I had certain expectations for this deck based on the price, so I took a leap of faith and was not disappointed at all
I wanted a unique deck for my collection, something special as a gift to myself, I found this site and browse around, I really liked the collection they offered and the limited edition sets they had, which is what I was looking for, and from all of them, this one caught my attention, due to the incredible story behind the Sola-Busca Tarot and specifically about how this reproduction from Mr. Giordano Berti came to be, which is a great story on itself
Presentation:
I am a firm believer that presentation and details matter and this is where I got my first positive impression of this purchase, the shipment was quick and the way they packaged this deck at TarotArts.com felt like someone sent me a gift, inside the box was beautiful golden paper threads created a nest for the box, and then red gift wrapping paper cover the actual deck box, on top of all that, there was a printed version of my order, with a "thank you for your business" stamp, hand signed by William, from this site (you can see him on the about TarorArts section of this site) details like this make the difference for me.
Now to the deck itself, OH MY GOD, the box alone is a piece of art, so beautiful and regal, to me, the most important part of it all is that it doesn't feel commercial, this feels like something someone created for you, specifically, the gold accents on the cover, the book shape, the way to close it with a nice lace is just so special, but once you open it...
Inside the box:
Once you open it, the first thing you notice is the beautiful red velvet padding inside the box, I was not expecting the deck to be sitting inside the box in a beautiful golden satin bag, but it was, so nice
I was really hoping the numbered copy would be clearly marked, you know... to brag about it, not only it was numbered, but also signed, but what happened once I lifted the bag from the box, left me speechless, to my absolute surprise, under the bag, I couldn't believe my eyes, a handwritten and signed note from the creator himself, Mr. Giordano Berti, and it was not just a "thank you" it was a beautiful message from him, this took this experience to the next level to me, that level of personalized presentation and attention to detail makes a world of difference
Now, the actual deck:
Don't expect to see your regular plastic or regular cardstock, the selection of cardstock was made with time and age in mind, it looks, feels, and smells like fine old paper, like an old book, I can see this deck aging very well, for some reason I can't wait to see how regal it will look 20 or 30 years from now? this could become an heirloom, the cards are big, the deck comes already with a hefty amount of character, and it doesn't feel like a commercial product, in fact, feels a little broken into already, meaning that humans were involved in the manipulation of this object, which gives it character and personality from the moment you take it off the bag.
is a big fat deck that looks like a work of art, but also demands to be used, he doesn't want to be an ornament, it screams to be used, because of the paper it has this warm feel to it, is buttery, the cards are matte, not shinning, the old book smell is delicious, is it gilded? yes it is, it has the most delicate matted gold gilding you can barely note it, is not there for show, is there to add to the personality, in fact, one of my favorite things about the deck is that you can see subtle imperfections on the gilding on the corners of the deck, a bit of the gilding wore off if you would, in the 4 corners, it doesn't look bad or like a defect, it just looks like this is an old deck that was created in an artisanal way with all the beautiful blunders something crafted by actual humans will have, the type of sign of age and organic development that will just set and look better as time passes by, making it more and more special as it collect years.
What can be said of the SOLA-BUCA art? is just breathtaking, the coloring and the images in this deck are just a thing of beauty, and to think this was created 500+ years ago is just so incredible
In summary, as you can see, this was a very special experience for me, from the handling by Tarot Arts to the details from Mr. Giordano, to the quality and presentation of the actual item, this was absolutely worth the price, I am very happy I got me such a special treat, if you are looking for something special and can afford it, go ahead, is not only a purchase, is something that feels like a personal intimate experience among a small group of fellow Tarot and art lovers
