[Barleywine]

Originally Posted by garmonbozia

My favorite traditional deck (with playing card insets) has always been the Piatnik deck as it is mass-market, so safe for regular/heavy use as it could be easily replaced:
https://smile.amazon.com/Mlle-Lenorm.../dp/B00008D9U3
This is becoming harder to find, however, so I might need to pick another favorite for regular use.

As long as it stays in the "Toy" category on Amazon, it may be around for a while.

[garmonbozia]

Originally Posted by Barleywine

As long as it stays in the "Toy" category on Amazon, it may be around for a while.

lol, maybe. but only one person was selling it for a reasonable price. I was surprised to see it was "unavailable" on Book Depository. It must have gone out of print while I wasn't looking.

[Genna]

My favourite is Fairy Tale Lenormand, illustrated by Lisa Hunt in a beautiful green tin. It is inspired by intelligent fairytales like The selfish giant by Oscar Wilde, Rikki Tikki Tavi by Rudyard Kipling, fairytales from different countries and the old well-known loved fairy tales like Cinderella and Snow-White Little Red Ridinghood and Rapunzel, all told in the little book. You do not have to read it or care about the fairy tales, for the pictures are traditional and not fussy, the story is only possible to recognize if you know about it; you see the great anchor and The Little Mermaid is very small in the background (but I love that she is there). But you can read a GT and never notice the fairytales.
I love it because I love the stories and Lisa Hunt´s illustrations (and the lovely tin), and the book that is in the tin. There are two peasants; Cinderella and the chinese peasant and the tiger, and a princess and prince, because there are (mostly) peasants and royalty in fairy tales, so there are two ladies and two gentlemen.

[Astraea]

There are a bunch of Piatniks selling for between $8-$20 US on eBay - search on "Piatnik Lenormand cards."

[DownUnderNZer]

Blue Owl first and upmost as it was my teething ring deck and is still my main go to deck.

I do love the Gilded Reverie (Ciro M), the Purple Dragon, and Dondorf remakes not to mention the Halloween Lenormand by Chronata and Minute Lenormand.

Just a shame I never use any of them besides the Blue Owl.

Might have to change that just to see how they read for me.

DND

[snowmoon]

thank-you all for comments. i will check those deck out.

Petit Mlle Lenormand is quite expensive.

[RAphrodite]

Celtic!

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/celtic-lenormand/

[Le Fanu]

Love my Destroyed Dondorf as issued by our Tag. Plus the Stralsunder - love all her historic reproductions in fact. Every single one!

Of the mainstream mass market ones I really do like the Blue Bird.

Of the thematic ones, the Lisa Hunt Fairy Tale one retains readability without being swamped in "theme."

[Tag_jorrit]

Thank you, Le Fanu. I know you have a bazillion decks and it is so gratifying that you like the ones I have reproduced from your own collection. I think we lovers of the antique decks are deeply indebted to you for sharing your wonderful decks with all of us.

[Genna]

Lenormand Oracle, the deck used in Rana George´s book (alhough it is large, so not for GT), I love it though, for it´s old-fashioned charm.It has large piquet card inserts, good for learning. Gilded Reverie Lenormand is maybe the most beautiful in a handy box.
Mysterious Lenormand is so sweet, with an animal on every card, painted in egg-tempera, and wih a book you buy on the side wih a meaning for every combination of the cards, and lots of good advice.No piquet-card references, but astrological references.
Blue Bird Lenormand is so beautiful, and has the piquecards with oil painings for court cards, and verses that make sense,that it was the only reason I started to study Lenormand. Look a the beauiful spaniel, and the heart!