5 decks to start a collection with?

I think the pressure derives from exactly what you're saying, "getting it right." It is quite alright to make mistakes, change decks, backtrack, and to change your mind. We talk quite a lot about how the journey is the thing and not the destination, and this is a prime example of that. An experienced reader should be able to tell a beginner that it is alright to start slowly, to make a good effort and if that fails, to try something else. But you really can't expect to cover all your bets at the outset.

My experiences are my own, of course, but I did, in fact, start with a deck I didn't like, the metallic Oswald Wirth, bought randomly when I knew absolutely nothing about Tarot. I hated it and didn't understand it. My next deck was the RWS, which I didn't like either. It was only on my third deck that I began to get a feel for what Tarot was, with the Morgan-Greer. It would be over ten years into my Tarot career that I finally found "my" deck, the one I swear by.

I don't regret my mistakes, nor do I see those ten years as time wasted. They were all the journey. People should be encouraged to have the freedom to make mistakes, it is an important part of not only Tarot, but of growing up in general.

I started with 2 decks. Jonathan Dee Tarot and The Destiny Tarot from eBay 99 pence each. The seller lived in the same town as me, so arranged to meet her in local supermarket. While doing weekend shopping, I met the seller and collected the decks.

I still have them and use them time to time. The Destiny Tarot was especially great because it had borders wider than a notepad, I used to write meanings and symbols on them. The art was rubbish feel like its been drawn for primary school project, but was cheap and cheerful, and my Tarot collection evolved into more esoteric decks recently.

So I do recommend to have a look at these unpopular and cheap decks for beginners.

closrapexa said:

I think the pressure derives from exactly what you're saying, "getting it right."

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I don't really see it like that. I interpreted the exercise as buying for someone who might only stick with those decks; something I think is perfectly possible. A sort of self-contained kit for life (perhaps)

I think there is something deeply appealing about having 5 decks and - let's be honest, forgetting talk of the journey for the moment - it is enough.

If someone had the 5 decks I - or anyone - suggested, I can't help feeling that it would be more than enough. Between 1983 and 2003, I had almost 10 decks - so 5 is at least enough to maintain interest for a decade or more.

We are assuming that the person would be interested in tarot history - first Marseilles than RWs then Thoth. they may not even care and just want something pretty x 5

I like this exercise.

It really depends on what a person wants from these five decks. Learn about the different branches on the tarot tree? Marseilles, Soprafino, RWS, Thoth are four classics, and I'd add one very recent one that is representative of the individualist decks published lately - Prisma Visions, Wild Unknown, a cat tarot or Housewives. A deck that represents the recent "anything goes" explosion of decks. Another option for the 5th deck would be the Lo Scarabeo experiment of combining the traditions.

If the emphasis is on studying archetypes in different artistic interpretations and less tarot-historian basics, I'd choose Margarethe Petersen (painting), Light&Shadow (lino cut), Anna K. (colored pencils), Dreaming Way (water colors) and a Robert Place or other computer graphic deck - decks in completely different artistic languages and techniques. If you put the Chariots of each of these next to each other, you really get a feeling for their common ground. The stronger the difference in technique, color, texture and atmosphere, the easier it is to see the common theme, the archetype or the scene.

Another version of five interesting comparisons would be five theme decks - an animal themed, mythological, contemporary and neo-pagan deck for example.

JackofWands said:

I understand what you're saying, but I think that it can also be immensely stressful as a beginner to start with only one deck, because there's the pressure of choosing the "right" deck. Starting with a small collection of decks that work well together eases that pressure.

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Also, it helps to ease them into the status of obsessive collector

I'd recommend decks that are widely available right now, which will be harder to find in 20 years. Your friend will always be able to get hold of Thoth and RWS in the future!

So my list would be-
Illuminati
Golden Dawn Temple Tarot
Liber T
Tarot of the Witches
Night Sun

Le Fanu said:

I like this exercise.

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As do I.

Let's see....

Visconti-Sforza Tarot~You need your historical basic beauties!
RWS~Original, though the PSC is rather gorgeous in itself and the Radiant is fun!
RWS Clone~Something gorgeous, like the Illuminati or one of Ciro's works, or a beautifully illustrated, intermediate deck. Because even beginners should see what is coming up!
Thoth~So they get a nice rounded view of various types of tarot decks.
Marseilles~For the above reason and historical purposes. The Dodal or the Noblet first come to mind, but there are many gorgeous ones!

Intermediate 5 would be another fun thread! Maybe one worth starting?

I had to resist the temptation to treat this subject like one of those personal "desert island" threads (as in "What would you bring . . .) I agree with the recommendations for a more traditional RWS, a Thoth and a TdM. Beyond that there are a number of ways to go: maybe a "light-hearted" deck in the RWS tradition, for those times when slogging through all of the more arcane symbolism gets old, or how about a couple of quirky decks like the Deviant Moon or the Magical Forest, or (private shudder) one of the "cat" or "fairy" decks? Something in the pagan vein - like the Druidcraft or similar - might also be worthy.

On the other hand, since all the bases are so ably covered by the "big three," maybe a Lenormand deck and one of the more accessible oracle decks might be good as a way to round out the picture. There's always the chance one of those will be a more comfortable fit than tarot.

I might be wrong but if I were your friend I would never buy five decks at once. It would be just too confusing for me. I mean if she connects asap with more than one then if she wants to study them in depth she would be wondering which deck to begin with. When she wants to read to someone or to herself she would be wondering again which of the many decks she could use. But I guess that's just me, I just don't learn properly if I study two or more decks at one time.
As far as tarot classics I have different opinion too. I think most people who get into Tarot begin to appreciate the classics when they had gained some experience or knowledge. Of course if some reader began with RWS or some other classic deck they would appreciate it from the beginning. For most of the people who read Tarot whom I know in person wasn't like that. I began with Quest tarot because it was the most beautiful deck I could find in the bookstores in the city I live. I didn't like RWS at all it was kind of funny deck to me. When I studied some stuff and got some experience then I understood why is RWS so popular. I am saying all of this just because I think people should get a deck they really like for a first one. My cousin had interest in Tarot since she was eight, so if she had found her proper decks she would have been reading for 6 or 7 years from now, but she didn't find it until the last year. She got Steampunk Tarot and then she began to read. But again, it's just me - I am a visual reader, the art speaks to me even if there are a lot of details in the cards. Of course it would be better if it's a beginner friendly deck - I would begin with something which have the universal symbolics, people on it. If it is animals or egyptian style or something like that it CAN be confusing for a newbie reader to find out the symbolics. Of course there are exceptions - for example if your friend is really onto egyptian religion and likes egyptology perhaps he/she has the knowledge to use and understand such a deck even if it's her/his first.