Favorite deck backs
Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 04 Feb 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.
| Strange2 |
04 Feb 2004 |
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A deck characterstic that I find can "make or break" a deck for me is the design of the back of the cards. After all, one spends a lot of time looking at the backs while shuffling, selecting, etc.
What are some of your favorite deck backs?
I'll start off with a deck I recently acquired because of the back design: the Epinal Tarot, published by Grimaud. This is a Marseilles style deck, based on designs first published in 1830. The backs are a vivid geometric interleave of intersecting circles, with bold black, blue and red lines. In the center is a yellow ellipse (vesica piscis), with a red disk/pentacle surrounded by a 12 green petals. In the 4 corners are flower buds. Attached is a scan of this back.
These backs make a mezmerizing pattern when spread in a fan, or while just contemplating one card.
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| Dark_angel |
04 Feb 2004 |
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My favourite deck back?
Hmmmm....
I'll go for the Greenwood and the Vertigo - the Greenwood's was the first thing I saw of it; the reason I picked it off the shelf. Then I saw the title and knew it had to be taken home with me!
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| Le_Corsair |
04 Feb 2004 |
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For me it's the backs of the Cagliostro: navy blue with bronze. In the center of the blue field is a bronze astrological wheel; the center of the wheel, the hub, is taken up by the publisher's trademark (Modiano.)
Bob :THERM
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| Majecot |
04 Feb 2004 |
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My favorite back is on my Rohrig... all that blue swirling universe and stars.
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| Bean Feasa |
04 Feb 2004 |
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I hardly ever think about the card backs, unless they really jump up and bite me (this happened with the Morgan-Greer, I found those white stars on a blue background very tawdry-looking. I gave it away for other reasons as well, but this was a contributory one). But I bought the Cat People deck yesterday (Tarot buying-fever continues unabated, I'm afraid :))and did stop to admire the symmetrical/reversible kitties on the back - lovely colours too.
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| inanna_tarot |
04 Feb 2004 |
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mine is the back of the Pagan tarot 2000 - the eye and the spider web of colours is definately my favourite.
A close second though is the star design on the back of the universal RW. Stars bring the idea of cosmos to me and it helps created the perfect frame of mind for tarot reading!
Sezo
x
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| Lightbringer |
04 Feb 2004 |
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My favourite deck back is the one of the Hanson Roberts deck.
I like the colours used as well as the intertwined knots and plants. I guess they're plants...:)
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| zorya |
04 Feb 2004 |
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i really appreciate when the back of the card is beautiful. after all, you see it 78 times!
i love the back of the tarot du roy nissanka, it's deep blue, with a gold diamond pattern (shiny gold, but not as shiny as hot pressed). in each diamond is a dot, and at the center a larger diamond with a sun. it's a very simple and elegant design.
the nigel jackson has a nice back too.
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| lunakasha |
04 Feb 2004 |
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Great topic!
I also love the back of the Greenwood, dark angel.....an indication of the overall magickal quality of that deck.
One of my favorites is the back of the Gilded Tarot....yeah, I know it's still not published (or at least not available to the masses!) but it is too beautiful and unique not to be mentioned here.
You can check it out at Ciro's website: http://www.ciromarchetti.com
I will add more, need to think about it some more!
:) Luna
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| Galiana |
04 Feb 2004 |
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My favorite back so far is the Diamond Tarot, which is my most recent purchase. I also like the Nigel Jackson back and the Thoth back.
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| Mystic Zyl |
04 Feb 2004 |
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Moon Garden, in fact I like the whole deck, as it is a mystical garden setting with unicorns, butterflies, dragonflies and fauna.
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| galadrial |
04 Feb 2004 |
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I like the back of the H.P. Lovecraft deck (2nd ed.) which has a sepia toned photo of H.P. himself with tentacles on either side of his face in an oval. Around the oval is printed "That is not dead which can eternal lie and with strange aeons even death may die" on what looks like stone with engravings of faces, thistles and swirls. Also the back of the Light and Shadow deck which has four hands holding a cup, disc, partial sword and partial wand, all done in a large, bold style. And the back of the Halloween deck- orange with the black cat done up and down like a playing card with little spiders, bats, skulls and fish around him.
