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Rare Tarot decks in my collection |
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These are some of the Tarot decks I’ve collected over the decades. They come from a variety of countries and all are fascinating for their artwork, symbolism, and unique provenance. Each is long out-of-print. I hope readers enjoy these photos and brief reviews below! These decks are available for sale. To order please email me at mfilipas22@gmail.com to arrange payment and to determine shipping and insurance costs. Tarot Ideographique du Kebek Tarot Ideographique du Kebek
Tarot Ideographique du Kebek was published in 1979 by Editions de Mortagne, Ottawa, Canada. It is a book and deck set with 22 trumps designed by the artist Yves Paquin. The cards themselves are comparatively large at 3" x 6", and printed on coated (but unlaminated) card stock. The symbolism follows that of French occult decks such as that by Oswald Wirth. The 144-page book includes essays written by several French authors including Jacques Languirand, Denise Rouselle, and Jean-Louis Victor who has designed some interesting Tarot decks himself. Paquin’s designs reflect a love for geometry, each of the images constructed entirely of lines, arcs, and geometrical shapes. The artist states that he restricted himself to using only square rule and compass. Yet each design is complex enough that it could stand alone as a greatly enlarged poster. These geometrical constructions are as much symbolic as they are an artistic device. The book, written in French, includes illustrations showing how Paquin’s designs are drawn using an underlying grid of circles, squares, crosses and triangles — shapes intended by the designer to represent the four-fold structure of the universe. This grid is the ideograph referred to in the deck’s title and is used as the back pattern for the cards as well. The grid itself is complex enough to accommodate all of the astrological and alchemical symbols used by the artist, such as the four element symbols superimposed onto the creatures of The Wheel of Fortune and the seven planetary symbols contained in The Pope’s staff. This deck is shown in Kaplan’s Encyclopedia of Tarot vol. III, page 290. Book and cards like new. $130.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Pomo Tarot
A book and deck set by Brian Williams. The illustrations offer witty and irreverent commentary on modern society. For example, Wands have been transformed into TVs, Cups into Bottles, Coins into Money, and Swords into Guns. The Magician is now a Scientist, and The Fool is a socialite wearing a power tie. William’s vast knowledge of art history also shines through with numerous nods to famous works of art and any fan of art history will find a treasure trove of hidden and not-so-hidden allusions — for example, the Dali-esque Seven of Bills and the enigmatic Andrew Wyeth's Christina's World in the Three of Tvs. The 120-page book details the meaning of each card as well as the artworks referenced. This is the original 1994 edition. New. $85.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Miracle Tarot
The Miracle Tarot depicts the Fantasia-like world of Japanese artist Reiko Shimizu. Published in 1993 by Hakusensha in Japan, the set includes a book and 78 cards which are packaged in a beautiful and sturdy slipcase. The book is written entirely in the artist’s native language and the thick, laminated cards measure about 2¼ by 4¾. A strong calligraphic influence can be seen throughout the designs, as in the flowing hair of Justice and her elongated sword, in the tail feathers of the Ace and Knight of Wands, in the swirl of fish on the Ace of Pentacles. Each Ace features a different animal totem: rooster for Wands, butterfly for Swords, water-serpent for Cups, and fish for Pentacles. These are brought into The Magician who is shown with butterfly, fish, and flying mermaid. Shimizu’s sixteen court cards are highly detailed and depict worlds unique to their suit. The Page, Knight, Queen and King of Wands are illustrated in a sunny yellow, with birds or feathers figuring into their costume; King of Wands depicts a dove perched in front of a shark’s jawbone. The Sword personages are fairy-like, each with butterfly wings and all in magenta and orange tints. The court of Cups are mer-folk with crustacean horns, scale-like bodies, and water-serpent familiars in an underwater hue of blue-green. The Pentacles are in tones of blue-violet, its court equipped with fish fins and lavish necklaces of coins. Many of the court figures are highly ornamented. Mint condition. $130.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Ansata Tarot
A Majors-only deck painted by German artist Paul Struck and published in 1983 to accompany the book Astrologie und Tarot by B.A. Mertz. These elaborately detailed cards were originally published with German titles but were reprinted in 1985 with English titles, as seen here. Housed in its original die-cut plastic box with 36-page booklet in English. Like new. $95.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Servants of the Light Tarot
78-card deck and book set, published in 1991. Painted by Jo Gill (The Gill Tarot) and Anthony Clark (Magickal Tarot), the deck was conceived by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki who was Director of Studies for the British occult school known as The Servants of the Light. The Servants of the Light Tarot began with a painting of The Lovers by Jo Gill in 1975 and her subsequent Major Arcana paintings took several more years to complete. The designs rose in popularity after Gareth Knight chose Gill's painting of The World card to be the cover of his 1978 book A History of White Magic, and later authors then used other paintings from the series as covers for their own metaphysical books such as First Steps In Ritual, Highways of the Mind and Inner Landscapes. In order to complete and publish these paintings as a 78-card deck, the author Ashcroft-Nowicki teamed with Anthony Clark, artist and author of the esteemed Magickal Tarot deck. Of the final accomplishment Ashcroft-Nowicki writes "This then is the Servants of the Light Tarot, a combination of the work of three people. And, as any magician will tell you, a triangle of power is a highly potent source of psychic energy." This deck and 127-page book is housed in their original die-cut package. Mint condition. $130.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Ravenswood Eastern Tarot
