Card back unknown?

I've just managed to get my hands on (well, I will once it arrives - still waiting for it to reach me) a RWS-deck with a rather different type of back.

Instead of the tudor rose and lily or the tarottee-back it has a yellow cross with a red rose in the middle on a dark blue background.
Does anyone have any info on it?

From the images I've seen there is no mention of US Games, so it's probably a pre-date of those printruns. The images are clearly RWS since they match the US Games copy I have to a tee but the back does make me curious.

Unfortunately it won't be coming with a box so I can't check any info on that, and a LWB has also not been mentioned. So, just the deck itself.
I've run a search on google, but another image of that particular back seems hard to find.

A link to the image:
http://www.tradera.com/auction/auction.aspx?aid=18651530

The auction is quite closed.

It could be the Swedish version of the RWS

Since the seller at tradera.com seems to be living in Sweden (Hedemora) it is not entirely impossible that this deck is a copy of the Swedish version.

I believe that deck was first printed in 2001. I've seen it at Vattumannens bokhandel in Stockholm.
I found one picture, this RWS has the same back.
http://www.solvinden.com/catdisplay.asp?catid=15 (I hope the link works), the second pic from the top.

Ah, yes. That is the one.
I'll have to check the titles when it arrives to see if it's all in swedish. Only minors were shown on the auction and I didn't think to ask the seller before the deck was packed up and ready to go.

It's nice to know a little more about the deck, especially since there is no documentation with it to show printer, year of publication etc.

I think someone has posted a picture of that RWS back before. Just searched for it but I can't find it.

I seem to remember that it was someone from Europe.

They are very nice aren't they? A vast improvement (IMO) on the very ugly blue plaid backs that U S Games still do.

Love

Sulis xx

Oh yes. I agree with that.
Plaid is nice, but in moderation.. It's especially nice if it has something that sets it off from the surroundings, but that blue one is just too non-descript to pack a punch in my opinion.

I do have another US Games copy of the RWS but it has the english rose and lily pattern, which is really nice. And now I'll soon have thisone aswell.

It has a striking similarity to the Thoth card-backs. Different background and fewer colors, so that's another reason I'm curious about it.
Is it a connection that is actually there, like a remnant from the Golden Dawn relation? Or is it just a simpler version of it by some marketing twist? Could be purely aestetic aswell..

Even if it's only aesthetic it's much better than the mainstream edition. I've always found it rather sad that the US Games edition is let down by such an unimaginative back design. These cards deserve so much better and the Swedish edition looks really lovely. I bet you're glad you won the auction!

Chris. xx

I am.
It came at a good price too, and from the image looked to be in good condition.

I can hardly wait to look through it and I'll be making it a box aswell once I have it (and the time since I have a pile of other things I really need to finish before starting any more).
Any information I can find on it will be written onto the box too, just so I have it all collected.

Indeed it is the swedish printrun.
And a very pretty back indeed. Nicer than in the picture, but aren't they almost always.

FYI
This is exactly the same back as in the actual and available german edition of the RWS by KÖNIGSFURT Verlag, D-24796 Krummwisch
On the Box it says also:
"mit freundlicher Genehmigung der Idea Pool GmbH, CH 8465 Rudolfliingen"
(with friendly authorization from the Idea Pool inc.)
Standard Edition ISBN 3-927808-13-X

By the way the deck comes with a nice two pieces box with the same violet color as the back of the cards and the World Dancer printed on the Top (similar to the Blue Box RWS)
The cards have no copyright on the front.
On the german edition there is a copyright on the back of each card at the right bottom.
It is a nice cardstock (not too plastical) the colors seem to be somehow paler than the early US Games edition.

There is also a pocket edition of this deck: ISBN 3-927808-15-6
a miniature version: ISBN 3-933939-54-2
and a De Luxe version: ISBN 3-89875-698-X

http://www.koenigsfurt.com/cms/index.php?id=48

I have the german edition deck with this back as well. It came without a box (that was why I got it for 1 DM) but does not have any copyright on the back though. I have the pocketversion. I was always was curious what version it was..