Asking a general question-re: backs of decks

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 01 Aug 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

All Is One	01 Aug 2002
This is just a curiosity of mine lately...as there are thousands of decks out there...how many of you could ID them by the backs alone- assuming that you did not own the deck??? I think we should have a special Jeopardy category for this...it would be the video daily Quadruple...as no one on Jeopardy has probably spent as much time, love, or money on Tarot as we true devotees... The real reason I'm curious...I unintentionally (I swear!!!) tossed n the back illustration on a deck I love in a photo I e-mailed of a bag I am planning to make, for a personage (-ess?) Whom we all know and love... and it is torturing her half to death...so I began to wonder if I would be able to figure out even the ( slightly odd) Robin Wood from the back alone... It is not even slightly similiar to the deck...and if I had never bought it, I would have thought it was from a photo - type deck - or a ...? Certainly not a Pagan softly drawn deck. Too geometricallly drawn. Next inquiry: If you (Kayne....) were to design a back for your favorite deck- what would you choose? I love the Thoth Backs- they induce a trance (could be the lotus in center... could be a Crowley hex..who cares? It works.) The Gendron has a nice back... The Tarot of The Master is awful. Love the deck...terrible and irritating back. The I am One... The back is- weeeelllllll- what do YOU all have to say about all this?

All Is One	01 Aug 2002
These are old...and copyrighted...but fun any one wants a copy of this bargain bin graphic CD I can try to make one...? Calling Kayne- for the colouring of the Aeclectic thread...re: what do you ...Senor Avatar Master...think about backs of decks what is on back of the 21st ?

truthsayer	01 Aug 2002
swordgirl would make a pretty cool avatar. but back to your question--i think i would know a few deck backs but not that many. i would know the robin wood, rws, and hoi polloi but that's all i feel confident about. is there a way we could play an online game w/ this? you know, scan some backs from different decks and let us pm you what we think they are. then announce the winner. putting answers in the thread would, of course, alert your competitors as to what you're up to! NO PEEKING! big sister can find out what you do behind that computer screen! LOL :D

the hermit	02 Aug 2002
Just a random thought while I sit on baby-watch... my lovely daughter-in-law is reclining a few feet from me, having begun labor, but now stopped, so here we sit... she resting, me 'puting, my son? well, I made him go back to my bedroom and he fell asleep. He's been working and pacing, bless his little heart, with no sleep for the past 72 hrs. I told him the fun has only just begun... :D But back to random thoughts... I would recognize the Robin Wood, as I use it regularly, but never thought of it as geometric (though I realize it is)... but rather as more of a sort of stylized celtic knotish sort of design. I'd also recognize the Hanson-Roberts with it's interesting loops, and the Handl deck with the eye, and of course the beautiful starry night backs of my Universal Waite, but as to others? probably not.

Mermaid	02 Aug 2002
Firstly - Love and light to your daughter-in-law and son Hermit! I hope everything goes as it should and you soon have a healthy new family member to chew on all your favourite decks... Secondly - Universal Waite has a lovely starry back? I'm jealous! My RW has an absolutely awful white/black/blue plaid back. It's boring, depressing and rather gross... kind of looks like the pattern you sometimes get on mens' hankies. *sigh* I want a starry back on my RW too!

the hermit	02 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Mermaid Firstly - Love and light to your daughter-in-law and son Hermit! I hope everything goes as it should and you soon have a healthy new family member to chew on all your favourite decks... Secondly - Universal Waite has a lovely starry back? I'm jealous! My RW has an absolutely awful white/black/blue plaid back. It's boring, depressing and rather gross... kind of looks like the pattern you sometimes get on mens' hankies. *sigh* I want a starry back on my RW too! Thanks for the thoughts... she's restless and so is the little guy, but he doesn't seem to want to come out and play! His mommy is being very patient though and dealing quite well in spite of all us guys hovering (her dad's crashed on the couch while her and her mom are playing spades with my mom. So we've got 3 generations of moms and 2 of dads :) As for the starry back... then buy a Universal Waite deck :D It's much nicer than the old RW, Mary Hanson-Roberts has done a great job of coloring with pastels to soften the harsher old style, and the lines of the drawings themselves are much thinner. The whole effect is just great. I find them much better to read, as there is shading and coloring that brings out the details of the art of Colman-Smith.

Sulis	02 Aug 2002
Well I`d recognise a few backs, Robin Wood, The Witches Taorot by Elen Cannon-Reed, New Palladini, The Wheel of Change. Tarot Nova and World Spirit. I either own or have owned all of these decks though. Of the cards I don`t own I think I could probably recognise the Universal Waite as it is very gorgeous. Favorite card backs have got to be World Spirit and Tarot Nova which is very reminiscent of folk art. Blessings Crystalmynx xx

Kaz	02 Aug 2002
i can picture the backs of these before my eyes: robin wood thoth i am one gill haindl osho zen though these are all decks i have or have owned. i would recognise more if scans were put up i suppose. kaz

LeoLady	02 Aug 2002
I can recognise the witches tarot too, the pentagram on the back is what made me gravitiate towards it (bought it for a friend) other than that I'd recognise the H/R Deck cos I am using it to learn on at present.