This is the 1978 edition of the Ravenswood Eastern Tarot, issued as a limited edition of one hundred sets each signed and numbered by the artist Dirk Dykstra. The designs are founded upon the Waite-Smith pattern while the artwork incorporates Indian, Persian and arabesque ornament. The name "Ravenswood" is taken from the wiccan coven in Iowa of which Dykstra was then a member. The Magician is a self portrait of the artist, dressed in a farajiygat or long coat of sleeves worn by Indian judges and scholars. The brooch he wears depicts a moon eclipsing the sun as symbol of male and female force dynamics. The stars in the background represent magical influences and the four suit symbols are his tools. The Wheel of Fortune depicts a mandala surrounding an open eye. The eight petals suggest the eight paths of the Buddha, a means to achieving spiritual knowledge. In the distance is a mosque with minarets from which a muezzin summons the sudra to prayer. The cards are printed on thick unlaminated card stock and sealed within a thin paper wrapping. The cards shown here are from an opened deck of mine, including the two topcards with edition numbers and signature; since the deck I am selling is sealed, there is no way to know which number it is (my opened deck is 94 out of 500). Cards mint; wrap shows subtle signs of age. $130.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Australian Contemporary Dreamtime Tarot
A 78-card Tarot emulating the Aboriginal art of Australia. The designs follow an Aboriginal style known as The Rainbow Serpent which depicts the world of the Eternal Dreamtime, an inner dimension of being. The figures depicted represent the guides and ancestral spirits which inhabit the rocks, waters, plants and animals. The images are playful and graffiti-like, using an earthy color scheme as if the pigments were mixed from soils, plants, and berries. Each trump is a blend of Aboriginal and Tarot imagery, often presenting cultural ideas unfamiliar to those of us in the Western hemisphere. The names for each trump are nowhere translated in the booklet, which mentions only that these reflect a variety of Aboriginal dialects. The Fool, for example, is titled Karadji, but one must refer elsewhere than to the booklet to learn that this word translates as ‘clever man’ or ‘healer’. What the booklet does provide are lengthy lists of correspondences for each of the Major Arcana, these offering meaningful clues. Perhaps the most important correspondences are those labeled Value and Concept, which hint most directly at each design’s content. Trump III shown here is titled Yaccana. The female figure stands behind an altar and she raises her hand as if performing a ritual. This stance reflects her Value of ‘Reaction’ and her Concept of ‘Intuition’. Around the woman flows a river, and in the distance above the horizon are disks which emanate solar rays. The letters inscribed within these circles are mnemonic cues indicating specific correspondences detailed in the booklet, an elegant technique used for each of the Major Arcana. On Trump III the solar orb initialed “E” denotes the Direction “East to the rising sun,” and the middle orb initialed “F” denotes the Day “Friday.” Each of the Majors are also assigned the correspondence of Color, and these figure prominently in the designs; the color associated with Yaccana is emerald green. The circle inscribing the periodic abbreviation “Cu” at the bottom of the card indicates the Element correspondence of “Copper”. Every card in the deck also displays an astrological correspondence; Trump III is assigned Venus in Taurus, the symbols of which are placed in this card’s upper left corner. Because the deck does not use traditional names or numerals, an understanding of its numbering scheme is helpful and quite simple: each large dot represents a value of 5 and each small dot a value of 1. The card Weja’s, for instance, shows one large dot and one small dot, a value of 6, indicating that this card is that of The Lovers. This system is used for the suit cards as well. Sealed collector's limited edition with title card signed by the author. $130.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Mage: The Ascension Tarot
A book-deck set based upon the supernatural role-playing world of Mage: The Ascension. Includes a 178-page full color book and 78 illustrated cards showing visual allusions both to the Waite-Smith designs and to the Mage: The Ascension gameworld. The minors portray the game's four magical essences: The suit of Questing, the suit of Primordialism, the suit of Dynamism, and the suit of Pattern which correspond respectively to Wands/Fire, Cups/Water, Swords/Air, and Pentacles/Earth. Sealed. $130.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Fantasy Showcase Tarot
This deck was conceived by Bruce Pelz who, from 1969 to 1980, invited 78 different fantasy artists to illustrate their own assigned cards within the deck. By the end of the project, 6 additional cards had been conceived and added to the standard deck of 78: Trump XXII/Separation, Trump XXIII/The Farrior, and an additional court card named The Lady thus giving each suit a Page, Knight, Lady, Queen, and King. The deck is like new in box with a booklet identifying each card's author and interpretation. New. $85.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Il Tarocco del Mondo Nuovo
A 78-card limited edition Tarot printed in 1991 by Il Solleone and painted by Amerigo Folchi. The Tarot of the New World illustrates the people, wildlife, lands and cultural artifacts with which the western civilization came into contact during their exploration of the Americas. Included with the deck is a pamphlet with essay by Folchi explaining his deck and his literary references as well as brief interpretations for each of the cards, written in Italian. This deck is actually a tribute to the indigenous peoples of the continent. Note also that Trump XIII or Death is Columbus with a death mask and that Trump XXI The World shows him bending the knee to the tent poles of Christian belief. Mint. $85.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Il Tarocco di Colombo
The Tarot of Columbus was printed in 1991 by Italcards in a numbered edition limited to 3000. The edition number is stamped on the underside of the box. The deck recalls that period of the 1400’s in which the mainlands were believed to lie within the center of the world, surrounded in all directions by a Sea whose bounds were unknown. The suit cards are illustrated with corresponding items of historical importance. The suit of Coins depicts agricultural products; the Two of Coins shows potatoes, the Three of Coins shows corn and the Four of Coins shows zucchini. Cups illustrate ships at sea, birds, and colorful weather patterns. Swords represent aggression and imperialistic spirit, showing swords combined with geometric shapes. Wands present the time-line of Columbus’ voyages, using a map labeled with the dates for each journey. Included with the cards are little booklets written in English, Italian, Spanish and French, with a historical essay and explanations for each of the card's subject matter. Mint, box numbered. $125.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Il Tarocco di Amerigo Folchi
