A Million Dollar Tarot: The Alleyman’s Tarot

In the most recent Clear the Decks, I wrote about several BIG new playing card projects on Kickstarter. Shortly after my research was done and my article was finished, a truly MASSIVE tarot came along: The Alleyman’s Tarot created by SevenThirteenBooks (now Publishing Goblin).

You’ll see in the graphic below the remarkable final numbers that this achieved: $1,404,172 pledged by 19,275 backers. The base-level deal was $45 for the 133 card deck (yes, really) and a specially made guidebook. The dollar sum reached suggests that a total around 30,000 sets will be made.

Above: funded in under 12 hours, The Alleyman’s Tarot by SevenThirteenBooks became a Kickstarter sensation, raising $1,404,172 from 19,275 backers for its unique 133-card deck.

What’s the deal? From the campaign:

"With 133 cards, there is certainly some strangeness to the deck. 9 Deaths, 2 Devils, 2 Suns, a Tower series of 3 cards (the Tower, the House of God, and the Horizon), and non-traditional cards such as the 3 of Books, the Fountain, and others. Each was chosen by the Alleyman because they bring in important new angles to your readings."

The 133 card set is highly unusual as noted. There are 26 Major Arcana, 9 deaths, five suits of 14 cards each (cups, wands, swords, discs and a strange suit), a further 27 ‘second arcana’ and a ‘final tarot card’. Yes, I make that 133 in all!

The image shows the first part of the Major Arcana:

Above: the Alleyman’s Tarot: A unique collection featuring a diverse array of cards from different decks.

The range of influences and styles is extremely broad and the appeal must come from this diversity. This set then offers an extra dimension, meaning that the style of the selected cards in a spread is an additional factor in a reading. Congratulations to their creator on such a successful idea and amazing results.

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References

• Kickstarter; The Alleyman's Tarot by Publishing Goblin