How old?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 04 May 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Osher	04 May 2004
How old is your oldest deck? Basically, what I want to work out is for how long can a deck last before it wears out. I know, I know, all different, but just curious.

dadsnook2000	04 May 2004
My Waite-Smitch deck with pale blue plaid backs was purcased in 1972 or 73 I believe. Its been used over that entire period, perhaps averaging a reading a month. Its still in fine shape. And still in use. Dave.

Woof	04 May 2004
My Aquarian is about 25 years old. Hasn't seen much use in the past 10 years, though. Woof

hedgecub	04 May 2004
None of my decks are more than a few years old, since I haven't been into Tarot for that long. My Robin Wood is a year and a half old, and has seen some pretty heavy use (I riffle shuffle :p ), and it's still in great condition.

jmd	04 May 2004
It does depend on so much... including how one uses it! My oldest deck (which is in use) is one I obtained I just do not remember when (possibly in the 70s, though published in the 1960s). I tend to not use it for readings, however, but only for study and for courses or demonstrations/talks. The deck I usually have with me is one I have had for over ten years, and sees nearly daily usage. I have had to re-glue a small split in a card's corner, and have also had to 'wash' the deck a number of times with a few drops of lavender oil (which I prefer) or eucalyptus oil on tissue paper to remove some stickiness from accumulated grime from tables or others' and my hands (I tend to be pretty meticulous when handling cards - but grime does slowly accumulate). A big difference between post-1980 produced decks and earlier ones seem to be the thickness of card stock (their 'USM' I think it is referred as, though as I'm unsure, will need to be corrected). As glue-technology has improved, card-stock of similar gsm (weight) tends to now be thinner. I would now find it somewhat difficult to return to a thick cardboard type for regular usage for readings. I suspect the main deck I daily use has another 15-20 years of regular usage if I continue to handle it carefully. Part of the difficulty is replacing a regular reading deck for a new one, which seems so 'cold' in comparison...

MeeWah	04 May 2004
My oldest deck is the RWS, published by Sam Weiser & at least 36 years old. Very well-used, the cards have acquired a soft texture & its edges are blown but the cardstock is still sturdy. I expect it to last for the rest of my life. This deck has been reserved for personal use only for a long time now.

The How old? thread was originally posted on 04 May 2004 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.