So...is one defined by their collection?

Padma

Debra said:
I bought some decks for more than I felt they were worth because they were hard to find. I don't want to do that again.

NatKat said:
AHA! I have been wondering what OOP meant!

And now you can explain what OTOH means

here is a link to a thread of the abbreviations used here, hope it helps!
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=131309

NatKat said:
Meanwhile, the idea of having 50 decks seems sad to me. You could never USE all 50 decks ... so here are all these poor, lonely cards just sitting in their boxes!

Well...I have around 50 of them...and it isn't sad...but you are right, I rarely use most of them! I still do look at them though from time to time. They are each like a little art museum in a box!

And - there are some members here whose collections number over 2000 - like Gregory's!

NatKat said:
That being said ... this raises the whole notion of "collecting". My relationship with Tarot cards is so practical ... I don't see the point.

I used to be practical like that - but that was before I discovered how many decks are out there! Then I joined AT, and went a little bit crazy...

NatKat said:
I feel the same about Tarot. 4 decks feels like all I could actually USE ... and although I understand having more than one NEEDS ... I don't want to have more than I can USE.

Certainly, there is a big difference between wanting and needing....If I only had the decks I needed, I would only have one

Debra said:
I do read cards and I do use a few of my decks, but usually fall back on the first one I got. I've had it over 40 years. It's become kind of sticky, even after I wiped down each card.

Funny - I do that as well...I still tend towards my Connolly, because I used it so often to read other people's cards with, that it has become like a well-versed best friend!

Debra said:
There's some collections that I covet and appreciate, and others that I really, truly do not understand--including some collections by members here who I love dearly.

Some of the collections here truly boggle the mind! I don't think I could ever get that invested in it. And yet, it is hard to part with the decks that I do have.

FaintlyMacabre said:
Oh, dear, the idea of only having 4 decks to look at really seems sad to me Ah!

Yes, to me as well! If 50 is now too many, four is not enough!

FaintlyMacabre said:
It is very difficult to be a collector of true antique decks and then where would I put them??

Some of you have made that same point - of truly antique decks being what really qualifies as a collection...I can see why that would be the case. Sometimes I feel, even with my relatively small collection, that I am just hoarding cardboard

and not truly collecting.

FaintlyMacabre said:
I am very fond of those decks and they weren't gold-plated or anything at all. Just fun.

And fun is a great reason to have a deck

JadePixie said:
*I guess a successful collection is one that gives you a sense of happiness, excitement or fulfilment of some sort

It should do, shouldn't it? That is a good way to define it. And hey, if something does not bring joy, then why bother...?

Alta said:
Almost every deck in my collection was purchased when it came out, which is not to say that I didn't pay too much for a couple of out-of-the-gate high priced decks.

See, that is the thing - most people here with big collections bought the decks as they came out, like yourself. But for some of us coming late to the game, it is a bit of a scramble to get our hands on coveted and now OOP decks.

I still remember the shock and thrill of getting my first OOP MRP deck - The Prague tarot. Felt like I had finally broken the barrier

But I rarely use it, I find I don't really love it after all, and that bothers me....it bothers me that I am keeping it, if that is the case. But I find it is so hard to part with something it took me so long to get! So I guess that is why I am wondering if I am really a collector, after all. And how to define that.

Alta said:
To answer Padma's "Why?" question, I honestly enjoy the range of imagery and feel that seeing different expressions of the card meanings visually has, I trust, made me a better reader.

This is true for me too - using many different decks has opened several new dimensions of tarot to me. And yet, like Debra, I bring all that knowledge back and use it with that one old deck I have used since the beginning...

Padma

gregory said:
I guess, though, I am a "true collector" - as even if I get a deck I really DON'T like (DV Archangels, I'm looking VERY hard at you, and the Charmed is in the corner of my vision) I will not get rid of it, as you don't get rid of bits of a collection.

I would agree that you are a true collector! I am not, and yet I also find it hard to get rid of decks I bought, don't love, and still have.

gregory said:
How did I get them/come to collect - it started with rage. But after that, well, I had one, it was different from another I saw, which in turn was... then I went to Uni in Toronto and there was this store where there were a lot that looked different again and I wanted to study them at leisure, and before I knew it I was having an argument with my lovely boss. ("you are obsessed." "No I'm not, I don't even have 150 decks". "So what's obsessed ?" "Talk to me again when I hit 500." Um....)

So...I am guessing that your over 2,000 decks now puts you in the "obsessed" camp! :laugh:

gregory said:
I didn't BUY most of them as OOP (or HTF !) nor do I care that they are or what their value is. Some I don't read with, some I just love the art, but I "use" them all, in that I doubt if there is even one that hasn't come out to be looked at or used for reading or research within the last year - and if that sounds awful - we are talking well over 2000 decks, so....

