I bought a Carreras -- should I use it?

Teheuti

Archival-quality card sleeves are also good for making your own reading boards - get a large piece of foamboard, lay the sleeves out in your preferred pattern (e.g. 9x4, 8x4+4), paste or tape the sleeves to the board, and insert the cards you draw for readings in those sleeves for longterm viewing and rumination. I use double-sided tape to attach the card sleeves to my board.
Wonderful idea - thanks. It would be great for classes.

I cut some foam board to fit my preferred layout and covered with felt, marking the houses with a fabric pen. I layout cards for the Grand Tableaux on it. The felt makes it easy to pick up cards from the board and it keeps them from sliding around much. I can leave the cards out and move the board from my table to bed to wherever.
 

Astraea

I cut some foam board to fit my preferred layout and covered with felt, marking the houses with a fabric pen. I layout cards for the Grand Tableaux on it. The felt makes it easy to pick up cards from the board and it keeps them from sliding around much. I can leave the cards out and move the board from my table to bed to wherever.
Love the felt idea, Teheuti.

Space is so limited where I read that the card sleeves allow me to store the board upright - right, the sleeves would be helpful in a classroom situation (with the board on an easel). I label the houses above the empty card sleeves, then cut a finger notch on the front of each sleeve for easy removal of the cards.

It's remarkable, how much these boards help - insights can unfold for long periods of time, when the layout has a place to "live."
 

SarahJoy

Shuffle and lay out with another deck (or an app) and then put out the cards drawn from your rare deck to read.

Using an app is a brilliant idea! I've considered the surrogate method, but it always seemed like a hassle to do so with actual cards. Using an app is a great solution.

Archival-quality card sleeves are also good for making your own reading boards - get a large piece of foamboard, lay the sleeves out in your preferred pattern (e.g. 9x4, 8x4+4), paste or tape the sleeves to the board, and insert the cards you draw for readings in those sleeves for longterm viewing and rumination. I use double-sided tape to attach the card sleeves to my board.

Like Teheuti, I use the surrogate reading method with my rare decks - you get the benefits of a good shuffle, plus the satisfaction of using collectable decks. I don't have any tarot apps, but as Teheuti says, that would be a great option.

Another great idea -- a brilliant way to keep cards out for study while keeping them safe and out of the way.
 

Tag_jorrit

When I got my Carreras I bought a laminator so that I could laminate and use the cards. That was shortly after my I saw Le Fanu's Lilac Dondorf and decided to make the minis that subsequently became the Purple Dragons. I was happy that I didn't deface by laminating my Carreras but made the deck that more or less launched my repro enterprise.

The old ones are ever so special. I still bring them out to admire them occasionally. They came apart even without shuffling them. The glue that held the fronts to the back just let go. Sigh. Oh, well. Modern glue worked very well to put them back together again. :)