Golden Tarot

ScarabFlight

Wow!

I just have to say that I'm pretty new to tarot, but I already have a list of ten or so decks that have caught my eye that I would like to own.

Having said that I discovered the Golden Tarot yesterday. All I can say is WOW!!!! I think my list just shrunk down to one. lol It is so beautiful!! It's kind of like I was looking for a specific type of deck but couldn't find it. I could find some with a few that were kinda close but not really, and wham there it is! I can't wait to get this deck. When I first saw it I think I drooled! lol

I was just so excited I just had to share. I can see that I'm in good company as this thread is so long. :D
 

Hedera

It's here! It's here! It's here!

And it's soooooooo wonderful!

Everything about it is just right; the size, the feel, the colours, the images, the warmth and sense of humour....

Perfect. Really, really perfect.
Worth every second of the looooong wait! ;)

Oh, lots of dogs too. Lovely!
 

contrascarpe

Kat -

I just received my copy (thank you Jeannette at Tarot Garden). I have to say that it has exceeded even my high expectations.

First, the packaging is top notch. The only other deck I can recall having such impressive packaging was the Tarot of Prague. I know they say you can't judge a book by it's cover, but in this case I found the cover to be topnotch.

The deck itself is wonderful. The golden edges ..... the artwork (of course it helps being a big fan of medieval painting) ...... the complexity of the scenes (takes RWS meanings to another level IMO). Only one minor complaint - on the majors, it almost appears as if the "cut" was made off-center, at least on my deck. It is not enough to turn me off this deck. My only fear is that this deck is so beautiful, I may not want anyone else to touch it!!!!

Dan
 

retrokat

Hi Dan,

Hmmm, the off-centre cutting is a bit sad. Why not pop an email off to USGS, including a scan if you can, at least to let them know.

They went to great lengths to get the technical side of the printing sorted out (eg getting the gilded edges to work) so I *know* that the quality was very important to them & they'd probably appreciate feedback about such a printing error. Especially if you include your kind words about the other aspects of the deck.

Also I think that the next printing run is already planned, so specific feedback about this first run would be very timely.

I think I previously mentioned that the deck had to be made in China, as the specifications of Golden Tarot were very high for such an inexpensive ($25) set - great box, comprehensive mini-book, gilded edges etc. Given the price, I guess the tolerance for minor errors would be higher than, say, if it was an expensive Limited Edition set.

But still, let USGS know about the miscut. They're understandably proud of the production job they've done with GT, so I think they'd like to know.
 

contrascarpe

Kat -

I have had more time to spend with these cards - my initial reaction was probably off a little. I found out today that Amazon screwed up and shipped my deck anyway even after several notes to cancel my order. I think I am going to keep the second deck and compare them just to make sure it is not my eyes. It seems like a handful of majors were cut right at the top of the numbers, but not enough to make a difference IMO.

I hate to keep gushing, but this deck is a thing of beauty. Even without the classy packaging, wonderful book and gilded edges, this deck would have been an instant favorite of mine, but those added touches make this a treasure. I could spend all night writing all the nuances that make the scenes on the cards stand out for me, but I will spare you for now. One I will mention is the then of swords. On the RWS, I always got negative vibes of that black background and the figure with ten swords sticking out of his back. I like the way you added the barking dog and the almost three-dimensional feel of the landscape. The Court Cards are a favorite of mine as well.

You did the RWS style deck even better than RWS!

Dan
 

GitaByte

WOW! I got my Golden Tarot Deck today - stunning! I was a Bibelots in Annapolis yesterday and saw that there were several new decks, so I came home last night and looked them up on the net. I was so impressed with the Golden Tarot deck that I raced back out today and bought it. It is so very beautiful, the box is sturdy, the booklet is a nice size and I really like the interpretations, fresh and yet very intuitive. The card stock is firm, but soon becomes easy to handle, the gold gilt edges are truly luxurious. I must say that I was pretty surprised at how reasonable the price is on this deck. 20$ U.S. - I cannot imagine how this was possible, as this deck and book set seem to be of such high quality.

The artwork on the cards is really gorgeous, I for one did not immediately realize that it is collaged, as each cards imagery is so well integrated. Now a confession, I buy new decks all the time ever searching for that perfect deck which I can actually figure out how to read with. Always there are a few cards which turn me off and send me back to my trusty RW. This deck is the deck I have been looking for - finally a deck that incorporates the best of RW interpretive imagery, and actually improves on it! If you are comfortable with RW - you will actually find this deck even easier to read with! I have been messing with it all day, trying various excercises and approaches and I have never had such an easy time coming up with interesting insights and more in depth perceptions. I am really in love with this deck - can you tell LOL!

I even wrote a character sketch tonight by laying out a few cards at random, it came out so well I am excited to think of more things to try with this deck. I am a total Dante fanatic, so this deck feels so richly authentic to me. I really love the fact that it pays such homage to this rich etiology of the imagery that inspired the Tarot.

I have just joined this forum, so I will be searching back thru posts, but I would love it if people would share different things they do with the Tarot to enrich their experience with it.
Many Thanks, Gita
 

retrokat

Back on Amazon!

Finally! It's listed again at Amazon. You can either order through my site, or give your commission to Aeclectic to help support the running costs of this site. To order through Aeclectic: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/golden/

Let's hope supplies of Golden Tarot are now reliable enough that it doesn't disappear from Amazon again.

There are no reviews on Amazon yet, so I encourage anyone who's already got their copy of the deck to let the buying public know what you think of it by putting your comments on Amazon. Be honest, I can take it! :)
 

LadyMedusa

ooooo...I am so jealous...

Reading everyone's new deck announcements. I have mine on order from Tarot Garden and elected to have a card sent to Kat...
So I'm still waiting...

My mail carrier is starting to look more nervous by the day, as she pulls up to the box, only to tell me "No, I'm sorry no parcel today".

LadyMedusa
 

GitaByte

Hey They Posted My Review!

Hi Folks! - I saw your post Kat and leapt over to amazon.com and posted my review - you can see it here at

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1572814349/ref=nosim/aeclectic/

They also published my actual name - oops! Good thing I actually wrote a positive review LOL!

By the way I had actually bought my deck at Borders yesterday for $20, and they must have had it mispriced as the stated price is now $25. Lucky Me!

I hope I did ok by your beautiful deck - your website should ge alot of hits too!
 

retrokat

Thanks so much Gita! And welcome to Aectlectic, by the way. I think you'll really like it here :)

By the way, flattery will get you everywhere...