Madame Squee
I just received my Gilded Tarot Royale over the weekend and started reading Royale-related threads today.I plan to come back at a later time and offer my opinion on the art and content of the Gilded Tarot Royale. However, I would like to up front address my only real beef with the deck. It's with something that may seem trivial (and for most of my tarot life, has been something I've dismissed as of utterly negligible importance when compared to the artwork in a deck): the card stock.
It's not even the thickness/thinness, flexibility, lamination, or corners--the usual suspects in decks--that are giving me trouble. All of those are fine.
I have a problem rather with the texture on the fronts of the cards. They have a slightly raised, roughened "nub" to them not unlike fine sandpaper. It rouses a sort of "nails on chalkboard" apprehension in me. I don't like feeling this when I go to touch a card and I'm shocking myself now when I say it's actually slightly putting me off using the deck--a deck that I otherwise like and want to use.
This is not the first deck I've owned with that issue. I don't use Nathalie Hertz's Faerie Tarot anyway because the theme and art are not to my tastes but even if I loved them, I still wouldn't use the deck that much because I don't like handling those sandpapery card faces.
Now that I think of it, my mass-market Legacy of the Divine is somewhat sandpapery, too. Again--this bothers me more in a deck I'd otherwise want to use, and LotD has turned out to be one such deck.
Besides the aforementioned three, I can't think of any other decks I have with that sandpapery feel to them. I don't know what to call it or what others would classify it as when comparing the card stock to that of other decks.
I wonder if this bothers anyone else in the Gilded Royale and, if so, if you've figured out a way around this. Perhaps rubbing the cards face down on a specific surface would do the trick? Hopefully just frequent use?
The first thing I noticed about the deck when I had it in my hands was the pebbled texture on the front of the cards.
For some reason, I have it in my mind that this texture makes the card stock stronger and helps prevent the image from being scratched. Plus, it keeps the cards from slip-sliding away, which I believe they surely would if both sides were as smooth as the backs.
Mainly, however, I absolutely love the pebbly feeling against my fingertips!
I have noticed a similar surface on other decks, too -- just not as prominently. I can't think which ones at the moment, but I think they were all printed relatively recently. Maybe it's a new thing.
Actually, when I think of it, what I find most satisfying about this Royale card stock (apart from thickness and gilt edges) is the contrast between the smooth-as-glass backs and the exciting pebbly fronts.
(One man's meat...)