If you collect Tarot decks, you’ve probably come across the name Anima Antiqua at some point.
The series caught my attention because it takes a different approach from most Tarot decks being published today. Instead of creating a new interpretation of the cards, Anima Antiqua brings historic Tarot decks back into circulation through reproductions.
As someone who loves Tarot history and collecting decks, I find that pretty fascinating.
Most of us are introduced to Tarot through the Rider-Waite-Smith system. Even if we eventually branch out into Marseille, Thoth, or other Tarot traditions, RWS tends to become the reference point we keep coming back to.
Historical Tarot gives us a chance to step outside of that framework and see what Tarot looked like before the imagery and interpretations we’re familiar with became so dominant.
That’s where the Anima Antiqua series comes in.
✦ What Is Anima Antiqua?
Anima Antiqua is a series of Tarot deck reproductions published by Lo Scarabeo, focusing on historic Tarot decks and card traditions.
Rather than taking the traditional 78-card structure and giving it completely new artwork, the series brings older Tarot imagery back into the hands of modern readers and collectors.
The decks come from different periods, locations, and traditions, so there isn’t one particular “Anima Antiqua style.”
That’s part of what makes the series interesting.
One deck might introduce you to an early Italian Tarot tradition, while another takes you into Tarot de Marseille, Minchiate, German Tarot, or the history of occult Tarot.
You’re essentially getting a collection of different snapshots from Tarot history.
✦ What Does “Anima Antiqua” Mean?
The name Anima Antiqua is Latin and translates roughly to “ancient soul” or “old soul.”
It’s a fitting name for a series that’s all about bringing historic Tarot back to life.
There is something very different about holding a reproduction of an old Tarot deck compared with simply looking at an image of one in a history book.
You can shuffle the cards.
You can study the artwork.
You can compare them with modern decks.
You can actually read with them.
For Tarot collectors, that makes the experience even more interesting.
✦ Is Anima Antiqua Historical Tarot?
Yes, and this is an important distinction.
There are plenty of modern Tarot decks designed to look old.
You can find decks with antique-looking borders, faded colors, vintage illustrations, old typography, and artwork inspired by historical Tarot.
Anima Antiqua is different because the decks are based on actual historic Tarot material.
The goal isn’t simply to make a modern deck look vintage.
You’re looking at reproductions connected to real historical decks and traditions.
That also means you can’t necessarily expect them to behave like the modern RWS-based Tarot decks you’re used to.
The imagery can be unfamiliar.
The Minor Arcana may use pip cards instead of illustrated scenes.
The court cards can look different.
The numbering and titles may vary.
And some decks have structures that go beyond the standard 78 cards.
That is part of the fun.
✦ Tarot Before the Rider-Waite-Smith
If you’ve only been exposed to modern Tarot, it can be easy to forget that the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot wasn’t the beginning of Tarot.
Tarot decks existed centuries before the RWS deck was published in 1909.
Early Tarot appeared in Europe during the 15th century, and different regions developed their own traditions and styles over time.
Some of the earliest decks were luxury objects commissioned for wealthy families. Others developed into regional playing-card traditions.
The artwork wasn’t standardized.
The number of cards wasn’t always the same.
The symbolism wasn’t necessarily based on the occult associations many modern readers have learned.
Tarot changed over time.
The Anima Antiqua series gives us a chance to see some of those changes for ourselves.
✦ Why Do These Decks Look So Different?
If you’re used to Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot, some Anima Antiqua decks may take a little getting used to.
The RWS deck gives you a visual story on every card, particularly in the Minor Arcana.
Take the Three of Swords.
The heart, swords, clouds, and overall scene immediately give you something to work with, even if you don’t remember the traditional meaning of the card.
Now imagine looking at a historical pip card with three swords and little else.
You’re going to approach that card differently.
Instead of relying on an illustrated scene, you may pay more attention to the number, suit, surrounding cards, and the particular historical tradition you’re working with.
This is one of the things I enjoy about historical Tarot.
It makes you realize just how much modern readers have come to depend on RWS imagery.
Take that imagery away and you have to look at the cards differently.
✦ Can You Read With Anima Antiqua Tarot Decks?
Absolutely.
