Would you call yourself a deck collector?

[Nemia]

I remember the days of innocence when I had three tarot decks and felt rich. That was before the Internet came into my world and showed me that tarot has become a focus of amazing artistic talent. And not only young or experienced artists discover the tarot: there is great interest in historical decks, too. In short, it's easy to be crazy-enabled as soon as we see the decks others use. AT was a garden of Eden of enablement, Tumblr emphasizes the beauty of tarot compositions (perfect lighting, flowers and crystals - why is my life not beautiful like that?), in forums we rave about our new decks (I confess before you point your finger at me!) - and whether on a budget or not, we find ourselves sucked into the happy vortex of deck-buying. Or we don't.

What about you? I made a little poll (just discovered the joys of poll-making!) and wish you'd tell us a bit about your deck buying habits

[litefoot13]

I have a collective personality - I like to joke that I collect collections.

The amazing thing is that I don't actually have that many decks yet - around 9 currently in my collection and 3 or so I back on kickstarter.
That's partly because I'm trying, through sheer force of will, to only get the decks that absolutely amaze me. (Part of that was because until recently I wasn't really using them, so they were gathering dust and I really couldn't justify buying more. Now that I'm working on using and learning them, that excuse is fading away. xD)

I have a suspicion that as I spend time on here and see everyone else's cards, that willpower will be eroded away. x3

[CharlotteK]

None of the options exactly apply though a couple sort of do.

I definitely have a 'stasher' gene (you should see my yarn stash) and I did end up with a Tarot collection of around 125 decks from a couple of years of binge buying. But I have recently reduced it by about 30% and moved a lot of decks on - some very beautiful that I liked a lot - as the size of my collection was starting to make me feel quite guilty and anxious. I was forgetting what I had, there were lots of decks I'd not even used. Adding more was something I couldn't even contemplate.

In an ideal world I'd have about 50 - one a week over the course of a year and start again

Now I have just over 80 and I see decks I like all the time but I'm really cautious about acquiring more knowing how out of control it started to feel. I have trimmed quite a lot of decks so they are now a fixed part of my collection having been 'personalised'.

I may have a handful left that I am willing to part with but the market doesn't seem to be there for them so I may gift them and give myself a bit more room to buy one or two more.

[Pen]

'Collector' (to me, anyway), seems somehow to infer that one of everything is the goal, so I've never really seen myself as a deck collector - in spite of being a long term member of the Tarot Collectors Forum. I've mostly only acquired and bought decks with art I found irresistible or with historical interest and appeal.

In spite of this I've managed to gather about 150 decks, when I began with the intention of keeping the 'collection to 100. I think of my decks as mini art galleries, and like to look though one or two from time to time. As for reading, I tend to use certain ones for a time unless another calls to me on a particular occasion. I began with The Spiral Tarot Tarot and used that for years, then moved on to The Thoth and seemed to collect about 6 or 8 different packs, one of which I trimmed, making special boxes for a few of them.

Recently I've been reading with the RWS (I have a few of those too), and with The Liminal, which is more or less based on the same system and very personal, although I sometimes wonder if this is a good thing. I do find it hard to move a deck on, even when someone gives me one I already have a few of, or one I find too dark comes home with my husband from a car boot sale. So I don't exactly fit into any of the poll categories - nothing new there then...!

[litefoot13]

I think of my decks as mini art galleries, and like to look though one or two from time to time.

I do the same thing!
There's a deck I got from kickstarter that is a big enough size I will never be able to comfortably use it for any readings because I have very short fingers.
I love it, though, because every card is drawn by a different artist, and it's like having an entire small gallery in a box. x3

[SaturnCeleste]

Yes, I'd love to collect more seriously and can't because of budget restrictions - but I'm a collector at heart. 44%

I'm one of the 44% here. I began to purchase decks that I could use in my tarot business so I collected various types. Some of them turned into smaller collections like the Colette Baron Reid Oracle decks and Erotic tarot decks. I even have a nice Hanafuda collection now. I am still a collector at heart but I'm a broke collector now!

[BreathingSince72]

We missed one potential reply to this quiz which is: I've blown way past the "Collector" status and may need intervention for hoarding.

[Libra]

I've got something like 30 tarot & sale decks, but I don't really call myself a collector. I tend to only buy decks that I feel I will use and connect with, and I'm not afraid TO use the decks that I have. To me, collector feels more like someone who wants them all and looks to keep them in collectable condition.

[SaturnCeleste]

We missed one potential reply to this quiz which is: I've blown way past the "Collector" status and may need intervention for hoarding.

lol Perfect!

I've got something like 30 tarot & sale decks, but I don't really call myself a collector. I tend to only buy decks that I feel I will use and connect with, and I'm not afraid TO use the decks that I have. To me, collector feels more like someone who wants them all and looks to keep them in collectable condition.

I know what you mean, I read with all my decks. I love my decks!

