)
EmpyreanKnight Posted October 7, 2017 Author Posted October 7, 2017 Alright, let me start. Here are my favorites: The Medieval Scapini, with its very lustrous cream and gold back. It looks a bit like metal ink: The Tarot of Vampyres with its rose motif. Can you tell how much I love roses? I got that passion from my mom: And of course, the Thoth's Rosy Cross. DuQuette spent one whole chapter in his Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot detailing all the esoteric aspects hidden in that Cross. It made it all the more meaningful for me:
EmpyreanKnight Posted October 7, 2017 Author Posted October 7, 2017 Btw, which Visconti version has this back? I'm sure this is not Lo Scarabeo's metallic Visconti Tarots. It looks so absolutely resplendent, so brazenly sumptuous. Look at that wine-like blood red and the contrast it makes with the gold and the deep, regal blue: http://i.pinimg.com/736x/0f/99/52/0f99520de5a301c44f2bccbf2305acca--vintage-tarot-cards-cartomancy.jpg
gregory Posted October 7, 2017 Posted October 7, 2017 That's the Ace of Coins from the Cary Yale Visconti, actually :) http://www.albideuter.de/html/cary_yale.html GORGEOUS deck. I like it better than the Pierpont Morgan.
EmpyreanKnight Posted October 7, 2017 Author Posted October 7, 2017 Yikes, thanks for that gregory! I have the Visconti-Sforza but not the Cary-Yale and it looks 100% gorgeous. Imma have it! Yup, there goes my poor wishlist, swelling again. :( I replaced the image with a link so that people won't think it's a back. :)
RavenOfSummer Posted October 7, 2017 Posted October 7, 2017 The title of this thread made me laugh :D My favorite of the decks I own is the Vision Quest. So beautiful. They're not reversible though, which I know is an issue for a lot of people.
Lantana Posted October 7, 2017 Posted October 7, 2017 I really really love the Numinous back. It looks like it's going to be truly reversible, too! There's also these holographic backs from the Luminous Spirit Tarot... I hope another deck tries to do this because I think I remember most people being disappointed with the deck itself.
FLizarraga Posted October 8, 2017 Posted October 8, 2017 The Bohemian Gothic Mini edition backs. Can't find an image right now. It is a dense filigree of silver ink on black. Just glorious.
EmpyreanKnight Posted October 13, 2017 Author Posted October 13, 2017 How can I forget the backs of the Kabbalistic Visions with the ten sephiroth condensed into seven celestial houses, with Kether, Chokmah, and Binah forming the white and Yesod and Malkuth making up the violet? The cards are quite glossy, and as with most of Scapini's art, the colors are rather striking. It also has silver edges, so the deck itself with all the esoteric secrets it holds is really quite stunning.
EmpyreanKnight Posted October 13, 2017 Author Posted October 13, 2017 The Bohemian Gothic Mini edition backs. Can't find an image right now. It is a dense filigree of silver ink on black. Just glorious. Ah I think that's quite rare. The only other deck I know that has foil backs is the Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus. Just imagine the Bohemian Gothic Silver also having metallic backs. That would be quite glorious!
Trogon Posted October 15, 2017 Posted October 15, 2017 I actually still really like the blue/black diagonal plaid type backs of my old RWS. However, having said that, I will mention 3 others of my ultimate favorites; The beautiful cosmic look of the Röhrig Tarot is just fabulous with it's colors and depth. Then there is the great eye that stares at you from the back of the Haindl Tarot is quite cool. But there is also the amazing backs of the Voyager, which I think was described as looking up the length of a strand of DNA.
Trogon Posted October 15, 2017 Posted October 15, 2017 And, I just realized that it is entirely possible that there may be folks who haven't seen the backs of the USG Rider Tarot Deck .... so it is attached below;
FLizarraga Posted October 15, 2017 Posted October 15, 2017 The Bohemian Gothic Mini edition backs. Can't find an image right now. It is a dense filigree of silver ink on black. Just glorious. Ah I think that's quite rare. The only other deck I know that has foil backs is the Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus. Just imagine the Bohemian Gothic Silver also having metallic backs. That would be quite glorious! The BG Silver does have metallic backs, but they are the not-so-pretty backs of the 1st edition: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/12/7f/5d/127f5d7d1158186f6dd41debb311279d.jpg instead of the far prettier ones of the third (found it!): https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0642/5397/products/bg-mini-2013_1_700px_1_large.jpeg?v=1449154558 Though perhaps those would have been a bit too much. The Silver is a breathtaking deck. I must add that the three backs in your first post are amongst my all-time favorites... :D
FLizarraga Posted October 15, 2017 Posted October 15, 2017 That's the Ace of Coins from the Cary Yale Visconti, actually :) http://www.albideuter.de/html/cary_yale.html GORGEOUS deck. I like it better than the Pierpont Morgan. So do I. And speaking of backs, those of the new USG edition of the Cary-Yale (https://cdn3.volusion.com/vwuhu.mncjw/v/vspfiles/photos/USGS-CYV-7.jpg), while quite meh, are a vast improvement over the sickly, yucky yellow of the first (https://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/-kwAAOSwY0lXR7Hn/s-l225.jpg)... Even the backs of the Il Meneghello reproductions are totally meh! (http://www.arnellart.com/osvaldo/images/cl-Visconti-cary-yale-title-back.jpg). Is there a lot to ask for this mind-blowingly gorgeous deck to get some better backs?????
gregory Posted October 15, 2017 Posted October 15, 2017 Actually I don't like those new backs. Mine are more brownish anyway. But aren't they trying to reproduce it - and maybe they plain didn't HAVE fancy backs.
