Some time back in the distant past I spotted a Kickstarter on social media for an unusual tarot deck. And I am always a sucker for that!
I pledged my $45 and promptly went about my business with other things.
Then the world went a bit upside down with the Covid scenario and lots of things got delayed, including the Alleyman's Tarot that I had backed.
However, roll forward to last week and a box landed on my doorstep.
I will admit I wasn't sure what to expect, what I unpacked was quite frankly, fantastic.
For my $45 (plus p&p) I received a very nicely designed sturdy box containing 137 tarot cards, each one from a different and unique set. I was also pleasantly surprised to receive a funky printed and bound tarot guide, a booster pack of cards and an Alleyman's coin.
What caught my interest was the concept of this deck. Not only does it have a lot of cards - 137 instead of the usual 78, but each card is from a different set. With the extra cards it does mean there are duplicates, for instance the set has an astounding 9 Death cards, but each one has its own meaning. Add to that some really unusual cards that you don't see in a regular deck it makes for an interesting reading. I am totally hooked.
There is a trend apparently for this kind of 'magpie' deck and it makes so much sense to me. You can create your own tailor made deck to suit you and how you read. Take cards from any decks and merge them together. Make your own cards and add them in. You can even throw in oracle cards, playing cards or the back of teabag packets if you like the image - it is a genius idea and I absolutely love it.
The Kickstarter was for a one time printing and it reached its goal within 12 hours of going live, it also became the most backed tarot Kickstarter ever! It isn't open for any further backers now, and there is no stock to be purchased at the moment. However they do hope to have a few extra sets available end of June so if you are interested take a look at the site https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/publishinggoblin/the-alleymans-tarot
But you could always start collecting your own mismatched set!
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