By the Italian artist Amerigo Folchi and published in 1991 by Italcards in a limited numbered edition of 3000. The deck comes in an extremely sturdy box with plastic tray to hold the cards. The edition number is stamped onto the label on the bottom of the box. The recurring device which he uses to tie these cards together are striped garments and handkerchiefs. The amusing scenes which result convey Folchi’s intention of a deck “rooted in contemporary existence and to its being self-deprecating and irreverent, both important qualities for criticizing and interpreting our present condition.” Folchi's The Magician, a dark mysterious figure in the shadows, holds a hat from which a rabbit emerges. The image refers to illusions which—whether of our own or another's making—are sometimes more powerful than objective reality. The Wheel of Fortune, a figure holding a Roulette Wheel, is considered by the artist to symbolize “the classic stroke of luck” and Folchi advises us to take the chance when the advantageous proposal comes our way. The Star is one of the few cards with no garment or kerchief—its figure stands against a fiery background and stars are wrapped sensuously around her body. Trump XV, The Devil, shows a serpent weaving through a twisted knotted garment; the mythic apple is here, and there is a bulge beneath the cloth which implies that something else is hidden, likely the greed, secrets or deception which Folchi says this card is meant to represent. The kerchiefs featured in the Minors and court cards appear to be alive, behaving as if with human emotion and posing with their props. I doubt if there is any divinatory significance to these arrangements but they are true studies in creative composition; an art instructor could easily use these illustrations as inspiration for still-life drawing exercises. Two instruction booklets are included; one is written in English and Italian, the other in French and German. Mint, box numbered. $125.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Il Tarocco Mitologico
Created by Italian artist Amerigo Folchi and published by Italcards in 1988, Il Tarocco Mitologico is based upon the imaginative themes of Greek mythology. This deck illustrates connections between the Tarot and the Classical Myths: the Fool is Dionysus, Justice is Pallas Athena whose shield bears an engraving of Medussa's head, Trump X is represented by Tyche the Goddess of Fortune, the hero Perseus portrays the card of Strength, in his defeat of the Medusa. Many of the scenes and characters I recognized without having to reference the little booklet, which is not always the case with culturally themed decks. The little booklet was written by Andrea Gamboni, whose commentary on these mythological archetypes make the deck more interesting. His text has stylings of psychoanalytical language woven throughout. He describes Dionysus, The Fool, as the symbol of our primeval instincts, and as the driving force behind nature which brings fruits and plants to ripeness. Pallas Athena is the Goddess of Justice representing the counter to these ideas, carrying the shield with the head of Medusa to symbolize her victory over the passions — a symbol which I think is parallel to the blindfold seen on older images of Justice; Gamboni hints here at the Freudian idea that a society is formed through the removal of sexual and aggressive drives which would otherwise cause reckless individuality and hedonism. Trump X is represented by Tyche, the iconic Goddess of Fortune who steers the boat of Life and disperses gifts from her cornucopia to those willing and able to accept. The Tower depicts Bellerophon falling from the winged horse Pegasus. Using a magic bridle given to him by Athena, Bellerophon was able to harness the elusive horse and thereby win in conquest with enemy creatures. Mirroring other Greek myths of hubris as well as the story of the Tower of Babel, Bellerophon attempts to reach the god’s Mount Olympus but is thrown from the back of Pegasus. Mint, numbered on box. $125.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Il Tarocco di Sissi
This deck illustrates the history of Elisabeth of Austria, Sissi being the nickname given to her as a child. Elisabeth was known for her unsurpassed beauty. She sough refuge in nature by taking hikes into the Viennese woods and by riding horses through the royal grounds, in later years to becoming an expert equestrienne. The Wheel of Fortune suggests the tragic downturns she faced in life: the early loss of her youth, the ridicule of the Viennese elite, the suicide of her son Prince Rudolph, and the death of her sister and mother. One consolation was the sincere love of her husband Franz Joseph (The Lovers). Yet the two of them were, as Folchi describes, “two very different human beings pitted at times against each other but nonetheless linked together in their fate.” Mint, numbered on box. $145.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Ceremonial Magic Tarot
This deck is featured in Stuart Kaplan's 2005 Encyclopedia of the Tarot Volume IV pp.226-27. It has a standard Tarot form but substitutes traditional Tarot imagery with corresponding magical and planetary talismans from the Greater Key of Solomon. Published in 1992 by Marianne Peterson and Priscilla Schwei. Mint. $145.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Eclectic Tarot
This deck by Josef Machyncha was printed in 1986 by Piatnik Vienna. The Eclectic Tarot is so named because the artist included a diverse mix of Tarot traditions into the card design. For example, his designs show connections with older Italian decks, while cards such as The Star and The Sun show compositions similar to decks such as the Soprafino Tarot. There are also influences from the Waite-Smith deck, as well as from ’Egyptian style’ decks such as the designs by Wegener. At the same time, the artist's intent was to “make no changes that are not justified by tradition and source material, and to pursue the goal of clarifying the symbology.” Like new. $85.00. Order here ∙ back to top
The Enochian Tarot
This is an 86-card deck conceived by Gerald and Betty Schueler and painted by Sallie Ann Glassman. It is based on the system called Enochian Magic, developed in the 16th century by Dr. John Dee with the help of his magical partner Edward Kelly. This deck’s little booklet gives a basic introduction to their system. The term Enochian was the name given by Dee and Kelly to the ancient angelic language they claimed to have discovered. Through scrying and astral projection, they documented the details not only of this language of 21 letters but also of the elaborate structure of Regions and Beings which comprise the spaces between Earth and the highest Heaven. Included in their system are techniques for navigating these regions, and the true names over the Beings which reside there. This system closely resembles, with a few significant variations, the Kabbalistic system of Sephiroth and Pathways. The founders of the Order of the Golden Dawn, in fact, found this system so compelling that they incorporated it into their own elaborate system of magical rituals. Like new. $85.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Il Tarocchi della Rinascita (The Tarots of the Renaissance)
An exquisite 78-card deck of large 4.5" x 7.25" cards printed on a silky thick card stock. This rare limited edition deck is housed in a larger cardboard box and includes instruction booklets all in Italian. The images appear to be rendered with oil pastels. Mint. $165.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Thea's Tarot