[BreathingSince72]

I've got something like 30 tarot & sale decks, but I don't really call myself a collector. I tend to only buy decks that I feel I will use and connect with, and I'm not afraid TO use the decks that I have. To me, collector feels more like someone who wants them all and looks to keep them in collectable condition.

I get what you’re saying. I am, however, a different brand of collector. There are even some rare times when I buy a dec that I know isn’t for me because, somewhere...out there...is the real owner waiting for me to give it to them.

[stronglove]

way back, years and years ago, a friend gave me a newspaper clipping of a comic strip called Sigmund.
it was a two/three image drawing about a psychiatrist and his clients
the first drawing shows a woman sitting with her purse in her lap, saying: oh, dr Sigmund, thank you so much for pointing out that i am addicted to shoppjng...... the next image shows him frowning and looking perplexed while she goes on: i immediately went out and bought every book on the subject ...
that about summed me up at the time, and it still does. at that time i was collecting expensive art books about my favoritete painters (my vast collection sold long ago when i needed money) right now i am addicted to buying (and using) tarot and oracle decks. 2 years ago i started by dusting off the 6 decks that i kept in the attic for more than 10 years, right now i own more than 280 decks, they are displayed in a beautiful old english bookcase with glass windows, together with my tarot books.
so does that make me a collector? maybe. i like looking at the artwork, love to meditate on the images, am constantly designing and trying out new spreads, preferably combining 2 or more decks with my runestones and crystals. i mainly read for myself and keep a separate journal for all my readings.
is that what a collectors do? i couldn’t say. i recently wrote an email about this to the tarot collectors forum, but never got a reply. i guess they found me lacking or wanting in some way, not ‘their kind of people’, probably. (would’ve been nice if they had taken the trouble to point out why i wasn’t allowed to join....)
so i’m not sure what to call myself. i love all my decks, and swap the ones i don’t connect to, although i often later regret swapping them so i don’t do this often. i try to use all my decks, even though a thorough evaluation of every deck i own would take me years..... i love looking at my bookcase and rearranging all the decks whenever i am adding new ones to my collection. i love making my own personalized boxes for them.
and i understand where this need to have so many decks is coming from. because i always want to approach every subject or matter from as many angles as possible, constantly trying to find and create new viewpoints, new ways of looking at things. so as soon as i get information about a new deck being published that provides an interesting new slant on the generally accepted body of knowledge i am hooked..... (though i have recently had to put a stop to my buying sprees, since my bookcase is completely filled and my wallet empty.... )
and since buying tarot and oracle decks is my only ‘vice’ (don’t smoke, don’t drink, not into clothes or cars or jewellery or interior decorating etc) i never feel any guilt about spending so much money on it.
so if i am not a collector, i guess i am just a happy hoarder

[Seldes Katne]

I'm a collector in that I look for specific kinds of decks. I have a set of fantasy-themed decks (fairy, wizards/witches, mythical creatures) and a growing set of autumn-themed decks, with a large sub-set of Halloween-themed decks. I'm always looking for Halloween-related tarot and oracle cards, and have several of those items on the Wish List in my profile.

[Rekaj]

In response to Stronglove whose post is maybe too long to quote in full, I really found it helpful. And immediately thought it would be wonderful to see the glass bookcase in its grand entirety and maybe even some of those special boxes that were designed to hold decks. Thanks for sharing this!

[stronglove]

here it is.... after my last attempt at rearranging my decks....
as for the boxes, that will have to wait until i have created one.....
i have all the tools and designs and materials to make some beautiful boxes, and have watched Cuilfaen’s videos many times,
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aZaxtDQj17k
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dSpsyhMAxLA
but i am still hesitating. my hands are both disabled so i am having trouble with holding and using shears, glueing and assembling parts of a box.
same goes for trimming and edging, i would love to customize some of my decks but am terrified of ruining them....

but i will promise to show you my first self made tarot box as soon as i have plucked up the courage to make one....

[I Sunshine]

Stronglove, that is a fantastic way to display your collection!! And, of course, you are a collector!!

I am also a collector but quite a bit slower about it. I have been collecting for a number of years and I have just gone over 100 decks. There was a period of time I looked in antique shops for old, old decks and I have a few, but mostly my decks are just what appeals to me artistically. Some are oh so special, and some are impulse buys that I should part with.
My one sub-collection that is important to me is my Round Tarot Decks. I have owned every deck that I could find until recently. I have not been able to get the Thayer Tarot and that makes me sad. I am willing to part with my Tarot of the Cloisters because other than 3 cards I just don't connect with it (and I already have a potential buyer who really, really wants it). Now there is a new kickstarter for a round deck that I am going to pass on.
Over all, it just makes me happy and helps my spiritual journey (other than the impulse shit ~ lol).

[Tomatosauce]

My one sub-collection that is important to me is my Round Tarot Decks. I have owned everyone that I could find until recently. I have not been able to get the Thayer Tarot and that makes me sad. I am willing to part with my Tarot of the Cloisters because other than 3 cards I just don't connect with it (and I already have a potential buyer who really, really wants it). Now there is a new kickstarter for a round deck that I am going to pass on.
Over all, it just makes me happy and helps my spiritual journey (other than the impulse shit ~ lol).

