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A Unique Deck, the Angel Tarot Has No Angels!
By Joodhe
I am especially drawn to more modern decks with a feel; the Angel Tarot hasn't been in my possession very long, but quickly it has become a favorite. It is an interesting specimen, partly due to its name. The name suggests that it should be chock full of images of winged creatures in gauzy robes, enveloped in nimbi; but that's not what it's about. In a sense, the deck's title is a misnomer, as it was simply given the name of the company that first published it - Japan's Angel Manufacturing Company. Oddly enough, this now out of print deck is not attributed to an author.
This deck has non scenic minors, but with the addition of a remarkably unique feature. Within each minor arcana image, you will find symbols of the corresponding playing card suit - clubs for wands, spades for swords, hearts for cups, and diamonds for pentacles. This a nifty bonus for tarot enthusiasts such as myself, who enjoy performing readings with regular playing cards as well as the tarot.
But anyway...the cardstock has a very nice feel; kind of silky. I haven't used mine much yet, but some edges show chips; this may suggest that the deck will break down fast with regular use, but maybe not either; I find that cards with deeper colored backs pretty much always show edge chips, whether they wear well or not.
Below I am adding in a photo of the other printing; an eBay seller let me have it from a completed listing. You can see the difference in backs; I haven't seen the fronts of the other printing in person, therefore do not know whether the coloration of the images is the same in both decks. But judging from the printing I have and the eBay image, their appearance is at least remarkably close.
On a final note, I wish to point out that historically speaking, the colors used in the making of this deck would doubtlessly have many traditionalists up in arms (admittedly I'm no expert on the topic, but common sense would dictate). However, my beliefs embrace whichever traits belong to any deck that resonates with me; that means whatever colors it has are just fine.
Dated: 1980; U.S. Games has held the copyright to it since this time as well.
Distributed by: U.S. Games.
Copyright holder: U.S. Games.
Printed by: Angel Manufacturing Co., Japan.
Author: No author credited.
Titling: Atypical for Marseilles type decks, more typical of modern (RWS style) tarots.
Backs: Reversible.
Instructions: Basic LWB.