The Aquarian Tarot Deck

Published November 11, 2023 Updated November 22, 2023

The Aquarian Tarot Deck illustrated by David Palladini, published by Morgan Press, Inc., 1970.

1970 USAArt DecoArt Nouveau & JugendstilTarotDavid PalladiniMorgan Press

The Aquarian Tarot Deck is the second tarot project by artist and illustrator David Palladini (April 1, 1946 – March 13, 2019), and is a full 78 card deck published by Morgan Press, Inc., in 1970. It became extremely popular, riding on the wave of interest in all things esoteric that came with the dawning of the new Age of Aquarius, and has remained in print ever since. The cards are a lush mix of Art Deco and Art Nouveau styles, and follow the Golden Dawn order for the trumps, i.e. Strength is at VIII and Justice at XI, while the minor cards echo Pamela Colman Smith's illustrations from the ubiquitous Rider Waite Smith deck.

The cards have been produced with four different backs that I am aware of; plain dark blue as in this example, blue with a white filigree pattern (the most common, and still in use today), and two backs with an ouroboros in the form of a lemniscate, one red and one black, both extremely rare.

The Aquarian Tarot Deck illustrated by David Palladini and published by Morgan Press, Inc., in 1970 The Aquarian Tarot Deck illustrated by David Palladini and published by Morgan Press, Inc., in 1970 The Aquarian Tarot Deck illustrated by David Palladini and published by Morgan Press, Inc., in 1970 The Aquarian Tarot Deck illustrated by David Palladini and published by Morgan Press, Inc., in 1970

Above: the deck is presented in a two part lidded box, complete with instruction booklet. Cards measure 119 x 75mm.

• See the box

The name of the company changed from Morgan Press Inc., for the Aquarian Tarot Deck, to Morgan & Morgan Inc., for the Morgan-Greer deck. Both have the address of Dobbs Ferry, New York 10522, which is on the back of both boxes. These are the only two tarots they ever produced that I am aware of.

avatar
16 Articles

By Adam West-Watson

Australia • Member since September 01, 2014 • Contact

I have been fascinated by playing cards ever since I can remember, and still have several of the card games I had as a child. And although I had accumulated quite a number of packs of various sorts over the years, it wasn't until I was in my 50s that I began collecting in earnest. My tastes are quite varied, and my collection of 800 or so decks includes:- children's games, standard and non-standard playing cards, adult games, fortune telling and oracle cards, tarot cards, and even cigarette cards.

Related Articles

1981 Alan Tarot Deck

Alan Tarot Deck

Reprint of a Tarock pack originally designed by Argio Orell for the Austrian Lloyd shipping company....

1975 The Tarot of Meditation – Yeager Tarot

The Tarot of Meditation – Yeager Tarot

Marty Yeager’s original Tarot of Meditation from 1975, republished later by U.S. Games Systems, Inc....

1975 Mountain Dream Tarot

Mountain Dream Tarot

Groundbreaking Tarot created by Bea Nettles, using photographs and photo montage.

1968 Albano-Waite® Tarot

Albano-Waite® Tarot

Recoloured version of the Rider/Waite/Smith tarot produced by Frankie Albano, 1968.

1979 Morgan-Greer Tarot

Morgan-Greer Tarot

Based on the knowledge, wisdom and interpretation of Paul Foster Case and Arthur Edward Waite.

1996 New Palladini Tarot

New Palladini Tarot

“The New Palladini Tarot” by David Palladini published by U.S. Games Inc., in 1996.

1967 Linweave Tarot

Linweave Tarot

The Linweave Tarot is actually an elaborate set of paper samples from the Pulp, Paper and Board Divi...

1995 De Tarot in de herstelde orde

De Tarot in de herstelde orde

“De Tarot in de herstelde orde” (The Tarot in the restored order) a re-ordered Rider-Waite tarot dec...

2007 Marcel Ruijters Tarots

Marcel Ruijters Tarots

Two very remarkable tarots by the award winning Dutch cartoonist Marcel Ruijters.

1979 Tarocco Indovino

Tarocco Indovino

Sergio Ruffolo’s “Tarocco Indovino” is an expanded version of his “Lo Zodiaco” cartomancy deck.

2005 Vintage skyscraper playing cards

Vintage skyscraper playing cards

Vintage skyscraper playing cards published by Inkstone Design, Inc., 2005.

1960 Rolla Nordic Tarot

Rolla Nordic Tarot

Rolla Nordic Tarot was drawn by Paul Mathison.

2004 Housewives Tarot

Housewives Tarot

Retro-style ‘Housewives Tarot’ designed by Paul Kepple & Jude Buffum, published by Quirk Books, 2004...

2015 Moderne Art Deco Playing Cards

Moderne Art Deco Playing Cards

This pack created by Randy Coffey is based on the 1920s and 1930s Art Deco style of fine decoration ...

1906 Jugendstil Tarock

Jugendstil Tarock

‘Jugendstil Tarock’ was designed by Ditha Moser and first published by Albert Berger and Josef Glanz...

1931 Hycrest Modern Royalty

Hycrest Modern Royalty

Published by the Hycrest Playing Card Co., New York, c.1931. The large suit symbol behind each figur...

1935 Past-L-Eze Playing Cards

Past-L-Eze Playing Cards

On “Past-L-Eze” playing cards Kings, Queens and Jacks are no longer stodgy and conventional but plea...

1896 New Era No.46

New Era No.46

“New Era No.46”, based around European fashions, was soon followed with “Circus No.47”, “Hustling Jo...

1906 Smart Set 400

Smart Set 400

The “Smart Set 400” brand with named backs was introduced in c.1906 by the Kalamazoo Playing Card Co...

1999 Self-Guided Tarot by Cameo Victor

Self-Guided Tarot by Cameo Victor

Human beings have always yearned to understand the experience of life. The knowledge that we seek is...