WPA Tarot
WPA posters
78 cards in a plain white cardboard tuck box with a see-through window on the front. A small slip of paper accompanied the deck, providing basic details (title, artist, and Etsy shop URL).<br /><br />The cards measure 2.75" wide x 4.75" long. The cardstock is flexible, but doesn't "bounce back" as well as it might; I'd advise caution when shuffling. The cards have a smooth, matte finish with a barely discernable texture.<br /><br />The card back design is non-reversible, feauturing a red, white, and blue "Exhibition" poster.<br /><br />Justice is VIII and Strength is XI. The Fool is numbered 0.<br /><br />Suits are Cups, Pentacles, Swords, and Wands. The court cards are Page, Knight, Queen, and King.<br /><br />The minor arcana are not scenic; like all of the cards in the deck, they feature largely unedited pictures of WPA posters. <br /><br />Had this been produced as a majors-only art deck, I might be able to recommend this tarot -- but as a 78 card deck, it fails. The minor arcana simply aren't the same quality as the majors, in that the art doesn't seem to be intentionally matched with suits and numbers. Also, on some cards the art is stretched out of proportion.<br /><br />After being so disappointed by Bobby Alexander's "Golden Age of Horror" tarot, I was on the fence about this deck, but decided to give them one more chance. But I made a poor gamble. This is the last of Alexander's decks that I will buy.<br /><br />This tarot was initially marketed and funded via a Kickstarter campaign in 2020. I was a backer at the $25 level, for one copy of the deck. Following the conclusion of the campaign, the creator also began offering copies for sale in their Etsy shop.
Alexander, Bobby
<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1468389582/tarot-card-deck-based-on-1940s-wpa-posters-major-and-minor/description" target="_blank" title="WPA Kickstarter" rel="noreferrer noopener">WPA tarot - Kickstarter campaign</a>
Self-published
2020
78 cards
English
Other
Transformational Tarot
Collage art
78 cards + a title card + an author's "about" card + an LWB in a standard cardboard tuck box. <br /><br />The cards measure 2.75" wide x 4.75" long. The card suffers from having been printed in Italy -- Italian printings of USG decks from this period are notoriously sticky, and this deck is no exception. The cardstock is somewhat flexible, with a lightly glossy yet sticky finish. The cards do not slide or shuffle easily; they glom on to each other and must be carefully separated, even after repeated handling.<br /><br />The card back design is fully reversible.<br /><br />Some, though not all, of the major arcana have been renamed. Justice is VIII and Strength is XI. The Dreamer (Fool) is numbered 0. <br /><br />Suits are Cups, Wands, Swords, and Coins. The court cards are Princess, Prince, Queen, and King.<br /><br />The minor arcana are somewhat scenic, insofar as possible given the collage art. Sadly, the print quality does the art a disfavor in that it is too dark; <br />distinctions are lost. Also, the dimensions look slightly skewed and stretched in some cards.<br /><br />In some of the cards, an RWS influence is evident, but in many cases these cards are doing their own thing, without obvious references to any major system.<br /><br />My copy is signed by the artist, Arnell Ando, on the title card. If memory serves, I purchased this deck through her website in order to receive a signed copy.
Ando, Arnell
U.S. Games
© 2005
78 cards
English
Other / RWS
ISBN 1-57281-539-6
Lost Code of Tarot
Occult codes
80 cards + a 158 page softcover guidebook in a sturdy, hinged cardboard set box with a magnetic closure.<br /><br />The deck includes the usual 78 cards, plus two additional cards, one placed at the start of the deck and one at the end, which are not named, numbered, or explained.<br /><br />The cards measure 12 cm tall x 6.6 cm wide. <br /><br />The cards have a lightly glossy finish. The cardstock is sub-standard, and could be damaged if riffle-shuffled. It's just a bit too stiff, and without adequate flexiblility.<br /><br />The card backs are completely reversible. <br /><br />None of the cards are given titles or numbers in a tradtional sense, though it is possible to discern which card is which. <br /><br />Markings on the major arcana do a fair job of mimicking roman numerals. Justice is 8 and Strength is 11. The Fool is 0. <br /><br />The suits aren't named, but they are represented by symbols of Cups, Dragons (curled into circles), Clubs, and Swords. Likewise, the court cards aren't titled, but seem to be the usual Page, Knight, Queen, and King.<br /><br />The minor arcana are decorative pips.<br /><br />The companion book, <em>The Book of Shadows: The Lost Code of the Tarot</em>, is a cross between a decoding aid and a book of shadows -- it doesn't offer a traditional guide to identifying and reading the cards.<br /><br />The set box adds to the overall mysterious air, in that it is all black (albeit with some decoration), and has no identifying information on it.<br /><br />This set was initially marketed and funded through a Kickstarter campaign that launched in 2015; I was a backer at the $45 level (for one copy of the deck and book set). The deck and book are also related to a film project by Andrea Aste.<br /><br /><strong>Note</strong>: The copyright date listed on the rear title page in the companion book is 2015; however, information online about the set frequently gives a date of 2016. This may be a simple difference between the copyright year and the year of distribution.