Published back in 1984 by Medusa Graphics of Somerville, Massachusetts, Thea's Tarot is one of the earliest feminist decks ever published. Its Bostonian designer Ruth West named the deck by virtue of the feminine "th" sound of the letter theta - this Greek letter "Θ" being a fundamental symbol important to mathematical equations. Upon her included instruction sheet she writes "For many, many years, the tarot has been interpreted by and for men, leaving out the vital images of women and their spiritual interpretations. The tarot is deeply rooted in traditions of the earth, of rhythms and patterns of nature and of astrological symbolism, all originated and carried on by women throughout time." Mint cards, instruction sheet signed by the author. $95.00. back to top
Future Solleone Tarot
A deck by Italian artist Elisabetta Cassari, published by Edizione del Solleone in 1987. It was limited to a printing of 1500 and each deck is numbered on the outside of the slip-cased box. The Future Solleone Tarot is a 78-card deck with a few variations from the traditional trumps. Cassari is narrating a linear science-fiction story, beginning with a creation myth, the development of a fictional society, and the repercussions of fascination with technology. The first card Chaos shows a primordial and shapeless world on which life has not yet taken form. This genesis continues as cards 2-Light, 3-Aurora, 4-Reptiles and Fish (below), 5-The Human Creatures, 6-the Tyrant, and 7-the People. Later trumps follow more closely to tradition. The entire deck is a work of science fiction. In the folded booklet which comes with it, Cassari explains that her cards tell the story of a distant planet in a future galaxy. Reptiles and Fishes depicts the stage in the planet’s history when its evolving creatures take to the sky. Then we have the birth of human life on the planet (5-The Human Creatures), marriage between a couple from two different alien races (18-The Marriage), Justice as an android whose sophisticated machinery computes the fate of those brought before her, and The Devil represented by a futuristic genius (15-The Evil Genius). Mint, numbered. $130.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Tarocco Italiano (Dotti Tarot)
Reproduction of a Tarocchi pack originally printed by Teodoro Dotti circa 1845. Teodoro Dotti was a major playing card manufacturer in Milan, Italy during the middle of the nineteenth century. He and his son Edoardo published many decks based upon these designs, though most of these were woodcut decks as opposed to metal engravings. An engraved deck such as this one would have cost more because of the skill and time required for the finer lines Dotti and Son, however, were not the only game in the town of Milan. Ferdinando Gumppenberg had established himself as a major Milanese card maker well before Teodoro Dotti, and in fact had published several decks while Dotti was yet a boy. One of Gumppenberg’s most popular decks was a Lombardy pack now known as the Soprafino Tarot. The designs were engraved by the artist Carlo Dellarocca and published by Gumppenberg circa 1835. Dellarocca’s engravings were unique and extremely detailed, making it a popular luxury deck as well as the envy of subsequent cardmakers. Both Teodoro and Gumppenberg would go on to produce a number of engraved and woodcut versions of their decks. It is interesting that this professional competition was continued between Teodoro’s son, Edoardo, and Gumppenberg’s son-in-law, Lattanzio Lamperti, who took over the business around 1847. This 78-card reprint was published in 1985 as a limited, numbered edition of 2500 by Il Meneghello. Printed on thick, laminated cardstock and housed in a beautiful cardboard book-cover style package. $75.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Gli Arcani di Elisabetta
This is a deck of Major Arcana cards created by the Italian artist Elisabetta Cassari and published by Edizione del Solleone in 1986. The edition was limited to a printing of only 99, the edition numbers being stamped onto the spine of the inner box, which is itself housed within a cork-and-leather case. The illustrations are etchings printed on thick archival stock. Each set was originally intended to be hand painted by the artist, but she was unable to complete that daunting task. Some of these images represent pain and domination. The Fool, Temperance, and The Sun have fallen victim to strange, medieval treatments. Some of those who have escaped such fates seem to have formed alliances; others protect themselves through trickery, such as The Magician, or by a more serious magic, as seen in The Star.
The Papessa is either a corpse or a puppet, and there are no pupils in her eyes. Behind her is a horned demon, his one hand clasping the Papessa’s wrist and his other arm wrapped around her waist in place of her own left arm. The corruption of power is a common theme in Cassari’s decks and this card suggests the corruption of ecclesiastical authority. Mint. Numbered limited edition (this deck 94/99), inner sleeve signed by the artist. $225.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Kazanlar Tarot
The Kazanlar Tarot is like a miniature illuminated manuscript. The deck’s author calls it an ecumenical tarot because it incorporates the ideas of many different cultures. Emil Kazanlar was born in Iran. His father was Turkish and Persian, his mother was Hungarian, and both parents brought additional religious influences into their home. He further pursued the studies of painting, philosophy, kabbalah and linguistics, and eventually found in the Tarot a medium which satisfied his eclectic spiritual interests. Consequently, there is a wealth of metaphysical doctrine embedded here. These images incorporate the symbolism of many traditions including astrology, alchemy, the I-Ching, Sanskrit texts, and Arabic inscriptions which run around the borders of most of the cards. For example, The Star depicts the fairy from The Thousand and One Knights who lives in the light of the seven stars yet desires the eighth star which fate has not yet given her. These stars are each inscribed with the symbol for one of the planets and the large eighth star is inscribed with the symbol for Venus. She pours water from two jugs, one an offering to the earth for the fulfillment of practical needs and one to the sea as a sacrificial gesture toward the source of all gifts. Around the river are symbols for the three astrological water signs of Cancer, Pisces and Scorpio. The seventeenth Hebrew letter Peh, a word which also means mouth, is placed near the mouth of the urn she pours from. The World card represents the Absolute which cannot be directly perceived. The circle is formed by the Uroboros snake symbolizing matter constantly in flux. The Four Creatures at the corners of the card stand for the primordial elements which serve as a balance to the Chaos at center. As these four creatures also represent the four gospel writers, Kazanlar considers the middle figure here to represent Barnabas, whom Islamic tradition believes was the first apostle to write an