My Odd Thoth

Le Fanu

I bought a Llewellyn White Box B recently and when I received it I was surprised to see that the Prince of Swords has a very pink back. See attached pics.

I have no idea what could have caused this. The deck is unusable as the card sticks out like a sore thumb when fanned out across the table.

It is evidently a real card, not a photocopy or anything. The front of the card is exactly like the others, same font, same card quality and everything. Just this weirdly pink back.

Very strange. And (I have asked elsewhere in the appropriate thread), if anyone has a broken up White Box B (or maybe even A) and a spare Prince of Swords card, I'd really appreciate it.

Any theories as to how this could have got in with the deck?
 

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GoldenWolf

For some reason, the previous owner left that card out face down and sunlight caused it to bleach and change color OR the printing is a multi-layered process and one of the layers was not applied to that particular card back? That happened sometimes to color copies in the early days of that technology causing odd looking colors like this. Not being well versed in printing technology for cards, the latter is a wild guess.

I'm afraid I don't have spare Thoth decks to help you out though.
 

Sulis

I agree with GoldenWolf, I think it looks as if it's been bleached by the sun, maybe it was left on top of the deck and the deck was left somewhere where strong sunlight could get at it daily... It looks as if the colour has been leached away.
 

gregory

I agree with Sulis and GoldenWolf - and more so. I bought a Cagliostro years ago - the last one they had - and when I got home there were four cards missing. I went back and complained - and of course those four were acting as samples in the "in store catalogue" thing - they pulled them out and gave them to me. They are very pale and bleached by comparison with the others - and this was four cards that had simply been in a folder, looked at by customers, indoors, for a couple of years.

Light fades things. Even feeble artificial light.

I was going to offer you one from my sick and disabled greenie - but I see that particular card already has a new home...
 

Milfoil

I'm presuming this is a 2nd hand deck. If it were new, I would say that the printing process for yellow and cyan has been missed on the back.
 

GoldenWolf

I'm presuming this is a 2nd hand deck. If it were new, I would say that the printing process for yellow and cyan has been missed on the back.

I think Milfoil has eloquently said what I was trying to say in a more babbling way.

Gregory, if they kept the sample cards in a clear page protector that wasn't acid free for that long, those plastic sleeves can cause odd changes to cards, papers, whatever gets put in them. I have seen various forms of plastic yellow the edges of paper I have stored for crafts. I typically can trim away the damaged part and use the remainder, but it's waste of paper. Obviously, this is a little trickier with tarot cards.
 

Le Fanu

Thanks for the theories, folks.

You know, I've never seen light do this to cards. I mean, I have seen my dust jackets fade on the bookshelves but nothing this extreme.

It's a bit annoying but it's the risk you take buying 2nd hand. I'm sure another one will turn up one day. If anyone hears anything, you know where to find me... In the meantime, I have enough perfect Thoths to be playing with.
 

gregory

I think Milfoil has eloquently said what I was trying to say in a more babbling way.

Gregory, if they kept the sample cards in a clear page protector that wasn't acid free for that long, those plastic sleeves can cause odd changes to cards, papers, whatever gets put in them. I have seen various forms of plastic yellow the edges of paper I have stored for crafts. I typically can trim away the damaged part and use the remainder, but it's waste of paper. Obviously, this is a little trickier with tarot cards.

No - they had them on black scrapbook pages using those awful old lick and glue down (*and OH - that glue tasted great... :D) cardboard photo corners. I would say - but cannot prove - that it was before the days of those page protectors... late 1970s, anyway.

But Leffy - if it does it to dustjackets, why not to cards which are in the open - so few of us leave cards out for a long time. That would be why it doesn't often happen. Anything fades in constant light, I would say.
 

Le Fanu

But Leffy - if it does it to dustjackets, why not to cards which are in the open - so few of us leave cards out for a long time. That would be why it doesn't often happen. Anything fades in constant light, I would say.
My dustjackets fade on the bookshelf but they don't change colour. I've never seen that before and this card has changed colour; call it bleached or whatever but it's a completely different colour. I have never seen that.
 

gregory

My dustjackets fade on the bookshelf but they don't change colour. I've never seen that before and this card has changed colour; call it bleached or whatever but it's a completely different colour. I have never seen that.

One colour can bleach more than another. And I have a few dustjackets that...