Like Debra and Alta, you just bought them as they came out...meaning that you (and many others here) have decks I will never be able to get

I still can't wrap my head around the "over 2,000" - can't even picture it. Having said that, my husband and I collectively own over 4,000 books...so I guess cards aren't different. And we weren't specifically collecting them - just buying them to read, then keeping them on a shelf

Still, I find I am tired of having so many - and am longing to cull both my deck collection, and our books!

gregory said:
I know I am a true collector BECAUSE - well, just recently I got to thinking that when I kick the bucket, even though one daughter gets the lot to sell, maybe I should get some of that out of the way for her. Maybe this or that that OOP one that cost me so little and is now fetching so much could go.... But I cannot do it - I would FEEL the gap in my collection, as others would feel a missing tooth.

That's the thing. I want to be rid of a few decks, but I can't seem to let them go. I can only imagine it would be far harder for you to do so! But then you are a true collector, whereas I am just a dilettante...

Oink

Padma said:
That's the thing. I want to be rid of a few decks, but I can't seem to let them go. I can only imagine it would be far harder for you to do so! But then you are a true collector, whereas I am just a dilettante...

Why not trade them for something you think you'd like better? It doesn't even have to be other decks - I've traded decks for rocks, bags, incense, books, etc. on the Trading forum.

I grok the sentiment of being defined by one's "collection". I feel that mine does reflect my taste pretty well, because I try to keep what I like and trade away what I don't.

JackofWands

While I am nowhere near Gregory's level (I don't think a truer collector exists, on AT or elsewhere), I would still consider myself a collector. I don't own a single OOP or HTF deck, and my collection only numbers 23 decks (although heavens know I'd expand if I could justify the expense).

To me, being a "collector" as opposed to just a reader with a boatload of decks is a matter of attitude. I use all of my decks (even if it sometimes means pulling a few cards when I don't have a querent or a question, just for the satisfying feel of cardstock between my fingers), and I love each of them intensely. When I purchase a deck, I look for art that I love and a deck that will read well. However, that's not all I think about. I also consider the way that deck will fit into my collection and complement the other decks I have.

For example, right now I'm seriously eyeing the Tabula Mundi and Night Sun decks (for the next time I can fit such a purchase into ye olde budget), because I feel like I really don't have enough in the way of esoteric/GD/Thoth-based decks. There are hundreds of decks out there that I would love to acquire, but because I can only ever purchase one or two at a time, I make a point to select decks that will add something to what I already have--decks that aren't too similar to existing ones in my collection. I own a copy of the Universal Waite Tarot, so I'm not likely to pick up a Smith-Waite Centennial, much though I would love to have a copy of the latter.

I guess what I'm saying is that I keep an eye towards diversity in my Tarot decks when I shop. I have some pretty specific tastes, and my collection definitely leans towards RWS imagery with bold colors, but I try to make sure that each deck I acquire has its own personality. I want a good mix of RWS, TdM, Thoth, fairy decks, "dark" decks, photo-manipulation decks, hand-drawn ones, art-themed, modern, time-period, fully illustrated, pip-decks, and so on. You get the idea.

And that headspace--that idea that when I purchase a deck, it's not only for readings, but is also contributing to a larger corpus--is why I would consider myself a "true" collector, small though my grab-bag is. And in a way, I do think I'm defined by my collection, because it reflects the variety of ways I relate to Tarot. Looking at my collection, I think anyone could get a fairly good idea of who I am as a reader, and I would argue that you could say the same of most readers who own multiple decks. Even a reader who owns half a dozen RWS clones and nothing else has a very clear profile illuminated in her decks. And as for someone like Gregory? Well, we already know that Gregory is a Tarot god. The incredible collection just confirms what no one in their right mind would ever have doubted.

gregory

Padma said:
And now you can explain what OTOH means here is a link to a thread of the abbreviations used here, hope it helps!
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=131309

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=131309
On The Other Hand.

It is a very generally used acronym and NOT included in that thread. Just as AFAIK, IMHO and so on aren't.

JackofWands said:
While I am nowhere near Gregory's level (I don't think a truer collector exists, on AT or elsewhere)

You haven't heard of Adam McLean ? And people like truelighth are more so in many ways than I am - just more specialised. Guido Gillabel too...

To me, being a "collector" as opposed to just a reader with a boatload of decks is a matter of attitude. I use all of my decks (even if it sometimes means pulling a few cards when I don't have a querent or a question, just for the satisfying feel of cardstock between my fingers), and I love each of them intensely. When I purchase a deck, I look for art that I love and a deck that will read well. However, that's not all I think about. I also consider the way that deck will fit into my collection and complement the other decks I have.

Exactly. Who here was it told the tale of the cookie barrel collector. Asked to show off their collection they produced - one. Asked what made that a collection - they replied "I just haven't found another one worthy of collecting yet - but I will."