account of Jesus’ life. Justice with her sword and scales reflects Christian iconography depicting the four virtues. She is not blindfolded, though her distant gaze illustrates Kazanlar's sentiment that Justice is impartial. The solar disk on her crown means that she relies on her inner vision and obeys the directives of the All-seeing Eye above her. To her right is a large palm tree whose leaves give shelter, and to her left are inscriptions written in the sky to guide her. The 144-page booklet describes these images in detail though some of the symbols, letters and inscriptions are left for us to decipher. The Wheel of Fortune is based upon the letter Yod which literally means ‘hand’ in Hebrew and Arabic, hinting that Destiny is akin to the Hand of God entering into the affairs of men. The card depicts the Wheel supported by a mast from a boat which sails over the waters of the Nile. The Sphinx who keeps watch mirrors ourselves, says Kazanlar, since we have the power to choose our opportunities on the wheel and take advantage of its cycles. Mint deck sealed in a thin paper overwrap. $130.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Zigeuner Tarot (Gypsy Tarot)
This is the rare oversized Gypsy Tarot by Walter Wegmüller published in 1975 by Sphinx Verlag Basel in Germany. This edition of the cards, approximately 4.25 x 6 inches, is much larger than Wegmüller's later 1985 deck known as the New Age Tarot. Wegmüller's images are filled with gypsy folklore and a variety of occult traditions, and were used to illustrate Sergius Golowin's 1975 book Die Welt Des Tarot (The World of Tarot). This German-published deck includes an instruction booklet translated to English, the booklet bearing a 1982 copyright and coinciding with the English-translated 1983 publication of Serguis Golowin's book on the Tarot. The introduction in this booklet conveys the flavor of the artist's approach: "These Tarot cards were painted between 1968-1974 by the gipsy (sic) painter Walter Wegmüller who now lives in Basle and who has been involved with the symbols handed down by his forebears since his childhood. Even today he can be seen on market days as a traveling salesman, a street artist, a story-teller and a diviner... "Many gipsy diviners are proud to see that modern psychology has really taken over much of their age-old wisdom. And it is true that the famous Swiss psychologist, C.G.Jung, did deal quite extensively with Tarot pictures and other related medieval symbols. All his teachings concerning the archetypes that influence our souls were clearly prompted by his study of the science of divination." Mint. $125.000. Order here ∙ back to top
Elemental Tarot
This is the gorgeous Elemental Tarot book and deck set as originally published by Dolphin Doubleday in 1987. It differs markedly from the later edition by St.Martin’s Press whose reproduction of the original artwork is unfortunately marred by noticeable pixelization of the original lines and colors due to inferior digital scanning. The later edition also failed to correctly reproduce the card’s original font titling by using newly typeset letters in the bottom panels of the major arcana; in order to insert these new titles, the color panels behind them had to be digitally recreated to cover the old panels and unfortunately these used flat color without the charm of this deck's original mottled colors. The elements are symbolized at the bottom of the cards by one of five geometric shapes. These shapes are actually the Tattwa symbols as used in magical scrying exercises, though reference to this is not mentioned in the text. The Trumps are denoted by an egg shape corresponding to Spirit, the suits of Fire by a red triangle, Air by a blue circle, Water by a silver moon, Earth by a green square. Each card is further assigned a pair of planets which gives additional meaning. This system of correspondences does not use the twelve zodiacal signs but instead uses the ten planets, the midheaven, the ascendant, and Moon's node—giving seventy-eight possible pair combinations. The illustrations are vertically divided at the point of the golden ratio, which John confirmed was intentionally incorporated by Caroline into her designs. This means that the distance between the title panel's baseline to the lower-mid "horizon line" is comparable to its distance to the topmost line by a factor of 1.618, a ratio called the golden proportion. This compositional feature can provide an interpretive key; there are other decks, such as the Egypcios Kier and some Egyptian decks, which use vertical divisions to symbolize the subconscious, conscious, and the superconscious as well as the physical, intellectual, and spiritual worlds. The card’s symbols thus have additional meaning depending upon which of the three regions they appear. Mint, includes additional card signed by the deck's artist. $125.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Tarot of Andrea Picini
This book and deck set is a rare numbered and signed edition of Picini's 1984 deck. Printed in Italy using gorgeous color, the cards themselves are still sealed in their original plastic and the book, which is a whopping 175 pages, is written in English, Italian and German. The set is housed in a solid wood box with slipcase cover. Mint. $300.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Tarot Gitan
This is a rare forty-two card Tarot deck inspired by the gods, goddesses and stories of the Bhagavad Gita. painted by Olivier Stephane and published in 1983. This deck is shown and described on page 248 of Stuart Kaplan's Encyclopedia of the Tarot Volume III. The booklet is in French. The set is housed in a wood box with slipcase cover. Mint. $125.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Tarots of Oreste Zevola
This deck is shown and described on page 607 of Stuart Kaplan's Encyclopedia of the Tarot Volume IV. It is a limited edition (2500 copies) deck of large (2.5" x 7") and colorful cards by Italian artist Oreste Zevola. Published in 1989, with booklet in French. Cards in mint condition, box has only minor wear due to age. $95.00. Order here ∙ back to top
The New Tarot
The New Tarot Deck was conceived by Jack Hurley, Rae Hurley and John Horler, with illustrations by Horler. It was published in 1973 by Taroco in Sausalito, California. Its 78 black and white designs are bold and simplified and seem to have been influenced by Egyptian, Norse, and Tahitian cultures. There is only the slightest connection to the Waite-Smith imagery. Both the designs and the instruction sheet are as unpretentious as the name of the deck itself. The deck includes a single fold-out sheet displaying miniatures of each card next to their interpretations. The authors’ relaxed approach comes through in the text: “Each card is neutral, presenting actuality without judgment. Rearranged with every shuffle, each ‘layout/readout’ mirrors a life or game sequence ranging from silly to saga.” Their description of the reading process is equally mellow: “Read what you see in the cards. What you see is what they mean for you. Your first flash or impression counts most. Interpretation depends on self awareness and personal philosophy. The readings are an individual projection of the existential now.” The Pages, Queens and Kings in this deck represent the zodiacal signs and share the psychedelic-like descriptors. The Page of Cups represents “Pisces, Princess, Lorelei, siren, water-nymph, Aphrodite, mother of Eros, waterfront whore, all that lures us to adventure, success, destruction. Charming and seductive, given to oracular powers, changes focus like a two-tailed fish.” The Queen of Wands represents “Sheba, Queen of Fire, Leo, a willful wench. To honor the legends, she is black, beautiful, sensuous, relaxed, lithe, wise and powerful. You might meet her as a sexy, stimulating, bossy broad.” This deck is featured in Stuart Kaplan's Encyclopedia of the Tarot Volume I on page 267. Mint. $85.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Le Tarot des Templiers (Tarot of the Templars)