These aren’t decks that have to stay wrapped up on a collector’s shelf.
You can use them for readings.
How you approach them is up to you.
You can study the historical meanings associated with the deck, use your existing Tarot knowledge, work primarily with the imagery, or develop your own relationship with the cards.
If you’re coming from an RWS background, you’ll probably find yourself making comparisons at first.
That’s completely normal.
Over time, you may find yourself paying less attention to what the card is “supposed” to look like and more attention to what is actually in front of you.
That’s when reading historical Tarot gets really interesting.
✦ Do You Need to Know Tarot History to Use Anima Antiqua?
No.
You don’t need to know anything about Renaissance Italy, Tarot de Marseille, or 19th-century cartomancy before picking up one of these decks.
You can simply enjoy the artwork and read with the cards.
Having some historical context can make the experience more rewarding, though.
Once you know where a deck came from and what tradition it belongs to, the cards start to tell you a little more.
You’re no longer just looking at an old illustration.
You’re looking at how someone in another time and place represented Tarot.
For me, that’s one of the best reasons to explore historical decks.
They remind us that Tarot has never been one completely fixed system.
✦ The Anima Antiqua Tarot Series
One of the things I like about Anima Antiqua is the variety within the series.
As of 2026, there are 20 numbered releases, covering a range of historical Tarot traditions from Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
Here is a look at the series so far, along with who I think each deck would be best suited for.
#01 Tarocchi Sola Busca
Original: Ferrara, Italy, circa 1491
If you’re interested in the history of Tarot, the Sola Busca is one of the decks in this series I’d definitely pay attention to.
What makes it particularly interesting is that the Minor Arcana are fully illustrated rather than presented as simple pip cards. The imagery is very different from what you’ll find in a modern Rider-Waite-Smith deck, but you may notice some scenes and ideas that feel surprisingly familiar.
The surviving Sola Busca cards date to the late 15th century and are engraved and hand-colored, giving us a fascinating look at what Tarot looked like long before the decks most of us learn with today.
Best for: Tarot history enthusiasts, collectors, and RWS readers who want to explore some of the earlier illustrated Tarot traditions.
Why you should get it: The fully illustrated Minor Arcana make this a particularly interesting deck to study if you’re curious about how Tarot imagery developed before the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition.
Where to get it: This is a limited-edition release and Lo Scarabeo currently lists it as sold out. If you’re looking for a copy, you’ll probably have better luck with independent Tarot retailers or the secondary market. Be careful with resale listings, though, because prices can vary quite a bit.
#02 Tarocchino Mitelli
Original: Bologna, Italy, circa 1660
If you’re interested in exploring Tarot outside the familiar 78-card structure, the Tarocchino Mitelli is a really interesting place to start.
Created in Bologna around 1660 by Giuseppe Maria Mitelli, this is a 62-card Tarocchino deck belonging to the Bolognese tradition. The deck leaves out the 2, 3, 4, and 5 of each suit, giving it a very different structure from the Tarot most of us are used to.
The original deck was created for a variation of the Tarot card game, rather than as a modern divination deck. That history is part of what makes it so interesting to me.
Best for: Historical Tarot collectors, readers interested in Italian Tarot, and anyone curious about Tarot’s connection to card games.
Why you should get it: The 62-card structure alone makes this one worth exploring if you’re used to standard 78-card Tarot. It’s a chance to see what Tarot looked like when it was still very much connected to card games and regional traditions.
Where to get it: This is a limited-edition release and Lo Scarabeo currently lists it as sold out. If you’re looking for a copy, you’ll probably have better luck with independent Tarot retailers or the secondary market. Be careful with resale listings, though, because prices can vary quite a bit.
#03 Minchiate Etruria
Original: Florence, Italy, 1806–1807
If you’ve only ever worked with a 78-card Tarot deck, Minchiate is going to feel very different.
The Minchiate tradition uses 97 cards, with additional trumps representing things like the zodiac signs, the four elements, and the four cardinal virtues. It developed as a regional form of Tarot in Florence and gives you a much more expanded system to explore.
Best for: Tarot readers who want to explore historical Tarot beyond the standard 78-card structure, as well as collectors interested in Italian Tarot.
