Recommendations for a newbie to Marseille Tarot

Hello all. I have been practicing tarot for some time, but have yet to give TdM a try. I am interested in giving it a go, but wanted to ask for recommendations on decks. From those I have looked at so far the coloring in the Academia Dei Tarocchi deck appeals to me, and I also like the Heron deck and coloring.

Knowing very little at this point about TdM any suggestions or advice on selecting a deck would be a huge help! Also, if there is a go-to basic TdM book you would recommend for getting familiar with the cards, please let me know!

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

I'd recommend the CBD Tarot de Marseille.. It's lovely; crisp colours and the faces have been altered ever so slightly which gives the characters a friendly, accessible feel. I love everything about this deck. It'a a faithful Conver restoration and is very, very well done..


http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/cbd-marseille/

I own the Heron, and while it is a lovely reproduction, I do have to say some of the images are not as crisp as I would like, especially the fine details of the faces. It feels authentic, but it's a bit hard on my eyes. I also would reccomend the CBD if you were getting a deck for the first time, from the looks of it.

TdM book

There is also a book written by Yoav Ben Dov, the man who led the restauration of the CBD Tarot. It is called "Tarot - the open reading". I am reading it at the moment and can highly recommend it. Lots of valuable info about the cards, reading methods, ...

Welcome to AT!

You can see many TdM decks featured here.

Choosing a deck is always a very personal thing, so I can only outline some options for you. If you prefer your TdM smooth and pleasing on the eye, then CBD or ISIS would be a nice choice, or one of the lovely restorations by Jean-Claude Flornoy (Noblet, Dodal). The 'classic' Grimaud is also great. It's very similar to the Accademia dei Tarocchi deck, only with fewer colors. If, however, you don't mind more 'raw' decks, you could look at Piatnik TdM.

There's also a number of more unusual TdM decks, such as Vieville and Vandenborre (which, strictly speaking, belong to the Belgian 'tradition') or 1JJ Swiss, which are worth exploring (and great decks to read with, too!).

As for books, my top favorite one right now is J.-M. David's 'Reading the Marseille Tarot'. He doesn't give you 'rules' but encourages to look through the cards and explore them with many exercises instead.

Thank you everyone for your advice! It seems like CBD is a clear favorite.

I am going to go through and check out all the TdM again listed on AT and think it through some more...

Thank you also for the book suggestions too!

I would suggest comparing the CBD with the ISIS, which also is a Conver reconstruction, and decide for yourself which appeals to you more. You can see all of the ISIS Trumps on this page at the web site of its author, Japanese philosopher Tadahiro Onuma.

Since getting this deck, it has become my overwhelming favorite, on account of its accurate 3D rendering of the Conver as well as its inherent breathtaking beauty.

I'd recommend the Dodal deck by Flornoy. Its crisp, clear and simply stunning. The deck is slightly long but nothing unruly. It predates the Convers deck. Another excellent choice is the Noblet deck, again by Flornoy. It's small but crisp. It has very unique features. It predates the Dodal. Of the two, the Dodal is my favorite.

Happy Hunting and watch out! Deck hunting quickly turns into deck collecting addictions lol

I own the Accademia dei Tarocchi one and the Jodorowsky one. They are extremely similar though I find the Jodorowsky one more accessible, but that may be just a matter of preference.

Tarot Gallery

Bonjour Elinne,

One may suppose that Tarot of Marseille pattern result in having same Tarots looks and appearense.
But take a walk on my own website and sharpen your eyes before doing your choice.

Here:

http://tarot-de-marseille-heritage.com/english/historic_tarots_gallery.html

Personnaly I do appreciate quality of engraving of Pierre Madenié 1709 deck.

This automn I will publish another Tarot deck and it may well be my new best deck

Until next one...

Salutations from Marseille City

France
Old €urope

Yves