Still shaking. Found Lisa Hunt’s Fairytale Tarot in a thrift store discount bin for FOUR DOLLARS. Just thought it looked pretty, had no idea it’s been out of print forever and goes for insane money online. Each card tells a tale or myth that weaves into the traditional meanings. I love it.
The narrative quality adds layers I never got from my RWS.
Apparently, it’s getting reprinted soon after 10+ years. Part of me feels guilty keeping one of these rare tarot decks when collectors are hunting for it, but this baby’s getting used daily, not displayed. The universe really said, “Here, learn to read through storytelling,” and dropped this in my lap.
Other than something like Leonora Carrington, what other rare decks are there out there? I might have a collection starting…
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A lot of small indie prints only have limited runs or there are a lot of older decks that never saw much popularity and are now out of print but they can always come back if there’s popularity and demand again.
Some of these decks can be hard to find, but that’s more just because they’re popular and hard to get in stock sometimes.
My rarest is probably Sola Busca because I can never seem to find it in stock anywhere and I’ve never seen anyone else with a deck.
What counts as rare decks is pretty subjective honestly. It’s like trying to figure out what the Moon card means, everyone has their own take on it.
There are plenty of “dead” decks you just won’t find because nobody ever really cared. I could make my own deck today which would be considered “rare”. That $3 find though? Nice score. I love stumbling across deals like that at thrift stores. Makes the hunt worth it.
Comic book shops are where you want to look for unique tarot decks, not just thrift stores. They usually have limited runs and indie decks you won’t find anywhere else. The Pacific Northwest Tarot is a good example, it has local plants and animals on the cards, which some people really like if they’re into regional symbolism.
That’s crazy cheap for a tarot deck. I remember my grandma telling me something about bargain decks having messages for you, but honestly I think you just got lucky. Either way, four bucks is four bucks. Nice find.
That’s a great find. I’ve been looking for this deck for a while now (can’t find it anywhere locally and online sellers want like $300+ for it. This deck is pretty special for therapeutic work. The fairy tale imagery helps people see patterns in their own life. When someone connects with a particular tale, it can reveal a lot about what’s going on psychologically for them.
I’ve worked with a therapist who used this approach a few years ago. It was really helpful for me at the time. Definitely keep it if you can. If you want to try the therapeutic angle, pull one card and ask yourself what story you’re living right now. Sometimes the connections are surprisingly accurate.
Yeah I had that deck back when it came out. Gave it away after a few months - didn’t know it would become so hard to find later on. The art was nice, but I couldn’t connect with it during readings.
Just one of those decks that didn’t work for me, even though it looked good. We all have decks like that.
I’ve been thinking about reprints lately. Part of me wants the original edition, but then again, the words are the same right? Your Fairytale find sounds interesting. There’s something about old books that have been waiting around for someone to pick them up again.
Kickstarter has a ton of limited-edition decks these days. Lots of creators are ditching the traditional Rider-Waite stuff and doing their own artwork.
The thing about rare decks is they don’t have to be vintage. Some recent indie releases with small print runs are going for crazy prices now because hardly anyone has them.
The Iona Tarot by Giona Fiochi, each card is hand-painted on homemade paper with crushed minerals and plant dyes. There are only 300 copies out there. The creator blessed every deck under certain moon phases.
Got mine through a bunch of strange coincidences that were pretty weird at the time. I think rare decks just appear when you’ve given up searching?
Estate sale find from last year, the Parrott Tarot. Has 82 cards, which threw me off since standard decks have 78. The extra cards are ‘Mentors’, one for each suit.
Makes progression readings different because you get that Hierophant-type wisdom in each suit’s court cards. The cards themselves are busy with correspondences all over them. It was a bit much when I first got it, but I’ve gotten used to it.
Good deck when you need more court card options for complicated readings but rare and hard to find now.
I came across this neoconservative tarot deck once, Reagan as Emperor, Thatcher as Empress, all done up in this Atompunk style with Protestant imagery thrown in.
The vendor was going on about the deck’s deeper meaning and philosophy. Kind of strange seeing such a political deck, but I guess it worked somehow.
Proper storage is key for keeping rare decks in good shape. I wrap mine in unbleached muslin cloth since it’s better than plastic, which can trap moisture.
Then, I store them in archival boxes with silica gel. It’s a good idea to keep them away from sunlight and high or low temperatures. I’ve also started taking photos of each card for insurance reasons. Unfortunately, I found out the necessity of this after some water damage destroyed a deck I couldn’t replace.
Been burned by fake decks at thrift stores before. That Thoth deck I found seemed like such a good deal until I picked it up; the cards were so thin that they bent when I shuffled through them.
I always check the print quality against online photos now. The colors on bootlegs are usually off, kind of washed out. And the copyright info on the box or booklet is a dead giveaway if something’s fake.
Just picked up the Sacred Creators Oracle and noticed something interesting, the first 21 cards follow the major arcana structure. The guidebook has been helpful so far. Each reading brings up points I hadn’t considered before. Since it bridges oracle and tarot styles, it works well if you’re familiar with either system.
Han Bauer’s Lost Tarot deck made me put my guidebooks away. There’s something about those vintage cards and the ancestral imagery that just speaks directly. I stopped memorizing meanings because the cards communicate on their own.
Nice find! The deck looks really good. I’m curious about the minor arcana cards, how do they look to you? Sometimes those everyday suit cards end up being the most interesting ones. Have you done any readings with it yet?
When looking for rare decks, their prices are all over the place. A deck someone bought for $300 last year might now be $50, or it could be the reverse. I’ve seen the same out-of-print deck priced anywhere from $75 to $500. Rarity seems to have its own strange economy. Enjoy building your collection with decks you like, no matter what they’re worth.