Le Tarot des Templiers, or The Tarot of the Templars, was published in 1996 by Editions Dervy, and packaged as both a single deck (with no little booklet) and a book and deck set (which includes a 160-page book). This is the deck-only set. It is based upon the mythos of the Knights Templars, a military-religious order in sixteenth-century France. The deck was conceived by Jean-Louis Victor and illustrated by Willy Vassaux. Victor has authored several books on the Tarot and other esoteric subjects, and directed a seven-volume encyclopedic work titled The Universe of Parapsychology and Esoterism. The Major Arcana of this deck are saturated with Hermetic and Kabbalistic symbolism. Trumps I through X are associated with their corresponding Sephiroth, indicated in English on small banners. Other Hebrew words are found on banners The pips are illustrated with suit emblems and ornate floral designs. Each suit displays a progression of forces. The suit of Coins, for example, represents the following: Ace, Positive results and integral solidity of ongoing projects; Two, Creative desire; Three, Positive change of orientation required by destiny; Four, Creative power; Five, The cosmic forces accompanying the action; Six, Sign of delay because of hesitancy before decisions; Seven, The force leading to success is omnipresent; Eight, Interesting outcome but the path is difficult; Nine, Positive result differed because of calm reassuring of the energetic context; Ten, Excellent achievements, and great satisfactions are announced. Mint. $95.00. Order here ∙ back to top
New Age Tarot (Neuzeit Tarot)
Illustrated by Walter Wegmüller and published by AGMuller in 1982. Wegmüller grew up within the Rom Gipsy culture of Switzerland, where he was shown his first Tarot deck. He writes of meeting others in his travels who exposed him to the traditions and stories of many of the Gipsy tribes. He implies that he believes that the Tarot is intimately connected to the history of the Gipsies, and his text descriptions in the booklet convey this respect. The cards are average in size yet highly detailed. The Trumps each have their own border designs and minuscule symbols and ornaments are strewn throughout. The Ace of Cups, for example, has a tiny Tree of Life towards the bottom, surrounded by numbers and the twelve zodiac symbols. The deck's symbolism is derived from many traditions: chemical diagrams and equations, alchemical symbols, Tibet, Native America, and icons taken from modern culture. Wegmüller describes the Tarot as “a cosmic record of the traditions and life experiences of our forebears as well as of human evolution as a whole.” Mint with cards in their original plastic seal. $95.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Cartomanzia Italiana
This is a 78-card tarot deck printed in a limited and stamped edition of 2000 in 1983 by Edizioni del Solleone and printed on thick uncoated card stock. It is a reproduction of a 19th century Tarot deck, artist unknown. Though decks with the word Cartomanzia in their title usually diverge from traditional Tarots, this deck retains the format of 22 Trumps and 56 suit cards. The title probably comes from this Italian deck being heavily influenced by French cartomancy packs, in particular those in the Etteilla style. This deck is a combination of two traditions; trumps such as Gli Amante, Il Mondo, La Temperanza and La Torre clearly show the iconography of Etteilla images, while trumps such as Il Bagatto, La Papessa and ll Imperatore reflect Italian designs in the style of Carlo Dellarocca. Most of the court cards have pseudo-Egyptian motifs which reflect the widespread belief current at that time that the Tarot originated within the ancient Egyptian culture. One cartomantic feature of the deck is the divinatory phrases featured at the bottom and top of each card, showing both standard and reversed meanings - a cartomantic device reflecting French divination decks and unusual to see on Italian tarots. Another divinatory characteristic of this deck is that each card is numbered from 1 to 78, following the numeric sequencing of decks such as those by Etteilla. So, card 32 is always the Four of Staves, card 65 is always the Queen of Coins, etc. Mint, numbers stamped on inner wrap-around. $70.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Ravenloft Tarokka Deck
A 68 card Tarot-like deck based on the Wizards of the Coast Ravenloft game campaign setting. The deck consists of 14 Major Arcana cards and 40 Minor Arcana with suit of Coins, Swords, Stars and Glyphs. Included in the pack are extra cards giving divinatory meanings for each card, reading layouts, and ideas for use both within the game and beyond. Mint. $95.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Tarocco Della Rocca
This is a limited/numbered edition deck of 300 published in Milan, Italy by Il Meneghello in 1998. The label attached to the bottom of the box reads (translated from the Italian) Tarocco of 78 cards from an engraving by Della Rocca for F. Gumppenberg, circa 1830. The topcard of each deck, which bears the print number, reads Tarocco (78 black and white cards) inspired by cards engraved by Della Rocca in the years 1830-1840 for the publisher Ferdinando Gumppenberg. Gumppenberg was a major publisher of Tarocchi decks in Milan, from the late 1700’s until well into the 1800’s. In about 1830-1835, he published the designs engraved by the artist Carlo Della Rocca, whose tarot illustrations were remarkable for their detail. The pencil drawings featured on these cards are presumably executed by a contemporary artist who based them on Dellarocca's original designs. The cards are housed in a cardboard box package which is wrapped in Italian printer's sheets, a copy of Le Mat, and sealed with wax, making each deck truly one of a kind. Mint and hand numbered. $95.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Mouré Tarot
A Major Arcana deck colorfully painted in a somewhat surrealist style by French artist Yannick Mouré. Published in 1984. Mint. $95.00. Order here ∙ back to top
The Original Bach Flower Color Cards