FLizarraga Posted October 15, 2017 Posted October 15, 2017 Actually I don't like those new backs. Mine are more brownish anyway. But aren't they trying to reproduce it - and maybe they plain didn't HAVE fancy backs. Who cares? They DESERVE them.
gregory Posted October 15, 2017 Posted October 15, 2017 Well, sure, and all those grungy TdMs deserve the images cleaning up - and then purists say the cleaned up versions aren't kosher, and... They can't win. Me I like to look at the faces of the cards anyway :)
Hedera Posted October 15, 2017 Posted October 15, 2017 I'm always sort of thrown off by the backs of the Ghosts and Spirits tarot; they look like they belong with a much more light-hearted deck. Generally, I like patterned backs that are clearly different from any of the card fronts, but that do fit in with the general colour scheme; extra bonus points if the backs are borderless! Some of my favorite backs are those of the Fountain Tarot, the first edition of the Touchstone, and the AGM Mueller recent(ish) restored edition of the Thoth in the gold box with blue wrapper (those backs have brown borders that go really well with the rest of the backs).
FLizarraga Posted October 16, 2017 Posted October 16, 2017 Well, sure, and all those grungy TdMs deserve the images cleaning up - and then purists say the cleaned up versions aren't kosher, and... They can't win. Me I like to look at the faces of the cards anyway :) Personally, I like both the grungy editions and the cleaned up, "restored ones." I don't care for the flame wars... ::) I agree that the fronts are what matters in the end, but I just couldn't deal with the puke yellow backs of the 1st USG Cary-Yale. (And I do have a strong stomach.) The new edition is a lot nicer in general, box and all --though, even if it weren't, the meh marbled backs are certainly an improvement. I'll choose meh over yuck any time.
EmpyreanKnight Posted October 16, 2017 Author Posted October 16, 2017 The Bohemian Gothic Mini edition backs. Can't find an image right now. It is a dense filigree of silver ink on black. Just glorious. Ah I think that's quite rare. The only other deck I know that has foil backs is the Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus. Just imagine the Bohemian Gothic Silver also having metallic backs. That would be quite glorious! The BG Silver does have metallic backs, but they are the not-so-pretty backs of the 1st edition: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/12/7f/5d/127f5d7d1158186f6dd41debb311279d.jpg instead of the far prettier ones of the third (found it!): https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0642/5397/products/bg-mini-2013_1_700px_1_large.jpeg?v=1449154558 Though perhaps those would have been a bit too much. The Silver is a breathtaking deck. I must add that the three backs in your first post are amongst my all-time favorites... :D Oh wow, even the back is foiled? So that's why the Bohemian Gothic Silver is such a HG for some. :) I remember that I once checked the BoGo in Amazon, and I believe I finally (tho involuntarily) performed astral travel when I saw the prices.
FLizarraga Posted October 17, 2017 Posted October 17, 2017 The Bohemian Gothic Mini edition backs. Can't find an image right now. It is a dense filigree of silver ink on black. Just glorious. Ah I think that's quite rare. The only other deck I know that has foil backs is the Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus. Just imagine the Bohemian Gothic Silver also having metallic backs. That would be quite glorious! The BG Silver does have metallic backs, but they are the not-so-pretty backs of the 1st edition: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/12/7f/5d/127f5d7d1158186f6dd41debb311279d.jpg instead of the far prettier ones of the third (found it!): https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0642/5397/products/bg-mini-2013_1_700px_1_large.jpeg?v=1449154558 Though perhaps those would have been a bit too much. The Silver is a breathtaking deck. I must add that the three backs in your first post are amongst my all-time favorites... :D Oh wow, even the back is foiled? So that's why the Bohemian Gothic Silver is such a HG for some. :) I remember that I once checked the BoGo in Amazon, and I believe I finally (tho involuntarily) performed astral travel when I saw the prices.
Carojulie Posted October 18, 2017 Posted October 18, 2017 I love me some pretty backs ! Bellow are a few lovely ones from my collection :) - so busy that it could as well be the face of a card (Artist Inner Vision Tarot deck)
Carojulie Posted October 18, 2017 Posted October 18, 2017 - Grafic in black and white (left : Wild Unknown 1st ed ; right : Gorgon's tarot)
Carojulie Posted October 18, 2017 Posted October 18, 2017 - Classic and classy (left : Stella's tarot ; right : Japaridze tarot)
Carojulie Posted October 18, 2017 Posted October 18, 2017 - Trendy steampunky (left : Portable Fortitude playing card deck by Corinna Dross ; right : Steampunk tarot by Charrissa Drengsen)
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