Why you should get it: If you’ve been reading Tarot for years and want to step outside the system you’re used to, Minchiate gives you a lot more to work with. The additional cards alone can completely change how you approach a Tarot reading.
Where to get it: This is a limited-edition release and Lo Scarabeo currently lists it as sold out. If you’re looking for a copy, you’ll probably have better luck with independent Tarot retailers or the secondary market. Be careful with resale listings, though, because prices can vary quite a bit.
#04 Tarots Égyptiens
Original: Paris, France, circa 1875
If you’re fascinated by Egyptian imagery and the history of Tarot, this is one of the more unusual decks in the Anima Antiqua series.
The deck comes from 19th-century France, during a period when Egyptian themes were becoming increasingly popular in European art, occultism, and divination. So rather than being an example of an ancient Egyptian Tarot tradition, it’s interesting for what it tells us about the way Egypt was being interpreted through a European lens at the time.
Best for: Collectors interested in historical Tarot, Egyptian-themed Tarot, and the development of esoteric cartomancy.
Why you should get it: It gives you a very different piece of Tarot history from the Italian and Marseille decks elsewhere in the series. If you like exploring the stranger and more unexpected corners of Tarot’s history, this one is definitely worth a look.
Where to get it: This is a limited-edition release and Lo Scarabeo currently lists it as sold out. If you’re looking for a copy, you’ll probably have better luck with independent Tarot retailers or the secondary market. Be careful with resale listings, though, because prices can vary quite a bit.
#05 Tarot de Marseille
Original: Marseille, France, 1760
Nicolas Conver’s Tarot de Marseille is one of the better-known historical Marseille decks, and this Anima Antiqua edition is a reproduction of his 1760 deck.
If you’ve wanted to explore Tarot de Marseille but don’t know where to start, this is one I’d consider. The 78-card deck follows the traditional Marseille structure, including the pip-style Minor Arcana, so it can feel quite different if most of your experience has been with Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot.
Best for: Tarot de Marseille beginners, historical Tarot enthusiasts, and collectors.
Why you should get it: You get to work with a reproduction of a specific historical Marseille deck rather than a modern deck inspired by the tradition. It’s also a nice one to have if you’re interested in comparing Marseille and RWS Tarot side by side.
Where to get it: This is a limited-edition release and Lo Scarabeo currently lists it as sold out. If you’re looking for a copy, you’ll probably have better luck with independent Tarot retailers or the secondary market. Be careful with resale listings, though, because prices can vary quite a bit.
#06 Wiener Secession Tarot
Original: Vienna, Austria, 1906
If you’re into Art Nouveau, Jugendstil, or early 20th-century art, this is probably going to be one of the first Anima Antiqua decks to catch your eye.
The original deck was created in Vienna in 1906 by Ditha Moser and reflects the style of the Wiener Secession, the Austrian art movement associated with artists including Gustav Klimt. The artwork uses geometric shapes, simple forms, and strong decorative elements, making it look very different from the older Italian and French Tarot decks in the series.
It also isn’t a standard 78-card Tarot. The Anima Antiqua reproduction contains 54 cards, which makes this one interesting from a historical perspective as well as an artistic one.
Best for: Art lovers, collectors, and anyone interested in early 20th-century Tarot.
Why you should get it: The artwork alone makes this one stand out. If most of your Tarot collection consists of medieval, Renaissance, Marseille, or RWS-inspired imagery, the Wiener Secession Tarot will look completely different sitting on your shelf.
Where to get it: Amazon | Lo Scarabeo
#07 Tarocchino Montieri
Original: Bologna, Italy, 1725
If the Tarocchino Mitelli caught your attention, the Tarocchino Montieri is another one worth looking at.
Created in Bologna in 1725, this is another 62-card Tarocchino deck, following the reduced-card structure associated with the Bolognese tradition. What makes it particularly unusual is that the cards aren’t illustrated in the way you might expect from a Tarot deck. Instead, they feature Montieri’s signs and annotations relating to 18th-century society, politics, and geography.
Best for: Historical Tarot collectors, Italian Tarot enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the connection between Tarot, card games, and the social history of the time.
