Londa Tarot

Creator(s): Londa Marks
Date: 1993
Country: USA
Publisher: US Games
Number of Cards: 78+1
ISBN: 0-88079-664-2
Type: RWS
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV pp. 401,404




  


Notes:
All cards were oil painted by the artist.U.S. Games  owns the 80 paintings for this tarot deck and they are in their collection of art. The artist once designed costumes and make-up for rock groups.

The depicted people are slender, androgynous and have angular faces. The scenes on each card are a stage with characters presented in a theatrical manner, they all have a title at the bottom and the Majors have a number at the top. Each card is signed "Londa". 

The Minor Arcana images are sometimes based on Waite. The suits are sort of color coded: The people on Wands wear brown clothes and the Wands themselves are brown too, the Cups all have violet/red in the backgrounds, the Cups themselves are golden, the people on Pentacles have green clothes and the Pentacles themselves are golden, the Swords are all blue (the people wear mixed colors) .

There is a title card and an extra card that shows a masked person with the question, "Who are you really?".

The backs show a circled cross in gold on black and are reversible. The lwb that comes with the deck is written by the artist herself, has some information about the artist and an introduction to the deck, it also contains two of Londa Marks' poems.

Tarocchino Milanese a Doppia Figura

Creator(s): Bordoni
Date: 1880* reproduction 2000
Country: Italy
Publisher: Bordoni*, Il Meneghello
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN:
Type: Milanese
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV pp. 680, 682







Notes:
This is a reproduction of a deck printed by Bordoni circa 1880.  The Ace of Coins contains an Italian monarchic tax stamp, 50 centesimi (valid mid-1880/1890s) and a stamp of the Milanese tax office dated 1890, but tax stamps don't give an exact date, because they may be applied years after the deck was first published.

This reproduction was printed as a limited and numbered edition of 2000 by Il Meneghello. There was another edition of the same deck - also by Il Meneghello - named "Tarocco Lombardo (a doppia figura)" that one is limited to 1500 copies.

This deck it is one of the earliest known to have double figures (doppia figura), or mirror reflections of the images on the cards. The back design shows a lancer on horseback.
 

The original was stencil colored lithography and has the backs printed on a separate sheet and glued to the cards, with the edges wrapped around the front. This edition also reproduces the backing paper edges on the front.

The cards came in a solid cardboard box with a wax seal of Il Meneghello.

Linol-Tarot

Creator(s): Gerhard Haack
Date: 1988
Country: Germany
Publisher: self-published 
Number of Cards: 79
ISBN:    
Type: RWS
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV, pp.401, 403

Notes:
The deck is printed as "Linol-Farbdruck", that means not the black lines (which are line drawings), but only the five different colors were applied as linoleum block prints.

The minors were fully illustrated, they are inspired by the RWS images but not clones. The cards have German titles and Roman numbers, Strength is 8, Justice 11.


The deck has 78 cards plus an untitled extra card showing a man with a club.

It is a limited edition of 150 decks. The cardboard box of the deck is signed and numbered by the artist, mine is number 123. There is no lwb.

Primavera Tarot (Tarot Art Nouveau)

Creator(s): Antonella Castelli
Date: 1998
Country: Italy
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN:   
Type: RWS
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV, pp. 222, 223  

Notes:
The Primavera Tarot was also called  Tarot Art Nouveau, but there is another deck by Matt Myers called the Art Nouveau Tarot. The Myers deck is less representative of art nouveau and shows mainly influence of stained glass design, while Castelli's tarot looks like the works by Alphonse Mucha and Aubrey Beardsley.

The cards are are elegant, flowery and ornate, the minor arcana do show a distant influence from the Waite-Smith designs. People, which are the focus of the deck, are uniformly young and attractive. The colours are soft greens, blues,  pinks, and yellows, inset into a white border. The main title, in Italian, is purple; other language titles are pink.

There are Knights and Knaves, rather than Prince and Princess or Knight and female Page; but the Kings all have women beside them who appear to be consorts, whereas the Queens are alone. Most of the minor arcana cards have only women in them.

