Antique ~ Vintage ~ Circa ~ Retro ~ Age & Time: Our decks and definitions

Elven

This thread was prompted by missys 'Blushing Fool' thread - where the question of 'describing a decks' age came up.

Description matters :laugh:

Decks seem to be described using categories such as AGE - TIME - CONDITION - COLLECTABLE.

After looking over some threads and online discussions - Ebay being one of them - there seems as if there is a wide variable of definitions and usage given to these categories both from seller, and from buyer - many 'terms' are used interchangably through out the categories.

The terms below are not set in stone, but I was trying to get some order of Time & Age, and some Tarot deck adjective selling definitions.

For example:
Vintage:
In Australia, a car is defined as vintage as of being 25 years old + (this is for tax evaluation purposes:p), though others use the word 'classic' to desribe a vehicle this age. On the other hand though, some people consider vintage as being about 40 years old. Across the world there seems not set definition.

The word Vintage is used in the Wine Industry - describing the year or season from the time of the harvest of the grapes until they reach the bottle - so this age definition describes the production stage - therefore it is 'THE VINTAGE' - for example 'Vintage 89' - it includes the Year of the season in which is was made. If this was a Deck it would possibly mean the Year in which it was printing and packaged.

So the question is:
How do you classify the 'description' of a deck when it comes to defining it's age, condition etc? Are some of the words you use appropriate or does your definition differ from others ...?

Here are some thoughts of mine.
Please add what you think too.

Cheers
Elven x
_____________________


TIME TERMS:
ANTIQUE: 100 years/+ old
Antique RWS

CIRCA: Approximate; Around, At, In.
Usually, but not always, defined within a decade of time - 1940, 1950, 1960.
The deck is Circa 1942
The book is was written in 1912 and published circa 1920.


VINATGE: Year of construction: A period of origin or manufacture.
The cards are Vintage 75.
Vintage 1954


CLASSIC: serves as a standard reference of excellence (can denote time of manufacturing standards), Historically memorable. This word can also be considered as a 'collectable' description.
A classic deck



AGE TERMS
Ambiguous Age classifications can be:

RETRO: Meaning: Back or (Looking Back), Retrospective. Nostalgic, Old Fashioned.
Retro does not prescribe to a specfic time, but usually defines an era or a type - like a social era: Mod, Flapper, Steampunk, War ... revival of something from the past.
for example: Recent release of a new version of an older product from a certain era - eg: 2010 Lava Lamp taken from a Lava Lamp design from the 1970's.

VINTAGE RETRO: A nostalgic item representing an 'era' which is over 25 years old.

RECENT: Having lately come into production or availability

MOST RECENT: Immediate, Last or Latest Production of item.

PRE-ORDER: In production/manufacturing stage yet to be released to the commercial market


CONDITION:
Describes the Article and its components - sometimes collectively or/and individually. Some can also describe AGE:

Brand New: New direct from Manufacturer.

New: Item Condition as good as from Manufacturer - sealed in protective packaging or outer casing.

As New: Purchased, protective packaging removed, possibly opened or checked, as condition from manufacturer.

Second Hand: has been used by item has been used by original purchaser.

Used: has been used - possibly has had more than one owner.

Pre-Loved: good/used (with the accentuation that it has been looked after)

Aged: deterioration from new condition due to time and storage.

Artificial Aging: Original item condition has been deliberately modified to look older or more deteriorated than it actually is.

Bumped: scruffing and/or indentation of item - usually relates to corners.

Worn: repeditive strain injury :p - shows area of stress on item (noticeable)

Bent: Stressed area on item with marked curveture

Crease: permanent noticeable stress/damage to item area

Banana: Permanent Curviture of item or part of


COLLECTABLES:
Collectables are classified into a sector: Tarot is classified along with other emphemera - books, greeting cards and paper.
Collectables and collections describe a few things:
Availability, Desireability, Accessability, History, Reputation of Artist or Manufacturer, Perceived worth and value to the collector, quality of the item - such as degree of craftmanship, materials used, manufacturing process - all these (and more) are variable and at the discretion of the collector.


SOME WORDS USED IN COLLECTABLE TERMS

RARE: Can relate to the Item an/or its availability on the market.

OUT OF PRINT: OOP: Currrently not in production.

HARD TO FIND: Measure of Availability (subjective)

LIMITED EDITION (Ltd ed): reflects the number of Items produced and/or above 'standard' quality / special in some way eg: 'Commemorative'

1st - 2nd - 3rd: relates to order of print run, or edition of the product

ORIGINAL: validates of the products authenticity, can mean being handmade or 'the first' or 'one-off' or 'the initial product'.

AUTHENTIC: The Real Thing - verifiable, certified, original. Exactly as claimed

REPRODUCTION: Reproduced - copy of the original, exact or close imitation of the original.

COMPLETE: All initial items and/or components are present as originally produced.

INCOMPLETE: Some item/s or component/s missing from the Originally produced 'Kit' 'Series' 'Volume' 'Set'.

UNIQUE: Item is the only one, being without 'like' or 'equal'.

CLASSIC: serves as a standard reference of excellence, historically memorable.

TRADITIONAL: An inherited, classical, or establish product. Continuity of item production.

