Vertigo Tarot?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 07 Sep 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Dark_angel	07 Sep 2003
I've just been offered a chance to buy a 1st edition of this deck, at an extremely high price of course (well, high for me, I think it's about £60). From what I've seen, it's gorgeous, but I was wondering what you guys think, as it'll be the most I've spent on anything apart from clothes and a place to live! I've only recently started reading, but I have some 'individual' decks. Do you think I'd be up to the challenge? How do you find this deck? Help?!? I have to decide by tonight, or someone else gets it by default.

Little Baron	07 Sep 2003
I think it is such a strong deck. I tried to get hold of it myself a while back but was outbidded. I know little about it but imagine that in the long run, it is a good investment. Yaboot

Pollux	07 Sep 2003
Ouch! That's so much... :( I don't know what the suggestion here should be. I LOVE this deck, absolutely. It's my dark friend, and I enjoy it thoroughly, Dave ruleZ! I just feel so naturally "in tune" with it, and even though I never use it to read it's a most important part of my collection. I also laminated the cards. :D I think that price's probably too much, especially if you are "relatively" new to tarot - but whatever! LOL I see you love the deck and the images, just get it if you can afford it... I would... })

isthmus nekoi	07 Sep 2003
V was my first deck and basically taught me how to read. I find it a very intimate deck. I'll rave about it naturally, but not everyone connects to V, and that is a hefty price. This site has all the cards: http://www.area23.org/perdition/reverie/tarot/tarot.html

Dark_angel	07 Sep 2003
I'm going to have to think about it. It's not an auction, but the person selling it can only put the other person off for so long; I love the cards, bit worried about the rent, though!

Kaz	07 Sep 2003
i looked at the cards at the site that isthmus linked to, i never saw this deck before. is it oop? regardless, 60 UKpounds is a lot of money and i would never spend that much on a deck, no matter how much i like it.

MeeWah	07 Sep 2003
Dark_angel: Vertigo is an intense shadow deck. I have the second edition, which I think has slight differences from the first. I have not seen the original version, but the card stock of the second edition is so thin as to discourage handling or shuffling in a vigorous manner. The accompanying book is well-conceived & written by Rachel Pollack, but the font is teeny-weeny! Ye may want to consider the second edition as a more viable alternative. Whether ye intend to use the deck or keep it for collecting purposes, I think both editions have value (though the original or first edition will always command more value). My interest in the deck is due to its creator & his other works.

Gerbear	07 Sep 2003
At about $95, this is an excellent price as the deck is OOP and very, very popular among collectors. However, if you are new to tarot and/or collecting, you should give serious thought to an investment like this. Personally, I would jump on it, because every one on ebay goes higher. The second edition is a lot more reasonable.

Cerulean	07 Sep 2003
replies. If this is your kind of art, it will be a lovely prize. If it's just a collectible, the second edition works. If you get a chance to obtain a first edition, the art and book will be bigger and it was done by an older, less digitized process. The metalized parts are silver laid down first and then color was printed over it. That makes it worth more. Dave Mckean also had a comic book done with Amano of the Amano tarot in their vertigo series. Both gentleman also have examples of their cover art or tarot art appear on ebay periodically, so you might save and keep your filters out for such titles. Sometimes its hard to gauge until you actually have such art in your hands to know if it will work for you. After a time, I just realized that the anime or fantasy style only worked for me with one or two decks. But not the Vertigo or Amano, that was just me. Mari H.

