Recently purchased Sacred Rose?

[morganesky]

Oh I hope mine doesn't warp just checking and it copyright 1982, booklet printed in the US but cards are printed in Belgium. I love this deck, so if it warps, I will have to hunt and gather another

 

[Bhavana]

Really? I imagine this would have been very appealing to the tortured sensibilities of a teenager reared on Wuthering Heights and Dark Shadows episodes. There are certain eras or time periods where a more gothic sensibility is more acceptable/in vogue among the teen set. These things go in waves (in America, for instance, the spiritualism craze of the late Victorians/Edwardians versus the bland faux- wholesomeness of the 1950s).

Perhaps 1980 was early enough before the slick teenybop synth avalanche that teens in that year would have found this deck creepy-cool rather than creepy full stop. You were a young teen then, right? Don't you think the deck would have been more appealing to your peers in 1980 than it would be to teens even ten years later? (And then the cycle would begin again, because the mid-90s were a high time for teen goths and those discovering neo-Paganism).

I also don't think this deck is as creepy as many make out; it's just the eye sockets that make people forget about the large, winking television advertiser's sparkles of light attached to most figures and objects.



I love Swiss printings if you mean AG Muller (and I recall that my Sacred Rose, purchased in the 90s, was very AG Muller-ish in presentation and card stock)-- they have long been my favorite publisher because of their card stock.

But, if it were a deck I felt the need to have two printings of, I, like you, enjoy the matte US Games offerings, in the main. Sun and Moon is horrid to me, though, like the cardboard of a boxed food item. But Dreaming Way is good; the version of the Haindl I have is good.



Big difference there!

Some people say that giftees can't be choosers. We most certainly can...

I was raised on Wuthering Heights and Dark Shadows, when Nancy Drew was still cool and Victoria Holt gothic romances were the first "love" stories I ever read....but I never found the Sacred Rose creepy at all. In fact, I think it was years before I ever really became aware of the blank eyes. I noticed them, but they had no real effect on me. I chose the deck because of the bright colors and stained glass appearance.

and yes, I am referring to the AGM Switzerland printing. Since USG is currently printing the deck in China, I imagine AGM is no longer involved.

I don't mind the cardstock on the Printed in China decks. I quite like it in certain moods and dislike its lack of flexibility and cardboardiness in others.

These decks will never break in, but by the same token the more flexible decks - such as the Belgian printings - do have a tendency to warp. Printed in China decks will never warp. One of my Belgian Morgan Greer decks warped diagonally, the others didn't. All very mysterious.

I have a Swiss printing and I'm very happy with that. For the moment I don't feel an urge for a back up. I'm sure it'll last...

I love the China decks, they are my favorite cardstock, even if they are a little stiff. I like a sturdy card. I do have one printed in China USG deck that does have a slight warp - a Morgan Greer. It was not warped at all when I bought it, and is not always warped - I think it depends on the weather. You are right, though, for the most part, these decks do not warp at all. Another reason I love them.

 

[Bhavana]

Oh I hope mine doesn't warp just checking and it copyright 1982, booklet printed in the US but cards are printed in Belgium. I love this deck, so if it warps, I will have to hunt and gather another

don't worry. If it wasn't warped when you got it, you should be fine. Just be careful not to get it wet or expose it to extreme temps.

 

[morganesky]

don't worry. If it wasn't warped when you got it, you should be fine. Just be careful not to get it wet or expose it to extreme temps.

phew thanks! she's nicely tucked away and I shall keep the temps in mind, thank you

 

[kalliope]

I love the scribbly, scratchy, gnarled artwork and gloomy, primeval vibe. Every scene seems to take place in a sinister forest. Such a strange deck. So out of step with nowadays where decks have to be immediately accessible to teenage girls. There would be no room for these mysterious, possessed beings whose eyes roll into the back of their head and whose hair spreads like tree roots, coming to get you.

These words sent me scurrying off to look at card images. Now I have seen the Sacred Rose with new eyes. How could I have missed the great qualities of this deck the first time around? Now I realize that it is just my cup of tea. Adroitly enabled, once again!

Hell (can I say that??), I was enabled, and I already had two copies of the deck! You really captured it with your description, Le Fanu. I ordered a deck/book set the other day to finally read the author's book. For a while the books were priced very high, but this set was very reasonable. More on that in another post.

Really? I imagine this would have been very appealing to the tortured sensibilities of a teenager reared on Wuthering Heights and Dark Shadows episodes. There are certain eras or time periods where a more gothic sensibility is more acceptable/in vogue among the teen set. These things go in waves (in America, for instance, the spiritualism craze of the late Victorians/Edwardians versus the bland faux- wholesomeness of the 1950s).

Perhaps 1980 was early enough before the slick teenybop synth avalanche that teens in that year would have found this deck creepy-cool rather than creepy full stop. You were a young teen then, right? Don't you think the deck would have been more appealing to your peers in 1980 than it would be to teens even ten years later? (And then the cycle would begin again, because the mid-90s were a high time for teen goths and those discovering neo-Paganism).

