Red Owl Question

[Lillie]

I found this little deck at the flea market this morning...a seller had a huge table of baseball cards, playing cards, all kinds of cards - I asked him if he had any tarot cards, just on a whim, because although I am always looking for them, I never really ask people. Lo and behold, he said he did and then dug these out of the back of his car.. not exactly tarot but I was happy anyway.

The cards are in very decent shape, but there is no box and no info or dates anywhere on the cards. It looks like there is some gold gilding on the corners. I paid $3.

What I can't seem to find out is if they are still being printed, some sites say yes, some say no..does anyone know or have a link with the correct information about these decks?

I've had a couple of decks of these.

They are cute, and the corners are gilded.
They come in red and blue and there is no difference between them.

I have mine in a box, with the LWB.

The box says JMC #12274, Muller & cie. on one side. On the back it says that they are an authentic repro of a famous 19th Century deck, they are a special edition for Time Life books, and are printed in Switzerland.

The LWB gives USG as the distributor, and the copyright is 1970, S R Kaplan.

The LWB gives a huge spread that uses all the cards.

I don't think there is any difference between the red and the blue. Mine are blue, but I have also seen red that seem identical.
I would be interested in hearing anyone else's opinion on the variations.

The designs themselves are probably old and have been used before (and maybe since), but I think that the time life ones are the only ones that have the gilded corners.
Again, if anyone knows, I would be interested to hear.

If you want I can scan the LWB for you. PM me if you are interested.

 

[Bhavana]

Thanks, Lillie!

 

[Lillie]

Lol. I was trying to make a Pdf for you.

Ha! Cos I don't know how to do that.

Here is the book. Should be readable.

 

[Lillie]

Book part two

 

[Lillie]

And other stuff

 

[Le Fanu]

I have exactly the same editions as Lillie. I have two too. I always found it odd before this thread how I had a pale green/blue (i.e, not red) box and yet "Red Owl" cards.

Like I said earlier in the thread, I have the Time Life ones. I got them from a book club. You got them as a free gift if you tried out the books (occult themes). You could return the books but keep the cards. I still have the cards.

I have never seen any contemporary Lenormands with the gilt corners.

 

[Lillie]

And at one point I had a blue deck in a pink/red box.

I think it was just random, which deck went in which box.

Both decks were identical (apart from the backs) both had the English poems on them.
I like those cheesy little poems.

The gilt corners are cute. Very subtle.

 

[Le Fanu]

Both decks were identical (apart from the backs) both had the English poems on them.
I like those cheesy little poems.

The gilt corners are cute. Very subtle.

Purists must hate them but I always found those little poems very helpful. Chirpy, inane little things. But I remember laying these cards out and being able to make sense of them out of the box.

Is it the verse inserts or playing card inserts that are harder to find now? Or are they both easily available?

But very few Lenormand decks have that cachét of the gilt corners.

 

[Le Fanu]

The Time Life book club had a special offer, if you ordered the first volume in their Enchanted World series (Wizards & Witches) you got a free Lenormand deck. I ordered it but my parents wouldn't let me buy the whole set so I had to return it but could keep the Lenormand. I must have done it twice as I have two sets! I still wish they'd let me buy the whole series, it looked really good. I've been carrying that anger all these years. LOL

Attached are the covers of the first few volumes. They are listed as being published in March 1984 but I thought it was before then.

 

[Lillie]

Yay for gilt corners!

ETA.
They look really good.
Shame on your parents!