I just don't want it!

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 29 May 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

raeanne	29 May 2002
Hi all, Are there any decks that you just DON'T want? The half price book store where I shop keeps getting the Masquerade Tarot. The last time I was there, this deck was on sale for $5 US. Even at that low price I didn't buy it. It doesn't even bother me that I didn't buy it. I really don't want this deck. Is that weird? I did get the Terrestrial Tarot and the Tapestry Tarot and a few other decks that I really don't care for just because the price was so low. (OK, so there IS some about the Terrestrial Tarot but I don't know what it is.) I don't even know if I would take the Masquerade Tarot if it was free. So, my question is: Are there any decks that you really don't want even if the price was very low?

aeonx	29 May 2002
Hi raeanne. :) Yes, indeed! :D I don't want the Vampire Tarot at all. I even got it for free from Amazon, since they made a mistake and sent me this one instead of the Universal Waite. I liked nothing about the cards, they're too dark and negative IMO. There are lots of decks I don't want. I collect only the ones I find beautiful and have a symbolizm I can relate to. :) ~aeonx~

Geenius at Wrok	29 May 2002
Quote: Originally posted by raeanne Are there any decks that you really don't want even if the price was very low? Truthfully, most of them! In fact, I wouldn't want most of them even if they were free! I'd never use them, I'd never even look at them; they'd just take up space.

wavebreaker	29 May 2002
I too only buy decks that I like. There are a lot of very popular decks that I would never buy, because I simply don't like the artwork, such as the Hanson-Roberts or the Morgan-Greer. The deck has to appeal to me; if it doesn't, I don't need to have it. However, I don't need to be able to use them all. For example, I recently got the Old English, because I loved the artwork on it. But I don't use it, because it simply doesn't appeal to me as a "reading deck". The same goes for the Rock 'n Roll tarot: I absolute love it, but I haven't read with it and don't know whether I ever will. These two are simply "collector decks" for me.

jema	29 May 2002
i see the unicorn tarot on lots of places. that is often the only one they got beside the rider-waite. but i once had the moongarden and didn't like it at all and don't think i would like the unicorn deck either. some kind of sickly sweetness to them both. and they just seem like so utterly useless. oh and some theme decks i just know i would never even look at twice - like the baseball tarot. and the royal tarot - i got that one but can't even put it up for trade cause i don't want anyone of you to have to put up with it. i think i will keep it and give it away to some charity... (or be really mean and sneak it into my jehovas witness aunt house - she would freak *insert evil laughter* but i won't, i am just too nice) aeonx - glad you didn't like the vampire deck - i thought it was kind of neat. i still might trade it away later though. i am fickle

catlin	29 May 2002
No unicorn for me either because it is just poorly done. But I like the Moongarden although I prefer either theme decks or dark ones. Is the Royal one the Royal Fez?

jema	29 May 2002
the royal is this one http://www.wicce.com/royal.html quite awful it is too.

Zhritza	29 May 2002
ewwww. that is just atrocious. At my job we have the Angel Tarot at 40% off right now. This is not to be confused with the Guiley tarot about angels. It's basically just a dumbed-down reworking of the Marseille. Even at that price I couldn't get myself to buy it. It's useless for trading, and I'm certainly not going to use it. The Unicorn is pretty pitiful, and so is the Masquerade from the images I've seen. The Vampire is silly. A more popular deck that I do not want is the Tarot of the Saints. It's not only because it features saints. There's a lot of terrific folklore surrounding the saints. If they were on the cards doing the things they're known for, or if the cards were artistically unique, it'd be a great concept. But they're just sitting around. This is OK in the Castelli Art Nouveau, for example, because it's got such a distinctive style. Normally, though, I need some sort of movement if a deck's style is pretty basic.

truthsayer	29 May 2002
i continually eat my words everytime i say i don't like a deck. so i plead the 5th amendment on the grounds that anything i say against a tarot deck may perjure me later and i will be held accountable for my folly. just ask jewel and faunabay if you doubt me! ;) LOL

Jewel	29 May 2002
Quote: Originally posted by truthsayer i continually eat my words everytime i say i don't like a deck. so i plead the 5th amendment on the grounds that anything i say against a tarot deck may perjure me later and i will be held accountable for my folly. just ask jewel and faunabay if you doubt me! ;) LOL ~giggles~ yep yep yep ... and ditto! about the Royal Tarot, it did crash my system twice trying to open the pics *LOL*, but once they finally openend I must say I have seen worse. Who knows Jema, maybe someone would want it if you put it up for trade. (I do think it is funny that on Wicce's site it says "author unknown". Does that meant that not even the author claims it? *LOL*)

jema	29 May 2002
no one claims it, that is correct. i can't say i blame the artist either. i don't think i have ever seen an uglier deck. i seen more tasteless decks though, but this one is just plain ugly and boring. i might include it is a trade at some point. like one common deck + the royal for something a bit more unusal. i have to agree with truthsayer too though. i have at one point here confessed my dislike for the cosmic deck. well, i had it once and traded it away and suddenly i started to miss it. so i am getting it again:)

Logiatrix	29 May 2002
goodness gracious, i am almost ashamed to admit how compulsive i used to be about acquiring tarot! if it said "tarot" on it, i had to have it...now, i am a bit more discerning, i think. at least, i am more specific about the types of tarot i choose to collect. back in november of last year, i had 120 tarots; i am currently down to half that amount, due to some very serious contemplation about what it is i REALLY like about tarot. that is not to say that i am not at least tempted to make that purchase on "a really good deal"! :)

Kaz	29 May 2002
i think i can safely say that i don't like most decks, seeing how many there are. i only buy/collect for art, and i my collection is very small. if i don't like it, i won't buy it, and i won't even want it for free.... kaz

Sam	29 May 2002
Quote: Originally posted by aeonx Hi raeanne. :) Yes, indeed!I don't want the Vampire Tarot at all. i have this deck, but don't use it a lot because it's to hard to understand the readings. and yes there are decks that i don't want.

Sam	29 May 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Kaz and i won't even want it for free.... whoa! whoa! not even for free? come on! i know we would all cave in!

Zhritza	29 May 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Chunkypuffs whoa! whoa! not even for free? come on! i know we would all cave in! I understand what kaz means though, because the more decks you have, the more confusing it gets, choosing which to use and that kind of thing. I have decks that I like owning but don't much like using; however, I feel like I have to give them all "a chance" or something now and then. Also I sometimes use my more useless decks just to prove to myself that I should keep them. And plus I have the packrat disease. I love to accumulate nice things, especially tarot decks right now. So I might turn down a free deck that is ugly or useless, just so I won't have to use it and store it.

VGimlet	30 May 2002
[quote\ [b] i continually eat my words everytime i say i don't like a deck. [/b][/quote] I have to go with truthsayer on this one. Everytime I decide a deck is not for me, it starts haunting me, or something. And when I do get a deck that sounded like such a good idea, and it turns out it wasn't, (for whatever reason) I still keep it. Because probably if I trade it, or sell it, or give it away I will end up buying it again anyway. ;)

Marion	30 May 2002
For someone with only a very few decks, and who thinks a while before buying one, I'll have to say that I have still made some mistakes! I traded away my Gendron and Goddess decks because I couldn't even look at them! I bought the Enochian tarot, god/dess knows why and I don't like it at all. Like an earlier poster I won't even put it up for trade because someone else might get stuck with it! That's really bad, now I think about it. I currently own a grand total of 7 decks (pitiful by the standards around here, hehe), and I use 3 regularly, 2 irregularly and have two I won't even look at. Honestly, there may be hundreds of decks out there, but I generally look at them and think, no way! Okay, I admit it, I recently ordered the new tarot of Oz deck because I read so many of the Oz books as a kid. Probably won't be able to read with it. But the idea of Dorothy as The Fool on her journey was just too delicious.

kayne	30 May 2002
Err... There is an Angels Oracle and Fairies Oracle by the same artist that I see everywhere when I go looking for tarot decks and I just can't even bare to pick them up... in fact, oracle decks in general, I don't think I would bother with...

Phoenix	30 May 2002
There are a lot of deck which I find absolutely horrendous. The Hanson-Roberts being one of them. To me, they must appeal to the eyes for me to buy them.

fairyhedgehog	31 May 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Marion Like an earlier poster I won't even put it up for trade because someone else might get stuck with it! You might find someone who loves the decks you hate :) I see someone hates the Hanson Roberts, whereas I love it. I think it's worth a try - if someone else doesn't like the deck, they can always trade it on, too. All the best, FH

dolphingirl	31 May 2002
Hi I guess I am odd but I have never found a deck I didn't want. Even if I don't like the artwork or style of a deck I find that there is always something I can learn from them. I figure if the artist went to all the trouble to do 78 pieces of artwork. They had a vision of what tarot is, and I try to see it through there eyes. Because of this I have learned alot about different peoples vision, ideas, myths and symbols. I even have the Masquerade deck and while I may never use it for readings I can still learn and appreciate it :) Thanks Sam

Andryh	31 May 2002
For me, any computer-generated tarot is to be avoided. I know some people love 'em, but to me they feel cold...Devoid of human warmth. I used to swear off any and all collage decks. I thought they were tasteless and gaudy. Then I met the Victoria Regina Tarot, and sat down to a big plate of crow! I love that deck. Other decks on my "avoid at all cost" list: The Vampire, the Fantasical, the Golden Dawn, and the Unicorn Tarots. The Unicorn Tarot especially! I'd rather chew tin foil than own that deck...Okay, I'm being a bit overly dramatic.

Cocobird55	01 Jun 2002
The Vertigo tarot. It's one that I think I should collect, but there are too many cards that freak me out. I bought the Robin Wood, even though I didn't want it, just to give it a try because so many people like it. It's okay, but it still isn't speaking to me in any special way. OTOH, I love the Gendron -- I get great readings from it. Sue

Zhritza	01 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Phoenix There are a lot of deck which I find absolutely horrendous. The Hanson-Roberts being one of them. I thought I was sacrilegious for not liking that deck much, Phoenix, as it seems so popular around here.... I feel better now, thanks :) Andryh, I too was stunned by how much I love the VR. I still don't like other collage decks though, and to me the VR is sort of in a class by itself, because everything on each card is so seamlessly integrated. I don't really even think of it as a collage deck.

catboxer	01 Jun 2002
I guess I'm just not a collector, but I'd like to have one deck to represent each major stage of tarot's development. I can't imagine any serious tarotist living without the Visconti-Sforza, because it's the first known semi-complete tarot. The reconstituted version published by good old US Games is the one I have, and if there's a better version I haven't found out about it yet. Likewise, nobody should be without a Marseilles deck. I don't like the one I have right now, a Conver deck published by Lo Scarabeo, but I know who to ask to get a better one. I wanted one of the 19th-century Milano decks and bought Lo Scarabeo's so-called "Ancient Tarots of Lombardy," but Kaz has turned me on to the Soporafino deck from the same house (Gumppemberg) which is much better, really it's the best of this type, so that's the one I'll get. I guess I really need to get a Thoth deck, despite my dislike of Crowley (Lady Frieda was a great artist), and a Waite deck. Which Waite deck do you guys think is best? Universal? Modern decks? Well, I have my own, which isn't the greatest I've ever seen, but it's mine. Sometimes I think abortions like the Royal deck were personal projects (never a bad idea, even if they turn out ugly) that got published by mistake. I have the Gareth Knight deck, but I think it's hideous. I guess I'll buy Robin Woods's cards, since that deck seems to be the one most widely used today, and she does approach the subjects with a degree of straightforward simplicity, which I like. Finally, there are some decks I like to look at, but won't buy because I'd have no use for them. The Vertigo cards are really fun and kind of scary to look at, and Dave McKean is a great artist, but I sometimes wonder if it's even a real tarot. (catboxer)

WolfSpirit	02 Jun 2002
I have to agree with Kaz: there are some decks I really want, and those I don't really want I'd rather not have at all. I would only want them to trade, and this means I don't want them, just the profit from not having to pay for a deck I do want. I don't have many decks (yet...) but sometimes I already think I have too many, because I don't find time to really explore them. I don't buy decks to read with, i buy them because they appeal to me and I discover if I want to read with them soon enough. I only read with tarot decks, but I do want the animal druid oracle and the faery oracle because i love the art work so much...

Violet Gargoyle	02 Jun 2002
I am another one who is not too fond of the Vampire decks. I am not a fan of the artwork or the stereotypical traits that it seems to give off. When I say stereotypical, I mean that they are too "Stoker/Rice-alized". I like Vampire lore, but there had been soooo much folklore about vampire type characters in folklore that is hardly ever covered in modern literature. I have had a major slowdown in buying any horror related literature because of this. I have most of the Rice novels, but since there will be the Anne Rice tarot coming out, I can get that. It will kinda feel like getting a genre directly from the source instead of an imatation. (Does that make sense?) I would like to see a vampire tarot that redefines the rules a little (with apro-po artwork).

Maalin	03 Jun 2002
I've looked up most of the decks you were talking about and now know at least 20 I definitely wouldn't want! ;) Guess I'm a bit of a traditionalist...

meatbox666	04 Jun 2002
I totally hate the Rider Waite deck. I am suprised any one can see anything worht telling in the future with it. I love the Vampire Tarot deck. It is so cool and it tells me everything about a person that I can interpret and then some. I absolutely cherish that deck. I had the NEW Orleans Voodoo tarot deck. Talk about power!!! That deck is so freaking powerful that Im glad I lost a fewcards. I will buy it again, It is 30 dollars. I need some more power, I need the Baphomet Tarot Deck. Can anyone tell me of their experience with the baphomet tarot Deck if any. I am so in love with the gory pictures. I bet that deck has a lot to say when doing a reading. I also have the sacred geometry deck. *sighs* So far it is too candy ass but i know that deck is worth the trouble trying to interpret. i just hate math. Im good with interpreting it. Does any one have that deck?

Jewel	05 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Violet Gargoyle I have most of the Rice novels, but since there will be the Anne Rice tarot coming out, I can get that. It will kinda feel like getting a genre directly from the source instead of an imatation. (Does that make sense?) I would like to see a vampire tarot that redefines the rules a little (with apro-po artwork). Have you had a chance to see the previews for the Anne Rice deck? I will get the deck because I love her books, but I'm not all that thrilled with what I have seen of the deck so far. Anne Rice goes into such detail about what each of her characters looks like that I find it hard that the artist could not get the coloring right on the characters! Shame! I e-mailed the artist as did others from this forum, but he never responded ~shrugs~ ... at least I tried.

wavebreaker	05 Jun 2002
Is this the Anne Rice deck you are referring to: http://members.aol.com/DavidSxton/index.html? I don't really like this one...

Jewel	10 Jun 2002
Okies I actually found three decks that I do not want even if they are free: Voyager, Rachel Pollack's tarot (Elemental is it?), and the stick figure tarot. Perhaps I am becoming discriminant at last *ROFLMAO* ... yeah whatever!

Liliana	10 Jun 2002
I dont think i want fantastical tarot, or the normal rider waite. Im not so interested in majors only deks either, at least not til i ollet my fill of full decks lol Ive said i dont want Templar, but ive rethought that, i want to get it eventually to use with the book tarot shadow work, it seems exellent for that. I dont want any egyptian decks (exept one thats 75 dollars lol) but id take any deck for free, or even for 5 dollars (including shipping) cause i can always trade it ;) :THP

truthsayer	10 Jun 2002
after considerable thought, i think it's safe to say i don't want the crow's magick or the fantastical tarot. i've had both and traded both around a year ago. haven't spent a moment missing them. jewel, what egyptian deck is $75? i'd take a free deck b/c you never know what you're really getting. i took a brothers of the light deck i didn't want around 15 years ago from a friend who didn't want it. recently i saw one auctioning for around $40 at ebay.

Liliana	10 Jun 2002
twasnt jewel, twas me who said 75 dollar deck Its called Le Tarot Egyptien d'Esmeralda You can see it here http://www.tarotgarden.com/boutique/onlinecatalog.php?view_title=Le+Tarot+Egyptien+d%27Esmeralda&pageenter=0 It has pip minors, which i dont like, butit has this interesting 3d art feel in the majors i love, way different than any other egyptian deck :THP

truthsayer	10 Jun 2002
OOPS! liliana, sorry didn't mean to get your name wrong(you are a jewel of an aeclectic member so i wasn't entirely wrong!) i checked out that link and agree that that is one i'd like to have, too. it is beautiful and the 3D effect adds interest. if you ever get it, let us know what you think.

Jewel	11 Jun 2002
Oh Liliana, that is gorgeous! I love the 3D effect ... shame on you for posting that link *LOL*

Zhritza	13 Jun 2002
jewel, if you want a cheap fix for your 3D yearning (I know what it's like to see an artistic concept in a deck and think, "I need a deck like that!") get the Secret Tarot by Jane Lyle... :)

Jewel	14 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Qolus jewel, if you want a cheap fix for your 3D yearning (I know what it's like to see an artistic concept in a deck and think, "I need a deck like that!") get the Secret Tarot by Jane Lyle... :) ~giggles~ I have it ~grin~ thanks for thinking of me Qolus!

Liliana	14 Jun 2002
Where can i see this Jane Lyle secret tarot? I can only find the lo scarabo non 3d one :THP

Jewel	14 Jun 2002
I believe you can find it at www.wicce.com and I would think we would have it here as well.

Lee	14 Jun 2002
The Secret Tarot by Lyle was previously published as the Renaissance Tarot. http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/renaissance2/index.html http://www.tarotpassages.com/bursten14.htm -- Lee

Liliana	14 Jun 2002
I see, Im not sure Ilike it much. I like the High Priestess, but I dont like the half pips half not minors. Its like they gave up halfway through. Of course I dont like the plain pips of the deck I mentioned either :) Think Ill chuck it into the someday pile :) :THP

Kellinator	17 Jun 2002
For me, the deck you couldn't pay me to take is the Aquarian. I used to have a friend who read with it and I didn't care for it at all -- too many oranges and rusts for my taste. Then said friend stabbed me in the back and defamed me, so now when I see that deck in stores, I get a bad taste in my mouth. I'm sure it's a lovely deck for some, but not for me!

Sam	18 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by aeonx IMO I'm sorry, but i'm not up to date on my internet chat abbreveations. so, what does IMO mean?

Sam	18 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by dolphingirl Even if I don't like the artwork or style of a deck I find that there is always something I can learn from them. I figure if the artist went to all the trouble to do 78 pieces of artwork. They had a vision of what tarot is, and I try to see it through thier eyes. this is a great idea, and if more people used it the world would be a better place! ;)

Kellinator	18 Jun 2002
IMO -- in my opinion IMHO -- in my humble opinion IMNSHO -- in my not so humble opinion

Angel Star	18 Jun 2002
Yep I have alot of tarot decks that are just shelving it right now. Alot of them I liked when I bought them but then bought new ones and just stopped using them. I still like them I just have too many and forget about some of them. Some I have bought cause people have said "Oh yeah this is such a neat deck" only to find I can't stand it or read that good with it. I have gotten pickier about which decks I really want and only buy the ones I truly am pulled to. Go figure I think collecting tarot decks just becomes addicting sometimes. LOL!

The I just don't want it! thread was originally posted on 29 May 2002 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.