Why you should get it: The cards themselves are what make this one stand out. You’re not just looking at another variation of familiar Tarot imagery. You’re getting a glimpse into how one 18th-century deck reflected the society, politics, and geography of its time.
Where to get it: Amazon | Lo Scarabeo
#08 Tarocco Sopraffino
Original: Milan, Italy, circa 1830–1835
If you like beautifully detailed historical Tarot, the Tarocco Sopraffino is one to pay attention to.
The deck comes from 19th-century Milan and is associated with Carlo Della Rocca’s copper engravings, with the original deck printed by Ferdinando Gumppemberg. The fine engraved lines give the cards a very different look from the older woodblock-printed Marseille decks.
It is also an important example of the Milanese Tarot tradition, and the deck is often referred to simply as the Soprafino Tarot.
Best for: Collectors who love detailed historical artwork, Italian Tarot, and 19th-century Tarot.
Why you should get it: The artwork is the big draw here. The fine linework and detailed imagery make this a particularly beautiful historical reproduction, and it’s a good example of how Tarot developed differently in Milan from the Marseille tradition.
Where to get it: This is a limited-edition release and Lo Scarabeo currently lists it as sold out. If you’re looking for a copy, you’ll probably have better luck with independent Tarot retailers or the secondary market. Be careful with resale listings, though, because prices can vary quite a bit.
#09 Naibi di Giovanni Vacchetta
Original: Turin, Italy, 1893
This one is particularly interesting if you’re used to hearing that the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot was the big turning point for illustrated Minor Arcana.
Giovanni Vacchetta had already created a Tarot with fully illustrated Minor Arcana in Turin in 1893, more than a decade before the English school associated with Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Colman Smith.
What makes it even more interesting is that Vacchetta wasn’t creating an occult Tarot. His deck, which he called Naibi, was made primarily for artistic and decorative reasons.
Best for: Collectors interested in 19th-century Tarot, Italian Tarot, and the history of illustrated Minor Arcana.
Why you should get it: If you’re interested in how illustrated Tarot developed before the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, this is a really interesting one to have. You get to see a fully illustrated Italian Tarot that predates the English occult Tarot tradition while coming from a completely different artistic intention.
Where to get it: Amazon | Lo Scarabeo
#10 Tarot Steinberger
Original: Frankfurt, Germany, circa 1820
If most of your experience with historical Tarot comes from France or Italy, the Tarot Steinberger gives you a completely different tradition to explore.
This deck comes from the German Tarot tradition and features mythological scenes rendered through metal engraving and then colored using a mask-painting technique. The result is very different from the woodblock-style imagery you see in many older French and Italian Tarot decks.
It also doesn’t follow the standard 78-card structure. The Anima Antiqua reproduction contains 54 cards, which makes it particularly interesting if you’re curious about the different ways Tarot was structured in different places and periods.
Best for: Collectors interested in German Tarot, historical card-making, and Tarot decks that don’t follow the familiar French and Italian traditions.
Why you should get it: The artwork and structure make this one stand out. If your historical Tarot collection is mostly Marseille and Italian decks, the Steinberger gives you something genuinely different to study.
Where to get it: Amazon | Lo Scarabeo
#11 Tarocchino Al Soldato
Original: Bologna, Italy, circa 1750
If you’ve already fallen down the Tarocchino rabbit hole, Al Soldato is another one to look at.
Like other Bolognese Tarocchini, this is a 62-card deck, rather than the 78 cards we’re used to seeing in modern Tarot. What makes Al Soldato particularly unusual is the presence of four Moors in place of the High Priestess, Empress, Emperor, and Hierophant.
Best for: Historical Tarot collectors, readers interested in Italian Tarot, and anyone curious about the different ways Tarot was structured in its earlier history.
Why you should get it: The four Moors make this one stand out from the other historical decks in the series. If you’re collecting Anima Antiqua or exploring the Bolognese Tarocchino tradition, this is a particularly interesting one to have.
Where to get it: Amazon | Lo Scarabeo
#12 Tarocchi Piacentini
Original: Piacenza, Italy, 1875
The Tarocchi Piacentini is one of those historical decks I probably wouldn’t have come across unless I started digging into regional Italian Tarot.
