Which RWS ?

Le Fanu said:

Thank you! That looks a very nice size. And do all editions have the caligraphy titles? Do I dare risk ordering one? I'm assuming this one is still Printed in Italy.

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I have a pocket one (from Tarot Chest). It's printed in Belgium and it has the Magician on the box cover, BUT it does have the modern typed titles. Perhaps the one in Bhavana's photo (with the Fool on the box) is the calligraphy one?

I finally decided on the original rw, just looking through it now. It's nicer-looking than the scans online show it.

deb13b said:

I finally decided on the original rw, just looking through it now. It's nicer-looking than the scans online show it.

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yay! we'll be origin al rider waite buddies!

if it was cheap and without shipping Im glad you got it.

Good choice! I actually had the original and the commemorative. Although I had a preference for the commemorative, the orginal was nice enough, and the commemorative worth more, that I sold the commemorative. I trimmed my original and like it very much. Then again, I never use my RWS, so I suppose I just hang onto it for reference and nostalgia. Although, in this computer age, there's really no reason one needs an RWS for reference. All the cards are readily available to an internet search.

I like the Illuminated, Albano and the blue box Rider & Co which has the fabulous card stock. They tend to turn up on ebay and at the moment go for anything between £15 - £30. If you get a chance to grab one of those then do

The Diamond Tarot is wonderful. The borders are very conducive to promoting intuition. I gather it's out of print though.

teomat said:

I have a pocket one (from Tarot Chest). It's printed in Belgium and it has the Magician on the box cover, BUT it does have the modern typed titles. Perhaps the one in Bhavana's photo (with the Fool on the box) is the calligraphy one?

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yes, it does have the calligraphy, which I prefer. What finish do your Belgium pocket cards have? The one in my photo (China) is matte.
Seems like USgames has factories all over the world printing their cards - you would think they'd be more consistent. I wonder if these decks are all being printed at once, or if some are older printings - if so, I wonder what the current one is.

Bhavana said:

yes, it does have the calligraphy, which I prefer. What finish do your Belgium pocket cards have? The one in my photo (China) is matte.
Seems like USgames has factories all over the world printing their cards - you would think they'd be more consistent. I wonder if these decks are all being printed at once, or if some are older printings - if so, I wonder what the current one is.

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My deck has the typical AGM finish - non-gloss, soft and smooth. It's very nice and I'm sure it will age wonderfully.

I guess there must be 3 'production lines' for the RWS - the Italian printer, AGM in Belgium and now more recently, the Chinese printers. The Italian (glossy) and newer AGM printings (matte) have the typed titles (the old AGM printings had the calligraphy), and the Chinese (matte) have reverted back to the calligraphy. I'm only guessing though...

I love some of the recolorings such as the universal. I however prefer the original artwork and am currently questing for the right antique deck in good condition with no © stuff on the cards

Yesterday I received a 1971 Mueller Swiss printing RWS... very nice cardstock. I compared it with the Pocket Universal I have and the 1971 came up sadly short. The art looked awful. Muddy in spots, almost crudely drawn. A copy of a copy of a copy that lost in detail with each execution. I have the 1993 Original set on the way and can't wait to see all 3 side by side. Right now the (Pocket) Universal Waite is my favorite.

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ETA the 1993 Original arrived... printed in Italy. Makes the 1971 Swiss look VERY good. Super laminated stock - could be used to scrape frost off windshields on a winter day - that will never die. For that reason I'll use the 1993 original for readings because I have no fear of ever damaging the cards. The 1993 is a garish printing...the colors seem somehow wrong. Ranking the three RWS decks I now own: #1 (favorite) Universal Waite #2 1971 Swiss printing (USG NEW YORK) #3 Original RWS 1993, Italian Printing. I truly don't need another RWS deck or I would order the commemorative set for comparison.