Share your story about accidental damage to decks

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 01 Jul 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Rusty Neon	01 Jul 2004
What accidental damage has there ever been inflicted on your tarot decks? Mine is probably tame in comparison. Once I put down my cards in a small, barely-noticeable pool of water left from a vase of flowers and slightly soaked a pip card from the Connolly deck so that it was slighly warped in a way that one could detect the card from other cards in the pile. In the end, a few days later, things worked out. A kind clerk at a store in Montreal where I didn't even buy the deck let me take that card from their sample Connolly deck.

Alissa	01 Jul 2004
Last summer I had a reading laid out in my craft room, which leads to the laundry room. I left it out out to ponder it, but closed the door and forgot about it for a while, only to open it later and step directly onto one of the cards... the Five of Pentacles. It bent the card up, my heel landed sqaure in the middle. I pressed it under piles of heavy books to flatten it again, but it remains slightly warped in comparison to the rest of the cards. So now, whenever I draw it as a daily, I sigh and am always tempted to wonder... is this because I stepped on it?

Emily	01 Jul 2004
I used to keep some of my decks in wooden boxes - some time last year I decided to have a look at the decks that I hadn't used for a time. I took my one deck from a wooden box, the Diamond tarot, and found that some of the stain from the box had soaked through the deck box and onto the white spare card. I was lucky that the other cards hadn't been stained this ugly yellow colour. I took all of my other decks from the wooden boxes and now don't use wood at all.

Moonbow*	01 Jul 2004
I had to go into hospital for a day and while I was 'out' my husband went to a local shop and bought me the Alchemical. A few days later I had all the cards spread out on a table looking at them and knocked my coffee over. aghhhhhhh!!! The first thing I did was scream and dance around like a silly thing, before running out the kitchen for some paper towell. We hurriedly wiped every individual card until it was dry, then I had to clean them all again with clean water because of the coffee smears. My deck is fine though, because of the surface of the cards. Phew! Now, coffee goes no where near my decks.

laura_borealis	01 Jul 2004
On someone's advice, I buried my first Thoth in the garden to "clean" it. I had it sealed in a ziplock bag, then wrapped in lots of cloth to pad it. But during the three days it was in the earth, it picked up a pretty major warp. It was the whole deck, not just some cards, so it was tolerable at least. The same deck suffered from the hands of an overenthusiastic roommate of mine -- she was anointing her decks with some smelly oil, and decided to do mine too without asking me first. They weren't too stained, but it definitely made them a bit sticky for awhile, and I really didn't like the scent of the oil she used. Plus I wasn't too happy that she did it without asking. That deck was finally lost when I left it at a friend's house, who then became not my friend, and later went to jail -- he's out now and we're speaking, but I never asked him what happened to it. I figure it's just gone. I lost a book of his, so we're even-steven.

MeeWah	01 Jul 2004
I do not know if this qualifies but this is sort of a moral tale. I was clearing my kitchen table of Tarot stuff. I was in a hurry as the table was needed so for convenience, rubberbanded my Mystic Tarot deck (though a wee voice advised against it). Some time later when I retrieved the deck from another room, I was horrified to find that the rubberband had melted onto the top & bottom cards! I think the humidity & heat of Summer caused the rubberband to deteriorate quicker as I have known rubberbands to dry up & fall apart rather than melting. In trying to remove the pieces of rubber, The Moon card was further damaged; less damage to the card on the bottom of the stack whose back suffered some marring. The residue left caused the cards to stick during shuffling & affected the general use of the cards. Moral(s) of the story: Always listen to the wee voice! Never use rubberbands on any cards!

