Anima Antiqua

[Amoroso]

I bought the Sola Busca that Lo Scarabeo released last year. I like it a lot, and I've used it in some readings.

I just read that it's part of a series by Lo Scarabeo named Anima Antiqua, meaning Antique Soul. It's a line of high-quality historical decks that they offer at an affordable price. They already released three - the Sola Busca, Mitelli, and Minchiate - with the Etteilla coming early next year.

Does anybody have the other two decks? The Sola Busca is stellar - it comes in a beautiful and sturdy box, with cards that are huge and nice to the touch. The images are superb, and I heard that the colors are really faithful to the source and not over-saturated like other editions.

I only have two misgivings. One is that the booklet is not very helpful - it doesn't even have divinatory meanings for the cards. Companion books are hard to come by for the deck, and I was lucky to snag the Di Vincenzo.

Second is that I have two Ace of Amphorae and no Nine. The Ace of Cups has been following me for the last few years, and I really like Trahor Fatis motto so I don't mind it so much.

Yup.

I have copy 2192 out of 2999 btw.

I'd just like to know if the Mitelli and Minchiate also has the same great quality, and if they have duplicates too? The booklet issue is not a dealbreaker, but missing cards are sad.

If there are no adverse reviews, I might grab the Mitelli this Tuesday. If it has no issues, I'll order the Minchiate and the Etteilla next year since my local bookstore doesn't have them.

[Rachelcat]

(Sorry for the late reply.) I'm sure you can return your deck as defective and get a replacement.

I have the Sola Busca and the Mitelli and just got the Minchiate yesterday (all from Amazon). I didn't have any missing or extra cards, so I don't think you need to worry about that in future decks.

I love the Mitelli for the great neo-classical art. And the surprising Hanged Man/Traitor! The drawback is, of course, the incomplete minors. But it would be good for reading with just majors, or with majors, courts and aces.

Although I have these, I probably won't get the Etteilla. I'm just not that excited about random old-fashioned esoteric decks. Or maybe I am . . . Ah, the dilemmas of a collector!

Let me know which ones you get!

[Joan Marie]

I only have two misgivings. One is that the booklet is not very helpful - it doesn't even have divinatory meanings for the cards. Companion books are hard to come by for the deck, and I was lucky to snag the Di Vincenzo.

We fans of Sola Busca have to live with this.

This deck was created for a private family and then went missing for some 500 years. Any known meanings, if there ever were any, were lost long ago. The images on the cards are loaded with all sorts of historical, astrological and alchemical symbolism and all of that was created within a specific context.

I think the best book you can get on this deck is "The Game of Saturn". It's the culmination of a ton of research done on this deck since it's rediscovery. But don't expect a nice list explaining what each card means. This massive book will give you a lot of information to work with and send you down many rabbit holes as it brings up fascinating topics, historical and esoteric, one after another after another.

The book is expensive, even the least expensive version, which is the one I got but I can say it is a beautiful book of the highest quality and worth every cent. Gorgeous paper, vibrant (and many) color prints, large format.

You can read more about the book here at the Scarlett Imprint website

[Amoroso]

(Sorry for the late reply.) I'm sure you can return your deck as defective and get a replacement.

I have the Sola Busca and the Mitelli and just got the Minchiate yesterday (all from Amazon). I didn't have any missing or extra cards, so I don't think you need to worry about that in future decks.

I love the Mitelli for the great neo-classical art. And the surprising Hanged Man/Traitor! The drawback is, of course, the incomplete minors. But it would be good for reading with just majors, or with majors, courts and aces.

Although I have these, I probably won't get the Etteilla. I'm just not that excited about random old-fashioned esoteric decks. Or maybe I am . . . Ah, the dilemmas of a collector!

Let me know which ones you get!

Forgot to say that I bought the Mitelli. I was surprised that it was smaller than the Sola Busca.

It was great, no complaints whatsoever since the quality is top-notch and the cards are complete. You're right, the duplicate cards must have been a fluke. Their Sola Busca is OOP but it's alright since I like the twin Aces.

Will definitely get the Minchiate when the Etteilla drops by. I'd gather what I can about the Mitelli, it's such a beaut.

[Amoroso]

We fans of Sola Busca have to live with this.

This deck was created for a private family and then went missing for some 500 years. Any known meanings, if there ever were any, were lost long ago. The images on the cards are loaded with all sorts of historical, astrological and alchemical symbolism and all of that was created within a specific context.

I think the best book you can get on this deck is "The Game of Saturn". It's the culmination of a ton of research done on this deck since it's rediscovery. But don't expect a nice list explaining what each card means. This massive book will give you a lot of information to work with and send you down many rabbit holes as it brings up fascinating topics, historical and esoteric, one after another after another.

The book is expensive, even the least expensive version, which is the one I got but I can say it is a beautiful book of the highest quality and worth every cent. Gorgeous paper, vibrant (and many) color prints, large format.

You can read more about the book here at the Scarlett Imprint website

Checked out The Game of Saturn and it's very interesting. All those sorcerous plutocrats. This goes straight into my list. Thanks for the recommendation, Joan Marie.

Just went through some of the publisher's reviews and it seems like they released a vibrant Sola Busca deck with a booklet by Adams. Too bad it looks sold out.

[Amoroso]

Just learned that Lo Scarabeo is going to re-release the Sola Busca, this time in a museum-quality kit that also includes a book by Paola Gnaccolini. It's going to be out by early January next year, at around the same time as their Tarot Egyptiens - Etteilla.