The deck comes from Piacenza and is part of the Italian Tarot tradition that developed outside Lombardy. Lo Scarabeo describes it as a rare and relatively little-known historical deck, which makes it a fun one for collectors who want to get beyond the usual Tarot names.
Best for: Collectors interested in regional Italian Tarot and the history of Italian playing cards.
Why you should get it: It gives you another example of how Tarot developed differently across Italy instead of treating Italian Tarot as one single tradition.
Where to get it: Amazon | Lo Scarabeo
#13 Minchiate Al Cigno
Original: Bologna, Italy, circa 1775
If Minchiate caught your attention with the earlier Etruria edition, the Minchiate Al Cigno gives you another historical version to explore.
This particular deck comes from Bologna and contains 97 cards, making it part of the expanded Minchiate tradition rather than the standard 78-card Tarot structure. Lo Scarabeo describes it as a philological reproduction of a historic Bolognese deck.
Best for: Readers interested in Minchiate, expanded Tarot systems, and historical Italian decks.
Why you should get it: It’s a chance to see another regional version of Minchiate instead of assuming that all Minchiate decks followed exactly the same pattern.
Where to get it: Amazon | Lo Scarabeo
#14 Tarocchi Marsigliesi Fratelli Recchi
Original: Oneglia and Turin, Italy, 1830
Despite the name, this isn’t a French Tarot de Marseille deck.
The Tarocchi Marsigliesi Fratelli Recchi was printed by the Recchi brothers in Oneglia and Turin, in northwestern Italy, in 1830. It is a historical Italian reproduction of the Marseille pattern and gives you a good look at how the Marseille tradition was being produced outside France.
Best for: Tarot de Marseille collectors and readers interested in regional variations of the Marseille tradition.
Why you should get it: It shows how the Marseille pattern traveled into northern Italy and took on a life of its own there.
Where to get it: Amazon | Lo Scarabeo
#15 Minchiate Fiorentine
Original: Florence, Italy, circa 1860
Minchiate Fiorentine takes you back into the Florentine Minchiate tradition, with 97 cards instead of the familiar 78-card Tarot.
Minchiate was a Florentine card game played with expanded decks, so you’re dealing with a much larger system than standard Tarot.
Best for: Experienced Tarot readers, collectors, and anyone curious about expanded historical Tarot systems.
Why you should get it: If you’re ready to step outside the usual 78-card structure, Minchiate is one of the more interesting rabbit holes you can fall into. The additional cards give you an entirely different historical system to explore.
Where to get it: Amazon | Lo Scarabeo
#16 Tarot de Marseille: Paris 1890
Original: Paris, France, circa 1890
This one is a little different from the title alone might suggest.
The deck belongs to the Tarot de Besançon tradition, a branch of Tarot that developed from the broader Marseille pattern. One of its most obvious differences is the replacement of the traditional Pope and Papess with Jupiter and Juno. The deck represented here was produced by Baptiste-Paul Grimaud between 1891 and 1899.
Best for: Marseille collectors, Tarot de Besançon enthusiasts, and readers interested in regional variations of historical Tarot.
Why you should get it: The Jupiter and Juno substitutions make this much more interesting than simply having another Marseille-style deck on your shelf. It’s a good example of how Tarot imagery could change as different traditions developed.
Where to get it: Amazon | Lo Scarabeo
#17 Tarot de Besançon: Gaudais
Original: Paris, France, circa 1870
If the unusual variations of Tarot de Besançon interest you, this one is definitely worth a look.
The most obvious feature is the diagonal line running through the Major Arcana and court cards, which divides and mirrors the figures in a way you don’t normally see in Tarot.
Best for: Historical Tarot collectors and readers interested in Tarot de Besançon and unusual regional variations.
Why you should get it: The artwork alone makes this one stand out. It’s a good reminder that historical Tarot wasn’t nearly as standardized as it can seem when you’re mostly working with modern decks.
Where to get it: Amazon | Lo Scarabeo
#18 Tarot de Marseille: Gassmann
Original: Geneva, Switzerland, circa 1840
The Marseille tradition didn’t stop at the French border.