inanna_tarot	01 Jul 2004
Well heres a HUGE near miss for me. I kept all my decks in this big cloth bag ive had for a few years, all piled neatly and on the bottom shelf of my bookcase. Then, we had a puppy who wasnt fully toilet trained and out of all the rooms and all the places in the house decided to go to the loo on the corner of my bookcase right near my tarot decks! First reaction was OMG BAD PUPPY! VERY BAD PUPPY i had recently got the secret tarots, the tarot of the spirit and my beloved Fantastical all in this bag along with my first deck and i was just mortified that my puppy had peed on them! Luckily the cloth bag soaked most of it up and the decks werent damaged. Now my cards stay in a drawer with nice smelling incense sticks and herbs and stuff. Emily - my mum had her favourite deck, the Celtic tarot in a wooden box and it was ruined due to the wood stain. She still uses boxes with lots of silk wraps but, i prefer my nice wooden door method - its like a MASSIVE box :P Laura - you BURIED YOU THOTH! I dont think a Thoth deck would want to be buried! Around expensive silks and pretty ladies :P yeah but not the dirty grubby earth! What WERE you thinking girl! Sprinkle salt in the name of Elemental Earth next time? Hmm my dog (the puppy) is looking at me funny now.. i think he knows i'm embaressing him lol. Sezo x

laura_borealis	01 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by inanna_tarot Laura - you BURIED YOU THOTH! I dont think a Thoth deck would want to be buried! Around expensive silks and pretty ladies :P yeah but not the dirty grubby earth! What WERE you thinking girl! Sprinkle salt in the name of Elemental Earth next time? *heh* Well, I thought cleansing by fire might be a bit too radical. :) And hey, nothing wrong with dirt and earth! Have you looked at my sig? :) The problem with wood boxes is weird. I've had my Robin Wood in a wooden box for over a decade, and the stain has never been a problem. It's not a heavily stained box, but it is stained.

WolfSpirit	01 Jul 2004
I once knocked over a cup of tea on my Halloween tarot. I cursed myself for my tea addiction, dried all the cards with a cloth but there seemed to be tiny bubbles on the cards. However, when they were completely dried the bubbles had all disappeared and the deck looked normal again. Well it was better than spilling a cup of coffee on the keyboard of my pc ;)

LadyMedusa	01 Jul 2004
Tarot eating Bassett Hound...VERY BAD DOG!!! I left my Legend Arthurian deck on the kitchen table while I went to pick up my son from school. I wasn't gone more than 15 minutes. The dog who up untill then had never shown the slightest interest in my cards, violently attacked my beautiful deck. I decided to look at some different decks online before replacing the ventilated deck, and in the process stumbled across this wonderful site. Maybe she's not all that bad... LadyMedusa

Sillanza	01 Jul 2004
Man! Some of these stories caused me physical pain! This is making me think of putting a lock on the cabinet where my decks are kept, and I'm seriously rethinking getting another dog! I'm wondering if the boxes who ended up sharing their stain with the decks within were well sealed before use? A little spray Verathane could remedy that problem.

Emily	02 Jul 2004
Hi Sillanza, The box that stained my Diamond didn't look like it was wood stained on the inside. It was a normal tarot box, quite expensive with brass decorations on the outside of it. I don't like the boxes now I'd rather keep my decks in bags or just on show in my book shelf.

laura_borealis	02 Jul 2004
Your experience has made me feel more cautious about wood boxes for tarot decks. I have two right now -- the one my Robin Wood is in, and an unstained one. I was planning to stain it, but now I think I won't -- or I'll just lightly stain the outside. And I'll probably avoid stained wood boxes in the future.

Kahlie	02 Jul 2004
Both my Decks are fine but their boxes didn't survive! My Thoth deck box was on the floor where I do my Readings. When I was typing up my Reading on my pc, I moved my chair and crushed the box :( My Art Nouveau tarot deck box was in my bed, while the cards where on the floor. I did my Reading, and sat down on the bed to think about it and ... right on the box....