*cough* If your interested party falls through, send me a PM. The Tarot of the Cloisters makes me swoooooon.

[I Sunshine]

*cough* If your interested party falls through, send me a PM. The Tarot of the Cloisters makes me swoooooon.

LOL ~ ~ will do! But...
What am I missing in this deck? What is it that attracts you? This is exactly the reaction this other person had and I got my deck out and looked at it again. And still did not connect !! I am flummoxed.

[Tomatosauce]

LOL ~ ~ will do! But...
What am I missing in this deck? What is it that attracts you? This is exactly the reaction this other person had and I got my deck out and looked at it again. And still did not connect !! I am flummoxed.

You know, I can't speak for the other person, but I grew up in Christian churches, so stained glass art really speaks to me. I've spent many hours of my life gazing at rose windows while singing ancient hymns of the faith, or contemplating candles on an altar, and the religious art that has always moved me most has been in church windows. So a tarot deck stylized in that particular way captures something very specific in my imagination that can be hard to articulate. Ironically, the church tradition I grew up in was kind of "low church", so the physical building in which I attended church for most of adolescence did not have stained glass, but the most moving spiritual experiences I had in that faith were always in sanctuaries full of candles and stained glass.

Not everyone connects to that imagery. But for those of us branching out from the traditions we're used to, it feels like a lifeline.

[I Sunshine]

Not everyone connects to that imagery. But for those of us branching out from the traditions we're used to, it feels like a lifeline.

Unfortunately, my experience with the church was not one I could branch out from, it was one where I slammed the door and ran! In fact, the Tower card resonated with me when I left the church. I will keep you in mind but I do not think the deal will fall through. Sorry.

[Tomatosauce]

Sometimes I wonder if I should slam the door too. <3

[BreathingSince72]

here it is.... after my last attempt at rearranging my decks....
as for the boxes, that will have to wait until i have created one.....
i have all the tools and designs and materials to make some beautiful boxes, and have watched Cuilfaen’s videos many times,
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aZaxtDQj17k
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dSpsyhMAxLA
but i am still hesitating. my hands are both disabled so i am having trouble with holding and using shears, glueing and assembling parts of a box.
same goes for trimming and edging, i would love to customize some of my decks but am terrified of ruining them....

but i will promise to show you my first self made tarot box as soon as i have plucked up the courage to make one....


8D682DCD-312F-48DC-B938-A644C2180D90.jpeg

I would have a ball looking at all those deck....truly. It would be with great difficulty that you would pull me away from that collection.

[Amoroso]

Not really. I buy decks so I can read with them eventually, not just collect them. There are sounder and more fruitful investments, though in this regard some decks are sure winners like limited edition Baba Studio offerings.

[annabelle]

None of the options quite apply to my situation, but yes, I'm a tarot collector. I've been quite intentionally collecting for years and have over 1000 decks -- but I don't consider it something I do for "investment" purposes. The plain fact is that most decks don't appreciate much, if at all, in value. There's no blue book to be had, and no real gain in endeavoring to keep something in "mint" condition. Anyone looking to collect tarot for investment purposes is making a bad bet, in my opinion.

I collect because the art is beautiful, because the history is fascinating, because I love conducting research, because there are so many connective threads to be found between history, literature, and art . . . because it makes me happy.

[Papageno]

The plain fact is that most decks don't appreciate much, if at all, in value. There's no blue book to be had, and no real gain in endeavoring to keep something in "mint" condition. Anyone looking to collect tarot for investment purposes is making a bad bet, in my opinion.

I agree with that assessment, tarot collecting is a minuscule niche in the art and collecting world, even Adam McLean has said as much and is selling off much of his own extensive collection.
Unless you could afford to attend one of the Stuart Kaplan auctions to procure a rare and authentic, period piece or an exemplary contemporary edition, the rest of us have to rely on eBay or other venues (for contemporary decks only), and then it all depends on how much one is willing to pay.

I collect because the art is beautiful, because the history is fascinating, because I love conducting research, because there are so many connective threads to be found between history, literature, and art . . . because it makes me happy.

Quite so, my sentiments exactly on all of the aforementioned points.
I have found that the research and scholarship you put into any deck or tarot/esoteric tradition to be exceedingly rewarding and have yielded rich rewards. These efforts really enhance the understanding of the artists' intent and subsequently your appreciation of the deck.

In this sense, you can own just a few choice titles and gain so much. Of course, there's nothing wrong with owning some decks just for the appreciation of the artwork, even if the deck isn't considered "profound" or "deep"

On that note, I'll close with a link to an old and fascinating NY Times article about Stuart R. Kaplan of U.S. Games Sytems fame (and fortune).

https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/01/nyre ... iness.html

[DarkWing]

I finally had to do an inventory.
I only have 300+ here at the house. I've been known to gift frequently.