Wüst Lenormand, c. 1885 -- in 3 editions

$43.00

*Attention* Lenormand cards will now be poker size 2 ½ inches by 3 ½ inches. My printer discontinued bridge size cards.

This deck is also available as a mini. Look under "Minis are Here."

The Wüst Lenormand was first published around 1885 in Frankfurt, Germany.

I have made 3 versions of this wonderful old deck. One is as-found -- original, dirty and with verses, one is restored from the original, also with verses. And the third contains playing card inserts that are taken from antique Wüst tarot cards. See the story below.

The original is very well-used and the cards, while originally on white stock, have become very brown in their age and they also contain obvious traces of use by dirty hands. For purists and those who like to feel like they have gone back in time this version has the original back and contains all the blemishes from its age and years of use. It is printed smooth card stock, as in its original form.

Brightened and cleaned up, the restored version still contain some residual traces of their former life but I have attempted to restore the original beauty while allowing a feel for their age. They have an ivory background with a parchment-like border surrounding each image and are printed on premium card stock.

The third version is a restored version of the cards but with playing card inserts.

I couldn't locate an original Wüst Lenormand deck with playing card inserts and wondered whether one was ever made. So I went looking for playing cards for inserts. Not just any old playing cards would do. I sought real ~Wüst~ playing cards. The Lennie gods smiled on me and I found an old, old set of Wüst cards. After I made the new Lenormand decks with playing card inserts I went looking to see if I could find any information on the deck.

I was thrilled when I went to the World of Playing Cards website to find out more about the cards ... and I found them! But, I discovered, that although my deck had a trademark on the Ace of Diamonds with the Wüst name printed in the center, the website had them under a different mfg. However, the website said that the original printing was from c. 1860 and were the 1st of a style of cards known as the Bourgeois Tarot. In my later correspondence with them, I was informed that my deck was from about 1890. Here are my cards now on the the Wopc site, too. http://www.wopc.co.uk/germany/wust/wust-bourgeois-tarot

Bowing to the expectations of 21st century readers, all 3 editions contain 2 Lady and 2 Gentleman cards that blend nicely with the originals.

Be sure to check out the original Philippe Le Normand instruction sheet in the 'Info' column on the right side of the screen. Right click on the image and select "view image" so you can print it.

INTERNATIONAL BUYERS:

Delivery can take anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks. Please be patient.

I use a different printer for ex-USA buyers because the international postage from the US-based printer is extremely high. For international buyers the tarot size cards come in a plain tuck box and Lenormand cards come in a clear plastic box because that printer doesn't offer reasonably priced custom printed boxes. The decks come with a title card you can affix to the boxes, if desired.

SHIPPING NOTE -- PLEASE READ.

To keep down the shipping costs, I send the cards via regular mail. If you want upgraded service, contact me I can let you know what the additional charge will be. If the postal system in your country is questionable, you may want to invest in registered mail which is signed for each time it passes through someone's hands and almost guaranteed that your package will arrive safely.

I have had only 2 packages go missing, and I refunded the purchase price including shipping. Since it's not my fault when a package goes missing I WILL NOT take responsibility anymore, but I also don't want to raise shipping for everyone. The 2 places where the packages went missing were India and Brazil. UPDATE: I just had one go missing in Ukraine.

I only ship Registered Mail to Russia.