Dark_angel	07 Sep 2003
Well, I thought about it, thought some more, asked sooooo many people for advice and my parents think I'm mad coz I've spent all day wandering around going "should I? shouldn't I?" and they haven't a clue what I'm thinking about. In the end, I went with my gut feeling, which was BUY! So I went for it. He's going to tell the other person and send them to me sometime this week, only I won't get them till next week because they have to go to my flat and I don't get there till next Sunday so my flatmate's going to sign for them for me. Whew! I need to slow down! I'm just so excited - I really wanted them, I was just worrying about the cost. It's high, but I can't get them anywhere near me, it's 1st edition, internet sales are so high when you add in transport, and the guy lives near my flat so they won't get damaged in transit. Awww, I can't wait to see my babies! I'll have to be careful not to make my other decks feel neglected. lol. I think I need to cut down on the caffeine! xxx

Little Baron	07 Sep 2003
I can almost feel your excitement! The Vertigo is a great deck and I have looked around on the web at it for a while now; being a student, I can also not afford the luxury at the moment. I'm sure I will get my grubby little mits on it one day though. You seem to like a few of the same decks as I do; I don't know if you responded to one of my previous posts about a deck I liked. I think you might like it too. Fortunately, it is still in progress so we can start saving our pennies before it becomes available. http://www.rubysasylum.co.uk/Html/Tarot.htm Best wishes and enjoy your deck. Yaboot

truthsayer	07 Sep 2003
i think if you take care of this first edition, it will go up in value over the years. if you get out of tarot and decided to sell it, i truly believe you can get what you paid back. the value is mainly due to the popularity of the sandman series by neil gaiman and the art of dave mckean. if you get into the sandman series(they're in comic novels now), you'll see some of the card personalities show up in the stories. it adds a unique spin to the deck's meanings. personally, i love the deck even though i don't read with it. i have the second edition but if i had the chance for a first edition i would jump on it. b/c i love it as a tarot and i love it as a collector's edition. it's kind of like the ring of power in the lord of the rings--the prrrrreeeeecccccioussssssssssss!a true tarot gollem item if you catch my drift. ;) congratulations on making a good decision.

HudsonGray	07 Sep 2003
I agree with the assessment that the deck is going to go up in value. NONE of these decks that come up on ebay go for less than $50, usually a lot higher, regardless of whether its a first or second edition. It is out of print, has been hard to get, even through comic book shops which was the main venue for this deck. Dark, yes. It helps to know the background of the characters (they're from the comics), but the book does cover a lot. I'm not sure if it reads reversals though. I ran across the book once at a half price book store & glanced through, but didn't get it as the deck wasn't with it.

Chronata	08 Sep 2003
I paid $50 for this deck(first edition) when it was new...that was pretty much the retail price. I love it because I am a huge fan of the comics. But it's thin and difficult to shuffle. Still, I think it reads really well, and I think you will really enjoy working with it... And if not, I am sure you can re-sell it for ...at least... what you paid for it! Congratulations on a very keen aquisition!

Voodoo_Shaman	30 Sep 2003
I was just lucky enough to grab one of the Vertigo Tarots on ebay. I was a fan of DC comics when I was a kid, but ore of a Superman, Batman type deal. I remember though reading a Vertigo story on the cool character Death, “The High Price of Living” I think it was called and also I read a few Sandman, Morph us stories. I decided to get the deck “finally” because I wanted it in the 80’s, but 50.00 bucks was too much for a kid in those days. So finally I have the deck, and I love them. Not really to read with, but more for private meditation, and such. But of course the illustrations are beautiful, and I do not know too much of the history of the Characters. With the exception of Swamp Thing, and a few other minor characters. So of course know I wanna go to the local comic book store and read up on some DC Vertigo lines. Any suggestions on where to start. Also to those who use the deck, do you also collect or follow the Vertigo line? To those who do not know the Vertigo Tarot, hear is a link I found that shows all the cards. They are amazing. http://www.elsewhere.org/tarot/vertigo/

isthmus nekoi	30 Sep 2003
The one about the Enigma. Is it called the Enigma....?.... It plays w/conventions of narrative and genre (superhero) and the artwork is very gestural and superb, reminiscent of Egon Schiele... Enigma is connected to the Chariot. Before Vertigo, I'd only read Sandman related stuff, but yes, this deck made me interested in Vertigo comics....

truthsayer	30 Sep 2003
voodoo shaman, vertigo has some graphic novels on sandman. there's around 10 of them. i found a few of the vertigo characters in those.

The Vertigo Tarot? thread was originally posted on 07 Sep 2003 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.