Greenwood: New World Record Price

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 14 Sep 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

fyreflye	14 Sep 2004
http://makeashorterlink.com/?K1E823A49 That's about $1115 USD. BTW, the recent auction for the Servants of the Light set on eBay, which opened with a bid of $10 USD, ended with the final bid at $217 AND THE RESERVE PRICE HAD STILL NOT BEEN MET.

Flavio	14 Sep 2004
I've seen pictures of this deck cards, they're beautiful and some people surely get great insights with them, but paying that price (if someone ever do that...) is just something I can't understand.

TygrEyes	14 Sep 2004
That has to be somebody from the U.S. who didn't convert the currency. There's no freakin' way! LOL There's no way someone is that delusional, is there????

Tarot Galadriel	14 Sep 2004
I saw this too, it has been on there for quite a while now. i really don't think anyone would pay that ever ! That is just someone after a quick buck ! Greed at its highest You can finder cheaper ones out there. I looked and yearned for ages for this deck and now I have two, found within weeks of each other ! All things come to those that wait (as my mum used to tell me!) ;O)

WolfSpirit	14 Sep 2004
I own a Greenwood ! I am rich, I am rich ! :laugh:

lunakasha	14 Sep 2004
Unbelievable.....how greedy people can be!!! I recently saw on amazon someone was trying to sell one for over $600 and I was disgusted....this is just ridculous though!!! I certainly hope that no one is willing to pay this amount, because by doing so, it reinforces the greed factor for other sellers...even though what they are doing is perfectly fair and legal between two willing parties. But it still bothers me.... I have this deck....I was very fortunate to find it locally and paid the retail price for mine...I love the Greenwood, but I could not justify spending more than $100 for it (or most decks)....just my own personal choice of course!!! :) :) Luna

fyreflye	14 Sep 2004
Check out the other items in his eBay store. For instance, he's asking 44.95 GBP for a used British mass market paperback edition of Joe Haldeman's The Forever War.

fyreflye	14 Sep 2004
Those looking for the Amazon.com bargain price go here http://makeashorterlink.com/?M57C21A49 Better grab it while you can :D

WolfSpirit	14 Sep 2004
Ah yes I see, this one has the "Low price" symbol :joke:

lunakasha	14 Sep 2004
Quote: Originally posted by WolfSpirit Ah yes I see, this one has the "Low price" symbol :joke: Yes.....after crossing out the "$32.00" price and replacing it with "$498.00".....what the???? :eek: :) Luna

HudsonGray	14 Sep 2004
And here I got mine from a little tarot shop down in Florida who had one sitting on his shelves in back, heard about him online as carrying older decks. I paid $60. Hey! Maybe I can make a 20 fold profit on mine too! WolfSpirit--we're both rich (figuratively).

Centaur	14 Sep 2004
That price is totally insane!!! Why would anyone pay THAT much money?! Unless ofcourse, they are a millionaire and do not give a damn about the value of cash.

magpie9	14 Sep 2004
JEEEEZ LOUISE...................................! If I was as rich as I am sane, --wait a minute, according to these prices, I AM as rich as I am sane..........................................WOOOOOOOO HAAAAAAH !!!

blackroseivy	16 Sep 2004
I bet the artist is kicking him/herself!! (That is, unless they stocked up on copies!!) Stated from an artist's point of view...

Oni	21 Sep 2004
it is hard to belive someone would pay so much for a deck. on top of that i personally find the deck unattractive, if someone gave it to me for free i would not keep it cause i find it ugly. but that is just me. what made the deck get so sought after and expensive? i see people r like that about the romani deckset i brought it for 20 bucks at a store, they had like 4 copys and new little of the deck and did not recomd it to me. i should of listened cause i brought it opened it and i truly hate it! a deck i wanted for so long and it just plain sucks to me at least

rosyelf	22 Sep 2004
Well, I don't find the Greenwood unattractive-I really like the cards I've seen-but I would not pay some of the crazy prices that have been flying around recently. What I really don't understand is why this deck went out of print so quickly-it was only issued in 1996, and there is obviously a demand for it ! If anyone from U.S. Games, LLewelyn or anywhere else is reading this, how about re-publication ? You would make yourselves EXTREMELY POPULAR with a whole crowd of folk. love to all, rosyelf

darwinia	22 Sep 2004
Quote: Originally posted by rosyelf If anyone from U.S. Games, LLewelyn or anywhere else is reading this, how about re-publication ? You would make yourselves EXTREMELY POPULAR with a whole crowd of folk. Somewhere in a recent thread on the Hermetic, is a repy from US Games about re-printing that deck. In order to do a print run they have to print a minimum of 5,000 decks. Regarding the Hermetic, they didn't feel there was this much demand, and I imagine they would say the same about the Greenwood. Realistically, how many people are actually demanding these decks, maybe 200 or so? So let's also say by featuring it in catalogues and promotional material that they could sell maybe another 300 per year. In ten years they's still have 1500 decks. That's a lot of stock to carry around for years for a business. Demand is jacked up quite frequently by patterns in groups like this or on eBay. Lots of talk, lots of details and comparison of prices. That's how both the Hermetic and the Greenwood came to my attention. Is the demand fuelled by longing for something that isn't available, or is it fueled by an actual attraction to the deck? A bit of both if my experience of humans is accurate, and probably more emotional longing for something unattainable that other people have. How many times have you seen someone gushing about a deck, and longing for it and chomping at the bit to work with it, only to receive it and put it up for trade in a couple of weeks? Perhaps I'm too much of a realist, but I completely understand a publisher's reluctance to republish in large print runs. One other point I'd like to make, is that US Games and other publishers have sales figures readily available for all their decks, and it's more than just what people are saying presently, it's past performance in the marketplace too that they consider. Styles change, and people's interst in systems change too, but not that much. It's a canny publisher that can spot trends and offer new items. It's rare that an item like a tarot deck can do well when it comes around again. Everybody wants the latest and the greatest.

