Marseilles US Games

Gregorio

Please forgive me if I seem ignorant on this subject! Although I have read the Tarot for many years I have always used Rider-Waite/GoldenDawn/Thoth style decks and the Marseilles is fairly new to me. I wanted to check the deck out so I ordered the Marseilles Tarot from US Games and it seems to me that this is simply a set of cards with new drawings based on old decks. I found that I LOVED the imagery but disliked (somewhat) the "new" look of the cards. I purchased THE TAROT SET published by Thunder Bay and found those cards to be a photographic reproduction of a much older deck. My question is: Does anyone know where the US Games version came from, who drew it and is it a valid Marseilles deck? There seem to be many subtle differences between the US Games deck and the Thunder Bay deck. I read with the US Games deck frequently and I would like to know exactly what I am reading with! Thank you in advance for any help you Marseilles experts can give.
 

le pendu

Hi Gregorio,

Welcome to the Historical Forum on AT!

Does your US Games deck look like this?

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0913866601.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

If so, it is likely to be the redrawing based on the Jean Dodal Tarot. The Jean Dodal and the Nicolas Conver (the deck in the Thunder Bay) are both considered TdM (Tarot of Marseille) decks, but you're right, there are differences between them.

If you do a search on Jean Dodal, you will come up with lots information about his deck.

A quick link here:
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/dussere-dodal/index.shtml
Unfortunately, the deck shown in the link of the photoreproduction of the Jean Dodal is extremely rare. Most of the TdM decks that are photoreproductioins available to us at this time are based on the Nicolas Conver deck, like the Thunder Bay.

I've always liked the US Games TdM, and even it now is a bit hard to find.

Having both of them is a great foundation to continue your TdM exploration.

Feel free to ask anything else, many people here love all of these decks.

best,
robert
 

Gregorio

Yes, it is the second US GAMES deck. It is the one currently available from Amazon. I love the deck a lot but I don't like it as well as my deck from Thunder Bay. The US GAMES deck cost more than the Thunder Bay deck and simply came in a standard box with a generic LWB. The Thunder Bay came with an excellent Book with many color photos and a cloth for spreading the cards and was packaged in an oversized box that looks beautiful on a book shelf. The back design of the Thunder Bay deck is also very attractive. Anyone here have an idea where it came from? Also, does anyone know the origin of the Marseille deck that US GAMES is publishing. Is it a complete re-drawing by a contemporary artist? It looks like it to me. Thanks!
 

Fulgour

We here abouts kinda figure the Thunder Bay is a (nice) reprint
of the 1969 Camoin Anniversary edition of the Nicolas Conver...

Some people back off from the book, but it's really pretty good.

*

The USGames by Carta Mundi is a "likeness" of the Jean Dodal,
in other words it has a resemblence to it. On its own its great
though and nobody knows (or will say) who did the artwork. ;)
 

Le Fanu

Just bumping this.

Does anybody use or like this deck? Ive just found a copy and wondered what the general opinion on this deck was. It must be the least mentioned US Games deck. Ever.

It's "based on" the Dodal so at least it has that going for it. And it's OOP.

Any fans?
 

shaveling

I have this. It was hard to find, because by the time I was interested, it was OOP and the websites that advertised it were actually shipping the Convos. I use it from time to time, but it's not a favorite of mine at all. It's a perfectly respectable TdM, though.

But it isn't pretty. In fact, as my mother would say, "it's ugly as home made sin." When we read posts from years ago that say "I tried to use the Marseilles, but the cards were just too ugly," they're probably talking about this deck. I expect that's why it was replaced by the Convos.
 

Bernice

I've got the Tarot Set, the Thunder Bay deck. IMHO it's cheaper and better than the other one.

The cardbacks have a tiny triangle (....or square? Not in the card-room at present.) at one end so you can see if a card is reversed, it's not very noticable. I like it.

Bee :)
 

Le Fanu

Bernice said:
I've got the Tarot Set, the Thunder Bay deck. IMHO it's cheaper and better than the other one.

The cardbacks have a tiny triangle (....or square? Not in the card-room at present.) at one end so you can see if a card is reversed, it's not very noticable. I like it.

Bee :)
Click to expand...

Bee.... are you thinking of the same deck? I thought the Thunder Bay was a Convers? I have this with the little triangle and dolphins and stuff on the back. This is a US games Tarot of Marseilles (are the links working yet?), and it is a version (loosely based, I guess) of the Dodal. I ordered it from the book depository...

shaveling said:
When we read posts from years ago that say "I tried to use the Marseilles, but the cards were just too ugly," they're probably talking about this deck. I expect that's why it was replaced by the Convos.
Click to expand...

Convos? Surely that's the ugliest of the lot? :D Isn't that the squat one with the dull font and uninspring colours?

:D
 

Abrac

There's nothing about it that I like. Don't let the fact that it's out of print and getting harder to find fool you. I think it's not talked about much because there's not much to say about it. It looks like something a child might find interesting; maybe that was the intent. If you're an enthusiastic collector you might want it for your collection.
 
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