Aste, Andrea
<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1769110239/the-book-of-shadows-the-lost-code-of-the-tarot/description" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Book of Shadows: Lost Code of Tarot -- Kickstarter campaign</a>
Lo Scarabeo
© 2015 / 2016
80 cards
English
Other
ISBN 978-0738749815
Golden Tarot of Klimt
Art--Gustav Klimt
Fine art
78 cards + a title card and an advertising card + an LWB in a standard cardboard tuck box.<br /><br /><span>Cards measure 12 cm tall x 6.6 cm wide. The card stock is very flexible, with a mostly-matte finish. This deck could easily be riffle-shuffled.<br /><br />The card back design is reversible.<br /><br />Justice is VIII and Strength is XI. The Fool is numbered 0.<br /><br />Suits are Chalices, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles. The court cards are Knave, Knight, Queen, and King.<br /><br />The minor arcana are scenic and follow the RWS tradition to a large extent, though there are limitations given the deck's theme and artisitic style.<br /><br />The gold foil embellishment on these cards is visually stunning; the scans don't do it justice. And the art stands on its own as brilliant, even if the cards had not been gold stamped. I've yet to run into a deck from artist Atanas A. Atanssov that I didn't love.<br /></span>
Atanassov, Atanas A.
Lo Scarabeo
© 2005
78 cards
Multilingual
RWS
ISBN 073870790-2
Golden Tarot of the Tsar
Eastern and Russian Orthodox Christianity
Byzantine and Russian iconography
78 cards + a title card and an advertising card + an LWB in a standard cardboard tuck box.<br /><br /><span>Cards measure 12 cm tall x 6.6 cm wide. The card stock is very flexible, with a matte finish and extensive gold foil stamping. This deck could easily be riffle-shuffled.<br /><br />The card back design is reversible.<br /><br />Each card is aligned with a figure or event from Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Biblical history. Justice is VIII depicts the Archangel Michael. Strength is XI and depicts Saint George and the dragon. The Fool, depicting the possession of Gerasa, is numbered 0.<br /><br />Suits are Chalices, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles. The court cards are Knave, Knight, Queen, and King.<br /><br />The minor arcana are scenic, and loosely follow the RWS tradition. However, the scenes are limited to a small area in the center of each card, with arrangements of suit symbols around the central vingette. <br /><br />The gold foil embellishment on these cards is beautiful, but it overwhelms the art at times. I wish more space had been alotted to the art.<br /></span>
Atanassov, Atanas A.
Lo Scarabeo
© 2003
78 cards
Multilingual
RWS / Other
ISBN 0738702390
Lost Tarot
History
The Lost Tarot from artist Hans Bauer includes 22 major arcana and 4 aces, for a total of 26 cards, as well as a signed, numbered title card. <br /><br />Also included with the set is a companion guide written by Carly Fischer, and a copy of what is called "<span>William Bradford's Testamentum" -- a faux historical document that was created as part of the deck's narrative and backstory. <br /><br />In addition to the above, a small card business card/thank you card was included in the box.<br /><br /></span>The deck is housed in a 2-part, lidded box. The box is extremely high quality; far, far better than most. It is durable, beautiful, and thoughtfully designed. It seems <em>intentional</em>, if that makes sense, whereas most deck boxes do not.<br /><br />The cards measure 2.75" wide x 5.5" tall. The card stock is good quality; quite flexible, with a smooth, glossy coating.<br /><br />The backs are a gold color, and are almost completely reversible.<br /><br />Fortitude is VIII and Justice is XI. The Fool is numbered 0.<br /><br />The Lost Tarot was initially marketed and funded via a Kickstarter campaign. I was a backer at the $40 level, for one signed, numbered copy of the limited edition deck. <br /><br />The campaign has since ended, but copies remain available for sale (currently priced at $60 USD) from the deck's website: <a href="https://thelosttarot.com/" target="_blank" title="The Lost Tarot" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Lost Tarot</a>.<br /><br />My copy is number 48 of 500.