rosyelf	22 Sep 2004
Darwinia, you are probably right. 5000 is a hell of a lot of decks ! And publishers have to at least break even, I understand that. Also, I think there IS an element of "lust for the unobtainable" involved in this deck. Now, that is not MY motivation, of course !

xviiirkna	22 Sep 2004
Quote: Originally posted by darwinia Is the demand fuelled by longing for something that isn't available, or is it fueled by an actual attraction to the deck? A bit of both if my experience of humans is accurate, and probably more emotional longing for something unattainable that other people have. How many times have you seen someone gushing about a deck, and longing for it and chomping at the bit to work with it, only to receive it and put it up for trade in a couple of weeks? I totally agree with your comments here Darwinia, folks are invariably more wistful about decks that they can't have. As far as 'mass produced' decks go, it's interesting to watch what effect the new addition has on the value of the first edition. One doesn't see so many inflated auction prices on decks like 'the Jungian', 'Ancient Egyptian' or 'Shining Woman' now that they have readily available editions to fall back on. I'm fairly certain if the 'Alchemical', 'Greenwood' and 'Servants of Light' decks were reprinted, people would not nearly be as eager to plunk down a big roll of cash to obtain an original copy. First edition 'Vertigo Tarot' is a set that seems to have held onto an elusive appeal, but there you have a crossover market with the comic book fans and plus the 2nd edition is rather inferior in it's production quality. In the case of independent productions, one example is Julie Cuccia Watt's 'Blue Moon Tarot'. Prior to the recent reprinting, this deck was high on many people's wish list and went for outrageous prices the rare times it was ever put up on eBay. Julie received a steady stream of inquiries asking if she would ever reprint the deck...but now that it is available again, has it lost some of that once wishful 9 of Cups appeal? I will also be interested to see what a possible US Games production of Arnell Ando's 'Transformational Tarot' does to the perceived value of her independently produced and long OOP first edition decks. Quite some time ago a couple of Transformational decks showed up on eBay and went for between $200-300. About a month later, Arnell listed an extra copy that she wrangled away from her husband's small stash - and NOBODY even bid on it! She even had a very reasonable reserve, especially when you compare it to the prices other sellers have gotten for it. Not to mention that it is after all Arnell's own deck - and she would have personally inscribed the book for the buyer if they wanted her to. eBay makes me scratch my head in wonder sometimes. Ah well, I've trailed off chatting about the Greenwood deck. I got my copy in a trade for making a couple of tarot bags and although it's a nice deck, I'm simply amazed that someone would pay hundreds of dollars for it. Which makes it's value subject to the eye of the beholder and yet another reason why predicting the fluctuations of the secondary Tarot deck market is something that would befuddle even the sharks on Wall Street. It is entertaining sport though. ;) Blessings, Sally Anne

blackroseivy	22 Sep 2004
Just to add here - another one of these wonderful OOP decks, but one I think with a great deal of artistic merit: the Amber. Has anyone seen this one recently, & how much did it go for? BTW, speaking of the Alchemical - I've just been informed by Amazon.co.uk that it will be yet *another* *month* at least!! :mad:

lunakasha	22 Sep 2004
Quote: Originally posted by danubhe Just to add here - another one of these wonderful OOP decks, but one I think with a great deal of artistic merit: the Amber. Has anyone seen this one recently, & how much did it go for? BTW, speaking of the Alchemical - I've just been informed by Amazon.co.uk that it will be yet *another* *month* at least!! :mad: I LOVE the Amber Tarot (Tarot d'Ambre)....the artwork is just so beautiful....they have a very romantic, fairy-tale quality that appeals to me. I would love to get one someday, but as far as I know they are VERY expensive, if one is lucky enough to find one in the first place. Not sure how much they usually go for on ebay...I am guessing around $200-300 but who knows??? :) Luna EDITED TO ADD: Here is a link with pictures: Amber Tarot

blackroseivy	22 Sep 2004
I love the *colors* in this deck!! Except for the fact that I am intimidated by its Sci-Fi origins, not being at *all* familiar with the story behind it, I would have added this to my "Yeah, Right!" list within my wish-list. That's where it's gonna go, I think - right next to the fine-art limited-edition portfolios! As an artist, *that's* what appeals to me mightily, speaking of the prohibitively expensive: the fine-art gets to me!! I love the illustrations of this deck, though. As for the Greenwood: I kinda like it, but GEEZ not THAT much!!!! BTW, a note on the Amber again: I think I saw it go for something like 160.00 not long ago, or 180.00: not *that* prohibitively expensive, at least if you have money (unlike moi)!! :(

HudsonGray	22 Sep 2004
What's needed, I think, is a SMALL publisher who can do print runs of 1,000 decks or so & still make money on it. Everyone thinks it's only the big boys, but with the role playing gaming market that group is getting quality cards & board games printed, usually on small scale, it'd be nice to have one of them do a tarot deck or two if they can get permission from the artists for a go-ahead. The quality would be the same as the standard published decks & the only difference would be a print run of 1/5 or 1/4 what the bigger guys would need to make their cut.

The Greenwood: New World Record Price thread was originally posted on 14 Sep 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.