SongDeva	02 Jul 2004
Great thread, Rusty! I've actually already written my worst experience, so I'll post a link: http://67.19.40.82/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26412&highlight=buddha+fudge

TheLovers2	03 Jul 2004
I very recently purchased the Golden Tarot and it was love at first sight. I went through the cards and was almost brought to tears I was so moved. I don't know if there were other factors involved in my emotional reaction, but, probably. However, the cards really are beautiful. Well, I read an article by Dan Pelletier on Aeclectic and he talked about how he had given his cards a fragrance that helped to put the Querent at ease and it sounded so nice to me. I tried burning a stick of incense close to the cards, but, the fragrance didn't catch. I tried a few things and then I tried spraying the inside of the box that the deck comes housed in with a lavender scent that I like. I put some on my hands and handled the cards to transfer the scent; then, I put them in the box. The next day I took the cards out and some were sticking together and I began to panic. "Oh no, why is this happening," I said. Sure enough there was some damage to the borders of my 7 of Swords and the Hanged Man. The coloring had rubbed off a bit. I felt like crying. Why couldn't this have happened to a deck that I was less fond of, etc. I knew the Golden was going to be extra special to me, so why this one. I have a lot of decks and I have never damaged even one card. Tsk. Alas, I've been trying to get over it being thankful that there was no damage done to the actual picture. Now, I'm trying to give my decks some scent by spraying the fabric that they're wrapped in.

Kyrielle	03 Jul 2004
Not exactly something I did, but TheLovers2 reminded me of it: I bought a Wheel of Change Tarot secondhand off Amazon. The cards were in fairly good condition, but the coating on most of the cards was rubbed off, they smelled like unpleasant incense (someone got that odor to stick), and they didn't seem to "like" me. They had a snooty attitude. I tried to work with them but they wouldn't cooperate. Finally I sold them to a local metaphysical store owner who promised to smudge them thoroughly before reselling them as a used deck. I put the proceeds toward a brand new deck of Wheel of Change cards, with whom I get along fabulously. Kyrielle

magpie9	03 Jul 2004
The mishap that most vividly comes to mind is the coffee stain on the "try to relax" card from the Morgans tarot! It happened years ago when I was usually going faster than the speed of light (3 kids, 2 part time jobs, going to school full time--I don't remember sleeping) and didn't even notice the drip til it set in the card. Luckily, it didn't warp it or anything, still shuffles fine. I've come to like the stain, so evocative of that time in my life. :) My sister's dog ate one of her decks and lived. She's areally nice person. If it had been one of mine, he'd probably have been made into slippers!! :D

smokey	04 Jul 2004
Not damaged;but Lost 4-ever...When my former lover of 8 some-odd yrs. passed on,his ex-wife had a lean on our (their) one time condo(giving me an approximate 4 wk. time frame to vacate me, my whopping menagerie,& 8 yrs. of all my possessions...including some 70(probably more like 75 or 80) BelovedTarot/Oracles...ALL gifts from him!!!(Bitch!!! She & her lover have gobs of $$,Soo..it's not like she hadta' have the place all of a sudden!)Nevertheless;I could only grab a few(Very Few!!!) faves, as clothes & food hadta' come 1st,pets hadta' be found new homes for,etc. as I had NO- where to go @ that time. Thank God I met my beloved Bill 5 yrs. later,who has replaced Soo many of my Cherished cards!(And a big THANX & HUG 2-U,also;Lark, for your most kind gift of my Gen- dron!)That reminds me...Still gotta get "Legend:Authurion"...Darn! how Dare I almost 4-get That one!?! ARG!!! lol !!!

lionette	04 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by laura_borealis On someone's advice, I buried my first Thoth in the garden to "clean" it. ... The same deck suffered from the hands of an overenthusiastic roommate of mine ... That deck was finally lost Seems like your first one was nearly tortured to death. I'm curious, laura, did you eventually get a replacement Thoth?

laura_borealis	04 Jul 2004
I did finally buy another Thoth this spring -- after not having one for about 10 years. :) My new one is a lot nicer, too. The old one's colors were very muted, whereas the new one is nice and vibrant.

