Are spares necessary?

I agree that when so many decks are available, you don't really need spares...but if you worry about losing your deck a lot, and you can easily afford another copy...I would get another copy.
Maybe it can make you use the deck more freely, shuffle as much as you really want, or make you less scared to take it with you everywhere you would like to.
I have a spare of the Ancestral, because I made it my travel deck when it was still easily available, and I got an extra copy when it was just out of print but not expensive yet.
And I have spares of some decks that I trimmed, and then found myself missing the borders I did not dislike it borderless but wanted a pristine copy as well. Maybe I should think longer before I trim a deck.

soprafino has changed me!

it's interesting... I was reading this thread last week and thinking that one must be a little neurotic (and perhaps somewhat wealthy) to purchase decks that they already have...

but then my Tarocco Soprafino finally arrived in the mail, and I am MADLY in love with these cards! I don't know if I've ever felt this drawn to a deck.. it's so beautiful, and I want to read with it LOTS.

Alas, it is unlaminated, lacks rounded corners, and is a limited edition.... I usually like my cards to look and feel well-worn, but I think these could fall apart or get their corners all bent up more easily than most decks.

So, today I started thinking about ordering another copy while I still can.

I am officially a tarot junkie!

Rasa said:

Alas, it is unlaminated, lacks rounded corners, and is a limited edition.... I usually like my cards to look and feel well-worn, but I think these could fall apart or get their corners all bent up more easily than most decks.

So, today I started thinking about ordering another copy while I still can.

I am officially a tarot junkie!

Click to expand...

Another thing some of us do about this is get a copy (copies?) of the LS Ancient Italian Tarot to use as our knockabout deck in this tradition.

But I'm a great believer in spares. If you have a second Soprafino, you have a great backup of a great deck; and in a pinch, one of the snazziest gifts you could ever give a fellow Tarot enthusiast.

Spoonbender, I think your approach is so healthy and sane. I wish I was like that, less neurotic that is. Unfortunately I am not.

When you get spares, do you usually get one spare or two? How many spares is enough?

If there are different language versions of one deck, do you consider them spares? For instance, if you have a English-version Thoth and a Swedish version Thoth, is the Swedish version a spare to you? Or would you get two English-versions and two Swedish versions (or more )

I am asking because I don´t know where to stop

Lately I have gone nuts gathering extras for my favourite decks. At present I am fairly pleased with my collection and most I am waiting for have yet to be published, so it is a good time to gather extras. This falls in both the tarot and oracle category. So, how far have I got in the obsession?

Ship of Fools-2
Archeon-2
Halloween-2
Sacred Rose-2
Fenestra-2
Llewellyn-2
Halloween-3
Tarot of Dreams-2
Gilded-3
Golden-3
Fantastic Menagerie-3
Fairytale-3
BBC-3 regulars, plus 2 Gold edtions on order
Victorian Romantic-4 regulars, 2 Gold editions, 10 bags!
Victorian Flower Oracle-3
Madame Endora-2
Fairy Ring-2
Oracle of the Holy Grail-2

Does this sound excessive? Probably, except they all really get used a lot, and I don't have a huge collection like many people on this forum, either. In fact, I would like to cut down by about 25-50 decks, but when I start looking at them, I can't part with them. So, most will always remain singles. Others, yep, doubles and triples! Oh, well. My money could be going to bad things like cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, who knows. Books and tarot...that isn't so bad!

Ha ha hearthcricket, you´re like me with the baba-bags, I have 10 or so too....!!!!

HearthCricket said:

Does this sound excessive?

Click to expand...

Yes, it certainly does!!!

Do you know of sites like Oxfam Unwrapped? Just think of the difference you could make with the money of even ONE of those (unnecessary) decks!

HearthCricket, it doesn't sound excessive at all!

I felt a little bad with my 2 Victorian Romantic Gold Edition decks. Knowing someone else had 2 made me feel better about it. I've been toying with the idea of a 3rd. I really love it!

But I think if you have the money and you love it, why not? Right now, I like knowing that if anything happens to my main copy, I have a back up. This could all change, but it makes me feel a bit safer I guess.

spoonbender said:

Do you know of sites like Oxfam Unwrapped? Just think of the difference you could make with the money of even ONE of those (unnecessary) decks!

Click to expand...

I happen to know HC is also very generous giving things to have-nots..... We all have our evil sides; I have mini decks as well as regulars, and a large collection of Thoths - and 3 goats (at the last count), a toilet, a dead log (!!! a Christmas gift from my mother), 2 swans and I forget what else - and I sponsor a child.. We don't have to give EVERYTHING we have to spare to others.

Do we ?