Tarocco Di Marsiglia (Svizzera 1804)

Abrac

It looks like what he did was fill in the borders on some cards so they'd all have the same dimensions, or at least close to the same. One possible reason why he left it white instead of blending it in was so a person could see how the originals look. But it seems he could just as easily have left them like they were for the sake of authenticity. Probably just a judgment call. I guess we'll know when you hear back from him. :)
 

Wintergreen

I just received this deck and I was very surprised about the sloppiness with which this cards were cut. You can see a lot of the white cardboard background on the edges! A real shame considering the great card stock and the beauty of the images. I haven't really sat down to enjoy the different pictures because the ugly edges just put me in a bad mood....

Is this just an unlucky freak deck or do they all look like this?

BTW, I already wrote Il Meneghello about my discontent and I'm waiting for their reply. It's my first deck by them.... hopefully not my last.

B.

I got this one a few months ago, and the printing and trimming are awful. Some of the images are crooked on the cards, and some edges are chopped off. Some of the images are perfectly sharp, others are muddy & look like bad photocopies. The cardstock base isn't even of consistent coloring: you can see it on the card edges.
 

BSwett

I got this one a few months ago, and the printing and trimming are awful. Some of the images are crooked on the cards, and some edges are chopped off. Some of the images are perfectly sharp, others are muddy & look like bad photocopies. The cardstock base isn't even of consistent coloring: you can see it on the card edges.

Hmmmm....

I just got an answer from IM. They explained how they were Artisans and did things by hand, so things like this happen. She said that it was a defective deck and if I send it back, she'll send me another one...

But from what I hear right here, I'm a bit nervous that I'm gonna get one that is way worse... We'll see.
It is an extraordinarily beautiful deck!!!!
 

Inconnu

Well ya' pays yor money you takes yer chances.

If the artisans would give you some personal attention as to QC, well....
 

treedog

I just received the Tarocco di Marsiglia (Svizzera 1804) from a purchase on this forum. I was slightly put off by the somewhat crooked trimming, but soon got over it. That anomaly (for me) is now part of its charm. I take the modifications made by IM as part of the reproduction's story. It seems to fit this high jacked deck with an abused but colorful history.

The lamination is more or less okay with me. I do, however, have a Tarocco de F. Gumppenberg, Milano 1840 from Il Meneghello which is heavily laminated. I don't like the feel of that one. I received it by mistake and Cristina at IM is compensating me nicely. I was so put off by the lamination on that deck that I trimmed the corners just to exercise some control over the situation.

I'm glad to say that the Svizzera 1804 is only moderately laminated, which makes it useful as a working deck.
 

BSwett

I just received the Tarocco di Marsiglia (Svizzera 1804) from a purchase on this forum. I was slightly put off by the somewhat crooked trimming, but soon got over it. That anomaly (for me) is now part of its charm. I take the modifications made by IM as part of the reproduction's story. It seems to fit this high jacked deck with an abused but colorful history.

The lamination is more or less okay with me. I do, however, have a Tarocco de F. Gumppenberg, Milano 1840 from Il Meneghello which is heavily laminated. I don't like the feel of that one. I received it by mistake and Cristina at IM is compensating me nicely. I was so put off by the lamination on that deck that I trimmed the corners just to exercise some control over the situation.

I'm glad to say that the Svizzera 1804 is only moderately laminated, which makes it useful as a working deck.

Glad you where able to make peace with the crooked trimming. It's a super charming deck. Unfortunately for me, the IM transaction went a bit sour with this one.
I received the deck and was shocked to see the sloppy edges, so i contacted Cristina and sent her some clear photos of the bad edges, and she quickly replied that it was a defective deck. She asked me to send the tarot back and that they would send me another.... so I did. I paid bout $25 to mail it back hoping that maybe I get that money re-funded.
A couple of days later she sends me an email saying that they are artisans, and that the decks are made by hand and that because of the uneven edges of the original, that that was the normal look of the Svizzera deck and it's borders! That I should pick a different one....!?
So I answered that had she told me this before I would have kept it and made peace with the characteristics of the facsimile! Regardless, I ask her to send me the Besançon tarot.
THEN, she proceeds to hustle and try to sell me back the Svizzera along with the Besançon, without offering any kind special deal. Considering that I ended up paying about $80 for a deck I didn't even have in my hands, I would have thought that costumer service common sense would have inspired some sort of deal... But no.
I got no refund for the back and forth shipping. All I got is the Besançon, which also shows some poorly copied and trimmed edges. It's for sure a lovely deck, but don't tell me that with some care and creativity you can not make a historical reproduction without those defects. Sivilixi has done it. Yves Reynaud has done it. Even Piatnik has done it.

People love Il Meneghello around here, good for them. I refrained for a long time from voicing my opinion and sending any bad vibes, but I'm not dealing with those people anymore. Bummer...

P.S. And regarding the Besançon, and those 'charming' pencil marks on some of the cards, I can get behind the historical value of those details, but in all honesty, those guys should give a warning on the website about them. I consider it sketchy dishonest business not mentioning that you're gonna receive a deck full of scribbles...

La Mia opinione, Grazie.

B
 

gregory

If you ever want one of their decks again - there is always alida.
 

treedog

... Unfortunately for me, the IM transaction went a bit sour with this one.

Bummer, indeed. I'm really sorry that happened. You deserve better. Honest complaints are helpful to hear on the forum.
 

Abrac

I've bought most of my Il Meneghello decks from eBay or Amazon. Sometimes there are two versions of a deck (laminated and not laminated), and there you can see pictures of the exact deck. If you order from Il Meneghello or Alida I'd inquire first if you have any questions. Usually they'll just have the latest version.
 

DeToX

Il Meneghello do tend to give you the hard sell and play around with the prices a little but that's part of their style. In the above instance I think they could have been more helpful however.

I am on the hunt for some scans of this Svizzera/Proche 1804 deck. Can't find anything in Kaplan's Encyclop. Seen a few scans on this forum and the Il Meneghello site. After moar really (fussy/greedy/annoying I know). Anyone happen to have any 'previews' at all please? :) Cheers