Tarot sheets and cards hidden in bindings

[Papageno]

After giving much consideration to the matter of discovering the old sheets or planches that are the foundation of many historical decks, such as the Budapest, Rosenwald, amongst others, I wondered exactly how these were "excavated" or more precisely, discovered within the mouldering old leather bindings of a tired old Psalter or some other dreary and commonplace publication of the period.

Duh, X Ray technology, exactly how museums discover secondary paintings hidden underneath an old masterpiece by Da Vinci.

I thought more about this after posting the following thread in the TdM section:

Thierry Depaulis / Yves Reynaud

wherein Yves Reynaud discovers 2 cards, Papesse and 9 of Coins that were used to reinforce the bindings of a small religious book ca. 1686.

I doubt that Yves has X Ray technology sitting in his atelier, but his various "sources" probably send books off to museums and universities to perform these services.

Here's an article that supports exactly what I was thinking:

manuscripts that have been reused as bookbindings

I would imagine a rarified dealer of antique books (not someone who caters to the tourists), an "old hand" already knows what to look for, I'm sure there are many clues, even the way the covers might "feel" , the types of books, etc., it's a really fascinating topic of speculation.