1JJ Swiss tarot

1JJ Swiss Tarot - 19th-century woodcut with Jupiter and Juno

Most Marseille decks leave the Pope and Popess in place. This 19th-century Swiss deck replaced them with Jupiter and Juno, the Roman supreme deities. That choice gave the deck its name and its character.

The 1JJ Swiss Tarot is a reissue of an anonymous design that was once printed with wooden blocks. The colours are primary and flat: red, blue, green, yellow. The lines are angular and coarse. This is tarot as it looked when printers still worked with wood.

What you see on the cards

The style is Marseille, but with a cruder linework. No refinement, no shadow, no illusion of depth. Only colour blocks and black outlines.

Jupiter and Juno sit in the places where you expect the Pope and Popess. Jupiter holds a sceptre, Juno a crown. They are authority figures, but from mythology rather than the church. That shift makes the deck less Christian and more archetypal.

The Minor Arcana are not illustrated. The court cards show heraldic symbols and the pip cards are patterns of wands, swords, cups and pentacles. This is standard for Marseille decks from this period.

Who this works for

This is not a beginner deck. The cards give few visual clues, and anyone unfamiliar with Marseille will struggle with the Minor Arcana. That said, those who seek that austerity will find a deck that adds nothing to the tradition and therefore leaves room for your own interpretation.

Collectors value this deck for its historical significance. It is a direct link to the time when tarot cards were hand-coloured and printed on simple presses.

The cards have a matte finish and shuffle well. They feel sturdy, not like thin playing cards. The size is compact enough to hold in one hand.

About AGM Urania

This edition is produced by AGM Urania, a German publisher that reissues classic tarot decks. They work with historical material and print on solid cardstock. The guidebook is brief and multilingual.

Specifications

• Number of cards: 78 (22 Major Arcana, 56 Minor Arcana)
• Card size: 62 x 112 mm
• Finish: matte cardstock
• Guidebook language: multilingual (English, French, German)
• Publisher: AGM Urania
• Origin: Swiss design, 19th century

Questions we often get

Why is this deck called 1JJ?
The abbreviation stands for the two Js: Jupiter and Juno, the deities who replace the Pope and Popess in this deck. It distinguishes this deck from other Swiss tarot editions.

Are the Minor Arcana illustrated?
No. The pip cards show only patterns of the suit symbol (wands, swords, cups, pentacles). The court cards do show figures, but in a rigid, heraldic style.