Pick'n'mix tarot deck

Helmsdale said:

That changed my opinion about the possible value of using a pick'n'mix tarot pack, but I've never quite been able to bring myself to jumble my collection to make my own.

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Mine grew from odd cards that were accidental extras, or second hand decks that turned out to be incomplete. At the very end of the project I did buy a couple of very cheap decks to split - but lots came from other folks here, who also had spare cards and were prepared to send them. I owe gratitude to a lot of people - and I used one of the decks for charity readings as a way of saying thanks.

Some other folks also made patchwork decks, so a lot of swapping went on - it is possible to do a lot of reciprocal stuff

I know some folks needed their cards to be similar sizes, or no round cards or whatever, you can create whatever you want. And I quite see that for some folks it's a no-no.

It's the fun of this site, a place for all sorts

I think there's a time and place for them,. since life itself can be so random-seeming: my boudoir or salon might be Regency style or something, and yet maybe the love life, or the work life, or whatever isn't, and is more industrial or cartoony in feel. My only qualm about this would be that the sizes might trick me into choosing something or avoiding something intentionally--although I have remains of the Lo Scarabeo that I gave away part of since I found too much of it so trival, and I would be open to building a random deck for those random times--maybe I'll go fish around in the homeless thread now--thanks for the reminder!

PathWalker said:

I have two "Patchwork decks" - they followed on from my reading about the decks created here.

I used cards from 78 different decks, they don't have the same size or shape, nor were they chosen as "favourite" cards, just what was gifted to me. So not really the same as your question, but just to let you know it has been done in a way.

It's quite true the decks do not have the cohesion mentioned by some readers, any more than any collaborative deck does, but I like the raw edge of their readings. There are no frills with a patchwork deck, no nice theme to hide behind, no overwhelming calm colours or cute styles. You have to read it exactly as it comes, and they pack a punch, these readings

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earthair said:

If all tarot decks were a standard size, with identical backs, would you pick your favourite cards from a variety of decks to make your personal ideal deck?!
If you did, what cards would you pick, from which decks? Or would you go further and take entire suits from different decks?

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I have the Son-Of-Frankie in my house - that's pretty awesome, although some of the cards are cards I personally wouldn't have chosen. Mongrel-decks are interesting.

Size and shape differences do mean the cards doesn't shuffle and cut as normal. I chose to hand over hand shuffle, and then "count in" for a starting card rather than cut. I use the initial of the first name of the person the reading is for, so for Nisaba I would count in to the fourteenth card to begin. This prevents the same cards always being at the cut because they are the largest, and stick out!

If someone created a deck where the buyer could choose from a variety of cards to make it bespoke at the point of purchase, would anyone be interested?

Interesting idea. It wouldn't have worked for me, as it was the collecting, the contact with folks, the compilation of it was part of it's charm. I look at them now, and think of the people who sent me certain cards, and the friends I swapped with. Some of the cards are from quite hard to find decks - I was given a card from a red De Laurence for example. I shared cards from a Glastonbury tarot, that sort of thing.That's what makes it special

But who knows?
Best of luck
Pathwalker

earthair said:

If someone created a deck where the buyer could choose from a variety of cards to make it bespoke at the point of purchase, would anyone be interested?

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Copyright would be the block.

AJ said:

Copyright would be the block.

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Ah, good point, I never thought of that. you couldn't sell a deck made up of other people's work.

I didn't mean a mix of different decks by different artists, I meant what if 1 artist did more than one version of each card, Thoth Magus style, and people click on the ones they want and build a bespoke deck from a single artist?

Or artists like Marchetti and Scapini who've done a lot of decks, homogenised their card sizes, and allowed us to shop by individual cards

People have certainly done it with Lenormands.

I suppose it depends on the artist.
For example, the Thoth does not have three Magus cards, it has one. The others are rejected versions, printed off in one version of the deck as a print page filler, but never intended by the creator to be used or seen. The person with the original vision - Crowley - chose the one that expressed best what he wanted to say.
So if an artist creates a deck where each card expresses their vision, it might be hard for them to 'just make a few options' kind of thing. Each card is the pinnacle of what they were trying to say at that time and place.

The old "Art versus Craft" thing I guess.

Pathwalker - thwarted artist LOL