This is a still-sealed deck published in Switzerland in 1989. This 77-card deck consists of 38 cards with illustrations by Austrian artist Silvia Reili-Preinfalk and describing each flower's name, classification and remedy application, and 39 meditation cards which again depict plants on one side of the card and on the other side the rescue remedy mixtures, meditation affirmations and associated colors. Mint. $95.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Magic Tarot
This deck, published by KSP+ in Moscow, features the designs of Russian artist Aleksey Kluev. Kluev’s deck has a dark edge and an emphasis on occult philosophy, with imagery taken directly from alchemical and kabbalistic works. It also incorporates a wider range of influences. The Magician, for example, represents Pythagoras and incorporates a painting by J.A.Knapp which appears in Manly Hall’s work The Secret Teachings of all Ages. The four suit objects surrounding him were added by Kluev into the painting. The source imagery is well matched to the Tarot images, as opposed to being purely decorative. The Lovers incorporates an astrological wheel whose uppermost symbol is Gemini – the sign which Kluev associates with this Trump, as seen on the card itself (shown above). Interesting too is his placement of Kircher’s kabbalistic diagram of the Tree of Life over the two figures of the card, Adam corresponding to the Tree’s masculine Pillar of Severity and Eve to the feminine Pillar of Mercy. Mint. $95.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Enrico Prometti Arcani Maggioro
An abstract and limited edition deck by Italian artist Enrico Prometti. Only 250 copies of this majors-only deck were issued. Featuring crisp illustrations, the cards are laminated and housed inside an elegant cardboard wrap-around package with tie string. Mint. $125.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Amano Tarot
This book and deck set is by the Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano and was published in 1991 by SeimidouShuppan. The 158 page book is in Japanese and includes black and white reproductions of every card in the deck. The cards themselves are printed with gorgeous colors on a thick laminated card stock. Both the artwork and production quality are superb. Amano is a Japanese-born artist with a renowned list of achievements. These include fifteen years at Tatsunoko Productions creating some of Japan’s finest animation; assignments for numerous book illustrations including a recent collaboration with author Neil Gaiman; creation of the Japanese cult hit animated film Angel’s Egg; several commissions for video game character designs, most notably for the Final Fantasy; set and costume designs for productions of Nayotak, Yokihi, and Kaijin Beso, commissioned by director and kabuki actor Tomasaburo. Mint, with cards sealed in original plastic. $150.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Tarocchino Lombardo
This is a replica of a deck originally published in 1835 by Gumppenberg and engraved by Italian artist Carlo Dellarocca. It was published in 1981 by Edizioni del Solleone and limited to 2000 numbered editions, each deck's number stamped on the inside sleeve which wraps around the cards. The cards are printed on heavy archival stock and are unlaminated. Dellarocca's engravings were so unique and finely detailed that they were soon copied by other card makers. Because of its exceptional detail, the deck acquired the epithet Soprafino, which is Italian for ‘very fine’ or ‘refined’. The innovations of this deck are innumerable. Trump I, for example, illustrates a cobbler with a multiplicity of tools scattered on his work tray: a hammer, skein of twine, tongs, mortar of a pestle, and a shoemaker’s form or “last”. On La Luna we see two domesticated dogs howling at the moon, and the traditional crab here becomes a lobster on a dinner plate. Trump XIII adds a treasure trove of items at Death's feet: a broom, a sculptor’s chisel, an ax, a sword, an open book, a badge of office, a serrated tool or saw, paint brushes and a palette, a miter and a crown. Mint. $110.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Tarot Egyptien
This is a reproduction of a beautifully engraved 1870 Tarot deck housed at the Bibliotheque Nationale de Paris. It represents what is known as the Etteilla Tarot pattern: one of the earliest methods of cartomancy or card divination which was popularized in eighteenth-century France by Jean-Baptiste Alliette. Although this Tarot pattern is certainly idiosyncratic, it does consist of 22 major arcana cards and 56 suit cards. The major arcana cards correspond to traditional Tarot majors, with a few exceptions, and the suits are indeed the traditional Batons, Chalices, Swords and Coins as well. The major distinction to this deck pattern is that Etteilla decks number all the cards from 1 to 78, thereby establishing each of the 78 Tarot cards a defined position relative to the entire series. Another idiosyncrasy is that the suit cards are numbered in descending rather than ascending order in this sequence. So for example, the suit of Cups is numbered thusly: 36 King of Cups, 37 Queen, 38 Knight, 39 Page, 40 ten of Cups, 41 nine of Cups, 42 eight of Cups, 43 seven of Cups, 44 six of Cups, 45 five of Cups, 46 four of Cups, 47 three of Cups, 48 two of Cups, 48 Ace of Cups. This ends up being far less confusing than it sounds since this numbering scheme is relegated to very small type at the corners of each card while the suit symbols themselves are obvious in their graphic arrangement. The 22 major arcana have a more interesting twist: their sequence is rearranged, and a few of them have been substituted with alternate topics. 1 becomes Chaos, 2 Light/Fire, 3 Plants/Water, 4 The Heavens/Air, 5 Mankind/Earth, 6 Stars, 7 Birds and Fish, 8 Rest, 9 Justice, 10 Temperance, 11 Strength, 12 Prudence, 13 Marriage, 14 The Devil, 15 The Magician, 16 Judgment, 17 Death, 18 The Hermit, 19 The Temple, 20 The Wheel, 21 The Carriage, 22 Folly. The illustrations appear to have been heavily influenced by alchemical imagery, and the sequencing implies a progression of psychological states. This deck was published by Éditions Dusserre in Paris and comes with a 48-page booklet written in French. Mint. $75.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Tarocco Neoclassico Italiano
These 78 cards are a reproduction of a circa 1810 Italian deck by Ferdinando Gumppenberg. It is titled Tarocco Neoclassico Italiano and was published in 1980 as a limited edition of 999 by Edizioni del Solleone. The cards are printed on thick archival stock and the edition number is stamped on the top of the sturdy box. There are features in this Gumppenberg deck which set it apart from its contemporaries. The figures are sensitively engraved and their poses are more relaxed. The pips or numbered cards are a bit unusual in that their suit symbols and arrangements are more similar to Spanish decks than to Italian decks. Each card is bordered by a bead-like ornamentation. The Lovers card differs notably from typical renditions by switching the roles of the man and the woman—usually this card depicts a man choosing between two women, here the woman appears to have her choice between a crowned prince and a decorated soldier, both of whom are vying for her affection. This rendition mirrors the more matriarchal Sicilian decks from the same period which show a man next to a woman holding an arrow in her raised hand, signaling that she is the one in command. Mint. $95.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Tarocco di Gumppenberg
