Versions of the 1JJ Swiss Tarot

I picked up a version of the 1JJ Swiss tarot this morning from a dealer on a second-hand market I use. He said the deck had been stored in a loft for quite a number of years and he'd decided to empty the loft - hence the sale. I also bought a book called 'The Tarot Speaks' by Richard Gardner but not looked at that yet. I had these items for the bargain price of £3.

I thought the 1JJ Swiss was the same version that I already have but on getting it home I've noticed that it is different.

It has no ISBN number, and was distributed by Waddingtons Playing Cards Co Ltd, and was printed by A G Muller + CIE, Neuhausen Am Rheinfall, Switzerland. The LWB was printed for Waddingtons and has the date 1970. The deck and box appear to have no dates on them. The box front is just has TAROT CARDS on it and is the one with the gold bottom tray, the red top fits over it.

My version of the 1JJ Swiss I have before this one is the US Games version which I bought around 1981 so what I wanted to know is which one is the oldest. I've been searching around online and can't find any dates.

When I hold this Waddingtons version I get the feeling that it is older than my US Games version but if so how old is it. The 'The Tarot Speaks' book was printed in 1974, the dealer said both book and deck were bought together but they might not have been.

So any help would be appreciated.

Quick question: What do the back of the cards look like?
I'm new to the 1JJ Swiss but have been doing research.

Hi Emily

I'm not going to be any help in identifying which is the oldest, but I think I have this deck. What you have said is exactly what mine looks like.

Mine came as a set in a large yellow box with Deluxe Edition on the top. It includes a larger paperback book which appears to say it's the fifth edition 1974. The cards themselves are in the gold box with red lid as you describe and they certainly look and feel that old too.

The backs are a diagonal check pattern with a dark beige background and black and green lines.

Hey, I think I will have a little play with these tonight.

I bought a IJJ Swiss in a used book store.
The copyright is 1970.
The backs are orange and brown checked.
It was printed by AG Muller and distributed by US Games.
The bottom of the box is gold and the top red with a picture of the Sun card on the red cover.

The Swiss 1JJ was my very first-ever tarot deck. And look where it's gotten me today -- such an utter tarotholic that I have to "deal" to support my habit -- LOL!

I bought it (well, my mom bought it for me, I was 9 years old at the time) in 1970. 'Twas the AGM version distributed in North American by U.S. Games, probably from the first batch that went out over here. We bought it at a combination toy shop and sporting goods store, of all places.

Since the earliest U.S. Games publication date I've found so far for the Rider-Waite deck is 1971, it appears as though while the RWS deck may have "made" USG, the 1JJ "started" it. (Well, the tarot division, anyway -- they have all those other non-tarot things they publish, too, although how many of us here can name any of those? LOL)

Interesting note: when USG started distributing the 1JJ in North America, they retained the original French on the card titles. (The titles on my copy are in French, and I'll bet the titles on your copy are too, Lark.) I don't know when they switched, but the editions they sell today have English card titles.

The 1JJ has been published time and again, all over the world, by different publishers in different formats. Every once in a while, I order something from a supplier "on a whim" because I don't recognize the name, and it turns out to be someone's edition of the 1JJ. Some are majors only, some crop or border the cards differently -- but the basic 1JJ images remain more-or-less the same. I have a couple in my "scan pile" waiting to get entered into the Tarot Garden database, but I've never put them on high priority (I'd probably have to dig down pretty deeply through the pile now to even find them!).

-- Jeannette
The Tarot Garden

Yes my titles are in French.

Made in Switzerland by AGMuller

My box says 1974 and the LWB has 1970. French titles.
The backs are what is referred to as "tarotee" with the
hatchings, coloured varied browns with green touches.

The original designs were created in 1831, 175 yrs ago.

Yes mine are in French too with the beige blue/black tartan backs. I still can't find a date on the box though. The colours are different from my US Games version, this A G Muller version has much cleaner, crisper colours - nicer and the card stock is better. Even though they are not laminated they shuffle really nicely. It does actually feel like a different deck.

The top red box has the Sun card and just the title 'Tarot Cards' - it says 1JJ Tarot Cards but nowhere on the box does it say 1JJ Swiss. I'm thinking that this Waddingtons version is older than the US Games version - I'm going to have another look around online to see if I can dig anything up.

Question...I see a 1974 AGMueller version is available

for 20 Euros below, with the Tarot Total book--the only book I've seen the Rider Waite and IJJ Swiss pictured together... I believe the book is packaged now with the Rider Waite by AG Mueller (as of 2005). This Rider Waite has a kind of lavendar-gray background in the cards such as the Hanged Man and Hermit and a smaller 1971 emblem by U.S. Games.

The IJJ Swiss that I'm interested in says 1974...:

/www.spielkartenonline.com/TAROT/Tarot.html

My guess is the backs are more yellow than orange? Is the book in English in your sets?

Thanks

Cerulean

no copyright 1JJ

Just received a copy of the 1JJ Swiss today.
It looks exactly like the copy of Emily.
There are also 2 advertising cards from Waddington coming with the deck.

What I noticed is that there is no copyright on the cards
(Other versions of the "1JJ" have a copyright, similar to the RWS, on the right bottom of each card)

And the cardstock is really really nice!
More carton like (it does not feel like plastic at all) and with a matt finish.
This is the same kind of cardstock as a US Games no-copyright-RWS from about 1971 I have.

Two cards have a TDM-like illustrated copyright:
On the 2 of cups it says: "Fabrique de Cartes J.Müller & Cie"
On the 2 of coins it says: "Fabrique de cartes a schaffhouse"

I have seen scans of the "1JJ" without the copyright on the 2 of coins.