And as for someone like Gregory? Well, we already know that Gregory is a Tarot god. The incredible collection just confirms what no one in their right mind would ever have doubted.

Excuse me, I am a tarot GODDESS, if anything

And I'm not in my right mind myself - so no-one else needs to be

Padma

Oink said:
Why not trade them for something you think you'd like better? It doesn't even have to be other decks - I've traded decks for rocks, bags, incense, books, etc. on the Trading forum.

That is a brilliant idea! I would certainly trade for crystals!

JackofWands said:
To me, being a "collector" as opposed to just a reader with a boatload of decks is a matter of attitude.

I think that is brilliant - you have just put your finger on what I was trying to express, I suppose. A reader with a boat load of decks, indeed....

JackofWands said:
I use all of my decks (even if it sometimes means pulling a few cards when I don't have a querent or a question, just for the satisfying feel of cardstock between my fingers), and I love each of them intensely. When I purchase a deck, I look for art that I love and a deck that will read well.

That is something I appear to have lost - the more decks I have, the less connected I am to the actual shuffling process (which I do love as well!) And I definitely love some of my decks intensely, but certainly not all of them. Eh! Time to put them in the trade thread...

JackofWands said:
I want a good mix of RWS, TdM, Thoth, fairy decks, "dark" decks, photo-manipulation decks, hand-drawn ones, art-themed, modern, time-period, fully illustrated, pip-decks, and so on. You get the idea.

That's actually a good way to go about collecting, it makes sense

JackofWands said:
And that headspace--that idea that when I purchase a deck, it's not only for readings, but is also contributing to a larger corpus--is why I would consider myself a "true" collector, small though my grab-bag is.

And that is another important point - even a small collection is, especially the way you curate yours, a collection

FaintlyMacabre

gregory said:
I am unquestionably "defined by my collection". I am overweight and so is it....

I guess, though, I am a "true collector" - as even if I get a deck I really DON'T like (DV Archangels, I'm looking VERY hard at you, and the Charmed is in the corner of my vision) I will not get rid of it, as you don't get rid of bits of a collection.

<snip>

Gregory,

I think your collection is awesome and I love how you (or somebody) can id most anything here. I am not criticizing or even jealous because there's always somebody with more or better, you know.

But - let me say that Stuart Kaplan and I aren't actually close

. However, didn't he sell off quite a lot some years back or was that just a bunch of grotty old extras?

I am not so sure that true collectors keep everything. Some do sell off and work toward what they think is "better" or specialize. I never claimed to be a collector. There are decks I wouldn't let in the house. It was on purpose too. I didn't want to get like that with my tarot decks.

Most things I got because I wanted them or wanted to see them.

Diana

Zephyros

People collect all sorts of things and for all sorts of reasons. If you don't have the collection bug or if you have it for other things then you can't always understand why a person may collect this or that. People collect stamps, they certainly aren't meant to be used.

Gulliver

I feel a bit anxiety to have very much decks. I love to look at big collections, it's like to be in a wonderland. But for me that is nothing, the more I would accumulate the less I would be glad to have the decks. Too overwhelming, too less concentration on the important things, too less bonding like Padma said (I would assume that it is an indication that 50 may be indeed too much for you, Padma).

So I see it like Jack, I have a mix of different decks (TdM, Thoth, RWS), which show a bit of the historical way AND are all usable for readings. And then I only would buy special artistic decks, but that what I'm like is very rare to find (luckily). And I find out that my 17 tarot decks feel still a bit too much for me. So, I have the control over buying I guess, haha.

But I really appreciate people who are love collecting in big dimension. And I can absolutely understand the attraction of looking at so different expressions of one card for instance.

Am I a true collector? It's rather so that I didn't want to call me a collector, but had to admit, that that what I do seems to be called collecting. But it's indeed a system behind my collecting.

I don't looking for OOP, but if I like a deck. And if it is OOP, than it is so. That may change rapidly.

Padma

Zephyros said:
People collect all sorts of things and for all sorts of reasons. If you don't have the collection bug or if you have it for other things then you can't always understand why a person may collect this or that. People collect stamps, they certainly aren't meant to be used.

Speaking for myself, I do have the collection bug - I just don't know now if it is for decks anymore. I have collected other things in the past, and have an ongoing crystal collection, but I guess I am just wondering if I still want or need to collect tarot cards, especially as it is no longer giving me the great pleasure it did at the beginning...and I am wondering now about bothering over OOP decks etc. So it is helpful to see how others interpret their collections and their collecting

as I am trying to redefine what I want from amassing tarot decks...

@Gregory, great cookie barrel analogy!

@Gulliver, yes, it is nice to have a selection of different styles of tarot - and you are wise to keep your collection at the level where it is still pleasing and comfortable to you!

Everyone's views and takes here are helping me to reassess and redefine what I am expecting from my collection. So many thanks! Keep your views and opinions coming!