Liliana	02 Aug 2002
Lets see I know the rider waite, universal waite, world spirit, tarot nova, master tarot, spiral, i think connolley and tarot of the cat people, obviously Rohrig there is no other back remotely close in detailed beautiful art as the Rohrig, probably Thoth, um I think thats it, but possibly more :THP

cherrywind	02 Aug 2002
The Hallowe'en tarot I could definately identify right away :D.

Maan	02 Aug 2002
Hmmm rohrig, toth,spiral, hanson roberts, gill, robin wood, arcus arcanum,wolds spirit,rider waite, whismiscal, buckland romani,moon garden...Hmmm maybe all the decks in my collection?

Kirali	02 Aug 2002
Quote: Hmmm maybe all the decks in my collection? Yeah same here! I can recognize the backs to enchanted tarot, goddess, healing w/angels/fairies, faery oracle, halloween, legend: arthurian tarot, rohrig and so on and so forth! :) ah 'tis great to be a tarotholic! :)

Sally Gardens	03 Aug 2002
Well, I've never owned the Tarot of the Cloisters, nor seen the back, but I'm sure I could recognize it just because (as far as I know) it's the only round deck I haven't either owned or handled in person. :D Which is to say that I could spot Motherpeace, Daughters of the Moon, and (now! new! and wow!) Songs for the Journey Home from 20 paces away. In the Rectangular Realm, I could recognize Robin Wood (very distinctive), Universal Waite, Rider-Waite, Celtic Wisdom, and Sacred Circle. I *think* I would recognize the Goddess Tarot (Kris Waldherr). Am a little fuzzy on what the back of the Tarot of the Trance looks like, but if I recall correctly, it was in a style similar to the fronts of the cards (but not as colorful?) so would probably recognize that, too, if it were the case. I owned the Zerner Farber deck briefly, and *might* recognize that. (I really didn't like the deck - too cluttered and Victorian and lacy and collagey and .... ugh. But then there are people who find *my* taste in art to be ... ugh ... :D so as long as we all walk away happy and nobody gets hurt, life is good.)

Keslynn	03 Aug 2002
I think I could recognize most of the decks in my collection. There are really too many to list here because I'm way more of a tarotholic than my budget should allow. Oh well. Ramen noodles and P&J for me. Anyhow, I'm not exactly sure I could ID them all but I'm certainly up for the challenge. Bring on the quiz! :TQS Kes

WolfSpirit	04 Aug 2002
I think I could identify the back of the Tarot Sutra :P Of the decks I own I can just picture Robin Wood, Wolf Tarot, Celtic, Celtic Dragon, Shapeshifter, Arthurian, Animal Wise, Cosmic... I haven't opened the dragon tarot for a while but I have a wild guess there's a dragon on it :D so I could probably identify it...

All Is One	20 Aug 2002
Well...guess who IS the dumbest bunny on the block? me I started this thread full of total curiosity...and - totally sunk in the depths of some whacky other realm of daydreams...punchy as heck from the cutting and stitching...and - I went into idiot mode- never "subscribed" or for some reason- maybe that temporary glitch awhile back... did not get to hear that there were replies! Missed the beautiful Hermit posts!! :( How did it turn out? Is everyone happy and well? Geez- who can think of tarot card backs at a time like that! Hermit- you seem like the calmest most centered person on the planet. A pleasure to have found (finally) those -and the other- posts...) Yes- I would love to try and do this as a contest...it would require someone like Kaz- or Jeannette and Lori we would really have to sweat it over those - they would be the RAREST. If Solandia or any or you is interested ...I'd love to see a contest like this...I doubt I'd guess many...I started this because the backs were never pictureed with the deck images...and so often came as a shock- good or bad- after buying a new deck... Contest sounds good to me...

Jewel	21 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by truthsayer i think i would know a few deck backs but not that many. is there a way we could play an online game w/ this? you know, scan some backs from different decks and let us pm you what we think they are. then announce the winner. putting answers in the thread would, of course, alert your competitors as to what you're up to! NO PEEKING! big sister can find out what you do behind that computer screen! LOL :D Ditto about recognizing some but not all (even in my collection ... hard to keep up with 80+ decks let alone the backs!). I absolutly love the idea of the game! how creative of you Turthsayer! ~mumbles something about not being surprised~

The Asking a general question-re: backs of decks thread was originally posted on 01 Aug 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.