______________


If there's anymore you'd like to add or discuss - feel free, the bar is open :laugh:
 

greycats

Ummm, only that "vintage" when applied to a tarot deck by an ebay seller means a deck that not only has a lengthy publishing history but that is about as far from "mint" as you can get. ;)

And speaking of "mint" I recall another set of terms regarding certain collectables including tarot decks, beginning with "mint" and going on to "fine" "very good" "good" "fair" etc. (I know I've left out some.) I'm more familiar with these.
 

Elven

Hi greycat :)

Thanks for those others :thumbsup: I was thinking more about items from here or just tarot. Theres a thread on ebay about age and time description but there are a number of different item categories there so there are many different meanings to timings.

I like your added definitions of those?

Here are a few of mine ...

Words like 'Excellent, pristine, flawless' to me describe the condition of a deck or book as being on par with BRAND NEW ... even though it maybe second hand, used, pre-loved, pre owned.

VERY GOOD or GOOD might decribe the condition as being in the Second Hand category with considerations like: having more than one owner, its age.

FAIR or POOR might be another one for the SECOND HAND section.

any others?
 

WingspreadPhoenix

Wow, so many terms! @-@ I use simple terms, like "Old" or "New." Old would be a deck that has physically been around for a long time (no set date, really). Like, if it was printed in 1831, it'd be "old." "Used" is just if it's been used and might appear old but it's been around for less time. "New" is more like just-printed. When it comes to auctions, etc, and they use terms that could have various meanings, I simply ask the seller for clarification.

But you never ask a deck it's age! ;] It's not polite.
 

Logiatrix

Le Fanu said:
You forgot "haunted"
:laugh:

Or, how about 'ancient'? Lots of tarot titles seem to involve 'ancient', but I've purchased from a few sellers who really take that literally!:rolleyes:
 

Debra

I really appreciate Elven trying to pin all this down.

As a practical matter, unfortunately it's only art and antique dealers who are likely to use the proper terminology for "old" stuff.

People say "antique" all the time, meaning "made before I was born."

And "vintage" seems to be a totally vague word. I think it was orginally adopted, like the car salesman's "pre-owned," as a highbrow-sounding synonym for "used." "Used" evokes someone else's feet in the thrift shop shoes, someone else driving the car into the ground before you buy it, some else's fingerprints on the cards. A lot of people believe that NEW and UNUSED is better. Social snobbery, in my opinion, just my opinion and I'm sticking with it :p

But "vintage"! Now THERE'S a word! Like a fine wine, a vintage object, perhaps not a real antique but gosh, so classy-sounding!

Professional art and antique dealers, they are legally bound not to misrepresent their items, and terminology is important to them for that reason. Your average E-bay Ed or Edna--what do they care.
 

Shade

Very interesting topic. "Classic" is such a fluid term. I have a "classic" Mythic but I only bought it about 6 years ago :)

I think that with current fashion trends people like to use "vintage" liberally to describe something that just looks like it came from another era. My Morgan Greer has a "vintage" feel with it's funky color scheme but was recently printed.

If I were to auction things on ebay I would choose language with my intended buyer in mind and not the merchandise. If I wanted to sell a very rare and valuable deck, I would use language that would make sense to the true tarot collectors. It's a signal that "ok this guy knows what he has and I can trust him." Very specific, non-emotive terminology that tells the buyer what it is and when it's from to justify how much I am asking.

If I were trying to sell a deck that anyone could order from Amazon.com I would most definitely employ emotive language and try to depict the experience of reading tarot rather than the publishing history of the deck in question.

So a $500 rare deck's description will be all about the year of printing and the condition of the cards themselves. A 2008 fairy deck would be a "Mystical tarot deck, perfect for psychic intuition and opening the doorway to the future"
 

Elven

WingspreadPhoenix said:
Wow, so many terms! @-@ I use simple terms, like "Old" or "New." Old would be a deck that has physically been around for a long time (no set date, really). Like, if it was printed in 1831, it'd be "old." "Used" is just if it's been used and might appear old but it's been around for less time. "New" is more like just-printed. When it comes to auctions, etc, and they use terms that could have various meanings, I simply ask the seller for clarification.

But you never ask a deck it's age! ;] It's not polite.

Yes, Ive seen 'Old' LOL ... I have what I think is an 'old deck' - its a banana pre-loved Medieval Scapini :laugh: .. and it was owned formerly by a witch and was handed down to me .. (but whose going to believe me now with all the other 'descriptives' that are on Ebay!) ... and actually Im not sure that it being owned by her makes it any better or should up the price - I dont know if she was a good witch or bad witch really :D .. and they are truely a wreck from use and did I mention bent ... :laugh: They came in the bandana she wore which she wrapped around her head ... awesome, look at all those selling points :laugh: ...
Yet the deck has history - so that puts it in the 'Collectable' category I suppose ... though if I wrote this out in an ad it would seem like a mockery of the deck ... I would possibly just put 'deck with a history' - and leave it at that - and include a little blurb to the buyer ...

Thanks WingspreadPhoenix :)

Cheers
Elven
 

Elven

Le Fanu said:
You forgot "haunted"

*smakcs forehead*!!! Ugh!! How could I forget that after having a laugh on PhotKats thread about Satans Underpants Ashes and Haunted Bread ...})

Thanks :laugh: