[claire1805]

I would like to try my hand at reading playing cards and would be grateful if you can recommend me a mass published playing card deck (eg. US Games) as they are more readily accessible to me.

At the moment, I am having my eyes on: http://www.bookdepository.com/Rocks-...?ref=grid-view

http://www.bookdepository.com/Tim-Bu...6?ref=bd_cat_1

Thank you very much!

[gregory]

If you want to read playing cards, do you want to be distracted by additional images ? In your place, I'd nick over to a dollar store and just buy a deck to try out. Playing cards - half the point is their total basicness, I'd have said.

[AnemoneRosie]

My favourite playing cards are those that come from casinos. They just have so much life in them! However, I understand that those are not the most readily available.
I tend to buy mine from souvenir shops as those are the closest sorts of stores to where I live (I live in a very touristy area). You will also find them at game shops. The whole purpose of playing cards is that they're not fancy! No need to pay shipping.
I do have some more "special" cards that I use at times. They also come from souvenir shops, but they come from other cities that either I've bought, or that others have picked up for me.

[Darkmage]

You can find Bicycle playing cards at any drugstore, mass retailer, or convenience store. Check the toy aisle.

USPCC (US Playing Card Company) makes all sorts of decks. A lot of them are limited run and really awesome, too. http://www.bicyclecards.com/

Amazon has all sorts of playing cards, too, that are NOT USPCC. I've gotten Hello Kitty ones there and from the dollar bins at Target, oddly enough. So if you're at Target, Wal-Mart, etc. check out the dollar/discount/clearance bins, too.

I collect playing cards and am always looking for new and unusual ones. Look around in secondhand shops and places like yard sales, too. I got some plastic playing cards from my neighbour for 50c that they sell at Phoenix Art Museum for $10 a pop, so definitely look around.

Playing card cartomancy is a bit different than Tarot. A lot of the meanings do overlap, though.

Good luck and happy hunting!

[Metafizzypop]

I like the Tragic Royalty PC deck.

https://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Tragi...+playing+cards

Those demented faces on the courts just made the deck strike me as perfect for cartomancy, so I had to get it.

I like those Tim Burton cards, too, and I've been meaning to get them. The pips are pretty plain but the courts are funny .

[Laura Borealis]

If you want to write the meanings on the card faces, I suggest getting a deck with jumbo indexes as there is a lot more white space for writing.

[Darkmage]

Originally Posted by Metafizzypop

I like the Tragic Royalty PC deck.

https://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Tragi...+playing+cards

Those demented faces on the courts just made the deck strike me as perfect for cartomancy, so I had to get it.

I like those Tim Burton cards, too, and I've been meaning to get them. The pips are pretty plain but the courts are funny .

Oh, those are fun! They glow under black light. They look like Edward Gorey designed them.

I want to get the Night Sky deck. It's constellations. I also want to pick up one of those decks with chess openings on it. Each card is a different opening game.

[claire1805]

Originally Posted by Darkmage

You can find Bicycle playing cards at any drugstore, mass retailer, or convenience store. Check the toy aisle.

USPCC (US Playing Card Company) makes all sorts of decks. A lot of them are limited run and really awesome, too. http://www.bicyclecards.com/

Amazon has all sorts of playing cards, too, that are NOT USPCC. I've gotten Hello Kitty ones there and from the dollar bins at Target, oddly enough. So if you're at Target, Wal-Mart, etc. check out the dollar/discount/clearance bins, too.

I collect playing cards and am always looking for new and unusual ones. Look around in secondhand shops and places like yard sales, too. I got some plastic playing cards from my neighbour for 50c that they sell at Phoenix Art Museum for $10 a pop, so definitely look around.

Playing card cartomancy is a bit different than Tarot. A lot of the meanings do overlap, though.

Good luck and happy hunting!

Thank you, darkmage!

I will try to find some playing card decks from my vicinity instead. I never own playing cards before so I am not sure what to expect. After what gregory has said, maybe I shouldn't get decks with images that will distract.

I would like a deck that has good aesthetics though :-)

[claire1805]

Originally Posted by Metafizzypop

I like the Tragic Royalty PC deck.

https://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Tragi...+playing+cards

Those demented faces on the courts just made the deck strike me as perfect for cartomancy, so I had to get it.

I like those Tim Burton cards, too, and I've been meaning to get them. The pips are pretty plain but the courts are funny .

The Tim Burton cards are simply quirky and cute. I really like how the whole look of it, especially with the hand drawn pips.The only thing that I am nitpicky about is the fact that the numbers and letters are all in black.

[gregory]

Originally Posted by claire1805

Thank you, darkmage!

I will try to find some playing card decks from my vicinity instead. I never own playing cards before so I am not sure what to expect. After what gregory has said, maybe I shouldn't get decks with images that will distract.

Oh there's no SHOULD - though I'm never sure why people want all those images (that said, I have a deck of froggy playing cards I am very fond of !) . But a cheap plain deck might give you a feel for it - and if you find that playing cards are the way to go for you - THEN splash out on whatever takes your fancy !