The 5 Cent Tarot is a gorgeous indie deck created by the very mysterious Madam Clara. Inspired by Victorian era poster art, this deck has no images of any people which is rare in tarot art history. Considered to be ‘Rider Waite Smith adjacent,’ this deck features imagery of biological and botanical ephemera. Animals and insects are the main focus with sprinkles of human accessories (think hats and umbrellas) and elements.
Our favorite part of this deck? Each card features keywords for each card in BOTH the upright and reversed positions, making it a perfect deck for beginners. You can read the tarot for yourself or for a friend with practically no experience at all. This will also be a dream for a more advanced reader as it helps you distill the knowledge even further with vivid imagery and keywords that you might not have chosen for the card yourself. It forces you to take a new perspective on each card.
Composed of 78 cards like a traditional tarot deck, Madam Clara has given us the gift of four new major arcana cards: The Unknown, The Beyond, The Universe and The Messenger. The vintage inspired front of the deck is accentuated with a robin’s egg blue backing and gilded gold edges. It comes packaged in a sturdy cardboard box with magnetic closure. Each deck also includes a velveteen bag with an embroidered gold 5¢, a nod to the mystery and magic of carnival days of yore. This deck also includes a short, but helpful mini guidebook outlining all of the cards' meanings.
This deck is flying off the shelves and it’s no wonder why. Madam Clara has found a way to reinvent the tarot while keeping the archetypes intact. One the best tarot decks published in our generation (if we do say so ourselves). We predict this will soon become a collector’s item with a cult following and it’s only a matter of time before it gets picked up by a major publishing house. If you are a deck collector, this indie masterpiece is a must have.
