So...is one defined by their collection?

[Sharla]

I am a born collector, of quite a few things besides Tarot. I collect feathers, crystals, boxes, candles, unique glasses (Alcoholic beverages lol), Morroccon plates/bowls etc, shoes, clothes .......

So yes i would say i am also a collector of Tarot (and other cards) too, even though my collection is not that big at present, i think combining them all i have 12 decks up to now.

But i know for a fact that this will be growing over the years

Having an OOP (now i know what this means lol) wouldn't bother me too much, unless it was imagery that i totally connected with and just had to have. The fact of it being a OOP deck, would not really make me want it for that reason.

I really do need another Tarot deck too, my Legacy of the divine that i'm using at present "constantly" is starting to get a bit unshuffable at times, the glossiness has been shuffled away.....so i have been looking at other decks, but haven't found one i truly want yet.

Als just to add, i wouldn't just keep buying deck after deck just for the sake of having a "huge" collection, id need to really want a deck and fall in love with it to even buy it...i can be quite fussy.

 

[earthair]

I don't have a tarot collection... I have an ever growing magical library of mysticism which includes objects, art, books and tarot
If I'm not reading with them, I'm studying decks and the philosophies of their creators.

Luckily, most decks that choose me seem to be easy to get hold of still.

 

[Cocobird55]

When I first started visiting AT, I had two decks. I read reviews of decks people were buying, and bought them just out of curiosity. I liked some, I gave away the rest. Now that I have a much better sense of what I like, my buying habits have changed. I only buy what I'm pretty sure I will personally like.

I have about 200 decks now. Am I collector? I guess it all depends on your definition. I would say that I have a limited collection, that consists of decks I really like. I don't read with all of them, but I do look through each one periodically because I enjoy the art.

 

[Nemia]

I'm not a real collector - I have a bit over 50 decks. 10 of them are used regularly, 10 are used rarely, 10 are nice to have, 10 wouldn't be missed much, and 10 actually could go!

I let three decks go because I really didn't like them and they disturbed me. Collectors often change items in their collections, for all kinds of reasons, so not letting anything go is IMO not a criterion for a serious collector.

I don't have the money or wish to invest heavily in my tarot collection, it's more functional, and I count also "just looking at it and enjoying the art" as function.

But in another sense, I AM a collector. I have a collector's mentality. I've been collecting books since 1970 and still keep some of my oldest books. My house is seriously filled with books, and so is my Kindle. Some of my books are antique and quite valuable.

I had until some months ago very long hair, and I have a good collection of high quality "hairtoys" that members of the longhair subculture would identify at a glance. Over the years, I have collected different things while going through "crazes" (I'm actually sad my longhair craze is over, it included also "collecting" the ability to make as many hairstyles as possible and I loved having a different bun and hairtoy every day, although nobody except for me thought it looked good !!!), and I tend to be a bit obsessive when a topic fascinates me. It's not enough for me to plant the five, six herbs I actually use, no, I HAVE to make a full blown herb garden with all kinds of weird plants!

I collect tarot books, I collect articles about tarot (my Evernote notebooks are really elaborately organized and a lot of knowledge is stored there), I celebrate the cards I have by "dressing" them in nice self made bags, I made quite a number of tarot pendants, there are self-made tarot magnets on my door and I made charm bags with tarot cards and stones... I admit, I have this Taurus possessiveness, I like to be surrounded by "my things" and they give me a happy feeling. If I could afford it, I'd probably buy more decks and more expensive decks, but I don't want to fall into that pattern. I love seeing collections like Gregory's and it must be wonderful to sit and organize them and look at them, but I don't crave a collection of that size for myself.

For me personally, collecting means bringing tarot into my life not only by buying decks but by celebrating a tarot-infused lifestyle, meeting tarot at every corner. I collect tarot experiences ;-)

ETA: Cocobird, your collection is AWESOME! So many tarots I like or find intriguing!!! Great. I'd love to know which ones you gave away...

 

[Padma]

I am a born collector, of quite a few things besides Tarot. I collect feathers, crystals, boxes, candles, unique glasses (Alcoholic beverages lol), Morroccon plates/bowls etc, shoes, clothes .......

Yes, I could potentially go that way! But I have stopped some collections by ridding myself of them - my acquisitive streak is pretty strong, so I try to nip it in the bud a little. Otherwise I would have just way, way way too much of everything!

Als just to add, i wouldn't just keep buying deck after deck just for the sake of having a "huge" collection, id need to really want a deck and fall in love with it to even buy it...i can be quite fussy.

I try to be selective, as well. Alas, sometimes one buys a deck because it looked so good online, but the real life experience is different...win some, lose some, I suppose!

I don't have a tarot collection... I have an ever growing magical library of mysticism which includes objects, art, books and tarot

What a great way of putting it! I love your definition

When I first started visiting AT, I had two decks. I read reviews of decks people were buying, and bought them just out of curiosity. I liked some, I gave away the rest. Now that I have a much better sense of what I like, my buying habits have changed. I only buy what I'm pretty sure I will personally like.

I have about 200 decks now. Am I collector? I guess it all depends on your definition. I would say that I have a limited collection, that consists of decks I really like. I don't read with all of them, but I do look through each one periodically because I enjoy the art.

Wow! From 2 to 200! Quite the shift, Cocobird! I think this place is very enabling, as well - I had about 4 decks when I began Good for you to be ale to keep it to decks you love.

I let three decks go because I really didn't like them and they disturbed me. Collectors often change items in their collections, for all kinds of reasons, so not letting anything go is IMO not a criterion for a serious collector.

Good point about the criterion, Nemia. And you are right, hoarding everything is not actually something a collector does.