Death is female and Strength is male, the rest of the majors adhere to the genders usually assigned to them. There were no deeper esoteric meanings, no associiations with Kabbala, Numerology or Astrology.

The deck comes with a lwb that gives very brief card meanings.

Blue Moon Tarot

Creator(s): Julie Cuccia-Watts
Date: 2004
Country: USA
Publisher: self-published
Number of Cards: 22
ISBN: 0-9755510-0-0   
Type: other
Reference:  Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV, pp. 248, 249




Notes:
The Blue Moon Tarot started as a moon calendar project in 1999 that Julie Cuccia-Watts was commissioned to do by Janet Berres and Ron Losczyk of the Light of the Moon occult bookstore. What evolved was a Pagan calendar based on the twelve full moons of the year and the thirteenth full moon, the Blue Moon.

In 2000 the  images were published as the first edition of the Blue Moon Tarot. That edition was printed on a laser printer and hand cut and glued to a sturdy cardstock. Mine is  from the second edition in 2004, which was printed by a commercial printer. The backs are blank. The second edition has rounded corners (the first had square corners).

This is a signed and numbered edition of 1000 decks. The cards came without a box and with a LWB. At the end of the book is the Blue Moon Tarot System Guide. This is a graphic, done in mandala format, that shows the relationship of the cards to the seasons and to the zodiac.

Tarots Universels

Creator(s): Segio Toppi
Date: 1991
Country: Italy
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
Number of Cards: 22
ISBN:   
Type: other
Reference:  Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV, pp. 570, 571








Notes:
Sergio Toppi (1932-2012) was an Italian illustrator and comic-strip artist

The original edition of the Tarocchi Universali from 1988 was limited and numbered; this is a later, smaller-format edition that is not officially released as a limited edition.

The deck has Italian titles. It included a title card, a card with a poem and came with two little leaflets in Italian only. The double-ended back design shows the bird from the Magician card.

Parrott Tarot

Creator(s): Margaret Parrott, Thom Parrott
Date: 1996
Country: USA
Publisher: s.s. adams co.
Number of Cards: 82
ISBN:   
Type: Thoth
Reference:  Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV, pp. 456, 459

Notes: 
Margaret Parrott is a retired teacher and artist. She has created two decks of playing cards, one with Pueblo Kachinas on the face cards and the other with Northwest Coastal Native American masks and in collaboration with her son, the songwriter Thom Parrott, she created the 82 card Parrott Tarot.

Each Major Arcana card has the card number in the upper left corner and in the bottom left border. The bottom border also has the Astrological correspondence, the Hebrew letter, the card name, the path on the Tree of Life, and a musical scale with the corresponding note and a Parrot.The musical notes in the major arcana are Paul Foster Case’s notes that accompany the majors in his teachings.

The Court Cards have the associated playing card symbol in the upper left corner. The bottom border has the astrological correspondence, the elemental correspondence, the name of the card and a Parrot. The Minor Arcana have the same information plus a keyword, which is the same key word as in the Thoth Tarot. The deck has an additional court card called "the Mentor", which is placed between the Prince and the Queen.

The deck came with a short a fold out sheet, more information can be found on the artist's website.

Graphik Tarocchi

Creator(s): Zoltán Tamássi
Date: 1992
Country: Italy
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
Number of Cards: 22
ISBN:   
Type: other
Reference:  Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV, pp. 367, 370

Notes:
Zoltán Tamássi (1912-1997) was an important poster artist and graphic designer. In 1945 Tamássi was one of the leading graphic artists who renewed the visual language of the political poster in Hungary. He designed election campaign posters for opposite parties, like the Peasants’ Party, the Social Democratic Party and the Hungarian Communist Party. Tamássi was initially the propagandist of the Peasants’ Party, but he was commissioned by other political parties as well.

The art for this deck was rendered in tempura. Each card is titled in Italian and includes a poem by Gianni Brunoro. The reversable red and white back design shows a hand surrounded by the alphabet.

I Tarocchi dei Colori

Creator(s): Elena Assante
Date: 1991
Country: Italy
Publisher: Italcards
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN:
Type: other
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV, pp. 279, 284

 

Notes:
Limited edition of 3,000 copies. All cards are titled in Italian as well as in English, Spanish, French and German. The deck includes a title card and a card describing in Italian the artistic conception. Mine came with  an additional explanation sheet in German.

