Should I return this deck?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 24 Jan 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Dreamcat	24 Jan 2005
Maybe this is a silly question but I bought my first deck of cards today, Robin Wood, and the fool card has a thin dent near one top corner. It can be seen on both sides and I will know which card it is even if it's face down. Does this even matter when reading the cards? Please help. Thanks! Dreamcat

Majecot	24 Jan 2005
If it is a new deck straight from the shrink wrap, I would take it back. It is annoying when a card has a crease in it. The crease will only get worse as you use the deck and eventually the corner could fall off...

Dreamcat	24 Jan 2005
I wanted these cards so much. It was the last pack of Robin Wood and apparently they rarely get new cards. I will have to get a different pack or order some. Yes, they were brand new and wrapped, got them from Books A Million. I don't guess they'll give me a hard time. BTW I wasn't even thinking about the fact the corner might eventually come off, I was just wondering if it mattered that I would know what card it was without even seeing the front.

Fulgour	24 Jan 2005
This could turn out to be a very interesting adventure for you. When you take it back to exchange, pay attention to whatever happens ~ synchronicity can sometimes work in slow motion...

Dreamcat	24 Jan 2005
I was told that the right deck would speak to you and you'd just know. *smile* Well, I've seen quite a few decks that I really liked and I was going to buy the Rider-Waite deck because I've heard it was a good deck for beginners. I've had a hard time making up my mind. Anyway, I saw an auction last night for the Grimaud Marseilles, which I knew nothing about. They seemed to be in great condition and I really liked them as soon as I saw the photo. The copyright date had meaning for me too. Then I checked the seller's other items for sale and she had lots of auctions for guitar sheet music listed. I had a dream a while back that had to do with guitars. lol That dream ended up being a prediction about something else that happened this month. I had been discussing that dream with someone recently and thinking about it a lot. Well, I missed the end of the auction. So today I got impatient and went back to the bookstore and almost bought the Hanson Roberts deck, which seemed sort of small, but then I found a Robin Wood deck between some books and got that. I had thought about getting the Robin Wood deck before because it's a beautiful deck. Then, the cashier told me the Robin Wood was her first deck and still her favorite. Sorry for the long story. I seem to be having a lot of bad luck lately, maybe I shouldn't buy a deck right now?

HudsonGray	24 Jan 2005
I'd just keep it, if they have that much trouble getting decks in. The Robin Wood is a very sturdy deck, so the cards resist bending and the corner will not fall off. I've had mine since the first year they came out and though the edges are getting a little frayed (and the box almost has the bendy cover broken off) they're in very good shape. It doesn't matter if you'll know it's the Fool card, you're not doing magic tricks (lol), you'll be laying them face up anyway.

sirona86	24 Jan 2005
dreamcat, congrats on your first deck. i think it really all depends on whether the defect bothers you much. do u mind constantly knowing the position of the fool in your deck while reading? personally this would bother me, and i would take the deck back. who knows, maybe the day you take it back, they might have replenished their stock of decks?? it'll be interesting to find out what deck you end up with if u do take it back. another robin wood or a hanson roberts or..?

Kit	24 Jan 2005
I agree with sirona- I would only return it myself if the dent really bothered me. If it doesn't bother you when reading, go with it. Frayed edges add character...but if it bothers you stick up for your consumer rights and demand a refund. (...Are they still called consumer rights if you don't consume the merchandise? I've never eaten a deck, though my cat tried to once...) Best of Luck, Kit

SongDeva	24 Jan 2005
Dreamcat, you could also just contact Llewellyn Publications and ask them to send you a replacement card. This way you can keep your deck and play with it until the new fool comes. I think people here have had quite a bit of luck with this publisher and getting replacements.

Fulgour	24 Jan 2005
Dreamcat wrote: ...then I found a Robin Wood deck between some books and got that. When my search led me to the Robin Wood it took a special order, and ten day wait, to get it home. And I almost cried. The deck curled like a twist of candy, and every card stood up off the table top... I didn't want to try bending them so they stayed in the carton, seemingly a for-study-only deck. I got to know the cards pretty well, and even found a book using comparisons of the Colman Smith and the Robin Wood, The Heart of the Tarot by Sandra A.Thompson, Harpers SF. Then one day, without ever expecting it to happen, I took them out and they were all as flat as a Nebraska cornfield, like getting a brand new deck, in the form of an old friend. Keep your eyes open for the Grimaud, it's a definite beauty, and good luck with your adventures, now and to come :)

tarotbear	24 Jan 2005
It its only dented or bent, I wouldn't worry too much about it, but if it is cracked it will always be a weak point and most certainly will break off with use. I order I would: 1)bring it back and see if I can get it replaced - and also check out the replcement deck before I left the store! 2)see if I can get a replacement card from llewellyn 3) write to Robin Wood and see if she will sign the card for you!

