Collecting decks by non-readers - is it OK ?

I want to ask, "Does this mean I should or shouldn't get rid of those decks I see no need to keep," but I know there's no should or shouldn't about it.

(I have decided that if ever they take up an entire room of my house, I should not get rid of them. People might pay just to sit on a rug in the middle of such a room and try to calculate just how many horses are reigned up within those walls. Sigh...)

...goes off to make an offer on a particularly enticing TdM.

Barefoot Fool said:

Though once they take up an entire room of my house the answer is definitely *shouldn't*, because that's impressive.

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*cough*

People might pay just to sit on a rug in the middle of such a room

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How much should I charge ???? The room has a rather nicely fluffy rug in.....

gregory said:

*cough*




How much should I charge ???? The room has a rather nicely fluffy rug in.....

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I musta put a typo in there. what did I meanto say? Hmm. I hate that... A room? Maybe I meant a shelf in my house? Did I mean my house? Did I write that? I must go consult the cards about what I meant to say...

They said, "You lack sleep."

You should charge a nickel, at least.

I just stumbled across this thread and will probably post more later but I just want to say that the idea of whether it is morally okay to collect things you do not use or use only for entertainment is inextricable from the larger question of the moral status of personal property and ownership. I don't think it's possible to divorce this discussion from the larger political question of the ethics of ownerships - a debate which is far from settled. If one is questioning the moral status of collecting tarot decks I would be interested to know how they are thinking about larger related issues.

Gregory is the 'custodian' of many decks ...

I am.

I started this thread when I got flak, YEARS ago.

And it was pointed out to me that I am keeping artists in business by buying their work. That has to be OK, I think I have ethics about letting people starve, too.

The ethics of ownership - I do actually think about that from time to time. IF there had EVER been a country run on true communism principles, I might think harder about it. But as there is not and never has been (and is never likely to be until capitalism completely collapses, which may happen sooner than we think) and as people need to earn to eat as a result, I shall carry on helping artists to do so.

(In fact I don't think what I do with them is "only for entertainment" - though I do read now, and I didn't when I started this thread.)

But the topic of ownership isn't technically tarot, and would probably best be raised in the more general News, Views and Opinions subforum.

Interesting thread...

Most people have something they "collect" (not hoard!) & so long as it brings a smile to your face & happiness into your life why not I say! If the decks we've collected were really meant for someone else - they would be with that person rather than with us.

Sad part of things is sometimes society teaches us it's "wrong" to be happy when others have so little & can make some feel guilt about being the "proud owner" of... tapping us into Weltschmerz instead...

I have many decks - use some & admire the others & they all make me smile (tries to stay away from enabling threads though) - although the Tarot of the Trance is a little "too out there"!

Deck purchasers not only keep artists in business; they keep all other associated trades ticking over too - the papermakers, clerical staff, post & delivery people; to name just a few that come to mind - ergo - we help create & maintain employment for others. Clients perhaps see some of the decks - which they go out & buy, or perhaps snap up that "limited edition" - they are happy & round it goes again! A nice thought in today's world!

Having said that *looks over shoulder to steamer trunk where decks reside away from mad Siamese* once they start becoming unruly & burst the bounds of confinement - some may find their way to a good home...

As the man said: "If that's all we've got to worry about - we've got NOTHING to worry about!!"

While I see nothing wrong in someone having the decks as pure collectibles, when it comes to really small amounts of very limited decks (like the Flonz that has just 50 copies), would it bother me if a SMALL number of people grabbed them all, when I want to read with them? SURE! Even when a small run says maximum two or three per person, when there's just a run of 50, they don't go far.

If there is no limit to the number someone can get on a limited run, I don't like seeing someone buy a bunch just to hike up the price and resell them as soon as they've all sold. But as far as someone just wanting to collect decks, whether or not they're readers, that doesn't bother me in the least. I'm kind of the opposite. I move along decks that aren't readers. But it's a preference. If someone wants to collect them for their art, who am I to say that is less valid if they don't read with them?

Fulfilling a purpose

When I was younger, a belief was shared with me that we do not honor an object's purpose if we do not use it. I ponder this sometimes when I've collected a gaggle of something and feel a bit hoardish. [Ignoring the bulging bins of yarn and fiber stashed under the bed. Ahem.]

It seems to me, that when people collect decks, even if unread, they are used in some capacity, such as via visual admiration, comparing and contrasting other decks, conversation pieces, etc. And so they fulfill a purpose of use, being appreciated, touched, delighted in.

Hoarding for cost manipulation seems unsavory, but collecting out of appreciation does not. It feeds the market and creates even more decks and new designs.

It's wonderful people love these things so much. Because they do, forums such as these exist (for members in all flavors of reading or not), information is shared and the cards live on through time to heal and inspire future generations.

Collections ultimately become legacies for some lucky person later on down the generational line. Use may blossom in the future as the deck waits patiently.

gregory said:

And it was pointed out to me that I am keeping artists in business by buying their work. That has to be OK, I think I have ethics about letting people starve, too.

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And small designer-Tarot publishers. And couriers, and postal workers. And new age shop owners <hard stare at the one who supposedly is supplying NisabasAcolyte with a deck for my birthday - back in September - when it's available in another shop down the road>

The ethics of ownership - I do actually think about that from time to time. IF there had EVER been a country run on true communism principles, I might think harder about it.

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If no one suffers deprivation because of you, and if you can afford it, and if you love them even if you don't use them that often...

I would want mine to go back into circulation after I die, as an ethical thing, which means that I *should* have a problem with grave-goods in general. But I also think I *should* be buried or cremated with things like the few pieces of jewellery I never take off and the two Tarot decks that ride uncomplainingly around in my bag and have done so for many years. But that takes them out of circulation, which is *wrong*. Bit it is wrong if they don't depart the world with me. But that takes them out of -

Seriously my bottom line ethic is "an ye harm n one". If my ownership (or even your gross and unjustifiable ownership) of many more decks than we can reasonably be expected to use on a regular basis "harms none", then it is our own business.

And I, for one, would be happy to sit on your floor in your Tarot room and salivate for a considerable time. I notice you didn't do that at my place - but then, I didn't yet own the one deck I now have that you don't have.