The Golden Tarot: The Visconti-Sforza Deck Paperback – March 21, 2013

Beautiful Set of cards. Bigger than I thought they would be, but still manageable. Artwork beautiful, cardstock nice. The booklet that comes with the set is well made and well written. I found it very informative and illustrated beautifully.

The Golden Tarot: The Visconti-Sforza Deck is a set that includes a reproduction of the Visconti-Sforza deck, a hardcover book by Mary Packard and a satin cloth. All of these are included in a nicely decorated box. Albeit some issues on the layout of the images on these cards, this set is a good value. However, it may not be for beginners, or even for owners of other Visconti decks that expect something new.THE CARDS:The cards in this set come in their own black box, stamped with The Moon card on front and the back of the cards on the back. The label "The Visconti-Sforza Deck"is written in a matte golden color on the lid.The cards are 6.5 " x 3.25", and together these make a deck 1.25" tick. The back of these card is almost reversible, but the repetitive golden leaf motif on red background is oriented towards the top of the card. The front of the cards are bordered golden, with a red or brown frame around the image. The cards feel slick on the back and maybe a bit more textured on the front.I take that the matte golden border is what the description refers to as "gold metallic ink". There are no golden metallic effects on the actual edge of the cards as seen on some luxurious Tarot decks. To be honest, I wasn't expecting one for the price, but I was hoping that the cards were at least 6" long judging from the size of the external box.Since this is my first Visconti-Sforza deck, I could only compare the images on these cards to others over the internet, and these look good. If I look closely, it seems that the images were reproduced from photos of original artwork as I can perceive a canvas like pattern on them. Also, the edge of some images are not well defined at times, similar as having a painting on a cloth.In addition, many of the cards have their images off centered, some more pronounced than others. I could only count 20 that were centered. In close inspection, I noticed that many of the off centered images were in fact not quite as rectangular as the card itself.One final thing to note is the quality of the card-stock. They seem not quite as good as cards from main tarot makers, but they are sturdy and may hold their own with light to normal use.THE BOOK:The included book is a 6.5" x 5.25" hard cover; black with glossy black vine-like designs. Written by Mary Packard, this book is only 144 pages long, but is fully illustrated with color pictures. The book is organized as follows:ForewordChapter 1: HistoryChapter 2: The Divine TarotChapter 3: The Road to WisdomChapter 4: The TrumpsChapter 5: The Four SuitsChapter 6: The Tarot JourneyAcknowledgementsThe forward is written by Robert M. Place.Chapters 1 to 3 are used to present a very brief history of the Visconti-Sforza deck, and the Tarot cards from card game to divination tool and most modern use as tool for enlightenment.In Chapter 4, the trumps are presented one each two pages, one page for the picture of the trump and another, for another for card name in English and Italian, description, upright phrase and key words and reversed key words.In Chapter 5, the pips are presented two or three per page, with card picture, name, brief description, upright and reversed phrases and keywords. However, the court cards are presented one per page with card picture, name, brief description, upright and reversed phrases and keywords.In Chapter 6, a few spreads are presented with an example, including: The Three-Card Spread, The Five-Card Spread and The Celtic Cross.I found the book entertaining, but nothing spectacular. Similar to what I would expect of a Little White Book. However, it may serve as a starting point for research for some.THE CLOTH:This set also include a purple satin cloth for laying the cards. This cloth is 18" by 18", but otherwise plain. Nice, but nothing special to talk about.THE BOX:The cards, book and cloth are stored in a black box, decorated with a glossy black vine-like patterns as seen on the book. As such, this box is as elegant as advertised. The top is held in place with magnetic closure and snap into place when you close it. The box holds side-by-side the deck and book. The satin cloth is placed behind the book, folded inside an insert box.FINAL THOUGHTS:Overall, I found good value in this set, but keep in mind that:1) I didn't own any previous Visconti-Sforza decks2) I wanted this deck for contemplation of the imagery and3) I wanted to add a Visconti-Sforza deck to my Tarot collection.

What a beautiful deck and what a great price . Thanks

This reproduction of a historical deck is a great bargain. The cards come with a beautifully illustrated hardback book that gives the history of the deck as well as the meanings of each card. The cards themselves are bordered in gold with red, blue and gold reversible patterns on the back.The printing is of good quality. Because this is a reproduction of a deck that is hundreds of years old, the Minor Arcana are illustrated with pips rather than scenes. Some people may be frustrated by the fact that faces of several cards such as the six,eight and ten of coins are all reversible. I solved this problem by coloring the yellow center of a small decorative flower on what I designated the bottom of the "problem" cards with a black, fine-tipped sharpie. This deck does not yield its secrets easily. It has goaded me to really truly memorize the meaning of all the pips, but I've gained by doing so. It's not a deck I will use every day. and I'm not ready yet to use it to read for other people, but I as I shuffle and turn over the cards, I know I'm part of a long tradition and that makes me happy.

This is a gorgeous set and an excellent value! I found this Tarot deck/book set after searching for a replacement to my other Visconti-Sforza deck by Stuart Kaplan. This set far exceeds that one and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality. I have been reading the Tarot for more than 20 years and over that time have come to own over 50 decks, some handed down to me, but many I purchased. This was a deck I wanted to replace because I had a hard time connecting with the old one (which was given to me).This set is gorgeous! The cards are still the large size and I must shuffle them a bit differently, but that only adds to their charm. The images are rich and sumptuous, and I found that I connected quickly with these cards. They are perfect for meditative practices and read very well. My clients love the mystical look of the images, and although the pip cards are not illustrated, they still make an impression, easily drawing out the archetypal energies associated with the suits and numbers. I also love the backs of the cards as well and was so pleased and thankful that they weren't the ugly plain brown backs like my other one.The box is big and sturdy, far from the tuck boxes or flimsy deck/book sets that are rendered useless upon opening. Because of this issue, I usually sew bags for my individual decks and store them in a special wooden chest. This box is so nice (think Kat Black's Tarot card box but on a much larger scale) that I continue to store the cards in the box with the book. Speaking of books.....The book is a wonderful companion to the deck and Mary Packard shares her knowledge in a simple to understand, yet fluid style. Some say it might not be the best deck for beginners because of the pip cards, and I agree; to a point. But really, it's not that difficult to learn the pip-cards as long as you keep in mind that they are simply a means to trigger your own personal intuition. I've been teaching a Tarot class for several years and I feel that Miss Packard gets her readers started on the right track. Of course the more you work with the cards, the better your understanding of them will be. It takes time to develop a relationship with any deck, so don't let the pip cards be the only thing that discourages you.The satin cloth isn't silk, but it's still a very nice touch and perfect for smaller spreads. I even use it with other decks from time to time, so it's been a lovely addition to my work.Overall, this is an excellent set for anyone who feels drawn to the historical 15th century artwork and want to connect with the classic imagery that started it all and developed into the Tarot of today.Many Blessings on your Journey )O(

They have l the beautiful trumps, all three suits: cups coins swords barns and coins.