Choosing A Marseilles deck

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 09 Sep 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Laurel	09 Sep 2002
Its getting close to the 15th of the month, meaning that it'll be time to add a deck to my collection. I'd like to get a Marseilles deck this time, in order to study tarot from a more historical perspective. But there are a couple to choose from! So I'd like some suggestions. Here are the criteria I have in mind in no preferencial order. Price: I'd like to stay in the $30 range, including shipping. Availability: I'd prefer a deck that I could purchase either locally or have shipped within 3-4 weeks. Authenticity: I'd prefer the deck that kept as closely as possible to the original symbols and coloration of the Marseilles. Majors: If possible, I'd prefer a deck that left the Majors unnumbered. I don't have much experience with the Marseilles, so I'm looking for suggestions in versions that might satisfy all or most of the above.

Phoenix	09 Sep 2002
I would also like a Marsailles Deck with similar criteria to Laurel, but I would like numbered Majors. Does anyone know of the name of a MArseille deck like this?? Thanks Laurel for posting this!!

Lee	09 Sep 2002
I could be wrong, but I don't think you'll find a Marseilles deck with no numbers. My favorite Marseilles is one I've ordered and am waiting for -- the Camoin. Click here to read jmd's excellent review. It came to around $26.00 including shipping. But I don't know how long it will take to get it. I ordered it two weeks ago and I'm still waiting. But since it's coming from France to the U.S., it's reasonable that it would take longer than if I had ordered it from Amazon or something. As far as unnumbered, the only thing I can think of is Beginner's Tarot. I don't anywhere else you can see scans of it so I'll put a link to my review. The Majors are based on Marseilles and Oswald Wirth designs, and the Minors are pips but not based on the Marseilles. The Courts are based on the Swiss IJJ. This is a very pleasant deck, but not strictly a Marseilles. But it is unnumbered. -- Lee

ihcoyc	09 Sep 2002
If it's maximum fidelity to the "original" Marseilles deck you want, my understanding is that the source for most current versions is the Convers deck. I know this is available as a reproduction from Lo Scarabeo, and I believe also from Heron. I think it is called the "Ancient Tarots of Marseilles" in the English version from Scarabeo. Use this one, and you are getting your Marseilles tarots straight from the source. The Grimaud Marseilles is perhaps the current "default." I'm not sure if it would be my first choice. The Grimaud Marseilles currently looks primitive without appearing old. It's very playing-cardish, which perhaps is good. Only six different colours and white are used on the cards: red, blue, olive drab, fleshtone, black, and white. This gets old after a while. Some Marseilles deck users attach special significance to these colours and to the patterns they make. If you do, there is no substitute. Camoin has recoloured the Marseilles deck. The Spanish Fournier deck has drastically recoloured them. I gather these aren't what you want. The decks with Marseilles-style trumps that I would recommend personally are some of the Italian "soprafino" decks. The Della Rocca version has a high fidelity to Marseilles imagery (but not necessarily colour) and is more attractive than Grimaud, being engraved. This is available as "Ancient Italian Tarots." More work has been put into the Minors on these decks than in the Marseilles originals.

Phoenix	09 Sep 2002
I think I may have found the Marseilles tarot that I want. I am really looking at the Ancient Tarot of Marseille by Lo Scarabeo. So far, it is the only Marseille deck that really appeals to me!

jmd	10 Sep 2002
Phoenix, you have made a wise choice. Lo Scarabeo has two Marseilles decks available: the Conver and the Burdel. The Burdel, unfortunately, has been, as I have mentioned somewhere else, altered (a zero has been added to the Fool, and the titles appear in six languages). The Conver is very fine, though I personally prefer the exact same deck published by Heron (the Conver is also printed by a third publisher, Camoin, in addition to their own re-design - an excellent deck, in my opinion). The Grimaud and Fournier decks are very fine, but probably lack some of that historical 'oopmth'. As has been mentioned, Marseilles decks do number the major Arcana (except for the Fool) - in old style additive Roman numerals (ie, 4 is IIII, not IV).

catlin	10 Sep 2002
Just one comment to the Convers Marseilles deck by LoScarabeo: The background of the cards is in a kind of flesh colour which alters the colourings of the whole cards. I have looked it through several times and still could not make my mind up to get this one as the whole impression looks a bit strange to me, I cannot warm to the funny green which is used in this deck.

jmd	10 Sep 2002
Like Lee, my personal favourite remains the Camoin Marseilles. The above comment did not mean to take away from this modern (1998) rendition.

Laurel	10 Sep 2002
Thanks you all! I've narrowed it down to the Camoin and the Heron versions and will ponder this further... or maybe squeeze a little extra money from somewhere and get both for comparison. Arghh... tarotholicism at its finest. Laurel

Jewel	10 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Lee My favorite Marseilles is one I've ordered and am waiting for -- the Camoin . Click here to read jmd's excellent review. It came to around $26.00 including shipping. But I don't know how long it will take to get it. I ordered it two weeks ago and I'm still waiting. But since it's coming from France to the U.S., it's reasonable that it would take longer than if I had ordered it from Amazon or something. Lee I am not sure what shipping option you used, I used standard shipping when I ordered mine and it took it between 8-10 weeks to get here. I had almost forgotten I had ordered it! *LOL*

The Choosing A Marseilles deck thread was originally posted on 09 Sep 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.