Last month I joined an “esoteric” Meet-Up group, which had their first meeting while I was out of town, but I’m hoping to make their second meeting later on this week.  I let the founder know that I have a fair sized collection of tarot decks, and maybe I could bring a few to show folks the various types of decks that are out there.  And there are TONS of tarot decks out there.  Way back in the 70’s when I first heard of the Tarot, there were a scant few decks to really get your hands on.  Esp. behind the “Zion Curtain” known as Utah. Pretty much you were limited to: Rider-Waite, 1JJ, Marsailles, or Aquarian.

So, after going through my various decks, I thought I’d post an inventory here with some links to the various decks that I have.  First I’ll start with the decks that I use:

1. Daddy’s Piece – I use this self-crafted, custom deck almost exclusively for myself, however it is an “erotic gay themed” deck which would be inappropriate to link to from here.
2. Mythic Tarot – This is the deck I learned with. The illustrations are great, and the association with well known mythology made learning the tarot very easy.  The biggest drawback was the lack of more esoteric symbolism (like kabbala, astrology, or even numeric assignments to the trumps).  This deck always seems to have a Rosy outlook.
3. Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot – I’m not sure when I acquired this deck. I know it was one of my earlier decks though, and I still use it today if I want a concise, honest, no-holds-barred kind of reading.
4.  Rider Waite Tarot – Another early acquisition and very familiar images.  One of the most popular tarot decks out there.
5. Haindl Tarot – I very occasionally use this deck, but mainly it stays in its black cloth wrap.  I do like its unique associations of the cards to the runes.

Collection Decks – Decks that pretty much have stayed in their boxes since I bought them.

