The Best Thoth Deck

Abrac

The main difference between purple and green is the size. Here are a couple of links that might help.

Comparison Table

http://www.tarotgarden.com/library/decks/thothtable.php

Old thread, List of Thoth Editions

http://tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=35594&highlight=list+thoth

It may sound a little extreme, but these days I wouldn't buy a Thoth unless I held it in my hands and looked at the cards. You might be able to find one on eBay that has good pictures, that's another possibility. Avoid sellers who use stock photos. So many different versions and boxes that look alike, bait and switch as Barleywine mentioned; and as Le Fanu said, the older version with three magi gone now but the new box looks identical, minus the notice that said "Includes three versions of the Magus card."
 

FLizarraga

Of the current choices, the Urania Verlag blue box has probably the better printing quality. The US Games, however, is nice and has better cardstock, IMHO.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Laura Borealis

This is my favorite -- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/386826504X

It's the Urania-Verlag in the nice gold box with the High Priestess on the top. The titles are in German which I don't mind. There's a Unicursal Hexagram card (orange with a red flower, on black background) and an OTO card. Borders are pale gray and unobtrusive. The backs are unbordered which is really nice. And the size feels small even though they're called standard (they're about 4 inches by about 2 and 3/4 - the dimensions given by Amazon are a tad off).

The colors are exquisite imo. They remind me of the beautiful watercolor paintings in high-quality childrens' books from my childhood, the ones that are printed separately on quality paper and then tipped in. If that makes sense.
 

Thoughtful

l have the purple box which l love, the cards are just the right size for my small hands and the images are lovely in their colouring. So love this deck, l may get another one as l do all my client readings with it now, and l want to make sure l have a spare just in case!

The only other one l have is the large size green box which l bought as my study deck.
 

Le Fanu

So it looks like the "purple" box is one of the best copies. What is the difference between in and the "green" box and how do make sure I know which one I have buying?
The difference between [it?] and the green one is the size. The green boxed one is larger. But I have to say, I bought two purple box 3-Magus decks and they were lovely, bought two more a short time later and the cards were ever so slightly different. I agree with Abrac. I wouldn't buy a Thoth now unless I held it in my hand. Some have lovely saturated colours which feel so rich and sumptuous - others are slightly paler and feel a little "deader"

I'm with Laura on the gold High Priestess box Urania-Verlag one - it really is exquisite. By far the most delicate Thoth. I like saturation but I also like pale watercolours if it's authentic and this one really feels authentic. I have no authority on this whatsoever but I bet these ones look most like Frieda Harris' originals. And yet I have - of course - developed a taste for saturated colours because of instagram filters, so there's space for both in my life.

But - yes - the gold box one is truly exquisite.
 

Abrac

R. Leo Gillis wrote an article in the Autumn 2009 issue of Tarosophist International in which he reviews the gold box deck. He has a lot to say both positive and negative. Here are a couple of excerpts:

"Great care and expense went into making these cards the most accurate depiction of the original paintings ever made. After a thorough restoration of the paintings themselves, (which involved primarily the glues and mountings rather than the actual paintings), new high-resolution photographs were taken, and extensive color-matching was done to achieve the highest visual fidelity."​

and

". . . .and of course it’s an aesthetic choice as to whether this printing is preferable to the earlier ones. But if the original paintings truly look this way today, then some have clearly not fared well over time."​

It sounds like there might be some question as to how faithfully they represent the original artwork at the time it was created; and according to Gillis there's a lot of inconsistency in quality. I can't really say having never actually seen it in person.
 

Le Fanu

Thank you for that Abrac, this really makes a difference as to how I look at this edition. I have always loved it. Gregory I know doesn't really rate it but the images have a delicacy and nuance of tone which other editions don't have.
 

Richard

R. Leo Gillis wrote an article in the Autumn 2009 issue of Tarosophist International in which he reviews the gold box deck. He has a lot to say both positive and negative. Here are a couple of excerpts:

"Great care and expense went into making these cards the most accurate depiction of the original paintings ever made. After a thorough restoration of the paintings themselves, (which involved primarily the glues and mountings rather than the actual paintings), new high-resolution photographs were taken, and extensive color-matching was done to achieve the highest visual fidelity."​

and

". . . .and of course it’s an aesthetic choice as to whether this printing is preferable to the earlier ones. But if the original paintings truly look this way today, then some have clearly not fared well over time."​

It sounds like there might be some question as to how faithfully they represent the original artwork at the time it was created; and according to Gillis there's a lot of inconsistency in quality. I can't really say having never actually seen it in person.

It is well known (and I know from personal experience) that watercolor paintings tend to deteriorate over time, especially when exposed to sunlight. Some colors are more fade resistant (lightfast) than others. Harris used Winsor and Newton watercolors, which always have been among the best, but some of their pigments are not lightfast. Nowadays the degree of lightfastness is usually indicated on the paint tubes, but this has not always been the case. (Other mediums, such as oil and to some extent tempera, are much less vulnerable to deterioration due to environmental factors than watercolor.)

I would be surprised if all the Thoth paintings have been perfectly preserved.
 

Abrac

Right. It sounds like they're very good examples of the artwork as it existed in 2008.
 

dianekay

I'm enjoying this discussion of the different Thoth options. My deck came in the big green box, Belgium, 1979, 1983. I got it "used--like new." After working with it for awhile I felt comfortable enough to trim all the borders. I also edged it in black. To me, it is perfectly beautiful. It fits in my hand just right, and the colors are slightly muted as with age, but very lovely. Trimming allows for a smaller, more workable card size which I like while still keeping those compelling images large.