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How to Identify a 1905 Tarot

Tarot cards are illustrated cards that have been used over the course of at least six centuries for entertainment, gambling, divination and meditation. Hundreds of different tarot decks have been developed during this time period. In 1905, many classic decks with designs dating back centuries would have been in circulation. However, there also would have been some decks developed just in that period. The key to identification of a tarot deck is the distinctive design and style of the cards themselves.

Instructions

- 1
  List the most likely candidates among tarot decks. Classic decks would include those named: the Gringonneur or Venetian; Tarocchi of Mantegna; Tarocchi of Venice or Lombardi; Visconti-Sforza; Tarot of Marseilles; Tarot Classic or Burdel; Gebelin (similar to Tarot Classic); Grand Etteilla; Swiss Rochias Fills; and 1JJ decks, among others. It is also remotely possible that a deck available in 1905 would have been hand-drawn by a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn or one of the orders that formed when the original Golden Dawn fell into schism in 1903.
- 2
  Compare the design of the tarot cards with those of classic and Golden Dawn decks, as found on the Internet. For example, Tarot.com has illustrations of more than 90 decks, although many of these are of modern vintage. One might also check the websites of U.S. Games Systems (usgamesinc.com) and the Llewellyn Publishing Company (www.llewellyn.com). You should compare especially the style of drawing and shading the figures in the cards, and the colors used. Many Tarot cards have approximately similar figures in them. It is the very close specifics that make the difference, such as the shape of the character's facial features, posture and clothing.
- 3
  Compare the design of the tarot cards with those of classic and Golden Dawn decks, as found in published references. Probably the most comprehensive such reference is Stuart R. Kaplan's four-volume "Encyclopedia of Tarot." The same factors of comparison apply here: Look to compare the close details of how the characters are drawn and colored when comparing, say, the trump card known as "The Magician."

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