Meet My Tarot Decks

I don't intend this page to become a collection of deck "reviews". I think it is impossible to rate a tarot deck in the way one would rate a book or movie. Rather, these are personal impressions and thoughts about each of my own decks. I don't try to be objective, or even to "cover the bases" that a person interested in buying the deck might want to know. Still, these write-ups may be helpful, since each is based on actual use and familiarity with a deck I own and enjoy. I didn't just open the box, scan the cards, and make up something to say.

I've grouped my decks into three broad categories: modern, occult, and classic. I've written an essay to introduce each of these "genres", which are linked to the headings below.

Modern decks:

Minchiate Tarot (Brian Williams)
Renaissance Tarot (Brian Williams)
Cosmic Tarot
Wheel of Change Tarot
Robin Wood Tarot
Tarot of the Old Path
Osho Zen Tarot
PoMo Tarot
Gill Tarot
Alchemical Tarot
Ancestral Path Tarot
Celtic Tarot (Courtney Davis)
Legend: The Arthurian Tarot
Sacred Circle Tarot
Maninni II Tarot
Nova Tarot
Tarot Art Nouveau (Lo Scarabeo)
Crystal Tarots
Alba Dorata Tarot
Light and Shadow Tarot
Aleph-Beth Tarot
O'Neill Photographic Tarot
Manara Tarot
Celtic Tarots (Lo Scarabeo)
Roman Tarot
Blue Moon Tarot
Artists' Inner Vision Tarot
Gypsy Tarot

Occult decks:

Waite-Smith Tarot (Original Rider-Waite)
Waite-Smith Tarot
Tiny Universal Waite Tarot
Thoth Tarot
Oswald Wirth Tarot
BOTA Tarot
Cagliostro Tarot
Grand Etteilla Tarot

Classic decks:

Ancient Minchiate Etruria (1725; Lo Scarabeo)
Minchiate Etruria (Il Meneghello)
Tarocchini di Mitelli (1665)
Visconti-Sforza Tarot (Visconti Gold)
Tarocchi dei Visconti (Pierpont-Morgan/Bergamo)
Cary-Yale Visconti Tarot
Sola-Busca Tarot
Ancient Tarots of Lombardy (Gumppenberg Neoclassical 1810)
Soprafino Tarot (Gumppenberg/Dellarocca 1835)
Classical Tarots (Gumppenberg/Dellarocca 1835)
Swiss 1JJ
Ancient Tarots of Marseilles (Conver 1760)
Heron Tarot de Marseille (Conver 1760)
Tarot Classic
Classico Tarocco di Marsiglia
Carta Mundi Tarot of Marseilles
Camoin Tarot de Marseille
Tarot Rhenan / Piatnik Tarot de Marseille
Tarocco di Marsiglia (Svizzera) (1804)
Tarot of Marseilles (US Games)
Tarot de Marseille Convos
Fournier Tarot de Marseille
Minchiate Francesi
Nuove Minchiate di Firenzi
Minchiate Fiorentine (Constantini)
Tarocco Siciliano
Ancient Tarots of Bologna (Zoni 1780)
Tarocchi Gumppenberg (1840)
Tarocco Italiano (Dotti 1845)
Vandenborre Tarot
Minchiate Fiorentine (miniature)
Tarot de Besançon (Benois 1810)
Tarot de Besançon (miniature)
Piedmontese Tarot (miniature)
Soprafino Tarot (miniature)
Zoni Tarot (miniature)
22 Arcani 1835 Dotti (miniature)
Tarocco Bolognese
Tarocco Piemontese
Tarocchino Milanese (Masenghini c.1900)
Tarocco Milanese a Doppia Figura (c.1880)
Tarot Vieville (c.1650)
Ancient Tarots of Liguria-Piedmont (Guala 1860)
Tarocco Ligure Piemontese (Solleone)
Ancient Italian Tarots (Carteria Italiana 1880)
Ancient Italian Tarot (Carteria Italiana 1880)
Tarocchi Boiardo
Tarot de Paris
Naibi di Vacchetta

Non-Tarot decks:

Tarocchi del Mantegna (Il Meneghello)
Mantegna Tarot (Lo Scarabeo)
Gioco Passatempo (Mitelli)
Medicine Cards
Witches Runes
Edible Tarot
Angel Cards
Goddesses (Susan Sedon Boulet)

Playing Cards:

French Tarot
Vandenborre Animal Tarot
Tarot Allemand à deux têtes
Piatnik Austrian Tarrock
ASS Adler-Cego Nr. 99
Piacentine
Piacentine 1946
Napoletane
Bergamasche
Primiera Bolognese
Venete
Toscane
Sarde
Trevisane
Trentine
Siciliane
Triestine
Lombarde
Piemontese
Bresciane
Toscane
Genovesi
Cuccù
Piquet
Belote
Alouette (c.1940)
Catalane
Fournier Vitoria
Mueller (Spanish suits)
Oberg 1945
Salisburghesi
Hungarian Four Seasons
Magyar Kártya Luxus No. 129 William Tell
Doppelbild
Skat
Schnapps
Schafkopf Tarock
Jass
Dondorf Centenial
Hausseman & Hoette 1853
ASS Rococo Bridge-Canasta
Finest Swiss (Piatnik)
Piatnik Miniatures No. 119
Piatnik Nr. 127
Salon Bridge Canasta No. 66
Vieville
Jeu Henri IV
Jeu Louis IV
Jeu Louis XIII
Jeu Louis XV
Portrait de Paris Hector de Trois 17th cent.
Hardy Export
Stopforth reproduction
1864 Poker
CSA (Hart)
Ireland Souvenir
Bicycle
IPCS members pack 1986
IPCS members pack 2000
Karatu (Kenya)
African (Aristoplay)
Rio de Janiero
Traditional Russian
Russian Cards (Grimaud)
Russian Fantasy
Russian Fairytale
Russian Barbie
Hanafuda

I also have a few quick book reviews, limited to titles I think belong in any serious tarot library.

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