Blue Box Rider Waite RWS

missy

Going back to my original post, let me try to clarify my questions. :|

I have deleted questions related to "tuckboxes" since they didn't exist.

1. How many two-piece blue box versions are there? Are these the ones:

A. Waddingtons (early printings)
B. Later printings; are these Waddingtons or printed by AGMuller?

2. My confusion re U.S. Games was also from this post by Fulgour; he said:"The oldest Blue Box editions mention "Waddingtons" on the side of the two-piece box, and after that... look for a change in the wreath colour, before they finally end up vanishing altogether. 1971-2 to 197??"

Did Fulgour mean at that point the blue box editions vanished altogether?

If YES, then I have no confusion about U.S. Games. If NO, then his next statement was why I got confused about U.S. Games. Because he then said, "The last editions were marked with the copyright :( and the blue is very bright. Thus the involvement of USGames began a steady decline in previous quality." So I thought he meant there were "last editions" of blue boxes that were marked with a US Games copyright; thus my confusion.

3. Which of the two-piece blue boxes is more desirable? From reading it would seem the yellow wreath and purple scarf is.

Thanks. :D
 

gregory

There are as far as I know NO tuckbox blue box ones.
(As Sulis said way up the thread.)

Fulgour meant that they disappeared altogether I believe. That is certainly my understanding. He meant that as son as USG started flooding the market with their version (in the yellow boxes), which was much easier to get especially outside the UK, the blue box ones died out. There are NO blue box ones with USG copyrights on anywhere - except one sold on ebay recently and fraudulently, where the seller had put a newer deck in the box. They were called out; I don't know what happened after that - I think it was PROBABLY innocent....

The earlier the blue box you can get the better, IMHO.

ETA just looked at Teheuti's post more carefully. Mine is Waddington - and definitely with a GREEN wreath - she doesn't specify that. I will get it out AGAIN later, but am now going out !
 

missy

gregory said:
There are as far as I know NO tuckbox blue box ones.
(As Sulis said way up the thread.)

Sorry -- I was focused on the USG thing and misread the tuckbox part.

I somehow have been under the mistaken impression that because the tuckbox had a lot of blue on it that it was considered a blue box. :|

gregory said:
Fulgour meant that they disappeared altogether I believe. That is certainly my understanding. He meant that as son as USG started flooding the market with their version (in the yellow boxes), which was much easier to get especially outside the UK, the blue box ones died out. There are NO blue box ones with USG copyrights on anywhere - except one sold on ebay recently and fraudulently, where the seller had put a newer deck in the box. They were called out; I don't know what happened after that - I think it was PROBABLY innocent....

Okay. So no more blue boxes after USG started with their version (in a yellow box).

I will edit my Post #11 and take out all the stuff about the "blue tuckboxes" being "blue boxes" since clearly that doesn't apply ! :|

I am still interested in the tuckbox Waddingtons; I guess I can call them that. :| *hides under rock*
 

Sulis

Missy the Waddingtons ones aren't in a tuckbox. There were no tuckboxes until the U S Games decks (yellow box) and then later with The Original Rider Waite which is a completely different deck (blue roses and lilles backs).
The Waddingtons decks are in the blue 'Rider' box. They were printed by Waddingtons for Rider.

I have no idea where you've got this idea of a tuckbox for any of the blue box Rider or Waddingtons / Rider decks. They were made in the 1970s and the boxes used were 2 part, lift off lid boxes.
 

missy

Sulis said:
Missy the Waddingtons ones aren't in a tuckbox. There were no tuckboxes until the U S Games decks (yellow box) and then later with The Original Rider Waite which is a completely different deck (blue roses and lilles backs).
The Waddingtons decks are in the blue 'Rider' box. They were printed by Waddingtons for Rider.

I have no idea where you've got this idea of a tuckbox for any of the blue box Rider or Waddingtons / Rider decks. They were made in the 1970s and the boxes used were 2 part, lift off lid boxes.

Oh dear. Apparently I have everything mixed up!

So in this photo here, the lower righthand part only:

http://www.tarotforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=9194

That isn't a tuckbox; then is that a two-piece box with a lift-off lid?

~~~

Okay, I did more searching, and I see what you mean; that box is the two-piece box. I have mistakenly thought there was a tuckbox because I had only seen the top. :| These are abrac's pix:

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa215/abrac/IMG_0369.jpg?t=1190392015

The side shows the two-piece box here:

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa215/abrac/IMG_0371.jpg?t=1190392156

So that part of the mystery is solved!
 

Sulis

Yes, it's a 2 part box.
 

missy

Thanks, everyone

Thanks for setting me straight!

At this point, the only questions I have are #1 and #3 in Post #11:

missy said:
1. How many two-piece blue box versions are there? Are these the ones:

A. Waddingtons (early printings)
B. Later printings; are these Waddingtons or printed by AGMuller?

missy said:
3. Which of the two-piece blue boxes is more desirable? From reading it would seem the yellow wreath and purple scarf is.
 

missy

This is taken from Teheuti's post about the colors of the wreath.

"• Blue lift-off box with World card (yellow wreath & purple scarf). Printed by A. G. Mueller. End flap of box: “First edition 1910/ Reprinted many times to 1939/ Second edition 1971. Rider & Co, 3 Fitzroy Square, London W1 “in association with Waddington Playing Card Co Ltd;” No copyright on cards. Accompanying “Key to the Tarot” (same image as box): book (sold separately) says: “All Rights Reserved” First published 1910/This edition 1972/Second impression 1973/Third impression 1974. ISBN 0 09 109351 1. Lines sharper and colors slightly more intense than later versions. Not laminated.
• Slightly lighter blue lift-off box with World card (green wreath & purple scarf). Printed by A. G. Mueller. Rider & Co. -17-21 Conway Street - London W1P6JD. Copyright on lower right margins of cards. Same quality as U.S. Games. Not laminated."

~~~~~

The yellow wreath seems more desirable because it doesn't have the copyright on the cards.

The green wreath has "copyright on lower right margins of cards."
 

Sulis

Mine has the green wreath and the cards don't have a copyright mark on them.

Edited to add:
Mine says it was printed for Rider and Co - London by A. G. Mueller - Switzerland.
 

Sulis

As for it being 'desirable'; it depends what you want it for. If you want it as a reading deck then I'd say that one isn't any more desirable than another.
Do you want it as a collectors piece or to read with?
I'd say that either way one is not more desirable than another because they are all beautiful, vintage decks.
Mine has marks on the backs of a few cards and they're not perfect because they are old and they've been loved.

There is also a blue box version by Rider which is titled 'The Travellers Tarot'... Same blue box, same cards.