Bauer, Hans (artist)
Fischer, Carly (writer)
<a href="https://thelosttarot.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://thelosttarot.com/</a><br /><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1950965002/the-lost-tarot-major-arcana-limited-edition/description" target="_blank" title="Lost Tarot Kickstarter" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Lost Tarot - Kickstarter Campaign</a>
HJB Studio (Kerrville, Texas)
© 2017
26 cards
English
Mixed
#48 of 500
Simply Deep Tarot
General
Eclectic
78 cards + 2 extras (a Schiffer logo card and an advertising card), packaged with a small, 96 page soft cover companion book inside a hard shell cardboard box with a lift-up/hinged magnetic top cover.
Cards measure 11.4 cm tall x 7.3 cm wide.
The card stock is somewhat flexible, with a high-gloss finish that is smooth and not sticky, though I find riffle shuffling to be a little difficult.
The art shows influences from both the RWS and the Crowley Thoth decks (to my eyes, the Cups suit shows considerable Thoth influence). The cards are fully scenic, though sometimes exceptionally light on details.
The backs are blue and white, and fully reversible. I find the faces on the back to be rather unsettling due to the blank, white eyes.
Suits are Coins, Cups, Wands, and Swords. Courts are Princess, Knight, Queen, and King.
Strength is 8 and Justice is 11. The Fool is numbered 0.
While I don't always give my personal opinions on a deck, in this case I feel it necessary . . . as this is one of my least favorite tarot decks, ever. The art is not only plain bad . . . it's also poorly conceived and sometimes meanly conceived. Looking through the cards upsets me, and it's rare that a deck triggers a negative emotional reaction for me -- very rare indeed.
Take, for example, the 7 of Wands. Why is the man fighting off a group of women who are all standing in the water? It seems so directly anti-woman.
And what's with the words on the 9 of Swords? Is the reader expected to be so lacking in perception and intuition as to need a list of potential worries spelled out?
The set retailed for $24.99 USD.
Bayless, Chanel
Battersby, James (Artist)
Schiffer, United States
2012
78 cards
English
Other
978-0-7643-3984-4
Shadowland Tarot
Shadow work
Spooky creatures
78 cards with a 208-page softcover guidebook in a large cardboard shelf box with a hinged lid. There's no title card.<br /><br />Cards measure 12.1 cm tall x 6.7 cm wide. The cardstock is reasonably flexible, with a smooth, matte finish on both sides. The cards have gilded gold edges which causes the cards to stick together at first.<br /><br />The backs are completely reversible.<br /><br />Strength is 8 and Justice is 11. The Seeker (<em>Fool</em>) is numbered 0.<br /><br />Suits are Swords, Wands, Pentacles, and Cups. The court cards are Page, Knight, Queen, and King.<br /><br />The minor arcana are scenic and follow the RWS tradition. This deck would be "readable" by anyone familiar with the RWS meanings.<br /><br />The shelf box appears and feels sturdy enough, but mine is already coming apart at one corner -- though I've barely handled it, and just received the set in the mail a few days ago. (<em>Personal note</em>: I taped up the damaged corner with some archival book mending tape to keep it from coming further apart.)<br /><br />Though all of the marketing information for the Shadowland mentions <strong>March</strong> 2020 as the release date, I purchased and received my copy from Amazon.com in <strong>February</strong> 2020.
Bodirsky, Monica
<a href="https://www.schifferbooks.com/shadowland-tarot-6885.html" target="_blank" title="Shadowland Tarot (Schiffer website)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shadowland Tarot (Schiffer website)</a>
Red Feather (an imprint of Schiffer Publishing)
© 2020
<em>The Shadowland Tarot</em> by Monica Bodirsky -- 208 page softcover companion book included with the set.
78 cards
English
RWS
ISBN 9780764359033
Van Gogh Tarot
Art
Vincent Van Gogh
78 cards + a title card and an informational card, housed in a flimsier-than-usual cardboard tuck box.
No LWB was included.
Cards measure 12 cm tall x 7 cm wide.
The card back design is reversible.
The card stock is flexible, with a smooth and flat matte finish.
This is a RWS clone, and the suits, majors, titles, and numbering are all in keeping with a traditional RWS deck.
The cards have a small white border in which a copyright notice appears on the lower left-hand side.
This deck was printed and sold via The Game Crafter website (http://www.thegamecrafter.com), which is where I purchased my copy.
As printed on the back of the box, it retailed for $34.99 USD.