Bold areas of color form minimalistic figures and objects. The back design is wavy stripes in various colors.

Italcards stopped producing playing cards around 1993. The most recent date on any of their packs is 1992 (I tarocchi nei colori della Toscana).

Tarocchi Romantici

Creator(s): Giorgio Trevisian
Date: 1991
Country: Italy
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
Number of Cards: 22
ISBN:   
Type: other
Reference:  Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV, pp. 494, 499







Notes: 
There are three editions of the "Tarocchi Romantici": a small edition with English titles, a larger edition with Italian titles and Roman numbering on the cards, and this small edition with Italian titles and Arabic numbers.

The English edition includes a card with a verse, the large Italian edition came with a LWB and has the verse on the box, my small edition has no verse and two explanation cards instead of the LWB. The back design is the same on all three editions.

The watercolor paintings are similar to Trevisan's Tarots of the Renaissance. 

Celtic Tarot (Gaudenzi)

Creator(s): Giacinto Gaudenzi, Saverio Tenuta
Date: 2000
Country: Italy
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 978-0738700137  
Type: RWS
Reference:  Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV, pp. 267, 268

  




Notes:
The Celtic Tarot is illustrated by two different  artists. The Major Arcana were created by Gaudenzi in a style that is found in book illustrations. His work appears to be pen and ink colored with watercolors. The Minors Arcana are by Tenuto and recalls comic book art. The Majors were originally released in 1994 as an art deck under the name of Tarochi Celtici, and the Minors were added some years later and the deck re-released.

The Major Arcana's images are from Celtic folklore and fairytales. The Minors are based on the Rider Waite symbolism with the suits being attributed to Irish tribes. Wands represent the Fomori, Pentacles are the Tuatha De Danaan, Swords are the Ulaid, and Chalices are the Fianna. The deck attributes Wands to Air and Swords to Fire. The Court Cards follow the traditional pattern- Knave, Knight, Queen King.

The deck comes with a LWB that briefly explains the legends associated with each Major Arcana card.

Basque Country Tarot (Tarot de Euskalherria)

Creator(s): Alfredo Fermin Cemillan, Maritxu Erlanz de Güler
Date: 1991
Country: Spain
Publisher: Heraclio Fournier
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN:   
Type: Marseilles
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV, pp. 241



Notes:  
The Tarot de Euskalherria (Basque Country Tarot) was commissioned by publisher Fournier to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Fournier Museum of Cards. Under the direction of Marixtu Erlanz de Güler, artist Alfredo Fermin Cemillan painted the deck.

The Major Arcana retain the traditional names with the exception of the Hierophant, who is the High Priest. The Majors have the names written on the bottoms in Spanish, Basque and English. Death is unnamed and the Fool is unnumbered. The Majors also have astrological symbols, but they do not correspond to the Golden Dawn assignments. The Court Cards do not have names written on them. The suits are, according to lwb,  Cups, Swords, Pentacles and Rods, and the courts King, Queen, Knight and Jack. The Minor Arcana pips include flora of the Basque region and plants reputed to have magical properties, including mandragora and belladonna.

The art is watercolor. The deck includes two presentation cards and came with a  lwb, which  provides information in Spanish, English, French and German.

Element Tarot

Creator(s): David Bourne, Stacy Mendoza
Date: 2002
Country: United Kingdom
Publisher: Element Books
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 0-00-713696-X   
Type: RWS
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV, pp. 318



Notes:
The Element Tarot was designed to accompany the book Tarot: Your Destiny Revealed in the Secrets of the Cards. The artists stated their aim was "to create a set of strong archetypal images associated with dream states. The bold colors, together with the mystical and fairytale imagery, are used in order to unlock the deeply seated subconscious feelings we all hold within us from childhood".

Most of the court cards figures seem feminised, certainly androgynous at the very least. All the human figures have long hair, and there are a number of mermaid forms.The pip cards have no imagery.