Michelle	24 Jan 2005
I would have to return it - or replace the card (as Tarotbear suggested). I would constantly see the crease and it would drive me nuts. Then again, I often wonder if I have undiagnosed OCD. LOL! Good luck in whatever you decide ~

Michelle	24 Jan 2005
p.s. This thread reminded me of my 7 year old twins and their Old Maid cards - they bent the Old Maid in half so that it would be creased and they would know who has it and make sure not to draw it. Kids ?!?!

TemperanceAngel	24 Jan 2005
My first deck had a corner missing from The Magician (RWS), I kept it and often don't notice it or forget which card it is that has the corner missing.....

Lurea	24 Jan 2005
I had a dearly-loved deck that my then-four-year-old decided to play with and bent Strength right in half! Eeek! Well, I straightened it as best as I could, and started shuffling without looking at the deck--I didn't want to see that Strength card flashing past! :D And now it doesn't bother me at all... However, if I had removed it from the case with that flaw, I probably would have returned it. It's really up to how *you* feel about the deck...

MercyMe	28 Jan 2005
I didn't know exactly which deck I was going to buy last Monday evening, I just knew I was going to buy a new deck. I went to the store and decided that whichever deck "spoke" to me, I would buy. I was torn between Robin Wood and Tarot Art Nouveau. I almost bought both! :D I finally felt pulled toward the Mucha-like graphics of the Nouveau deck and bought it and a book I had been perusing. I went over to the bookstore's cafe because a guy who read runes asked me to read tarot for him for a cup of java. ;) I opened the deck and immediately knew I could not read with this deck. While the images are gorgeous, they simply weren't symbolic enough for me. I love the iconography and symbolism of so many of the decks, how the pictures tell a story that speaks to me, but this deck, as beautiful as it was simply wasn't talking to me. So I took it back to the cashier and said, "I am so sorry but I simply cannot read with these cards and I had no idea because until I unwrapped them I could not see what they looked like." He had no problem exchanging them for me with the Wood deck. I gave the man in the cafe a reading and we talked tarot and runes and so forth for about an hour. He was impressed with my reading and said it was very accurate and gave him tons to think about. :) I had no problem reading the Wood deck at all. So when I got home I started reading the book I purchased and, though I hadn't realized it at first when I picked it off the shelf, in all the book's examples and descriptions it uses both the Rider-Waite (my first deck is the Universal Waite) and...Robin Wood. Coincidence? Pish posh! LOL So return the cards if it bothers you for ANY reason. Robin Wood can be ordered online and I've seen them on eBay, too. The major book chain Border's has tarot cards, so probably Barnes & Noble, Waldenbooks and the like do, too. ~Mercy

karafarrahbobera	01 Feb 2005
SongDeva wrote: Dreamcat, you could also just contact Llewellyn Publications and ask them to send you a replacement card. This way you can keep your deck and play with it until the new fool comes. I think people here have had quite a bit of luck with this publisher and getting replacements. this sounds like the best solution, Dreamcat. this way you have your cards, and you can get used to them while you're waiting for your new fool. I'D have to do this, too--that bend would drive me up the wall. ;) hope and light, karafarrah

Emily	01 Feb 2005
Hi Dreamcat, If you think its going to bother you, it probably will. The deck is faulty so they should change it or as others have said send to llewellyn for a replacement card. When I first had my Radiant Rider Waite I noticed that the Fool card back had a splash of blue in the white border, I noticed it the first time I shuffled and everytime that card went by I knew which one it was - it was so little too lol but I noticed it everytime - in the end I got a little Tipex (liquid paper) and one tiny dot covered it and matched in completely and I was happy. :) If I had a deck that was creased I'd have to take it back or replace the card.

prudence	02 Feb 2005
I never look at my cards as I draw them, I try my best to distract my conscious mind while I pick them so as not to overthink and do that whole "is this really the right card?" second guessing thing that is so easy to get trapped in. My poor Thoth deck (the only one I am using right now) is so battered and so many cards edges are chewed by now that I can't possibly remember which one is which, and throw in the whole "distracting my conscious mind" bit and everything works out just fine. Regards, Astrid O Oh, BTW forgot to mention, I actually close my eyes while choosing cards, I don't pull straight from the top, or deal from the top. I use my receptive hand (the one I don't write with) and just pull them out randomly one after another, knowing that it is guided by my subconscious mind and to trust her completely.

Unicorncrazy	02 Feb 2005
I would defintely take it back. I know it would sound a bit fussy to you but your right , You would know what card it is. Hope you make the right desicion for yourself.

Little Baron	02 Feb 2005
MercyMe wrote: So return the cards if it bothers you for ANY reason. I agree. Recently, I did the same thing as you did with the Art Nouveau. I was buying a book and on a whim, bought the 'Gilded Tarot'. It looked interesting but once I unravelled it on the train, I instantly knew it was not for me. The staff in the shop were great and swapped it over for something else. My RWS has a yellow stain on the back of one of the cards. Looks like a burn. I was a bit bothered about this until I noticed that a couple of other cards had similar stains - now I am happy since it looks more authentic ;) LB

The Should I return this deck? thread was originally posted on 24 Jan 2005 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.