This is a facsimile edition of a c.1840 deck by the Milanese card maker Ferdinando Gumppenberg. This reproduction was printed in 1995 by Il Meneghello as a limited edition of 2000. The deck is housed in a beautifully marbled wrap-around cardboard case with black ribbon ties, and the cards are laminated. The Knight of Coins has a debonair appearance, not unlike a nineteenth century James Bond—suave, keen-eyed, resourceful, and still ready to inject a bit of humor into a serious situation. He also carries two swords yet is not dressed in armor, unlike the Knight of Swords in this deck who carries only one sword and is heavily armored. Mint. $95.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Tarot of Paris
From the first half of the 17th century is a deck known simply as the Tarot de Paris which is housed at The Bibliothèque Nationale. Under the direction of André Dimanche it was reprinted by Grimaud in 1985 as a limited edition, though this quantity is not given. The museum stamp of the deck’s current home can be seen at the bottom of each card.. The suit of Coins include unique Coat of Arms on every disk, most of which have been identified in a catalog at The Bibliothèque Nationale. Some of the crests are Italian, others are French, including branches of the French Royal Family. One of the reasons this pack is historically interesting is because it may be the oldest surviving complete deck currently available to us. Because the deck does not display the original cardmaker’s name or the date of publication, the exact date of its origin is not certain. The Jaques Vieville deck would come in as a close second here. Predating these decks by at least a century was also one complete Sola Busca deck which was photographed earlier in this century by A.M.Hind, but the location of that deck is unknown at the present time, according to Stuart Kaplan’s Encyclopedia Vol.II. Engraved in the late 1400’s, it would be the oldest complete deck known to date. The actual Tarot de Paris cards were woodblock printed and stencil colored. The imprecise stenciling unfortunately obscures many of the details in the more carefully drawn illustrations beneath it. The borders are interesting because the checker pattern simulates the technique used in Italy in which the woodblock prints were cut and then folded over the edges of a card. Not only did the Parisian cardmaker imitate Italian-style edges, he also used the Italian suits of cups, curved swords, cudgels and coins. The face cards are titled at the bottom in French, with scrolls at the top bearing the initials of the Italian titles. The four aces depict creatures not generally used by cardmakers of Italy or France. The Ace of Swords shows a Unicorn, the Ace of Clubs a griffin, the Ace of Coins a lion, the Ace of Cups an antlered dear. The suit of Cups echoes the variety of arms on the Coins by displaying a different design on every cup. Many of these cups bear what look like engraved or statued lids and include banners, faces, and figures. Every card in the suit of Cups, in fact, appears to be the direct precursor to the 7 of Cups in the Waite-Smith Tarot. Mint. $150.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Tarocco degli Animali
This is a deck by Italian artists Osvaldo Menegazzi and Giovannino Scarsato. It was published by Edizioni Il Meneghello of Milan in 1979 in a limited edition of 1100, though the decks are unnumbered. The deck seems to have been a labor of amusement for the authors and no other Tarot featuring animals as its primary symbolism can I think of. The correspondences between animal and card are quite clever—the performing seal for the Magician, the lion as Emperor, the thoughtful elephant as Heirophant, the cat as Hermit, and the monkey hanging from his tail as Hanged man. The court cards are also fun because they are all unique; each of the Kings feature a crustacean, each Queen an insect, each Knight a fish, and each Page a bird. The suit of Cups, for instance, features a heron as Page, a Betta fish (Siamese fighting fish) as Knight, a ladybug as Queen and king crab as King. The cards are housed inside a sturdy wrap-around case and tied closed with black ribbon. Mint. $95.00. Order here ∙ back to top
The Circus and Sideshow Tarot
The Circus and Sideshow Tarot was a limited edition self-published deck designed by Chris Paradis. Each of the major arcana are represented by an appropriate circus performer, and the images reflect the loud and colorful posters once favored by traveling troupes such as Barnum and Bailey. Paradis' title card sets the stage: "STEP RIGHT UP!!! April 1st 2004. Welcome to the World of *CLOWNS *CANDY *FREAKS & *FEATS. This unique Tarot deck celebrates the pleasures and perils of human experience through the amazing and ostentatious exuberance of the circus & the anomalous & mysterious realm of the sideshow. This deck of the Major Arcana and Four Aces is a limited, signed edition. The full deck is forthcoming. The show must go on!!! Chris Paradis" The title card is signed by the artist and the cards are housed within an attractive cloth bag with drawstring. Mint. $110.00. Order here ∙ back to top
Deva Tarot
This deck was designed and painted by Herta Drnec and Roberta Lanphere. It was published in 1986 by Piatnik, Vienna Austria. The cards are beautifully printed on thick card stock and, because there is an additional fifth suit here, the deck comes in at a hefty 1.75 inches thick. The subject of the deck is explained by the artists: "Devae, or Deva in the plural, is a form of life other than human and is not perceived by physical eyes. Mankind has known of the Deva since the dawn of time, but under names which changed as cultures and philosophies rose and fell. As the ages have passed, they have been called angels, demons, gods and genii... Within the Deva evolution, there are degrees of quality, intensity, intelligence and responsibility, much as there are within the human evolution. The Deva (pronounced Day-vah) Tarot deck recognizes and displays the existence and activities of this species of life, and combines it with other, more commonly known forms of knowledge." The four suits of this deck use the traditional associations of Wands for the element fire, Swords for air, Cups for water and Disks for earth. To these are added a fifth suit, called Triax, which corresponds to the etheric or spirit element. "This suit is the bridge, or continuation of continuity between the earthly and the divine, the physical and the non-physical." The 104-page booklet which comes with the deck provides interpretations of the imagery, a starting point for exploration. Mint. $95.00. Order here ∙ back to top
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