The Best Marseille Deck--Your Top Three List . . .

BodhiSeed

Jean Noblet
Hadar
Spanish Tarot (not sure if this one counts ~ Bodhran ducks as Le Pendu throws a gardening glove at her head ~ :D)

Bodhran
 

Chronata

The three I use...

Fournier
Hadar
Chat du Marseille


(and I would include an honorable mention for the Vision....the photo collage deck that is based on Marseille images.)
 

conversus

My favorite decks follows, though I cannot vouch for the order:

1. Camoin & Jodorowsky - Clean lines and Marvelous colouration within the tradition of the images
2. Hadar - the colours are a bit softer or muted than the Camoin ; of course, both of these decks include a bit of controversy but also elegant!
3. Fournier - wonderful size and the modernized shading techniques make the deck delightful to handle and to read!
4. Jean Noblet (Flournoy) - a very interesting deck: the size and colouring is great, though the faces can be a bit surprising. I agree with Rosanne, these cards have a certain street-level honesty about them. For me, they are a little too small, too stiff, and too expensive for me to want to use too often.
5. Marteau, Grimaud - The line work is less distracting than the photographic reproductions, though the limited pallet can have its drawbacks.

I'm sorry to say that I have not had the opportunity to acquire a copy of Major Tom's deck, yet!
 

Foucault

I'm drawn to this thread, yet wary that people will think I'm a scratched record (now I'm showing my age):

1. Jean Noblet - the deck I read with exclusively. I appreciate its honesty, its bawdiness, it's so darned funny at times. It's the "No B.S." deck.

2. Fournier - I have a soft spot for it, because it was the deck that introduced me to the Marseilles tarot. I do like the colors. It's amazing how it has a completely different feel from the older Marseilles, even though it retains the classical lines. If a querent was freaked out by the uncooked nature of the Noblet, I would read with this.

3. I don't need a #3 - does anyone else want an extra choice?
 

Moonbow

Melanchollic said:
My feelings exactly. I'd add a third deck, the Piatnik to my reading decks. It is a fit hunk of tarot - very sensual to shuffle - the thickness... the size... the weight... Ahh...

And the reproduction quality is amazing. I wish they'd do the Heron Conver this well. :(

I agree on this one too!

I love the feel of these cards and the colours, not to mention the heels on the shoes of some of the Courts, the studs in the horse's shoes and the wall on the Sun card. It has some great details in the drawing which can be picked out for reading.

(PS. sorry Debra... that is 6 now!)
 

stella01904

I just wish the Heron was on Piatnik cardstock. Piatnik does maintain quality control! I'm not sure why the Heron feels so flimsy. The Vieville doesn't! I like the
square corners, too.
 

Debra

This is so interesting. In a few days I'll work up the Official Tally with links. Right now, I just need coffee..... :D
 

Sophie

Grimaud
Noblet
Tarot de Marsella (Rhodes-Sanchez) - I'm with Kissa on that one
Dodal
Major Tom

No particular order, as I rotate them. But I have a mini Grimaud in my handbag at all times, so that's probably the one that gets used most overall. I also love many others - Le Pendu mentions the 1804 Svizzera, which is great, I'm very fond of the Heron, and I love love love the Tarot de la Réa, even though I don't usually class it among the Marseille decks (I realise we each have our own benchmarks). And the Vieville - oh, ah!
 

Major Tom

Rosanne said:
The pips on Major Tom's. New world meets Old world. I have practised with just the pips- and that has taught me a lot.
Debra said:
Major Tom's. I have the new Schiffer press printing and I love it. I HAVE met these people--some hang out in that odd little pub downtown, and the others were at the annual Company Picnic. We get along, although I don't always take their advice.
Aerin said:
Major Tom's gets a very honourable mention, because the pips are just great.
fanniee said:
Major Tom's
Umbrae said:
Major Tom's (Australian printing)
Fudugazi said:
Major Tom

It's extremely gratifying for me to see my deck mentioned so often in such exaulted company. So thank you Rosanne, Debra, Aerin, fanniee, Umbrae and Fudugazi for the mention. :)

Debra - I always thought that we know all the characters in the tarot and see them around us all the time.

Naturally, Major Tom's Tarot of Marseilles tops my own list. And in a list of three I'd also include Flornoy's restoration of the Noblet and the Dusserre Dodal.

Also worth a mention are the Fournier (I have the mini version which is delightful), the Lo Scarabeo Burdel (before the Universal), the Heron Conver, the Vieville, and the limited edition Tarocco "Soprafino" Gumppenberg from Il Meneghello.

Once one gets draw into the beauty of the Marseille pattern I think it's impossible to not want to have a collection to compare and contrast. I'd still like to get a hold of a Piatnik. ;)
 

Strange2

This is a tough choice, depending on whether to include the tangential Marseille-like decks. Here's my favorites traditional TDM's:

1. Noblet, 78 cards, by Flornoy
2. TDM, Piatnik, Ignaz Krebs
3. Dodal, 22 majors, by Flornoy

I *must* mention the following tangential favorites:

Jacque Vieville
Le Millenaire Tarot de Marseilles, by Chris Butler
Major Tom's
Nostradamus
Marsella, by Rodes and Sanchez
Veritable TDM, by Hadar
Vandenborre Bacchus