1JJ Swiss Tarot

I thought about getting a Marseille-like tarot. I thought, because i have nothing like that in my collection, and...i could try to learn from it (pips without illustration is something i simply have never dealt with, and i'd like to try).
The problem is, i just deslike the Marseille's drawings, they don't speak at all to me. I know many people love them, but i just...i've tried, but really, not my thing so far.

So i saw, in my local bookstore, this deck for sale: 1JJ Swiss Tarot. I looked for some pictures in the web, and they seem similar to the Marseille's style, but prettier. Yet, i'm unsure if i'd really like this deck, it's quite expensive here (in Brazil): R$ 45,00 (about US$ 25,00). I'm a student and would to save money for a deck that might not be as good as i imagine.

So i'd like some opinion...if you use this deck, how do you deal with the pips without images, what do you think of it, the art...anything you can give me, i'll appreciate. Even personal stories with this deck

Thank you for you help

Its difficult for me to answer because I don't read tarot. I can comment on quality and suggest a couple of alternatives though. The 1JJ does not quite follow the standard pattern, replacing the Popess and the Pope with Juno and Jupiter respectively. I can't say how that might affect your use but I know there are many people who read from these. The card stock is quite nice for this pack and has proven durable. (we use it a for a lot of card games, so its durability is well tested!) The size is also very comfortable in use. Personally, I do find it very appealing.

You might want to take a look at some of the reproduction Italian packs as well - the Ancient Italian Tarots published by LS and sold at www.alidastore.com and www.playingcardsales.com (cheaper at the later) is a good example, with beautiful images and using, at least, the usual themes for the trumps. The newer edition of this (in a dark green box) is of very good quality - and, again, of tested durability.

LS also published a very attractive pack from Lombardy, though this was never given an improved re-issue like the last. It can still be purchased but the cards are not very flixible and are not coated, so they won't last intensive use.

Beyond related reproductions like these, Marseille packs seem to either stick very closely to the traditional Marseille look or deviate from its style in strange ways. The problem with these other reproduction packs is that, unless they are sold in Brazil, you're looking at the extra postage on the cost. If you do see one you like, you can always email them with an enquiry about the postage - they are both very helpful.

This is the first deck I received. I was only 12 and there wasn't much out there, way back then! I learned the major arcana and used them for readings and used the minors to play solitaire! Funny you mention this because it was a Christmas present to me, from my parents, and being a nostalgic person, I pulled out my newer copy, today, and played around with it, a bit! I plan to keep it out through the holidays for a bit of fun!

And yes, it is one of the prettiest ones out there, as is the Ancient Italian, but that has more somber colours and the Swiss is bright and cheery!

To me, all the cards look the same.

I have this notebook called MInd, Body & Spirit which has different chapters on all things metaphysical. In the Tarot section they use the 1JJ Swiss. I suppose if they used it, it must have some legend about being popular.

If you like it, and it speaks to you get it. Maybe someone has a copy here you can buy. You should post a deck wanted and see what comes up.

miss_yuko said:

and...i could try to learn from it (pips without illustration is something i simply have never dealt with, and i'd like to try).The problem is, i just deslike the Marseille's drawings, they don't speak at all to me. I know many people love them, but i just...i've tried, but really, not my thing so far.

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I don't know how much better this deck would be than any other for learning unillustrated pips. It is a nice-looking deck though. If you were drawn to the looks of it, you might be more inclined to use it I guess.

I haven't seen much in print that goes into much detail about the 1JJ, but I can't speak for the one HeavensVault mentioned. You can probably learn quite a bit right here.

So i saw, in my local bookstore, this deck for sale: 1JJ Swiss Tarot. I looked for some pictures in the web, and they seem similar to the Marseille's style, but prettier. Yet, i'm unsure if i'd really like this deck, it's quite expensive here (in Brazil): R$ 45,00 (about US$ 25,00). I'm a student and would to save money for a deck that might not be as good as i imagine.

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There are some good scans of the whole deck here. A lot of times what I will do if I am unsure if want to purchase a deck or not is download it first and then wait. If it turns out to be one I genuinely want then after awhile I will get. Sometimes while I am waiting a good deal on one will turn up or I will eventually decide it wasn't for me after all. US$25 seems like quite a bit for a IJJ to me unles it is an older vintage version.

Thank you for all the ideas. Yes, i too think the price is quite expensive for a deck, and that's what i wish to know if it's worth it. Does anyone here use this deck professionally, or they are a part of everyone's 'historical collection' only?

Also, is this any similar to the TdM? Because i'm looking for a TdM-like deck, and so far i haven't found any i liked to use to study...and this one seemed to not be so bad...but decks here in Brazil are expensive, so i can't buy something that might not be worth it. And TdM here, with a nice quality, are quite rare too. So i need some help, just looking at the pictures isn't enough for me to decide - i want to know if these cards read well, is they are adequate to study etc etc.

Thanks in advance!

I wouldn't say that the 1JJ Swiss was a Tarot de Marseille although it is similar in many ways.
The 1JJ Swiss has Juno and Jupiter cards instead of La Papess and Le Pope.

This deck is often available very cheaply on ebay so I don't think I'd pay a lot for it. The price you've quoted seems to be quite expensive to me.

It is worth noting that on ebay, there are a couple of editions of this pack. The older cards that came in a gold bottomed box are very numerous and date from the 1970s - the cards of this edition are not coated and will not be as durable as those later cards in a one-piece box.

The usual retail price in the UK is £12, which is about $24 right now. They have been published in the States for a long time now and retail there for about $18 in the sites that I looked at. Buying an import always adds to the price a bit, so $25 is not so much more than I would expect.

Thank Sulis for clarifying that. Okay, so i guess i'll look for another Marseilles-kind of tarot - i just need one i like better, but unfortunately, there are very few options here in Brazil and they sorta lack of quality. I
mported decks, such as this 1JJ Swiss, are very expensive (so is buying from another country). So i'll research more images of TdM decks and wait until something interesting shows up here

Thanks, once more, for the help of you all.

Miss Y.

Amazon.com USA has this deck for only $14.04:

http://www.amazon.com/Swiss-1JJ-Tar...1421704?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194267082&sr=8-1

I used to own this deck and found it difficult to read with. I also had the Prediction Tarot, which was a contemporary version of this old deck style. You really have to have your card definitions memorized to be able to read with decks like this, or at least I did. The problem is that I don't have any intuitive feedback at all from the pictures of the swords, cups, wands, and pentacles--in the past when I looked at these images I drew a blank and really had to think hard. I think once one has really built up a relationship with the RW Deck, that the leap isn't as large--the card meanings should spontaneously come to mind--I'd just never gotten that good with it.