DarkElectric	04 Jul 2004
My first Lo Scarabeo Secret Tarot had an unfortunate run in with a very bad dog. "NO Luke. NO CHEW." He completely destroyed the 5 of wands, the Knight of wands and the Empress before I caught him. (He didn't live here very long, he was destructo dog. It wasn't just the deck he chewed up, he mangled my house.) Then there was my first Spiral deck. It was in my handbag, wrapped safely ( or so I thought) in it's silk tarot scarf. It was midsummer, and hot as blazes. I was on my way to the beach. That takes a while to reach from where I live, and my handbag was on the seat, in the sun, for like 2 hours. That would have been fine if the cap hadn't fallen off my lipstick, unnoticed in my bag. When I got to the beach I was rummaging around in my bag for something, and discovered that everything was coated with greasy scarlet goo. The lipstick had completely melted. It had soaked through the tarot scarf, and about 1/3 of the deck was stained. I tried to wipe it off, but it was no use. That certainly removed the element of surprise from my readings~ it was real easy to tell which cards were which.

Little Baron	04 Jul 2004
Havn't been unlucky, like you lot have; well, not yet, anyway. Was examining my Rohrig though the other day and noticed marks and scratches and 'bits' that had somehow stuck themselves to it. May have to polish them or something as didn't want to scratch the actual surface of the card. Thinking about it now, I may just leave them. I quite like the fact that they have aged with me. If they ever get damaged so bad that they are unuseable, then I can just replace them. However, I quite like the idea of them being just a bit grubby - to look like they have lived and been about a bit, rather than a shiny coated new slippery deck. Does that make sense? I think there is something quite appealing about a deck with a history. Yaboot

TheLovers2	04 Jul 2004
Totally, Yaboot001: It makes a lot of sense and I hope to get there one day. It's rather like a favorite, but, well-worn pair of slippers or sweater. I can see it. Hmmm. Kind of like a tried and true old friend. But, for now, all of my decks are in great condition.

Moonbow*	04 Jul 2004
I feel like I'm in the twilight zone! :eek: I was reading Yaboot's post and afterwards thought " yeah just like slippers and shoes - I like them when they get those little toe imprints inside" Then I read Lovers2's post... slippers again! I so relate to this. It's like a book that is pristine compare to one with tatty cover and well thumbed pages - no contest..

Little Baron	04 Jul 2004
I know that we have a lot of discussions about what the cards hold - just thinking about the thread on 'what makes tarot magic', where some say that the magic is within and not in the actual cards; and another thread which was about them 'just being peices of card and ink'. I am reminding myself of this because what I am about to say may sound quite silly! There is something about reading for someone that has never been read for before. A lot of people have different ideas of what the cards will be like if they have no prior experience. I think a lot of people expect them to have magic entwined in them and even though I never suggest to a querant that they do, it does make the reading more exciting and 'mysterious a journey' if the cards live up to that expectation. I do know that it shouldnt make any difference, but reading on an evening with a tattered deck that looks like it has been through a couple of scrapes in its time, that is worn through years of use or was handed down by a long dead distant grandmother kind of makes it all the more of a unique experience for that first time or one off querant, rather than one anybody could have picked up in WHSmiths with a 'teach you how to do it' book. There is just something absurdly romantic about it. (I know you are all going to linch me for this!) lol Yaboot *also, just to add - had a thought the other night - we all have so much knowledge about the cards, but I was wondering what your average person on the street knows. Would love to see a survey or something on that - how many cards can the non-tarot experienced person list?. I am sure that most people would always say 'the death card - that's bad, isnt it? But how many more? I would really be interested to know.

Little Baron	04 Jul 2004
Just thinking, 'The Lovers' is another recognisable one. Maybe I should start a poll. Just really interested to see which other cards may have filtered through from tv and other media. Yaboot

The Share your story about accidental damage to decks thread was originally posted on 01 Jul 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.