Please note that these are smaller traditional size cards and that this is an open edition.
This fortune telling deck - from the city that is now Lviv, in Ukraine - is one of our favourite historical "fortune telling cards" decks. We've painstakingly restored the original images and added cold-stamping to make this a unique fusion of old and new.
This is a distinct type of fortune telling deck which has similarities with Lenormand, Sybilla and Kipper cards but also has its own characteristics.
As these cards would not originally have had a specific name and as they have a very charming card showing "Mercury", we have decided to call these Mercury's Fortune Telling Cards.
We will give a donation to a local Ukraine charity for every deck sold. *
Please be aware that this is not intended to be a historical reproduction - it's a fresh version of an antique deck and is both striking and usable.
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Please also note that the final cards will be cold-stamped. We won't be able to show this on each card until they are printed (there is no way to simulate this very striking effect).
We have added a video of two sample prints that we did last year with our print company and these will give an idea of how the final cards will look.
This type of card was not completely standardised (unlike, for example, most Lenormands) and so each deck would have a slightly varied collection of cards. The cards were not usually numbered so are in no particular order. The cards included in our Mercury's Fortune Telling Cards are:
Hope, Fortune, Sadness, Longing, Sweetheart, Lover, Jealousy, Fidelity, Child, Letter, Enemy, Constancy, Soldier, Death, Message, Clergyman, Judge, Money,
House, Surprise, Great Joy, Haughtiness, Gift, Thief, Widow, Widower,
Gladness, Misfortune, Vexation, Thought, Journey, Malady.
More Details
- 32 fully-illustrated scenic cards restored, recoloured and cold-stamped - taken from our own historical deck. There will also be a title card, carefully designed to fit the style of the deck.
- Traditional smaller size of 6.2 cm by 10.4 cm (2.44 inches by 4.09 inches approx).
- Painstakingly cold-stamped. We use subtle cold-stamping throughout the whole image - this makes the card "flash" with metallic colours when the light hits it. Please see the individual card pictures (which are test prints) for how this will look.
- The cards are printed in the European Union as we don't produce graphics in any countries that have a record of poor legislation on counterfeiting. This helps to protect the deck from being illegally copied, which we know is important to the tarot and divination community.
- Printed in Europe on high-quality German-made 330 gram playing card stock with a carbon inner layer to protect against bending and creasing. The company that makes our cardstock has .
- Lightly varnished for durability without a plastic feeling - the finish is fairly matte.
- Wooden slide-top box for long-term storage. This is made from Paulownia wood, which is a sustainable hardwood.
- Supplied with a drawstring bag made in a good quality 100% cotton - this will be printed with the title or logo in the final design. (We also hope to have a small range of more lavish bags as an optional extra - more details to come later).
- Little white booklet with meanings and guide for use.
We also have optional items listed separately:
- An extensive and highly-illustrated . This comprehensive book can be used with both The Bohemian Fortune-telling Cards and Mercury's Fortune-telling Cards.
* We gave more than 5K to the Irish Red Cross appeal at the beginning of the invasion but now feel that we would like to contribute to some of the local Irish charities supporting Ukrainian refugees in Ireland.