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| Lee |
04 Feb 2004 |
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I like the backs of the Nigel Jackson. But I think my two favorites are the Quest and the Hadar Marseille.
-- Lee
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| Nevada |
04 Feb 2004 |
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My favorite backs, of the decks I own, are Goddess, Thoth and Old Path, in that order. You are right, these can make or break a deck. We look at them so often.
Nevada
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| lunakasha |
04 Feb 2004 |
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I also love the backs of the Thoth deck (so colorful, and love the pattern) and also the Gendron (looks like a beautiful, starry night sky).
:) Luna
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| mercenary30 |
04 Feb 2004 |
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I like Thoth and the Golden Dawn is similar.
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| Chronata |
05 Feb 2004 |
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this is a good question!
I really love the Hanson Roberts, with the intertwined double infinity knot...but then I like pretty much every thing about this deck, so that's hardly surprising!
One of the prettiest, and really, probably my favorite, is the Egyptian themed Tarot of Transition, with its beautiful scarab design!
And...oooh...I almost hate to admit it!
I do have a great affection for the blue plaid tarrochi backs of the RWS (sorry Le Corsair!)
Something about them just makes me think "tarot" rather than "playing card"
Maybe it's just the nostalgia factor... :D
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| ol_crazy_Legs |
05 Feb 2004 |
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The Feng Shui deck is the only deck i curently own right now. The back of the cards I supose have a Feng Shui symbol on them. When spread out it looks and feels so powerful to me. I love it :)
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| Strange2 |
05 Feb 2004 |
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Great responses, Aeclecticians!
Another of my favorite deck backs (and the fronts are awesome as well!), is the Margarete Petersen Tarot. A beatutiful swirling pattern, wth an undulating snake within the pattern. What is most interesting and effective is that there are different views of this pattern on different cards, so that they are not all the same, but at first glance they do look the same. Sometimes the pattern is reversed on the backs, so after shuffling the cards you can't tell which cards are truly reversed and which ones are upright.
Here's a scan of one of the backs, clearly showing the snake in the pattern.
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| Emily |
05 Feb 2004 |
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I like the back of the Morgan Greer - very simple - white stars on a washed out sky blue background. :)
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| galadrielsphial |
05 Feb 2004 |
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I have to say that for as much as the art on the front of a deck influences whether or not I like it, I don't pay the same amount of attention to the art on the back of a deck! :)
Because I read with both upright and reversed cards, I like card backs with a symmetrical design. That way I don't have any positive or negative assumptions about what the reading will be like as I shuffle before I turn over the cards.
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| lark |
05 Feb 2004 |
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Me too Emily, I like the Morgan Greer backs too.
The DNA on the back of Voyager is wonderful.
And although I don't like the picture on the back of Wild Spirit I do like the sides of the deck when it's all stacked together.
A very beautiful swirl of colors.
Wonderland
Whimsical
Holloween
Angel Blessing Cards
Fournier
Cloister
Are all some of my favorites.
Although I wouldn't "not" buy a deck because of the back it makes me smile when I open a new deck and the back is great.
Just an extra bonus.
I do not like when a copy of one of the cards is put on the back.
I like a fresh new design on the back that compliments the front, but is not the same as any card already in the deck.
Boy, I sound kind of picky. oh well, I guess I am.
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| Strange2 |
05 Feb 2004 |
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Yet another deck back that I enjoy is the Neuzeit (or New Age) Tarot, by Walter Wegmuller. This is a very trippy, hippy, funky, cosmic deck, with a very appropriate kaleidoscopic, geometric back. See attached.
Here's a link to some more card images from the deck:
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/neuzeit/
Wegmuller made a predecessor deck to this, called Tarocco Tzigano, which is equally cosmically (and chemically?) inspired.
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The Favorite deck backs thread was originally posted on 04 Feb 2004 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.
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