The Fate of Those Blank Cards

[Barleywine]

First, a disclaimer: I couldn't tell if this belongs in Tarot Deck Creation or Experimental Techniques, so I plopped it here for a broader cross-section of views.

I recently bought my first modern deck with two blank cards in it, thanks to the exigencies of the printer's craft. I was wondering what, if anything, I should do with them: Scribble arcane symbols and words of power on them and use them as talismans? Write keywords on them in VERY tiny print and keep them up my sleeve? Clean my teeth with them? Throw them away the way most publishers apparently used to do?

Then it struck me; as I've said elsewhere, I've been working lately on a magical sigil to present the gematriatic (is that a word?) and numerological permutations of my name. It has lots of iconic, qabalistic symbols on it, very much like a coat-of-arms. The original art is approximately the size of a large-format Thoth card. With MS Paint, a high-quality color printer, some photo paper and a little rubber cement, I was able to produce a smaller-sized overlay for one of those cards that turned it into a personalized significator, freeing me from the somewhat loopy considerations that go into picking one from among the various court cards. As one who uses a pre-selected significator in my self-reading spreads, this is an ideal solution that really puts my imprint on the card. I even made one for the old, now wrinkled-and-crinkled OTO advert card that came with my original Thoth deck. Now, what to do with the other blank . . .

Seriously, though, has anyone else done this sort of thing, short of creating a full personal deck, or anything similarly creative with these blanks??

 

[Le Fanu]

To be honest, blank cards are becoming a thing of the past. You don't see them much now. The older decks have them.

But in our "vacuum-abhoring" times, what was once the blank card is a place for advertising other decks. Next purchases.

My older greenie decks have them (what does Lillie call it? The "card of evil"') and the older Rider & Co RWS decks and my Moroccan Fez, but I don't know of any other more modern decks...

 

[Barleywine]

To be honest, blank cards are becoming a thing of the past. You don't see them much now. The older decks have them.

But in our "vacuum-abhoring" times, what was once the blank card is a place for advertising other decks. Next purchases.

My older greenie decks have them (what does Lillie call it? The "card of evil"') and the older Rider & Co RWS decks and my Moroccan Fez, but I don't know of any other more modern decks...

My Haindl recently came with two blank cards and, since I intend to read for myself with it, I put one of them into service as described. I will also do this with any "advertising" cards I happen to get. With the lamination, rubber cement doesn't bleed through the card stock, so I can just cover up the garbage with something more meaningful

 

[jema]

Some nifty ideas there (esp the teeth cleaning one)
I just stick my empty of title or extras in books and use as bookmarks, which means frantic search whenever I am trading something away to find them.
Those really laminated cards are hard to do anything with, i rather just use something else all together for significator if and when I need something like that.

 

[AJ]

I leave any extra cards and lwb in the box. It helps in the sale or trade here if you decide to let something go. I know when I'm looking here I want more than a deck with a floppy bag. I want it All

 

[MareSaturni]

In her book " The Cosmic Tarot: Signposts Along the Path", Laura E. Clarson gives a meaning to the "Blank Card" that came with the older editions of the Cosmic Tarot. LOL! I can't remember what it was, but something on the lines of 'unknownable'.

Basically that's the tarot denying you the message, lol!

When I get home I'll see if the meaning is interesting enough to share!

 

[Sulis]

I use them as book marks.

 

[Aerin]

I keep them at the top and bottom of the deck, except the MRP Fairytale has a lovely picture on one of the spares and I shuffle that into the deck.

I think that they protect the deck. Well, obviously not much but they might.

 

[Carla]

I guess I'm evil, I throw them out. If I intend to trim the deck, I use them as practice.

 

[MareSaturni]

I guess I'm evil, I throw them out. If I intend to trim the deck, I use them as practice.

...and then one these days we find out that an army of abandoned and maimed Blank Cards are marching towards Carla's house with torches and pitchforks, seeking revenge.