[Sinister]

Very nice and good to see them re-releasing the Sola Busca. I hope that Lo Scarabeo also do the Tarocchi Neoclassico one day, as a part of their Anima Antiqua series.. they used to do one called the Ancient Tarot of Lombardy but I think it's out of print now.

[Sinister]

I own the Mitelli now myself, it's definitely a spectacular reproduction. It says that the cards have "not been treated with chemical varnish, so may not be suitable for shuffling", which I assume is also the case with the other ones in the Anima Antiqua series. Has anyone experienced any major shuffling issues with any of the Anima Antiqua decks?

[Joan Marie]

I own the Mitelli now myself, it's definitely a spectacular reproduction. It says that the cards have "not been treated with chemical varnish, so may not be suitable for shuffling", which I assume is also the case with the other ones in the Anima Antiqua series. Has anyone experienced any major shuffling issues with any of the Anima Antiqua decks?

If the cards have "not been treated with chemical varnish" how does that affect shuffling do you think? Would it mean that shuffling could damage the cards?

[Sinister]

I own the Mitelli now myself, it's definitely a spectacular reproduction. It says that the cards have "not been treated with chemical varnish, so may not be suitable for shuffling", which I assume is also the case with the other ones in the Anima Antiqua series. Has anyone experienced any major shuffling issues with any of the Anima Antiqua decks?

If the cards have "not been treated with chemical varnish" how does that affect shuffling do you think? Would it mean that shuffling could damage the cards?

That's what I was thinking, that perhaps it means that extended shuffling may potentially cause damage over time if the coating is more fragile? But it could just mean that the cards won't shuffle as 'smoothly'.

[Amoroso]

My Sola Busca shuffled well. I thought the warning means that the lack of protective coat will make the images more prone to fading, but I have had it for a year and a half and it's holding on quite well.

[Amoroso]

Lo Scarabeo seems to have a release schedule of two decks a year. In 2017 it was the Sola Busca and the Mitelli. Last year it was the Egyptiens Etteilla and the Minchiate Etruria.

This year, as their 5th and 6th offerings, they plan to release the Conver Marseille and the Wiener Secession Jugendstil Tarock.

[Joan Marie]

My Sola Busca shuffled well. I thought the warning means that the lack of protective coat will make the images more prone to fading, but I have had it for a year and a half and it's holding on quite well.

I've had my Sola Busca, sans coating, for several years and the colours are still as beautiful as ever.

I have a question that might sound weird but, does your deck have a kind of earthy, clay-like smell to it? Mine does and that too, along with the colour, has never faded. It's a really lovely smell actually.

I've always wondered what it was about the printing process involved that gave the cards that smell.

[Joan Marie]

I've had my Sola Busca, sans coating, for several years and the colours are still as beautiful as ever.

I have a question that might sound weird but, does your deck have a kind of earthy, clay-like smell to it? Mine does and that too, along with the colour, has never faded. It's a really lovely smell actually.

I've always wondered what it was about the printing process involved that gave the cards that smell.

So after posting this I decided to write Giordano Berti and ask him about this and here is his (very prompt!) reply:

Dear Joan,
glad to have news from you

I believe that the strange smell of the Tarot Sola Busca of Mayer is not due to a chemical paint but to the cellar where Mayer's decks remained for a few years after the german card maker fell seriously ill, forcing him to interrupt his activity.

As you know, Mayer's deck dates back to 1998, while I bought unsold decks at the end of 2012.
In short, I believe that the clayey smell of those cards derives from the Mayer's cellar.

Regarding the decks printed by Lo Scarabeo and other publishers, I don't know which kind of printing process they are using.

For sure, the decks printed by Rinascimento under my directions are not treated with chemical varnish.

Please write me if you wish other details.

Kind regards

Giordano

The answer surprises me a little. That must have been a really nice cellar because the smell, to me, is not the musty smell usually associated with a cellar, but more like the smell of a garden after a spring rain.

You can see Giordano Berti's Rinascimento catalog of historical decks HERE

[Amoroso]

I have a question that might sound weird but, does your deck have a kind of earthy, clay-like smell to it? Mine does and that too, along with the colour, has never faded. It's a really lovely smell actually.

I've always wondered what it was about the printing process involved that gave the cards that smell.

Mine has a smell that's like a mix between well-preserved books and burnt chestnuts, both natural and ponderous at the same time. It only smells slightly earthy.

[Amoroso]

Just learned that Lo Scarabeo is going to re-release the Sola Busca, this time in a museum-quality kit that also includes a book by Paola Gnaccolini. It's going to be out by early January next year, at around the same time as their Tarot Egyptiens - Etteilla.

Seems like the Sola Busca kit would be coming out in May instead. The box looks sumptuous. I can't wait.

[Joan Marie]

I would love to see that 144-page guide book it comes with. There seems to be so little information actually available about this mystery deck. (aside from the great "Games of Saturn") I hope when you get it you can tell us a bit about what kind of info the guidebook has.

I'm also interested in what they mean by "museum quality". My guess is that the colours are true to the very vibrant originals.

The original Sola Busca really are in a museum in Italy, perfectly preserved and available to see with an appointment. I saw a youtube video a while back where a group of Americans traveled there and recorded their visit to the museum. if I recall correctly, they are not on display but kept in drawers or something like that to protect them from light.

I just looked for that vid and can't find it. If I do I will post it here. It's kind of amazing to see how they are cared for.