Pam B vs A & C ?

Asher

Here's the story of my Pam-B, as told to me by Wendywu:

"I got it from a scoutmaster whose mother it belonged to. He sold it on ebay to raise money for his group of boy scouts (they need a new scout-hut). He sold really very cheaply because it was so old that no-one would want it (bugeyed) - after all, it was just stuffed in his mum's drawer.....

So it had a history of being kept in one family although I am not sure how used it was - it's in such good condition."

Great story!

Asher
 

photokat

Would love to hear some more stories .... bring it, people.
 

WonderGuy

i was wondering what ya'll have paid for Pam A, B or Cs?
 

rwcarter

photokat said:
I've finally won a "Pam B" (after having lost numerous auctions) and when it arrived, I was quite surprised by the outstanding print quality of the deck.

Not only is it hard to believe how old it really is, but the printing is far superior to any of the subsequent printings!
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I didn't want to say anything until I had it in my hands, but I now also own a Pam B! Except for the part about having lost numerous auctions (it was my first auction for the deck), the rest of the text above could've come directly out of my mouth. I also am struck by print quality of the deck. To be 100 years old, the box and book are in near pristine condition. Looking closely at the fronts and backs of the cards, I can find no indication that the deck has ever even been shuffled. There are no creases, scratches, dents, dings, scuffs, etc.

And the coloring of the cards! The Knight Cups' horse is white? I personally like the Sun without the "oops" line. The Swords suit has a lot more brown in it than it does in newer decks. And the woman's face in the 2 Swords has been changed! And I'm sure I'll notice many other things as I get to know this beauty.

Having the Pam B in hand makes me realize what a poor substitute the yellow box Rider Waite is. Even the Jubilee Konigsfurt Edition (which arrived the same day as the Pam B), the 1971 blue-box Rider and the LoS Pamela Colman Smith RWS Tarot all pale in comparison. My tarot world has just been turned upside down. Did I mention that the Knight Cups' horse is [size=+1]white[/size]? :bugeyed:

photokat said:
It seems only natural to be wanting to compare my B to the other versions ...
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The planets were aligned just right for me to get my Pam B. I don't know if they'll ever align like that again for me to actually get my hands on one of the other Pam versions. But I can tell that I'll be doing a lot of comparing between my Pam B and other iterations of the RWS deck.

Rodney
 

Cerulean

I am glad, my tarot friend!

I am glad when beautiful old things come to my fellow AT posting friends--to have a bloom of good fortune! Although I cannot confirm myself for another few weeks about such questions in person, as my old thing was on loan to a museum. But I can look at scans from one of my DVD copies.

Pietro Alligro's notes in your Pam B are in your Lo Scarabeo texts and are also referenced on Frank Jensen's website. His book on the Waite Smith deck is highly valued.

A fellow ATer recommended a very affiordable reprint of Golden Dawn notes for Waite's Wheel of the Tarot. I have not so secretly had been following Ms M. Greer's and Roppo's lead and been looking at 1899, 1910 and 1912 texts of Waites writings and my own Yeats paths. It seems the Celtic Revival dreamlike romance threads wove its lovely tendrils, perhaps with tender Celtic fancies, romance and the fiery flames of the Irish patriotism that included Yeats and Maud Gonne.

Of course you have plenty of time ahead to enjoy the next steps, if that is of interest. Odd to me, but it is lovely to know the quest doesn't end with just having; it just begins something else.

Thanks for sharing your great news.

Cerulean

rwcarter said:
I didn't want to say anything until I had it in my hands, but I now also own a Pam B! Except for the part about having lost numerous auctions (it was my first auction for the deck), the rest of the text above could've come directly out of my mouth. I also am struck by print quality of the deck. To be 100 years old, the box and book are in near pristine condition. Looking closely at the fronts and backs of the cards, I can find no indication that the deck has ever even been shuffled. There are no creases, scratches, dents, dings, scuffs, etc.

And the coloring of the cards! The Knight Cups' horse is white? I personally like the Sun without the "oops" line. The Swords suit has a lot more brown in it than it does in newer decks. And the woman's face in the 2 Swords has been changed! And I'm sure I'll notice many other things as I get to know this beauty.

Having the Pam B in hand makes me realize what a poor substitute the yellow box Rider Waite is. Even the Jubilee Konigsfurt Edition (which arrived the same day as the Pam B), the 1971 blue-box Rider and the LoS Pamela Colman Smith RWS Tarot all pale in comparison. My tarot world has just been turned upside down. Did I mention that the Knight Cups' horse is [size=+1]white[/size]? :bugeyed:


The planets were aligned just right for me to get my Pam B. I don't know if they'll ever align like that again for me to actually get my hands on one of the other Pam versions. But I can tell that I'll be doing a lot of comparing between my Pam B and other iterations of the RWS deck.

Rodney
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rwcarter

Thanks Cerulean. I do plan on rereading the RWS section of the LoS Anniversary book next week while I'm on staycation. I'll have to see if I can snag a copy of Jensen's book also.

Strangely enough, the Pam B has invigorated my Intensive Deck Study (IDS) with another deck. I refuse to abandon this IDS because it's with my first deck almost 20 years after I first bought and used it. But now I have a reason to finish it as quickly as possible so I can sink my teeth into the Pam B and all its offspring!

Rodney
 

Cerulean

Did I mention that the Knight Cups' horse is white?

I did a quick check of all my existing reprints through the 'ages' (but not my CD of the Pamela A) and the closest coloration of a Pamela A online for the Knight of Cups is a grayish tone:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/tarot/xr/cukn.htm

...in contrast to the white ghostly pallor of Death's horse, which needs to be the pale rider of legend 8)....if you compare Death's White Horse and the Knight of Cups horse, is it still whiter, not the least gray or beige?

My beloved Belgium Printed "Original" which might be the "C" or later shows a paler beige for the Knight of Cups horse... as opposed to all the the grays of Knight of Cups in the nicer 1971, 1972 early copies of the U.S. Games reprints and the Giant Waite.

Congrads on the rare coloration and treasure. Keep it safe and someday soon I hope to see what you are talking about! (Broad hint to scan Knight of Cups whenever you get a chance--but if you prefer not to, I'll be glad to hear of your impressions).

Enjoy!

Cerulean

P.S. Universal Tarot from Mary Hanson Robert's recolored version has a 'white' horse in the Knight of Cups! I wonder if she 'channelled' the Pamela B colorings...(smiles)

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/universal-waite/
 

rwcarter

Cerulean said:
...in contrast to the white ghostly pallor of Death's horse, which needs to be the pale rider of legend 8)....if you compare Death's White Horse and the Knight of Cups horse, is it still whiter, not the least gray or beige?
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Compared to Death's horse in the Pam A, the KnC's horse is a a dirty white or a very light gray/beige. Compared to a more recent printing of the deck, the KnC's horse in the Pam B looks white compared to the darker beige.

Rodney
 
Where's her signature? Pam-B reproduction by LS