1. Morgan Greer– I so rarely ever used this deck that I forgot I had it and bought a second one – LOL!  This deck has a very 1970’s feel to it.
2. Da Vinci – An unusual deck themed after Da Vinci’s artistic style.
3. Liber T– I thought this was the deck designed by Thelemite; Lon Milo DuQuette, but alas it wasn’t.  It’s primarily a re-rendering of Crowley’s Thoth Deck.  L.M.D.’s Deck is called “Tarot of Ceremonial Magick” and it’s out of print, and very expensive at the moment.  I’ll pick it up on it’s next printing…
4. Legend: Arthurian Tarot – A deck based upon the Arthurian myths.
5. Spiral Tarot– An unusual and well realized tarot.  I actually used this deck for awhile, but it has since been put back on the shelf.
6. Tarot of Northern Shadows – A deck themed on Nordic traditions.  Being mainly of Danish ancestry, I HAD to have  such a representative deck.
7. Radiant Rider Waite – This is a re-painting of the traditional Rider Waite deck. In some cases I really like the new rendering, but in others it’s almost distracting. I continue to use my traditional Rider Waite deck…
8. Renaissance Tarot – The images of this deck really captured me.  I love this artistic deck, almost too nice to use!
9. Old English Tarot – I think I bought this deck based on a few images that I really liked. After getting the deck it didn’t quite meet my expectations. Also I’m not a big fan of “pip” minor arcana sets (non-illustrated cards, you may as well use traditional poker cards).
10.  The Golden Tarot – Another tarot where I loved the old fashioned look of the Trumps, unfortunately the minors were another “non illustrated” pip design – bummer.
11. Victoria Regina Tarot – A very unique and unusual deck.  It’s in Black & White and uses what look like 19th century to early 20th century lithographs to illustrate the cards with.  Something about it just made me have to have it!
12. Mystic Dreamer Tarot– This is one of my newer decks.  Initially I really liked the imagery, but after awhile I noticed that it was just way too feminine for me – basically it seemed like a rectangular version of the Motherpeace deck.
13. Gilded Tarot – This is a very modern stylized tarot.  I love the vibrant colors and illustrations, but it’s a little bit too modern for my own everyday use.  
14. Universal Fantasy Tarot – Basically I bought this for the amazing art.  The cards themselves don’t lend themselves well to the traditional meanings of other, older decks. But I love the art in this deck, very vibrant and interesting.
15. Robin Wood Tarot – Another deck bought because I fell in love with the illustrations.  I did use this deck for awhile, but a few cards just didn’t resonate with me (the Devil card, for example), so it ended up back on the shelf.
16. Golden Tarot – Different from “The Golden Tarot,” this deck was designed by Kat Black and is comprised of collage images from classical periods.
17. Medieval Enchantment: Nigel Jackson Tarot – I’m not entirely sure why I bought this deck.  I must have only made the selection based on seeing a very few cards from the deck, because for the most part I really do not like the illustrations in this deck. 
18. Dali Universal Tarot – It was designed by Salvador Dali – ’nuff said! 
19. B.O.T.A. Tarot– This is a B&W deck designed to be colored by the owner and primarily used for meditation, not divination.  The deck I have is significantly over-sized (7″ x 4″ or so), and only includes the 22 Major Arcana.  BTW, BOTA stands for Builders of the Adytum.  An Adytum is like the sanctum sanctorum of a temple. See also Adyton…
20. Prediction Tarot – I bought this deck years ago because of the amazing illustrations for the Major Arcana.  The minors are just pip design, so that’s why this deck got relegated to the shelf. But I do love the Majors in this deck, very well done!  I think this was my second deck after acquiring the Mythic Tarot.
21. Baseball Tarot – I actually bought this deck for a friend who was really into baseball and thought it would be cool to have a tarot deck based upon this unique past-time.  I’ve never even opened the cellophane around the cards!  I’m not sure why this deck never got this into my friend’s hands, who is now several states away (I think).  Anyways, it looks like it may be a cool deck to have in the collection anyways.
22. Mage: The Ascension Tarot– A very unique and unusual deck. It was actually designed for use in the role-playing game “Mage.” The illustrations are much like modern day comic book style.  Not a very practical deck for traditional purposes, but it’s a neat addition to the collection because of it’s very distinctive and unusual design.
23. Dragon Tarot – A tarot featuring dragons!  I had to have it, and it’s actually a very well illustrated deck.
24. Quantum Tarot – This is an ultra-modern deck with some very cool illustrations. This is the newest deck to be added to my collection. I don’t think I’d be able to use it for traditional purposes, since the designs are so different than any traditional design. But it’s very unique and colorful, which is something I like and look for in Tarot design.
25.  Aquarian Tarot – This is another new arrival to my collection.  I bought it out of a fit of nostalgia, since it was one of the very few “new,” contemporary decks that were available when I was young. Designed in 1970, and boy does it show! 
26. Motherpeace Tarot – Ok, I can’t stand this deck, but it IS an icon, so it has to be in my collection. It’s the first round tarot ever published, and it’s also a very early feminist tarot.  I also had to have it since my own deck is designed in direct opposition to this deck – Daddy’s Piece Tarot.
27. Golden Dawn Tarot – As an ex self-initiate into the Golden Dawn, I really wanted to have a copy of this deck.  The illustrations are somewhat amateurish, but there is a lot of esoteric symbolism included in the deck.  Now-a-days, I hope there are much better illustrated esoteric decks available.  Eventually I hope to make one of my own design using the symbolism from several of the esoteric decks and books that I own.
28. Hermetic Tarot– another B&W deck of esoteric origin. Again from the Order of the Golden Dawn, designed by Mathers.
29. Stairs of Gold Tarot – Extraordinary Major Arcana with lack luster minors schlepped in.
30. Medieval Scapini Tarot – I bought this deck because of its very traditional, old-world feel. There’s just something about this deck that I’m really drawn to, but not so much that I want to use it for anything.
31. 1JJ Swiss Tarot – Another old deck that used to be one of the very few you could get “back in the day.”  Another deck I bought out of nostalgia and respect for the tradition.  It stays on the shelf because it is another of those decks that uses simple pips for the minor arcana, and I just don’t like “pip decks” very well.
32. Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards – Another deck that I bought in a fit of nostalgia.  I remember my older sister having this deck in her chest of drawers and I used to sneak into her room to read these cards.  So of course I had to get a set of them much later in life when I became interested in the tarot again. Maybe I should get another set for her and see if she remembers them 😀

And that’s all of them… for now.  I’m almost always adding to this collection if I find something unique and enjoyable in some fashion. I’m still looking for a decent copy of the Marseilles Tarot, hopefully I’ll find that one soon.  I hope y’all have a great week ahead! Enjoy!