Card backs

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 01 Jul 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Maan	01 Jul 2002
How does your "dream' card back look like? This is a little irritation of mine. For example i really like my Robin Wood tarot deck but i really dislike the card backs and one way or the other i have to look at them to use the cards. My dream back would look like normal playing cards back....like the back of the old english tarot or the ravens wood eastern. Or just plain dark blue ore something How does your ideal back look? Love and light Maan

Starfish	01 Jul 2002
My ideal card back would be indigo with silver and gold stars :) I just ordered the Old English Tarot (can't wait to see it in person) and must say that one of the things that clinched the purchase was the backs. :TSTAR Starfish

Temperance413	01 Jul 2002
The Universal Waite has a midnight blue back with tiny twinkling stars on it, take a look, you may like it!

Violet Gargoyle	01 Jul 2002
Mine would be a close up of what could either be violet flower petals or violet colored scales......

Liliana	01 Jul 2002
black with silver sparkles through it would be mine, reversable but with a little shine :) Tho I must say Rohrig has the most gorgeous backs, even if they arent reversible :THP

Emily	01 Jul 2002
My ideal back is on the back of the Spiral tarot, not fussy or over-powering just a plain blue, with two lines of gold round the edge and an S shaped gold spiral design set in the middle of the card :)

Phoenix	01 Jul 2002
I love the backs on the Rohrig Tarot as well!! Mive would be black with lots of silver on it!

MystiqueMoonlight	01 Jul 2002
I'm not one for reversable backs. I like something a little artistic yet simple. The backs of the Visconti are nice they have a simple cypia coloured leaf and flower design in keeping with the deck. The back designs are kind of important to me as well I suppose.

truthsayer	01 Jul 2002
uuuuuhhhhhhh i really don't pay attention to card backs...am i missing something here? ;) i don't pay attention to whether or not a deck is reversible unless someone points it out to me. to my recollection, i can't remember a card back i disliked. i can remember lots of card fronts i didn't like. (but i don't talk about that b/c of the card curse placed on me when i don't like a deck...truth slinks away) LOL :D

Kitty	01 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Temperance413 The Universal Waite has a midnight blue back with tiny twinkling stars on it, take a look, you may like it! Yeah-Universal Waite card backs are my favourite too- love the colour and the stars!

Dark Inquisitor	02 Jul 2002
I agree- the Universal Waite is great. I was very impressed with the backs when I got it. The cards themselves are nice & flexy too- easier to shuffle if you have small hands. The Adrian Tarot was even better - nice black with a sort of curvy geometric line design. Card backs I would like to see: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Photo of Celtic spiral carvings in stone Photo blue sky w/ clouds- black border High contrast medieval tapestry design Photo of authentic ancient Crystal Skull on black (staring at one of those is supposed to do something to you) Victorian bats design Antique witchballs Intricate crop circles Alleged face on Mars w/ black border New England primitive gravestone artwork on black ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Card backs I would NOT like to see: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bad 70's earthtone stripes Jellybeans Cat hair Oreo cookies Windows Standard linoleum tile from the 1950's Mimi Bobeck wardrobe selection Gray tweed Thomas Kinkaid,"Painter" of Light scene Eye surgery Oprah !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tarotphelia

Ravenswing	02 Jul 2002
the back of the cards of the gill deck is great. it's a rendition of the tree of life that is a better contemplation piece than any i've seen. in fact, i've spent more time with the back than with many of the card faces. LVX steve

Major Tom	02 Jul 2002
Favorite card back design! Eek! I've been trying to come up with a design for the back of Major Tom's Tarot! I must say there's some good ideas here. :D I've attached a copy of my latest effort - any comments appreciated.

Ravenswing	02 Jul 2002
major tom-- good job! The colors cought my eyes well. On first sight i'm seeing the Sun, the Moon, the Wheel and a fiery Lovers. And the doubling up of the circle reminds me of a lemniscate. i like LVX steve

jema	02 Jul 2002
i have to agree with steve on the Gill, for me it is just not important if it is reversable or not - in fact i kind of preter if they are not. another fav is the Vision Quest card back. oh and the Fournier Marsielle has this pattern in brown that i like a lot. the ugliest - has to be the osho zen. i kind of like the aquarian backs thought i know a lot of people hate it.

Dark Inquisitor	03 Jul 2002
I like the Aquarian backs- they seem to wiggle when you shuffle them ! The pale blue plaid on some of the RW decks is really awful, it reminds me of someone's old bathrobe. (I have to add Knotty Pine to the list of card backs I would NOT want to see.) Tarotphelia

Starfish	03 Jul 2002
Tarotphelia - Have to tell you, I really enjoyed your list of tarot card backs you do NOT want to see. (I have knotty pine in the upstairs of my bugalow style house - it is so yucky! But we don't want to do anything with it yet because we're contemplating moving) :TJUDG Starfish

Dark Inquisitor	03 Jul 2002
You know Starfish, If you look at that knotty pine long enough, it will seem like a bunch of eyes staring at you....... Tarotphelia

Starfish	03 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Tarotphelia If you look at that knotty pine long enough, it will seem like a bunch of eyes staring at you....... OMGoddess, you are so right! I originally thought it resembled golden brown peacock feathers and now I know why! Eeewwww... Now I'm going to feel like I'm being watched ;) :TJUDG Starfish

kayne	04 Jul 2002
The perfect card back for me would be one that reflects the style of the deck really closely. Nothing worse than a deck with fantastic art work and then you turn it over and it seems the artiect has forgotten that there is another side to the cards... (Robin Wood is a good example of this...) For me it is not that important if the back is reversable or not because I don't reverse cards in my readings... This is the back of the card I designed for Kayne's Celtic Tarot... It is b+w because I always planned to colour copy the cards but just photocopy the backs... :P

jema	04 Jul 2002
kayne - the card-back looks really nice - but then i didn't expect anything but perfect from you - you are a true artist!

Pollux	04 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by jema i have to agree with steve on the Gill, for me it is just not important if it is reversable or not - in fact i kind of preter if they are not. another fav is the Vision Quest card back. i kind of like the aquarian backs thought i know a lot of people hate it. Gill and Vision Quest also for me. I was wondering: WHICH AQUARIAN BACK? The REd one with lemniscate or the Blue Psychedelic one? I think I hate them both, anyway... :P

The Card backs thread was originally posted on 01 Jul 2002 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.