What do you do with your scuffed up cards?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 14 Jun 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

SphinYote	14 Jun 2005
Just curious what people do when their decks get scuffed up (dirty, worn, otherwise damaged, etc,) to the point that they no longer feel that they can read with the deck. I know for some people they think this adds a certain amount of personality to the deck and this makes it all the more special, but I've been reading numerous posts where readers say they go through a deck every two to three months. What do you do with them? Collage? Keep them in a special place? I collect and meditate on cards, don't really do readings except for occasional ones for myself, so don't really have any worn decks. I can't bear to do anything that would potentially damage them (although I think my Thoth is telling me to lighten up on that issue, as cards in that deck like to jump in the dirt (the one sticky or wet place from food in the entire room, or on the pen I use for a journal in such a way that it got ink on it--difficult for a pen that I usually have to scribble with for a few seconds before it will write). Anyway, just curious. I would hope no one throws them away, no matter how dirty or worn (If you DARE even think about that, I would be happy to make better use of them...:D). I think they'd be great on the cover of a blankbook or as part of an altered book, in those cases the more worn the better.... SphinYote

MeeWah	14 Jun 2005
I see no problem in reading with well-worn decks. Some decks bear the marks of "adventures" from spills & use, but are not sticky or otherwise unpleasant to handle. & certainly do not affect their readibility. They are like old friends: we are comfortable with each other & have no need to impress anyone, least of all ourselves :) Edited to add: SphinYote~ Oops, just realized this may not address your question. Sorry.

Umbrae	14 Jun 2005
Go through a deck every few months? ROFLMAO Serious here...I used one deck from the autumn of 1972 until 2001. It looked worn, and the card stock was more like paper than card...but it still worked, and sitters liked it just fine. Go through a deck every few months? ROFLMAO Save the old decks. So you can take them out and pet them once in a while...

SphinYote	14 Jun 2005
Yeah, I tend to agree. When they get worn out they do have more personality. For someone really attached to them, that simply adds to their charm. And has a certain aesthetic appeal in general... The people talking about going through decks every couple of months are the ones that are apparently very popular paid readers, going to psychic fairs and the like--the decks they use get a lot of heavy use in a short amount of time... In those instances I can see where possibly a reader may not get as attached to a given deck, but it still has that aesthetic to it. I've been trying to figure out ways to mimic that effect in photoshop scans, for use on blankbooks and the like (and with more types of imagees than tarot cards and the like) but it just isn't the same...anyone have any photoshop tips? What I really like doing is switching the more simply rendered cards into BW mode and then back into RGB color, then using the difference cloud and crackleure (SP?) filter on them (set to the minimum effect). It makes it look like the image was carved out of stone. Then I can go to the variations filter and give it a color tint that I happen to like best at the time... I just wish I had a better printer... SphinYote

Emily	15 Jun 2005
I haven't got any decks that are getting old and battered yet - my Spiral is showing signs of wear but thats just about it. I think when I do reach that point with a deck, I'd use it until I felt that it was getting too damaged and then I'd put it away, maybe still do the occassional reading with it - but I wouldn't throw them away or use them for anything else - just keep them :)

closrapexa	15 Jun 2005
I have yet to put a deck out to pasture, but I imagine that there will come a time when a deck will be too used to use, and then I suppose it will go to retirement. But you never know, since a deck that shows usage will be the deck that I love the most.

Ace	16 Jun 2005
I have a box of Robin Wood decks. I sometimes give someone who is interested in learning how to read a copy. Now that I am going through WorldTree Decks, I guess the same thing will happen! I have never thought of collaging or crafting with a tarot deck, but it is an idea! Ace

The Dreamer	16 Jun 2005
I've got one worn deck- The Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg. I wasn't sure what was going on with it at first- around the edges where the paint had come off, little green globs were collecting. I keep my decks clean, so I couldn't figure why there would be something like that on there. Turns out that when the paint of that deck flakes off, a green colored adhesive layer under the paint starts sticking to the cards. I scraped it off card by card. (Also scraped a bit more of the paint off accidentally, which is how I discovered the adhesive layer. Strange way to make a deck.) I'll keep using it, probably, until there's almost no paint left on it.

breathlessmahoney	16 Jun 2005
I haven't got to that point yet, but a friend of mind just bought another copy of the same deck. She did readings @ a casino so they were tired. I will probably do the same thing if the deck becomes unusable. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't throw it away, though.

