Counterfeit Decks

[Raggydoll]

5 minutes ago, Chariot said:

I just went to the Amazon Uk site, and entered 'tarot deck' in the search engine.  These are the first two that came up, from a seller in China.  Seems as if the counterfeiters are learning that we want a booklet with our deck?  Take a look at that first booklet ...it's a general guide to '78 cards,' not specialised to that deck at all.  And the RWS clone has a book, but it certainly doesn't look like the original LWB I got with my deck, many moons ago.

Yet ...the prices aren't cheap.  It's a minefield....

Another dead giveaway—at least on Amazon—is the notion that the deck is a party game, family game, etc.  Red flag.



 

How sneaky of them! But I’m not surprised 😒

[gregory]

Not sure which deck you mean - do you mean the Rohrig, perhaps ? https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/rohrig/

 

But if you want to see what decks exist - here's a non-selling site which has a vast number of them. Including that one.

 

https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/list.shtml

[DanielJUK]

On 11/20/2023 at 3:03 PM, DanielJUK said:

Mod Note: Whilst this is a discussion on the ethics of counterfeit decks and spotting them, it's not okay to post promoting pirated decks. As a responsible community platform, we support and value deck creators and the effort and cost they put into making their decks. We also support the tarot industry, which brings about our reason for existing. We can't support and allow promoting a criminal market, and posts that do could be removed. Some posts promoting this have been removed from the thread.

Thank you, TT&M

 

As we said earlier on in the thread, we don't allow pro counterfeit and pirated deck posts in this community ⬆️

 

I have kept @gregory's helpful reply about the deck named, but posts positive about counterfeit searching will be removed.

[Troll]

9 hours ago, gregory said:

Not sure which deck you mean - do you mean the Rohrig, perhaps ? https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/rohrig/

 

But if you want to see what decks exist - here's a non-selling site which has a vast number of them. Including that one.

 

https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/list.shtml

Yes you are right I meant Rohrig .I know Aeclectic but never saw that deck there.It may be because I looked at too many decks at once

 

[greenribbon]

I recently did this by mistake. I bought a knockoff of the Green Glyphs deck that was priced only slightly under the real deal and neglected to check the dimensions in the listing against those on the manufacturer's homepage. Only after it showed up did I realize that a couple of key features differed, and that the deck I bought was inauthentic.

 

I've since gone back and bought the real thing if only as a matter of principle. I figure if I liked it enough to buy, it's better that the real creator get my money. I don't want to support art thievery.

[Guest]

Quality of fake decks or counterfeit decks is terrible. To whoever wishes to buy one of those they should know that it will not last, both shuffling and reading experience will be lame, simply because material and color scheme are poor. I would suggest buying quality proper decks of an original creator, unless you are unsure if deck really fits you, or you don't expect to hold onto it for a long time. I have a fortune telling cards and decks that are 20 years old and they look brand new. I also have a few fakes that fell apart and bent in all directions after a single use. I was also gifted a few fake decks, simply because a person who bought them was not informed about a topic, and had no idea that is a copy of somebody's work in the first place, and I didn't want to make a huge deal about it. 

[Troll]

Guys I wanted to ask how to know is the deck fake or not? Only online tarot shop I know in my country(very respectable and it is even a club for Tarot group meetings) had a sale and I got I ching dead moon(Fournier) for 20 euros.I haven`t seen it sold anywhere else but wanted a deck for ages ,even I am not a tarot collector.Is there a way to know I got fake or not ? 

[Misterei]

3 minutes ago, Troll said:

....Is there a way to know I got fake or not ? 

Often the most obvious is the guidebook. Many decks have a custom guidebook, whereas the fakes have none, pdf, or generic. Some fakes use the US Games Sturart Kaplan guidebook, for example, but its not a US games deck. Most legit decks also will have the artist name and copyright info whereas the counterfeits often do not.

[Troll]

7 minutes ago, Misterei said:

Often the most obvious is the guidebook. Many decks have a custom guidebook, whereas the fakes have none, pdf, or generic. Some fakes use the US Games Sturart Kaplan guidebook, for example, but its not a US games deck. Most legit decks also will have the artist name and copyright info whereas the counterfeits often do not.

Thank you .Strange thing this place is know to be very legit and they say ,they only work with publishers and you can even order something from publishers with their help.If they send me something I will post it here for you guys to check

[DanielJUK]

There are some good suggestions from members about how to spot fakes in this thread -

 

[gregory]

Does it have a QR code on the box for you to get the guidebook ? That's a bit of a giveaway - though I do have two legit decks that did that from the start.

