Smith-Waite® Centennial Tarot Deck

Gorgeous tarot deck! I wanted a classic looking tarot deck but not one with garish colors and outdated art. THIS IS THE PERFECT BALANCE! The subdued colors make this deck incredibly pleasing to the eye and the box even came with really cool extra art prints from classical literature too! Get this as you first deck if you don’t already have one & get this to add to your collection if you already have others. This deck is solid, easy to use, and is perfect for all levels of tarot enthusiasts. THIS DECK IS PERFECT AND SO AFFORDABLE!! My first deck was and archetypal one that cost $80. I realized soon after opening it that it was a mistake, as I was inexperienced with the themes of tarot and didn’t understand the cards because they drew off of concepts involved in this classic deck. I was devastated because I couldn’t afford another $80 for a classic deck! Then I rejoiced when I found this one!! Not only is this deck very affordable, it is high quality! Every card is perfect, the card stock is thick, the prints are immaculate, and these feel like they will stand up to rough use. They are also a good size. They are larger than playing cards, but not so large that it’s hard to handle them. They shipped in a timely manner and were packed well. Overall I’m elated!!

This deck is gorgeous and very historically accurate to the original 1909 deck. Some reviews complain of an 'vintage' filter, but compared side-by-side to another facsimile of an actual 1909 deck (you can find these flipthroughs on Youtube), you'll see that it's very similar, and that no such 'vintage' filter was applied. The colors seem slightly yellower, so maybe US Games applied a slight color adjustment filter, but all of the printing errors and stains are from an authentic scan. There are many supposed "original 1909" decks on the mass market, but many of them seem to use artwork from different historical printings. The cardstock is nice and thick--thicker than other decks from US Games--though a bit stiff for my taste. It is definitely durable and not a problem for shuffling though. I actually prefer the thinner and slightly smoother cards from their Italy-printed decks. But no complaints from me. If you're new to tarot and you're not sure which of the many Rider Waite Smith decks to pickup, I recommend this one.

From all my Smith-Waite decks, this is the one with the most beautiful vintage vibe. In al the years of Tarot studies, I have struggled connecting to decks, I have so many I am embarrassed to admit. Recently though, I have read a book that transformed my approach to the cards into a more intuition based process with the imagery on the card as a starting point... rather than memorizing meanings from a book with or without connecting to the card imagery which is what I have done for years. I went through that entire book using this deck and now I have this very strong connection to it. Its color tones are sort of muted but vibrant enough at the same time, compared to other Smith-Waite decks and I love that. I gives the vibe of working with an old deck without being cheesy about it. The size and quality of the cards is nice. I have also ordered the version in a tin for when I travel. I don't think you will be disappointed with this one.

Excellent deck, the absolute go-to. Mostly writing this review to compare to the mini deck that comes in a tin. But I love this Centennial Edition for the vintage look. I trimmed off the borders and rounded the corners because the images pop, and it is easier for my little hands to shuffle when the cards are a little smaller. But they look very beautiful with the borders as well. Cardstock neither too thin nor too thick, with a satin finish. Love the bonus artwork!

I am extremely satisfied with this purchase. If you've done some research and know what this is, you'll absolutely get what it is advertised: the classic, standard-sized RWS tarot deck in a special centennial edition to commemorate Pamela Colman Smith. The card stock is excellent, quite sturdy, and with a matte finish that keeps the cards from being overly slippery and prevents that fastidious shiny effect that some decks have. If you are a fan of antique-looking pictures, you will find these cards' vintage, kinda tea-stained muted colors and the attention to details very pleasing. This was my first Amazon US purchase; with the cheapest shipping option the package arrived here in Italy, safe and sound, in exactly 29 days - an absolutely acceptable shipping time - inside a bubble wrap padded envelope and in perfect conditions. Worth every penny.

This is such a nice deck! It seems like the closest to the original. Great clarity and detail and shuffles so well! It is close to pocket size, but just a drop longer. (Pocket size is like a regular card playing deck) I am loving this size! The colors are muted, which gives it a darker, more serious tone. It comes in a tin, which is especially nice, but also makes it heavier if you want to travel with it. I also have the regular Rider Waite pocket size which I absolutely love! I alternate between the 2 and my regular sized Rider Waite. I love to photograph my readings, and sometimes I will increase the vibrancy, colors, etc, and then I can also zoom in to see every little detail, and refer to the reading later. If you like softer, more muted colors closer to the original, you will love these! I also really like that it's the Centennial Deck, finally honoring the Original Artist, Pamela Colman Smith. It has a very historical and special feeling and could very well become a collector's item in the future.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I’m not an experienced reader, so I wanted a RW deck to learn the foundations. I’m not attracted to the artwork/colors of the RW deck, though, so I looked at many variations and chose this centennial version. I’m really happy with it. I like the more subdued color palette, which helps me tolerate the artwork. Learning the meanings of the cards further distracts me from my preference for (against) the actual artwork. The cards also feel really nice in my hands. The card stock is slippery, so they are easy to shuffle, and the size is perfect. I don’t struggle to hold the deck.