Bowers, Eric
Smith, Pamela Colman
Waite, Arthur Edward, 1857-1942
<a title="http://www.thegamecrafter.com" href="http://www.thegamecrafter.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">http://www.thegamecrafter.com</a>
Self-published
2012
78 cards
English
RWS
Journey of the Sacred Bee Tarot
Bees
Sacred geometry
78 cards + a small, softcover guidebook in a sturdy cardboard box with a magnetic flip-top. <br /><br />A drawstring bag was also included; it is made of an unbleached burlap-type fabric with the deck's title stamped on the front. I also received a small enamel pin with my copy, which I've attached to the bag for safekeeping.<br /><br />A paper "thank you" insert was included as well, noting that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the deck will go to the "Honeybee foundation." However, when I Google searched for it, it was unclear which Honeybee foundation is being referenced. <br /><br />The cards measure 7.7 cm wide x 12.9 cm long. (Page 81 of the guidebook gives the length as 5 inches, but after repeated measurements, I find them to be slightly over 5 inches.)<br /><br />The cardstock is mildly flexible and has a very flat, matte finish, but is embellished with blue foil stamped bees on the card backs. The deck is edged in blue foil, as well. There's something about the feel of the cards in my hand that leads me to caution against riffle shuffling, as this could lead to accidental creases. <br /><br />The card back design is fully reversible.<br /><br />Strength is VIII and Justice is XI. The Fool is numbered 0. <br /><br />The suits are Wands, Cups, Swords, and Disks. The court cards are Princess, Knight, Queen, and King.<br /><br />The minor arcana are semi-scenic, with occasional nods to the RWS, but not enough so to be easily readable.<br /><br />On reflection, I mildly regret purchasing this deck. It's beautiful, but not usable. Every card gives me the same impression -- "pretty! bee!" -- rather than drawing me into a divinatory headspace.<br /><br />Artistically, it is extremely consistent, competent, and thoughtful. It is lovely. It would look fantastic in Instagram photos. But it doesn't succeed as a tarot deck.<br /><br />The bottom of the box notes that this is the first edition. This deck was initially marketed and funded via a Kickstarter campaign; I was a backer for one signed copy. Inside the flip top portion of the box, my copy is signed by the artist and numbered as #301 of 840. The deck itself is not signed.
Burton, Kelly
<a href="https://sacredsoultarot.com/" target="_blank" title="Sacred Soul Tarot" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://sacredsoultarot.com/</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sacredbeetarot/journey-of-the-sacred-bee-tarot" target="_blank" title="Kickstarter campaign" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sacredbeetarot/</a>
Sacred Soul Productions
2020
78 cards
English
Other
1st edition, signed, #301 of 840
Mundane Tarot
Blue Mundane Tarot
Eclectic
Contemporary Culture
78 cards wrapped in a scrap of sheer cloth, housed inside a lined, light blue bag that pulls shut with a ribbon tie. No title card.
There is no identifying information on the deck or bag -- nothing to indicate the deck's name, artist's name, or publication year.
The cards are very small (miniature) and hand cut, measuring approximately 6 cm tall x 4.5 cm wide.
The card stock is slightly flexible and uncoated, with a slight texture.
Card backs are a reversible blue marble pattern.
The print quality is a little muddy / blurry, or perhaps the original art was a bit blurry when it was scanned in. Anyway, it is sometimes hard to make out specific details.
The cards are fully scenic, and the main colors featured are pinks and blues and mint greens.
Strength is 8 and Justice is 11. The Fool is numbered 0.
Suits are Cups, Pentacles, Wands, and Swords. Courts are Page, Knight, Queen, and King.
I purchased my copy from Etsy.com on February 2, 2007 from the seller "LovelyThings" for $45 USD.
Kaplan's Encyclopedia IV lists this deck in its "Unpublished Tarot Designs" chapter, on page 130.
Cantwell, Mary Beth
Kaplan, Encyclopedia of Tarot, v. IV, page 130
Self published
2007 (my copy)
1990s (according to Kaplan's Encyclopedia)
78 cards
English
Other
Tarot of the Sidhe
Art
Celtic
Myth
Faery
78 cards with a small format, softcover book. Two extra advertising cards are included. Packaged in a sturdy, two piece cardboard lidded box.
Cards are slightly wider than a typical deck, but not oversized. Cards have a shiny, but not sticky, varnish on both front and back.
Card backs are non-reversible.
Suits are Dreamers (Swords or Air), Warriors (Wands or Fire), Dancers (Cups or Water), and Makers (Pentacles or Earth).
Most, but not all, of the Major Arcana bear traditional titles. The Minor Arcana each have a secondary title at the bottom -- for example, Dreamer Nine is also titled "Nightmare."
Justice is 8 and Strength is 11.
Many cards show a distinct RWS influence, but the artist's own creativity and originality shines through as well.
Carding, Emily
Schiffer
2010
78 cards
English
RWS
978-0-7643-3599-0
LCCN: 2010935183