[FindYourSovereignty]

1 hour ago, gregory said:

Does it have a QR code on the box for you to get the guidebook ? That's a bit of a giveaway - though I do have two legit decks that did that from the start.

 

I wish this was still the biggest clue as it made my life easier, but as you've shared here, it isn't a guarantee any more. 

 

9 hours ago, Troll said:

Thank you .Strange thing this place is know to be very legit and they say ,they only work with publishers and you can even order something from publishers with their help.If they send me something I will post it here for you guys to check

 

I hope it works out. 🤞

[gregory]

It is still the biggest clue for any USG, LoS or Llewellyn origin decks.

[DanielJUK]

11 hours ago, Troll said:

Guys I wanted to ask how to know is the deck fake or not? Only online tarot shop I know in my country(very respectable and it is even a club for Tarot group meetings) had a sale and I got I ching dead moon(Fournier) for 20 euros.I haven`t seen it sold anywhere else but wanted a deck for ages ,even I am not a tarot collector.Is there a way to know I got fake or not ? 

 

I looked into this deck, it is OOP and rare now but some places have it for sale still. The Tarot Garden has it in America for $17. However some on ebay (second hand) versions are going for €80 to €100.

I think you cannot really find out until you have it in your hands. It's possible you got an excellent deck deal or it's fake. It's really about the quality of the deck and the print run, the box and if it has a book or not.

[Ferrea]

12 hours ago, Troll said:

Guys I wanted to ask how to know is the deck fake or not? Only online tarot shop I know in my country(very respectable and it is even a club for Tarot group meetings) had a sale and I got I ching dead moon(Fournier) for 20 euros.I haven`t seen it sold anywhere else but wanted a deck for ages ,even I am not a tarot collector.Is there a way to know I got fake or not ? 

 

Besides being slightly smaller than most Tarot decks (11 x 6 cm), Fournier has a very distinctive card stock quality. Even in the newly produced decks (the vintage ones are a bit sturdier). When shuffled overhand they kind of fall into place. Knockoffs are lighter, in my unfortunate experience, and measure 10,3 x 6 cm.

 

[Troll]

7 hours ago, FindYourSovereignty said:

 

I wish this was still the biggest clue as it made my life easier, but as you've shared here, it isn't a guarantee any more. 

 

 

I hope it works out. 🤞

The issue is I just saw a front of box in shops listings ,they do it for all decks they sell. Will I be sad if it is a fake ?No because if it is I will be able to open it and try to learn I -ching. If you all say it is real Dead Moon I will be doubtful I will do so

[gregory]

What is the store ? Some of us may already know it.

[Troll]

14 minutes ago, gregory said:

What is the store ? Some of us may already know it.

it is store in Latvia so I doubt you know it ,and it is the only one in Latvia .I don`t wan`t to say the name because service has been fantastic ,they already sent deck should arrive today or tomorrow.  Provided me with tracking number from the start .Also the store was in operation when I was was kid 20 years ago .Of course if you deem this set fake I will say shops name

[gregory]

If it's been operating that long, and it turns out to be a fake, more important to let THEM know they are selling fakes.

[Troll]

So is this fake or not  ?it has booklet similar to Lo scarobeo one inside .Will never sell it ,I just want to know is it real ?And if is I will inform the store they are selling fakes and tell you store name

More photos

https://imgur.com/a/h8iNprj

 

 

[gregory]

The ISBN holds up; it was indeed made in Spain by Fournier - it does actually look OK though for size you are on your own, as I don't have it.. Well done ! That was a good price.

[Troll]

Thanks .Mom measured it and cards is 11 cm .Like person said it should for real Fournier. I bought it at Taro pasaule in Riga. So they sell real stuff

[DanielJUK]

Lo Scarabeo distributes Fournier decks internationally, if it has them at all on the box or inside.

I found online, the card size 11 x 6cm (2.5” x 4.5”)

 

 

 

[Troll]

23 minutes ago, DanielJUK said:

Lo Scarabeo distributes Fournier decks internationally, if it has them at all on the box or inside.

I found online, the card size 11 x 6cm (2.5” x 4.5”)

 

 

 

Yes that`s we got with ruler so looks like a real deal

[Troll]

Wanted to ask  is it ok to buy counterfeit deck if you own the original? Why ?Because if the original costs 200  -300 bucks .I wouldn`t be ok using it and doing spreads with it. What do you guys think?