The Astrology Center of America, 207 Victory Lane, Bel Air, MD 21014
Tel: 410-638-7761; Toll-free (orders only): 800-475-2272
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The Morgan-Greer Tarot Deck

Illustrations by Bill Greer, under the direction of Lloyd Morgan.

The Morgan-Greer Tarot deck
Price: $20.00

Number of cards in deck: 78

Measurements: 2.75 x 4.75 inches; or 70 x 120 millimeters.

Back of card: Solid medium blue field with hand drawn white stars, five, six, seven points.

Booklet included: Yes, 12 pages, 2.5 x 4.25 inches; or 120 x 180 millimeters. A long piece of paper folded up.

Publisher: U.S. Games. Printed in Italy.

Comments: The colors of many of the cards in this deck remind me of what happens when you shoot color film indoors without a filter or flash: Everything looks a gummy orange/yellow. Here the Magician is an Arab sheik, which, given the colors of the clothing only serves to remind us that Jesus was born in the Mid-East. In the book, it says he's Hermes, the messenger of the Gods. This seems a common misunderstanding of Hermes/Mercury with Hermes/Toth but we feel we may be boring our browsers. On the box it says the artist used strong colors to create an immediate emotional reaction to each card. Since the results remind us of bad photography, we must have flunked the test! Some of the cards remind us of the Rider Waite deck, only close up.

Update, October 16, 2007:
I have received this note from the artist, Bill Greer:

A few things...1st......Its true that the cards are nowdays being printed cheaply. The colors don't show very well online..and the cards were scanned in 4 color separation...not what I wanted. I wanted 6 color..but the Morgans didn't have that kind of money at the time. They were a fledgling printing house..and I am friends with both Loyd and Doug...even to this day. I created the deck as a favor. I used the writings of Paul Foster Case as a guide for my own interpretations....

What was important then was a new deck..a more refreshed "Ryder-Waite"deck..since the subject hadn't been approached in many many years before I was hired to do mine. I did the deck in 1978..and its been in continuous publication since. It is also one of the few that's been translated into Spanish along with its companion book.

I am proud of my work. If you had seen the originals..you would know what you and the general public were missing. Sorry.

Billy Greer

When I first saw this deck, around 20 years after it was first published, it was printed in Belgium, presumably by Carta Mundi. When I checked stock today, October 16, 2007, I find the deck printed in Italy, I do not know by whom. I have not looked at the cards inside the box since I first scanned the deck nearly ten years ago, but the colors on the cards displayed on the box (the Chariot & Queen of Swords) are identical with what you see displayed above. It's one thing when an artist paints in crude colors. It's another when good work is lost through bad reproduction, and worse still when the mistake is not corrected in subsequent reprintings. It may be that, lacking the original source materials, printers have done the best they can by copying from the original printing. If this is the case, then if Mr. Greer has his original artwork, perhaps he could approach US Games with it?

If it's any encouragement to Mr. Greer, the Crowley deck was long plagued with poor color reproduction, in this case, a pronounced green tint. That problem eventually got fixed, the result was the brilliantly colored deck the creators originally envisioned. The Morgan Greer deck should get the same treatment. I am certain the result would surprise us all.

The Astrology Center of America

207 Victory Lane, Bel Air, MD 21014
Tel: 410-638-7761; Toll-free (orders only): 800-475-2272

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Established 1993, The Astrology Center of America is owned & operated by David Roell. Except where noted, this entire site (AstroAmerica.com) & its contents are Copyright © 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 by William R. Roell. All rights reserved. Tarot card images are Copyright © by the copyright holder (generally the publisher).