This historical deck was created by master cardmaker François Gassmann in Geneva in the 1840s, making it another example of how the Marseille pattern spread and developed outside France. Lo Scarabeo describes it as one of the forgotten branches of the Tarot de Marseille family tree.
Best for: Marseille collectors and anyone interested in lesser-known regional Tarot traditions.
Why you should get it: If you enjoy digging into the less familiar corners of Tarot history, this is exactly the kind of deck that makes the rabbit hole more interesting.
Where to get it: Amazon | Lo Scarabeo
#19 Tarot Etteilla
Original: Paris, circa 1880
If you’re interested in the history of occult Tarot, you’re eventually going to run into Etteilla.
Jean-Baptiste Alliette, better known as Etteilla, was an important figure in the development of French occultism and cartomancy. His Tarot system connected the cards with other divinatory practices, creating something very different from the Marseille tradition that came before it.
This Anima Antiqua edition is a philological reproduction of a 19th-century print, dated to Paris around 1880. It contains 78 cards and is limited to 3,999 copies.
Best for: Tarot historians, collectors, and readers interested in the development of occult Tarot and cartomancy.
Why you should get it: Etteilla is an important part of the story of how Tarot moved into the world of occultism and divination. If you want to see a historical system that predates the modern occult decks most of us know today, this is a particularly interesting one to study.
Where to get it: Amazon | Lo Scarabeo
#20 Tarocchi Fini Montecchi
Original: Parma, Italy, circa 1830
The newest addition to the Anima Antiqua series is Tarocchi Fini Montecchi, from Parma, Italy, around 1830.
According to Lo Scarabeo, this deck is an example of how the Tarot de Marseille tradition spread into northern Italy and developed into its own regional variations. The deck contains 78 cards and will be released as a limited edition of 3,999 copies.
Best for: Anima Antiqua collectors, Tarot de Marseille readers, and anyone interested in the development of northern Italian Tarot.
Why you should get it: If you’re collecting the numbered Anima Antiqua series, #20 is obviously going to be one you’ll want to keep an eye on. Even if you’re not collecting the entire series, the northern Italian connection makes this an interesting addition for anyone studying how the Marseille tradition spread beyond France.
Where to get it: Amazon
✦ Special Mention: Grand Jeu de Mlle Le Normand
Original: France, 19th century
I couldn’t leave this one out, even though it doesn’t fit neatly into the numbered list above.
The Grand Jeu de Mlle Le Normand is a fascinating piece of cartomancy history, particularly if you’re interested in the stranger and more elaborate systems that developed around the name of Marie-Anne Lenormand.
The historical deck is much more than the 36-card Lenormand system most of us know today. The cards combine playing-card imagery with astrology, mythology, alchemy, botany, and historical scenes, creating a much more complicated symbolic system. The earliest known publication of the associated Grand jeu de société dates to 1845, two years after Lenormand’s death.
This is also why I think the deck deserves a special mention in an article about Anima Antiqua. It isn’t just another historical Tarot reproduction. It gives you a look at a completely different corner of 19th-century European cartomancy.
Best for: Lenormand collectors, historical cartomancy enthusiasts, and anyone fascinated by astrology, mythology, alchemy, and elaborate divination systems.
Why you should get it: If your experience with Lenormand begins and ends with the familiar 36-card system, this is going to be a very different rabbit hole. The symbolism is dense, the history is fascinating, and there’s a lot here to study beyond simply pulling cards for a reading.
Where to get it: Amazon
✦ Which Anima Antiqua Deck Should You Get?
If you’re looking at all 20 decks and wondering where to start, I’d narrow it down based on what you’re actually interested in.
For Tarot history: Tarocchi Sola Busca
For RWS readers wanting something completely different: Minchiate Fiorentine
For Tarot de Marseille: Tarot de Marseille: Nicolas Conver
For Italian Tarot: Tarocchino Mitelli or Tarocchino Al Soldato
For Art Nouveau: Wiener Secession Tarot
For occult Tarot history: Tarot Etteilla
For expanded Tarot systems: Minchiate Etruria, Minchiate Al Cigno, or Minchiate Fiorentine
For regional Marseille variations: Tarot de Besançon: Gaudais or Tarot de Marseille: Gassmann
For collectors: Tarocchi Sola Busca, Tarot Steinberger, or simply start working your way through the numbered series.
