On a whim I stopped by an antique shop on the way back from a medical appointment out of town. I knew I wouldn't be able to buy anything great, as the good stuff is always pricey. Anyway, amongst all the great stuff (including a vacuum tube box and a corner with so many things I wanted to buy, like old pocket radios and an 8mm projector) I saw what looked like a pack of tarot cards. I picked it up, and it was the
Grand Etteilla (kind of a tarot inspired cartomancy deck rather than a proper tarot deck, but of the lineage that kicked off the whole card reading thing). The box was a bit beat up, but the cards were in nearly mint condition, and it was only $3, so I figured I might as well add it to my card collection.
Well, it turns out this deck isn't too easy to get (at least on this continent) as I thought. I got a pretty good deal. After purchasing it and actually looking at the cards, it seems theymay have been very lightly used, as they were out of order, and one had a small wrinkle (these things are really thick, btw, too thick for handling like normal modern playing cards I think). Still, really great condition for the price. Eventually, while flipping through and looking at the pictures (which are less cartoonishly coloured than those shown in the link above) I noticed that the corners were sharp, which is something uncommon with modern cards (although my favorite historical reproduction deck, which I got a year ago, also has pointy corners, and I found I love them even if they are always stabbing me when I mess with the cards). The lack of a UPC should have been a sign that they were older than the 1990s that I suspected. I pulled out the book, which has more signs of wear than the cards, and found a copyright date of 1969. I am still trying to find ways to narrow down the date since the rounded corner version I linked to above is apparently also dated 1969.
I was going to put some tape on the box to hold it together until I figured out it may be my age or older. Once I checked prices I considered reselling it, but for the moment I am going to hold onto it. Overall, I am pretty pleased with the purchase. Too bad I couldn't buy a desk, telephone, and television I saw.
@matzesu, good pick with that knife. It looks like it has most of the important tools, and none of the useless ones (my favorite SAK has a little hook thing I don't think I will ever have a legitimate need for, but everything else gets used all the time). I have found that kiddos don't seem to take care of them as well as we do (always losing the tweezers and toothpick). Still, I think they are a great tool for kids (and adults).