Hello,
I received my LE Tarot of Prague today, and its absolutely fantastic. The quality of this deck is really, really something. It is the most luxurious deck that I own. The cardstock, images, thin metallik ink are the same as in the standard 3d edition, but with the added bonus of the cards being substantially larger.... so the art is really standing out.
Also, I was a little concerned about the cardstock, because it seemed from the description, to be the same as the standard size deck, and I know from experience that sometimes, cardstock feels flimsier when the cards are larger. But, no fear here. The cardstock fits the size of the cards just fine. It is sleek and very fine, but doesn't feel fragile in any way, not flimsy at all. So, I was worrying for nothing.
An other worry I had was about the size being manageable for my quite small hands Well, as it turns out, I do have to overhand shuffle this deck vertically because it is too large for me to handle in the lenght of the card. But that is not a problem at all. I can still handle the cards perfeclty well, and I am even surprised at how easy they are to handle !
The wooden box looks really fine and beautiful. I would not put too much pressure on the hinges and clasp because I do not know how much they can stand (I tried to pack the silk scarve inside the box, but with the scarve, the deck and the LWB, it was a little tight.... I was still able to close the clasp, but I was worried that it was putting too much pull on the clasp and the hinges, so I did not do it again. Maybe without the LWB.... what do you think, has someone tried and succeed in storing the cards with the scarve inside the box yet ?
In any case, the box is beautiful and looks very fine too. It adds to the deck's elegance. It is not very practical for taking around, but then, this is more a "stay at home" deck, to be displayed on the reading table in its fine wooden box.
I have never had a deck that I considered "for my personal use only". Some decks I do not like to read for just anybody with ; like my Bohemian Gothic 2d edition, favourite amongst favourites, that I usually reserve for myself and loved ones (otherwise I just take the third edition), but a deck only for myself, I never had one, never felt the need for one.... Bu,t if I HAD to have one, it would probably be the LE Tarot of Prague. As it is, while I will not let just anybody put their mitts on it, I will not resist the urge to show it to my close loved ones and share the pleasure. But, it is THAT special !
A truly beautiful deck.