I was very much a teenaged girl in love in Wuthering Heights, Dark Shadows (1991 remake), and pretty much any other melodramatic, tortured love story. So as you suggest, Chiriku, the drama and atmosphere of this deck spoke to me when I found it a few years later. Like Bhavana, I found it beautiful because of the stained-glass jewel tones. But I think I know what Le Fanu meant about it not appealing to teenaged girls. I'd bet money that most of the girls in my high school class would NOT have liked this deck, because it would have been "weird," "dark," or "creepy." It's not "pretty" enough to be a girly fantasy deck (like maybe the Moon Garden?), not sleek and sexy like the Steampunk by Moore, it's not fairytale enough to be delicate like the Paulina, and it's just not quite "cool" enough for the mainstream. Maybe you're right that girls in 1980 would have found it more appealing, but I doubt it, since I think the modern aesthetic was more the same than different for those groups.

 

[Le Fanu]

don't worry. If it wasn't warped when you got it, you should be fine. Just be careful not to get it wet or expose it to extreme temps.

Mine don't get wet or get exposed to extreme temperatures. Some of them warp after I receive them. It's quite irrational...

 

[Bhavana]

Mine don't get wet or get exposed to extreme temperatures. Some of them warp after I receive them. It's quite irrational...

Always those pesky exceptions!! I have had this happen too, but usually when the deck is still new, so it could have something to do with it's condition - maybe it behaved while still in shrinkwrap and untouched by human hands....but once in our fluctuating environments, it settled into it's warpy self. For the most part, though, I haven't had much trouble. And when I do, it's mostly with certain publishers. And almost never with USG. The MG I mentioned above was my exception, it was in perfect condition when I opened it up, and some days the warping is worse than others....the Sacred Rose that warps is always warped, I got it that way, second hand. Practically free so I can't complain. It also has a slightly musty odor, so I really think a new China printed copy is a good idea.

 

[Bhavana]

I was very much a teenaged girl in love in Wuthering Heights, Dark Shadows (1991 remake), and pretty much any other melodramatic, tortured love story. So as you suggest, Chiriku, the drama and atmosphere of this deck spoke to me when I found it a few years later. Like Bhavana, I found it beautiful because of the stained-glass jewel tones. But I think I know what Le Fanu meant about it not appealing to teenaged girls. I'd bet money that most of the girls in my high school class would NOT have liked this deck, because it would have been "weird," "dark," or "creepy." It's not "pretty" enough to be a girly fantasy deck (like maybe the Moon Garden?), not sleek and sexy like the Steampunk by Moore, it's not fairytale enough to be delicate like the Paulina, and it's just not quite "cool" enough for the mainstream. Maybe you're right that girls in 1980 would have found it more appealing, but I doubt it, since I think the modern aesthetic was more the same than different for those groups.

there was a '91 remake of Dark Shadows? I must have missed that - I think I missed a lot of the 90's. I can only refer to the soap opera of the 60's. I think it was on every day, like a regular soap. I had a red drum toybox, and i used to sit inside it, with the lid on, open a crack so I could peer out at the tv, that is how much it scared me. I loved being scared. Still do!

I bought my first Sacred Rose in the 80's, I was in my late teens, early 20's - can't say what other girls would have thought of it, though. I remember there were a lot of decks to choose from the day I got it, and it took me forever to decide - and, funny thing, I didn't have any desire at all to own more than one deck!!

 

[kalliope]

there was a '91 remake of Dark Shadows? I must have missed that - I think I missed a lot of the 90's.

Amuse yourself here, with a promo from the 1991 show. So cheesy!


To bring this back on topic, I received my deck & book set yesterday. I had been confused about the various versions after reading the posts in this thread, but now I think I understand. Although the box of this edition says that it's US Games, and it's the newer green box, the shrinkwrap on the cards inside the box had an AG Muller sticker on them. No US Games copyright on the cards, either. I think they are the same edition as the one you were describing, aurarcana. And I'm happy to report that this was a great purchase, because it's the best printing that I have yet! It makes my favorite older deck look fuzzy and faded. I took some pictures comparing the three editions that I have, and I'll post them later.

 

[Chiriku]

Thanks for further info about your edition, kalliope, and to you and Bhavana for sharing those entertaining memories.

Quick pros and cons for this one (for future members who search the past threads on a deck):

Neutrals or Pros

Vivid colors. Stylized renderings. A sense of the mystical and magickal which is lacking in many decks.Clearly Rider Waite Smith- based without being slavishly "devoted" to Pamela Colman Smith's scenes. Great card stock on the older AG Mullers (can't speak for the recent printings). Blessedly non-saacharine and free of cutesiness with the possible exception of the "groovy" Sun. Late 70s-looking (to MY eyes...yes, I know it was published in the early 80s) which ups the nostalgia factor; that time period is a golden bubble for me. Pulpy paperback novel cover-style art, again upping my nostalgic vibes. The Lovers follows the "choice" template (always a plus for me).

Neutrals or Cons

White eye sockets ceate a distance between reader and characters that, while beneficial for some uses, also limits my use of the deck ...not necessarily a con for me given that almost all of my decks have niche "uses." I have very few all-purpose decks.

Comic-book- inflected art in some places. (Yes, this can be a positive for some).

Late 70s- inflected art and/or pulpy 70s paperback novel cover art can be a minus for a lot of people.

Some of the faces look squashed and distorted in a goblin-like way when it's by no means clear they are intended to be goblins.

Hokey 2 of Cups, but whatcha gonna do? It's often a hokey card.

The Moon is faintly ridiculous to me and is among my least favorite Moons.

Some could perceive a vibe of self-consciously "woo, woo, TAROT! Heed my warnings, mwahahahaha!" (And of course, some can love it for this).


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