Why Collect Decks?

[Kiama]

Right... Nearly everyone I've spoken to about collecting Tarot decks, who isn't a collector themselves has said one of two things, or both:

1. But, you can only use one at a time!
2. Aren't all decks the same?

Hmmm... How do you get across the fine sublimity of opening a new Tarot deck? How do you portray the eager hunt for a long searched out deck? How do you explain the thrill of finding that deck, and handing over the money...? How do you excuse such an expensive collecting hobby. People collect stamps, butterflies, cocktail sticks, postcards... Me? I collect Tarot decks!

So, what are the benefits, to you, of collecting loadsa decks, and how do you explain this to a non-collector?

Kiama

 

[faunabay]

Like you say people collect stamps and many other things they can't use at all. At least we can use what we collect.

I think the biggest reason I collect different decks is for the artwork - which breaks down into many different sub-categories. First - artwork is, obviously, different with each deck, so there's the pleasing aesthetics (same as you get from art you put in your house). Each deck has different aesthetics - pretty, shocking, bold, etc. Secondly - artwork also illicts different emotions, which in the case of tarot cards adds an extra bonus. You can use different decks with different people who have different outlooks on life and thereby personalizing each reading.

Truthfully I don't have anyone giving me a hard time about collecting. They just tease me about spending so much money. LOL

To answer your question directly though Kiama, I'd say just tell them at least we can use what we collect unlike most people who collect other "weird" things. Of course not all at once. That is true, but sometimes we can/do use more than one deck at a time.

 

[Logiatrix]

i am a collector of collections!
to explain...
i have collected teddy bears, GI joes, collectible dolls, TY beanie babies, pez dispensers, hot wheels cars, antique books, rosaries and bibles. generally, i found that the antique books, teddy bears and dolls are the most expensive to collect; the pez and the toy cars are the least expensive.
then, two years ago, i discovered tarot...!
outside of tarot, i only still collect rosaries. i have kept all of my favorites of each of the other collections, and donated or sold everything else.
of all the things i have collected, tarot is the most interesting, vast and compelling. i always discover seemingly infinite topics connected to tarot. i have also found tarot decks (and related items) to be the most financially sound collectibles i have invested in.
truthfully, i started gathering decks solely in search of "THE ONE", not for collecting. at about twenty decks, i finally began to enjoy the variety of art, history and themes available through tarot. i became hooked on acquiring a deck or book purely for learning about it's artist or theme.
i HAVE been asked "why?"--and i said "each card is a portable piece of artwork that i enjoy viewing and utilizing for personal growth and healing." i had already asked myself this very same question (when the collection had grown to about sixty), so i was prepared.
i now have over a hundred decks and probably that many books, and it all only takes up two shelves of my office bookcase--so it is a most conducive collection in terms of space. i also have yet to spend as much on a tarot deck as i have on an antique book or a doll! (not that i wouldn't, i admit...)

 

[Luned]

We collect because we can't help ourselves! I have always thought there are two kinds of people in the world, collectors and non-collectors. The non-collectors can't quite figure out why we're all nuts........

Personally with tarot decks I find that I am attracted to the artwork primarily, and it doesn't really matter whether I actively use the deck or not as it can appreciated in a different way without using it. I am an (obsessively) orderly person, and when I get interested in something I have to look at every website about it, buy every book/deck/whatever is relevant, and I have to have it NOW!

 

[truthsayer]

why do i collect decks???? because they are there! i don't need a reason other than lunacy!!!! LOL

i collect cat things, books, and ty beanie babies. my ty collection has grown so large that i now restrict myself to bears and cats. i have no idea how many books i own but i'm going to read them all one day! ;D i really enjoy art, mythology, and symbolism from other cultures and points of view. there's so much to learn! i like seeing how each new deck explores the collective unconscious thru the eyes of the author/artist. understanding different art techniques has further enhanced my appreciation for certain decks that may not have caught my eye before. cards are more difficult to find a deck i don't have or am interested in adding to my collection. i'm less choosy w/ my cats, ty beanies, and books. you'd think i was pursuing a rembrandt sometimes!

 

[nexyjo]

first, let me say that i don't explain my "hobby" of collecting tarot decks to non-collectors. really, who cares what they think? if i allowed what others think to influence my behavior, i'd be a miserable, lonely, old man. instead, i'm a vibrant, middle-aged, young woman with a mid-sized tarot deck collection.

what are the benefits to me? i love art. i love tarot decks. i love to see various perspectives of each card. my decks give me uncounted hours of enjoyment. why else?

luv and light,
nexy

 

[Jewel]

I have to agree with what everyone has said so far *LOL*. I have been asked the question of why I collect the decks before and I have to be honest and tell you what I told them ... because I like them, and because I can *LOL*. Perhaps now that I have read your answers I will have an answer that will seem a little less defensive ~giggles~.

Love & Light,

 

[northsea]

I'm not sure if 15 decks is a collection per se, but I buy tarot decks because I'm studying a variety of art, history, and cultural topics. I have three decks that are medieval, an Egyptian deck, some Rider-Waite clones, and some cultural decks. (Each deck has its strong/weak cards for me.) (BTW Kiama, I like your 'religious nuts' saying!)