You also don’t need to buy the entire collection.
I know the collector instinct can make that difficult. Once you have #1, it’s very easy to start thinking about #2, and then suddenly you’re looking for #17 because you can’t possibly stop with an incomplete set.
But these decks are interesting enough to choose individually.
Pick the historical tradition that interests you.
Pick the artwork you love.
Pick the deck that makes you want to actually sit down and read with it.
✦ Who Is the Anima Antiqua Series For?
I’d recommend exploring the series if you’re interested in:
✔ Historical Tarot
✔ Tarot collecting
✔ Tarot de Marseille
✔ Minchiate
✔ Italian Tarot traditions
✔ Tarot history
✔ Vintage and antique artwork
✔ Reading pip-based Minor Arcana
✔ Exploring Tarot outside the RWS system
✔ Comparing different Tarot traditions
✔ The development of occult Tarot
You don’t have to be an experienced Tarot reader to appreciate these decks.
You can collect them because you love the artwork.
You can study them because you’re interested in Tarot history.
Or you can use them in readings and see what happens when you work with cards that don’t follow the visual language you’ve become accustomed to.
✦ Why I Find Anima Antiqua Interesting
One of my favorite things about Tarot is that there’s always another rabbit hole to fall into.
You can spend years reading with the same system and still discover another deck, tradition, or historical detail that makes you look at the cards differently.
Historical Tarot does that for me.
It reminds me that many of the things we think of as “traditional Tarot” are actually tied to specific decks and traditions that became influential over time.
The Rider-Waite-Smith system is incredibly important to modern Tarot, but it isn’t the entire history of Tarot.
There is so much more sitting behind those 78 cards.
The Anima Antiqua series gives us a chance to explore some of that history without having to simply look at scans in a book.
You can hold the cards.
You can study them.
You can compare them.
And you can read with them.
✦ My Take on the Anima Antiqua Series
I got into Anima Antiqua a little later than I probably should have.
The Tarot Etteilla is one I actually managed to get, and I’m really glad I did. Etteilla is such a big part of the history of occult Tarot and cartomancy, so having a reproduction of his tradition in my collection is something I genuinely appreciate.
I’m also planning to get the Grand Jeu de Mlle Le Normand when the new edition comes out. I collect Lenormand and cartomancy decks too, so there was really no way I was going to see that one and leave it alone.
The two that got away, though, were the Tarocchino Mitelli and Minchiate Etruria.
I was living under a rock when these decks came out. By the time I even knew they existed, years had passed. Then I started seeing copies of the Mitelli going for anywhere from $145 to $300, which was a little more than I was willing to spend.
I did find one listed for $63 once and thought I’d finally caught a break.
Almost got scammed.
Luckily, I eventually found a new, sealed copy of the Tarocchino Mitelli from Veronica of Mystic Link, so that particular hunt is finally over. I cannot tell you how happy I was to get this one after missing it the first time around.
Now I’m hunting for the Minchiate Etruria, and let’s just say… that search is looking bleak.
That’s probably the biggest warning I’d give anyone getting into this series. If one of these decks catches your eye, don’t assume you’ll always be able to pick it up later. They’re limited editions, and some become surprisingly difficult to find once the original stock disappears.
But you also don’t need to collect all 20 just because they’re numbered. If you can afford the entire series and you’re a hardcore collector, by all means, go for it. I fully support the commitment.
If your budget is tight, though, especially in this economy, pick the ones you actually want.
I’m very much capable of falling into the “well, I already have #1…” trap, but there are enough different traditions represented here that I’d rather spend my money on the decks I’m genuinely interested in than buy one just because I feel like I need to complete the number sequence.
For me, that’s the appeal of Anima Antiqua. These aren’t modern decks trying to look antique. They’re reproductions of actual historical decks, and you can sit down with them and see how different Tarot looked, worked, and developed in different places and periods.
Some of them will probably be easier to connect with than others. That’s fine.
I’d rather have a few historical decks that I actually want to study and read with than own the entire series just for the sake of having all the numbers.
Although now that I’ve finally got the Mitelli…
Minchiate Etruria, where are you?
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