The deck came in a violet box with a booklet, the backs are violet with a sun and moon design. The deck was first published as Dreamers Tarot by Anness Publishing in 1999 with a black and white pattern back design. There is also an edition as Mysteries of the Tarot kit put out by Selected Editions and an edition by Hermes House from 2002.

Stone Tarot

Creator(s): Alison Stone
Date: 2000
Country: USA
Publisher: self-published
Number of Cards: 78+1
ISBN:
Type: Marseilles
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV, pp. 176, 177





Notes:
Alison Stone is a poet, artist, and Wiccan High Priestess. The cards in the Stone Tarot Deck are reproduced from original oil paintings by Alison Stone and the deck is distributed through her web site.

Most of the trumps are based on Italian or Marseilles designs, without occult details such as in the Waite and Crowley decks. The numeric cards are pips, illustrated using arrangements of the four suit symbols.

The deck follows the classical tarot naming and numbering tradition with one minor variation; it is gender balanced. For two of the Minor Arcana suits, the Page is a male and the rider on the horse is a female (Amazon). For the other two suits, the Page is a female and the rider is a male (Knight). The deck has an additional blank card for those who incorporate that into their readings.

The sheet that comes with the deck has very little background information,  it only offers brief interpretations for every card.

Le Nouveau Tarot de Marseille

Creator(s): Colette Silvestre-Haeberle
Date: 1999
Country: France
Publisher: France Jeux Productions
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 3-114524-218456   
Type: Marseilles
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV, pp. 695, 698

  

Notes:

This deck is based on the Tarot of Marseilles, with modern drawings that recall the tarot designs of Oswald Wirth. It is created in pen and watercolour, subtly coloured with primarily russet or orangy yellow backgrounds.

A booklet by Colette Sylvestre-Haeberle accompanies the deck, but the artist is unidentified.

Pamela Colman Smith Commemorative Set

Creator(s): A.E.Waite, Pamela Colman Smith
Date: 1910*, 2009
Country: USA
Publisher: US Games
Number of Cards: 78
ISBN: 978-1-57281-639-8   
Type: RWS
Reference: Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV, pp. 484-491

Notes:
The Commemorative Set is a rather huge package. It included two books, the 78 cards and assorted extras, such as a little blue organza bag  for storing the deck, a fold out with tarot spreads as well as some postcards and pictures.

One book is Waite's "The Pictorial Key to the Tarot" except that the illustrations are not included (!).  The book is obviously a photographic reprint based upon either the 1910 or the 1922 edition; which one isn't mentioned. The missing pages with illustrations have forced a renumbering of the text pages, which makes this edition impossible to be used as a reference. 

The other book, "The Artwork and Times of Pamela Colman Smith" by Stuart R. Kaplan is a small biography. Pamela Colman Smith's life and family history are thoroughly covered and many colour illustrations of her art, most of them from Mr. Kaplan's own collection but also pieces from other sources are displayed throughout the book with notes that help the reader learn about the mediums that Colman-Smith worked with throughout her life (watercolor, ink, pencil, etc.) as well as all the different places where her work was featured (book illustrations,  magazines, etc.)

This deck is obviously a reprint of the same original `roses and lilies' deck from Kaplan's collection that was already used for the Original Rider Waite Tarot , but  the back pattern, which gave this edition its popular name, has disappeared to be substituted by one single `Irish rose' flanked by a stylized version of Smith's  signature. 

One major reproduction problem with this edition is that  the coloured background areas, particularly  the blue and grey areas are rather muddy and with larger grains than the original. 

Tarocchi Marvel

Creator(s): Claudio Villa, Luca Poli
Date: 1995
Country: Italy
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
Number of Cards: 22
ISBN:   
Type: other
Reference:  Encyclopedia of Tarot, vol. IV, pp. 419, 420





 
Notes:
The cards are Major Arcana only, the Minor Arcana were never actually made for the deck. Marvel Comic characters star as the various portraits on the cards. Artist Claudio Villa drew the cartoons, which he and Luca Poli colored in. The backs show a double-ended picture of Dr. Strange.

The 22 cards are oversized (5 3/8" x 2 7/8") and came with a title card and a card giving the names of the characters on each card.