I wanted a traditional deck to practice with and even though I am not a huge fan of the heavy use of yellow tones from the original deck, this one uses it sparingly and only on cards where it is necessary. The border of the card is a nice creme color, making it look vintage without the vintage and brittle feel of old cards. The print is alright. You can read and see everything perfectly fine but If you look a bit closer you'll see that all the colors have texture to them. Like a printed on-type-texture. Hard to explain. I'm not sure if that is a design choice. If you look for a sharp, clean deck with bright even coloring, this isn't it. The black lines and text are crisp but the color looks like a low res jpg from 2005. Visuals aside. This type of deck is really good for newcomers IF you aren't afraid to research the card meanings. I'm pretty disappointed in the booklet. You won't get far by just reading it. It does an okay job explaining each card but you'll have to dig deep within yourself, take your own notes, and research and find the meaning of the cards by staring at it for a while. Some cards are easier to interpret than others but if you know a bit about numerology, you can derive the meanings/energies of the cards too (with some exceptions) In other words, If you want to use a Rider-Waite deck, make sure that the images immediately speak to you. If you can tell what is going on without knowing the meaning of the card, you're moving in the right direction.

U.S.Games’ best work so far.

初心者ですが、あえて復刻版にしてみました。 雰囲気が落ち着いている、別の言い方をすればちょっと暗い？（笑）けど、 クラシカルな絵を気に入っています。 手触り、すべり、大きさ（私は手が小さい方）、どれも良いです。 梱包は過剰でなく、商品もきれいでした。

The quality is great and I love the vintage look on the cards. Though shipping can't be traced, the item still came right on time.

Nach längerer Onlinerecherche habe ich mich für das Centennial Tarot Deck entschieden, da es laut Onlinestimmen, der originalen Farbgebung des authentischen Rider Waite Decks am ähnlichsten kommen soll. Viele günstigere Reproduktionen des Rider Waite Decks haben mich vor allen Dingen aufgrund ihrer lieblos gestalteten Rückseiten abgestoßen, welche oftmals zu kitschig, spielzeughaft oder billig wirkten. Immerhin sieht man die Rückseiten der Karten genauso häufig, wie die unglaublichen Bilder darauf. Dass es ein Rider Waite Deck sein musste, war für mich sofort klar, da die einzigartige Bildsprache, die Pamela Coleman Smith so genial in den Bildern herüber bringt, der Ausgangspunkt für die Deutung der Karten darstellt. Ich habe Kunstgeschichte studiert und kann nicht genug von der bildimmanenten Symbolik und Aussagekraft kriegen. Die Deutungsansätze kommen somit sehr intuitiv. Es empfiehlt sich jedoch als Anfänger mehrere gute Bücher zum Thema Tarot zu studieren, bzw. auf starke Internetquellen zurückzugreifen, welche auch enorm hilfreich sein können, da sie oft das Wissen mehrerer Bücher komprimiert vorstellen. Das kleine Pamphlet, was dem Centennial Deck beigelegt ist, bietet nur eine Aneinanderreihung von Schlagworten, welche sich schwer kontextualisieren lassen. Die Beschaffenheit der Karten ist ausgezeichnet, sie entspricht sehr guten Spielkarten. Sie gleiten angenehm aufeinander und kleben nicht zusammen, was ich sehr wichtige finde, da ich die Karten aus einem Fächer ziehe, den ich auf dem Tisch ausbreite. Die Größe ist ein Standardmaß für Tarot. Für normale Frauenhände sind sie noch geradeso klein genug, um sie gut zu mischen, jedoch groß genug, um die Bilder detailliert zu erkennen. Der Druck ist qualitativ ausgezeichnet und die Farbgebung wunderschön. Der Rand auf den Karten ist nicht weiß, sondern leicht vergilbt, was einen wunderbaren Charme ausmacht. Die Rückseite, in zartem pastelgrün mit der weißen Blume und PCS Monogramm, wirkt dezent, verträumt und mystisch, ohne kitschig zu sein. Eine ganz klare Kaufempfehlung für jeden, der auf der Suche nach einem Deck ist, mit dem er sich leicht verbinden kann.

If there's any deck out there that I'd get that represents the Rider-Waite system deck, this would be it! Love the muted colors, cardstock and extra artwork cards