Victoria Regina

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 02 Oct 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Mesara	02 Oct 2004
Ive recently fallen in love with my victoria regina deck. I had gotten it as a gift almost a year ago but I brushed it off as being too "contemporary" and never spent any time with it. Im not sure what exactly compelled me to finally pick it up and look at it, but now I love it and I have began to use it regularly with much success. However, one of the few things that I dislike about this deck is the backside of the cards. So plain! Just a little "stamp" on the back of each one. I thought why would she put so much energy into this deck yet leave the back so unfinished? Did she just run out of time? Did she get bored with the project? I felt quite cheated. But then I began thinking that maybe she did it to emphasize something about the era, or the deck itself. I have no idea what this could be, but I would love to hear some suggesitons or ideas....

OakDragon	02 Oct 2004
I just bought the deck, too. I'm not sure what to say about the card backs. That's VR, alright, but I agree it is a rather simple design. It does make it look old-fashioned, though.

annik	02 Oct 2004
There is a few cards that I like in this deck like the seven of wands, the nine of cups. But strangely, the prince and king of swords leave me cold...

Mesara	02 Oct 2004
The Prince of wands bothers me, as does the prince of swords. I guess the simplicity of the backs does make it seem old-fashioned, but I would have preferred a more intricate, almost decadent backside; something the wealthy of the victorian age would have appreciated.

Ruby7	02 Oct 2004
I actually like the plain backs since the fronts are quite intricate, busy with many details. Ruby7

Mesara	02 Oct 2004
Good point Ruby7. Perhaps if the backs were as detailed as the fronts the deck would be a tad bit overwhelming to look at.

Ruby7	02 Oct 2004
Yes, I get overwhelmed very easily :). Have you looked at the Chariot card yet? It's one of my favourites. All the best Ruby7

Mesara	03 Oct 2004
Yes, the chariot is nice. I especially like that they made it a woman instead of a man, something you don't typically see on that card. My faves are the Devil, the Moon, the High Priestess, the 7 of cups, the Princess of Swords- oh I could go on and on!

lawguy51	07 Oct 2004
I really liked this deck when I first got it and I was able to give satisfying readings with it but I drifted away from it. I think one reason was the court cards. I just didn't care for them. And it's a large deck, difficult to handle. But I think it's beautiful deck over all. Some of my favourites are the 6 of Swords, the nine of Wands and the Moon. Lawguy51

Emily	07 Oct 2004
I think the artwork of the cards is beautiful but its a deck I've never got on with. I like the black and white effect and style but its the use of rifles instead of swords that for some reason really puts me off. It was the first large deck I bought and then found I couldn't shuffle properly. I have other large decks now, Thoth, Enchanted, but I've never gone back to the Victoria Regina.

Mesara	07 Oct 2004
Yes, I have much trouble shuffling the Victoria Regina myself. I don't think I will do "public" readings with this deck until I look a little less clumsy trying to mix those cards up! I always feel quite embarrassed shuffling them, and grateful to be doing it in the privacy of my room without being seen! Still, I love this deck too much to let the shuffling fiasco turn me off just yet. My Thoth doesn't give me near as much trouble. And I agree with lawguy- The courts are not all that thrilling. Except the princess of swords and Queen of swords. For some reason I really like those two.

Kath	07 Oct 2004
I love my Victoria Regina and connect to it quite well. I admit the size of the cards make them hard to shuffle, but reducing the size will make it harder to see all the detail that’s gone into each card. I like the plain backs too. There is so much detail on the cards, so it’s nice to have a plain back. As for the guns on the swords cards, they don’t bother me at all. I grew up with guns and feel comfortable around them, so I don’t find this aspect of the deck off-putting.

Morningstar	07 Oct 2004
I think the backs are plain so as to lessen confusion regarding the backs & fronts of the cards since it's all B&W and it's easy to mistake which end is up. Personally, the plainness is refreshing. It reminds me of old-fashioned notecards. I love my VRT deck. It's so easy to read with. :)

The Victoria Regina thread was originally posted on 02 Oct 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.