Babylon_Jasmine	16 Jun 2005
SphinYote wrote: Just curious what people do when their decks get scuffed up (dirty, worn, otherwise damaged, etc,) to the point that they no longer feel that they can read with the deck. I know for some people they think this adds a certain amount of personality to the deck and this makes it all the more special, but I've been reading numerous posts where readers say they go through a deck every two to three months. What do you do with them? Collage? Keep them in a special place? I collect and meditate on cards, don't really do readings except for occasional ones for myself, so don't really have any worn decks. I can't bear to do anything that would potentially damage them (although I think my Thoth is telling me to lighten up on that issue, as cards in that deck like to jump in the dirt (the one sticky or wet place from food in the entire room, or on the pen I use for a journal in such a way that it got ink on it--difficult for a pen that I usually have to scribble with for a few seconds before it will write). Anyway, just curious. I would hope no one throws them away, no matter how dirty or worn (If you DARE even think about that, I would be happy to make better use of them...:D). I think they'd be great on the cover of a blankbook or as part of an altered book, in those cases the more worn the better.... SphinYote I have been reading with the same deck for 15 years now, along with a few more I picked up along the way, and I am fairly hard on it, I still cannot see getting rid of it unless I actually lost cards. If I did that I have no idea what I would do with the deck, probably use it as decoration in some way.

zoso	17 Jun 2005
~bookmarks~

Alta	17 Jun 2005
Now there's a thought, though I generally don't have that many books on the go. At one point I used the extra cards as bookmarks. For me this a theoretical question because I have never used one deck to that extent. I think I would keep it, but likely stop using it.

Sulis	17 Jun 2005
I have a couple of sample cards from the Illuminated tarot that I use as bookmarks - very good bookmarks they are too. None of my tarot decks have become so worn that I can't use them. I like my decks to look worn so a little bit of tattiness doesn't bother me. I can't imagine what you have to do to a deck in order to have to replace it after only a few months :) Love Sulis xx

Cerulean	17 Jun 2005
that a dealer tossed in for free as the 78 cards were intact, but it was worn down to flaking of bits of the ends of the cards. I would say 98 percent of the Italian double-figure images are intact. The red has some fading, but has the crimsom undertones of a tough dye. I've played a style of solitaire, grown to like these blocky and calm images that have a small nod to the double-figured decks circa 1860s...but this deck is very Italian. I grabbed this out, as it is the closest thing I have to this catalogue that I just received on Bologna Tarocchino... It's nice to have an elderly deck which welcomes hands and use. Cerulean

Grizabella	17 Jun 2005
If I were to go to have a reading done, I'd far prefer a reading done with an old, well-worn deck to one that looked right out of the box. It would say to me that the reader had lots of experience and knew his/her cards well.

Ace	17 Jun 2005
Lyric: I know what you mean. I sometimes get that reaction when I am using a new copy. But I remember a local reader who has been around a LONG time who still after 20 yrs uses her first copy of the Thoth deck. Which would be fine except that I can't figure out how she can read with it. There is a blank spot on each card from scuffling and to be frank: they look ugly and tacky. They are beyond worn, they are dead and rotting. Another person was terrified to start a new deck but her Mini-Waite was literally falling to pieces (they were bent and splitting in half in her hands!) She finally got a new one, and was SURPRISED to find it worked just fine. The thing is, I don't like a deck that gets dirty and bent. Or, like my Robin Wood's starts to split at the edges. But if it doesn't bother you, well, a well-loved deck can be a beautiful thing. But DON'T get fixated on one deck. It is still only cardboard with pretty pictures. If it is really worn, be brave, and get a new copy! Ace

Grizabella	18 Jun 2005
Well, disintegrating isn't what I meant. LOL Just well-worn, well-used, obviously loved. If they're terribly worn to the point of falling apart, I'd say get a new one. I think if I went to a reader who had his/her disintegrating deck framed on the wall, though, that might be cool. Or on display some other way. I'd do that with any of mine that ever got that way.

The What do you do with your scuffed up cards? thread was originally posted on 14 Jun 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.