I wanted this deck the first second I saw it. It’s just so… Fantastic! But as so often happens, the price wasn’t right, I didn’t have the money, and I kind of forgot about it. What I also forgot was that I had shown it to the husbear.

And he didn’t forget. He saw something about it going out of print, and rushed to grab it up for me. He’s SUCH a good bear! So that’s the story of how I ended up with the 5 Cent Tarot, which I LOVE. That’s also the story of how lucky I am to have married so well. <3

The cardstock on this deck is strangely light. In fact, the whole deck just feels light. Not cheap, just light. The linen texture on the cards helps them slip and shuffle really well, but not TOO well. I didn’t end up with cards everywhere as I was shuffling. You can choose the colors of the backs, and Bear chose the most sublime robin’s egg blue and gold for mine. And the edges are gilded, but lightly. They don’t have that thick, crusty gilding that makes the cards catch against each other when you shuffle them. The color is also a pale, pretty gold instead of a bright brassy gold, which I really appreciate. Everything about the aesthetic of the backs and edges is refined and beautiful.

And the art! Ohhhhhh, the art! It’s done in a really cool vintage collage style with critters, and I love some critters on tarot cards. The one card that I always look for in a deck is The World. If I like The World, I can pretty much be assured that I’m going to like the rest of the deck. And in this deck, The World is especially amazing, with a pile of snakes right in the middle. So beautifully done!

This deck has keywords, like The Wandering Star Tarot that I interviewed a few weeks ago. So it would be good for people who are just learning, or who are branching out into non-RWS decks and need that reminder. As for me, I probably will ignore the keywords, focusing instead on the gorgeous artwork.

Let’s interview this puppy, shall we?

1. Tell me about yourself. What is your most important characteristic? 3 of Matches reversed. This deck is here to help me break through creative blocks. It will help me to clear the way for fresh new thinking and ideas.
2. What are your strengths as a deck? King of Matches reversed. It won’t try to overpower me with its own ideas. It will let me take the reins and decide what is important for me to know.
3. What are your limits as a deck? 6 of Matches. It’s not a deck that I will parade in front of other people, I may just need to use this one as a tool for myself.
4. What are you here to teach me? 8 of Needles reversed. The only thing that’s standing in my way is me, and if I can let go of limiting beliefs, that will be good for my growth.
5. How can I best learn and collaborate with you? 2 of Cups reversed. Stop trying to find the perfect partner in a deck. Understand that I make the decisions in my life, and the deck is just a tool, not a collaborator.
6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship? The Empress. A fullness of spirit, creativity, fertility of ideas, making something beautiful.

Very cool! I can’t wait to work with this deck more. My overall sense is that it will help me develop my creativity, and that it’s mostly going to be a ME deck, not one I use for others. I’m looking forward to spending more time with it!

Blessed be! <3