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 I wanted a classic looking tarot deck but not one with garish colors and outdated art.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!!

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!

The Smith-Waite deck is an essential for tarot readers. The depth of the images relate to the meaning of the card in a way that really helps you to connect to the meaning. This deck in particular is very good quality and the colour palette is lovely.

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.

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.

Simple and perfect

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.

This is my favourite Tarot Deck. I love the smith-Waite imagery. The product was as expected and very prompt shipping. I get great readings from this deck and the card quality is very good! I would recommend any tarot practitioner to have this in their collection.