Your very first deck

margi

My first deck was a Rider Waite. My husbands grandmother read cards and it always fascinated me, so I thought if I had my own deck, she could teach me. She took it away, still in the cello, and told me that if I still thought one could be taught to read, I wasn't ready. I don't know what happened to that deck...she also favored the Thoth heavily.
The irony of that was when she died, she left me her gold edged Rider Waite that she had received when she completed and received a commendation from the Tarot Association (?). She said that the only reason she did that was for a useless certificate, and told me not to waste my money. The other decks she left me were the Medicine Woman Cards, and the Osho Zen. I was supposed to get her Thoth deck, but that disappeared mysteriously before I got it. It was actually the only deck she really ever read with. I would've loved to have that deck...aged through use to perfection, even Umbrae would have been proud.
Weird thing is, I really never read with those decks, so I bought the Sacred Circle for myself.

So, which one would be considered my first deck?
~margi
 

WooMonkey

My sister got me the Vertigo Tarot set when it first came out, I think in the mid-90's. At the time I didn't realize how unusual it was. It was NOT easy for me to read with, but I loved the art (and had read several of the comics). I tried practicing with our cats. I still have it--my sister had no idea what she was starting!
 

Richard

I found my first deck. It is a miniature Albano-Waite, copright 1968 by Tarot Productions, Inc. I probably bought it in 1969 in Berkeley CA.
 

Lunalyn

well I'm very much a newbie.
I bought my first deck last June (2010). it was the RWS. then I discovered the Shadowscapes and bought that.
now thanks to ATer's my wish list is growing.
lyn
 

gregory

LRichard said:
I found my first deck. It is a miniature Albano-Waite, copright 1968 by Tarot Productions, Inc. I probably bought it in 1969 in Berkeley CA.
If you ever get fed up with it - you can get Real Money for that one ! (no thanks; I already got one - but the 1968 is In Demand !)
 

SixDegrees

Nothing exciting here: The RWS. I know it was the summer...probably 2005? I took a trip to Sedona, AZ because it seemed like the proper place to buy a tarot deck. I remember wandering through a new age shop there, and when I told the merchant what I was looking for, she sort of rolled her eyes and said "Oh...that one...".

More interesting is my first book: Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom! Oy! Not really a book for beginners...
 

rota

The RWS.
It was in 1968, so naturally it was the RWS. That was about all there was available then.
My parents were in an exploratory mood at the time, reading up on UFOs and witchcraft and science fiction. They brought in a tarot deck, which I laid claim to. Taught myself to play poker with it.
 

selmainsley

It was Shaman Castelli. I bourght it becase it was the only one in the shop that came with a book, I got it 2006, I've still got it, it was quite easy to read with, its a nice level headed deck, I still read with it occasionally and it still works.
 

ChillaB

I started reading with regular 52 playing cards back in early nineties - still have them somewhere. Official first Tarot deck was Osho Zen, gift from a friend, on my name's-day some probably 9 years ago. Second was the Universal Waite, than Thoth, Full Moon Dreams, Tree of Life, Transformational.... and other.
 

shamoness

My very first deck was the Hanson Roberts, sometime in the 80's. My first oracle was Medicine Cards. I used the oracle much more than the Tarot at first. I wasn't all that thrilled with the art of the Hanson Roberts. Next came the RSW, again not thrilled with the art/colors. I tried the Witches Tarot by Ellen Cannon Reed in the early 90's, hated it and traded it away. (of course I collected a copy again since then. ) I kept on with the Hanson Roberts and RSW hoping to find something someday that I liked better. I even gave my daughter a copy of the Hanson Roberts at one point.

One day I found a copy of the Medieval Scappini at Barnes and Noble and thought it was lovely. I didn't card for the unillustrated pips but the art was great. At the same time I spied a deck called Tarot of the Orishas. This was back when Tarot decks were all kept behind the counter, back with things disreputable like porn and such. I asked to purchase both. Interestingly enough the Tarot of the Orishas was only $3.

This began my collection! My next deck was Ciro's Gilded and I haven't stopped since. I still love the Gilded and although it isn't my all time favorite deck, I still enjoy it like an old friend!