DECK REVIEW FOR "SPICEBOX" TAROT

Deck Review For “SpiceBox” Tarot

This deck doesn’t have a name, so I call it by it’s producer’s name, “SpiceBox”.  It is definitely “made in China” and it’s beauty is offset by its lack of proper manufacturing.

Produced by SpiceBox Books   ISBN 9781771326919

Art by Christine Covert is white outlined figures on a black background surrounded by a gold gilded border inset about 1/8 inch and gilded box with the cards’ names in black, with gilded numbers at the top of the cards.  In the minor arcana, only the suites’ symbols are colored.  In the Major Arcana, the color is only purple and used to highlight certain areas of the cards.

This deck comes in a magnetic closure box and has a drawstring bag for the deck.  Inside the box is a plastic container to hold the book, deck and cards.  The cards’ backs are not reversible due to a glyph in the center.  The cards are sized 2 ¾ x 4 ¾ inches.  The stock is easy to bend a single card but too thick to easily shuffle the entire deck.  You can feel rough edges poking when you handle them because they were perforated instead of die cut, and the edges are white. (Deck modifiers get out your black pens now!)  This is a standard symbols Rider Waite deck with wands being fire, cups-water, swords-air, and pentacles-earth.  The deck comes with a 48 page paperback book 6 x 8 ¼ inches.  It stores in the box by slipping it through a paper loop in the lid.  It explains the suits but does not give reversed meanings along with key words and basic meanings, which are represented throughout as the Fool’s Journey. It does give timing by suites:  Wands-days, cups-months, swords-weeks, pentacles-years.  Reversed meanings are only the opposite of upright meanings.  Two spreads are included: 3 Card and the Celtic Cross. Overall, this is an intriguing deck because of the outstanding white outlines and gold border against the stark, shiny black background. I love the artwork, so it now has a place in my collection, although it’s not a deck I will read with often due to the edges being rough and difficulty in shuffling.  If you want to purchase this deck, it is available at Half Price Books.