I love seeing collections like Gregory's and it must be wonderful to sit and organize them and look at them, but I don't crave a collection of that size for myself.

For me personally, collecting means bringing tarot into my life not only by buying decks but by celebrating a tarot-infused lifestyle, meeting tarot at every corner. I collect tarot experiences ;-)

Yes, Gregory and Rodney have massive collections - I have seen photos of Rodney in front of his wall of decks! It is something to see, indeed. But I also would not want that many. Too much organizing involved!

I liked your comment about living a tarot-infused lifestyle Well said!

 

[Cocobird55]

Decks I gave away -- some of them include the Sacred Circle, Robin Wood, and my extra copy of Anna K.

There are some decks which were very well liked, so I bought them. I couldn't get them out of the house fast enough. The Vertigo, Deviant Moon and Archeon are all popular but they just aren't my taste.

 

[Nemia]

Thank you, that's interesting. i don't think anyone is defined by ONE thing in their lives, so tarot collections don't define a person. But the evolution of a tarot collection probably reflects a lot about a person's tastes, interests and fascinations over time.

 

[Michellehihi]

I don't have a tarot collection... I have an ever growing magical library of mysticism which includes objects, art, books and tarot
If I'm not reading with them, I'm studying decks and the philosophies of their creators.

Luckily, most decks that choose me seem to be easy to get hold of still.

I like your way of expressing so much!
Decks choose you! Yes!

 

[VGimlet]

<snip> How do you define a true collector of tarot? Does it really depend on how many OOP decks they have? Does that *REALLY* matter? Why does a person collect, anyways? Is it for the amount of decks they can own, for the amount of *out of publication decks* (OOP) they can have, or for the sheer joy of having tarot decks they love? And use? What truly constitutes a serious collection?

My definition of a true collector would be someone who purchases decks with no desire to use them, but in appreciation for the art, and possibly to complete their collection. I don't think it's really about OOP or in print. I think most collectors love what they collect, because tarot is not really a good investment overall, LOL. Maybe historical decks. A serious collection - Stuart Kaplan, museum collections of tarots, (like the Museo) Adam's collection, and yes, you greggers.

I put my own collection (heading toward 700 total) kind of between a serious collection, an motley collection of art decks, and just a general collection...but I use all of my decks for at least a week, and decide which ones I like enough to read with, and which are part of the collection.

How did you get them? Why did you get them? Does OOP really define your collection? How do you really feel about collecting? What are your definitions of a successful collection...? ?

I found this site about 30 years after I got my (then) one and only tarot deck. I joined right before the recent tarot "boom". I was looking for a replacement for "my Precioussss" aka the Aquarian and I knew I wanted something different, and needed to put my hands on decks and use them. At first I was like a kid in a candy store. My buying segued into "ooh pretty shiny" for awhile. I am a graphic art person, and have been since I was a kid, so there was that aspect of it to my buying. I also wanted to try out all the different schools of tarot.

The majority of my collection consists of decks that were in print at the time, had just gone out of print but were easy to find, and used decks that were in perfectly fine condition. Only maybe 10-15 of my current collection are decks that were OOP and priced that way.

The first time I paid over 100 dollars for a deck, (118 dollars on ebay) it was the first edition Rock and Roll tarot - and it was on the absolute top of my list. I had no idea I'd end up doing THAT again, LOL.

Probably my most notable buys were completing my collection of Amerigo Folchi decks. My most reluctant purchase was his Tarot of the Master, which was inexpensive, but I am not a fan of that deck's subject. Still, it was the last deck I needed to complete my collection - probably my most "collector" moment, really.

I have some themes I collect on <I edited to remove my list of themes, as this post was WAY too long..>But I have to like the art. There are a few decks I've collected because they match one of my themes, but overall - I have to like the art and the subject. Especially now with the proliferation of decks on the markets. I don't consider myself a serious collector, because all my decks are used, and none are sealed.

In a year I might use 20 or 30 decks for readings, above and beyond new decks being used for the Deck of the Week, and my normal reading decks. For a party or event I will bring some fitting decks and let people choose.
I consider my collection successful because I have a lot of decks I love, and many I use, and only a few that are there just to complete a collection and nothing else.

 

[Miss Divine]

Speaking for myself, I do have the collection bug - I just don't know now if it is for decks anymore. I have collected other things in the past, and have an ongoing crystal collection, but I guess I am just wondering if I still want or need to collect tarot cards, especially as it is no longer giving me the great pleasure it did at the beginning...and I am wondering now about bothering over OOP decks etc. So it is helpful to see how others interpret their collections and their collecting as I am trying to redefine what I want from amassing tarot decks...

Hi Padma how I have been where you are now. I went through the fase of losing interest in tarot and oracles altogether and got rid of many decks. But the day came that I was all enthusiastic again like the early days when I started out Ofcourse I missed a fair amount (thank goodness not all) of the decks I'd gotten rid of, only to repurchase them again. This happened to my best friend a few years after it happened to me. She purged her collection, even though I warned her not to. After about 2 years her enthusiasm and excitement for the cards came back as well.. And she can still kick herself for getting rid of the many decks she had.
What I am trying to say is.. Reconsider before you get rid of any, even the ones you are not in love with. I have fallen in love with decks I absolutely didn't before (no idea how that happened), but it's true.

And I absolutely do NOT think your collection defines you. My profile doesn't have a single deck listed anymore because I forgot to update and lost track. Perhaps I will update it again when the mood hits. But it just isn't important to me. Yes I have OOP decks, but who cares!? I certainly don't! I only have OOP decks I like/love and not because they're OOP.

I have what I have for my own enjoyment. And that is how it should be. Whethet one owns 1 deck, or a thousand or 2.