Inversion Tarot Tin by Jody Boginski Barbessi — Reversals Deck

Short description:

Inversion Tarot tin by Jody Boginski Barbessi — a bold and unconventional tarot deck housed in a collectible tin, exploring themes of reversal, shadow, and inversion through graphic, high-contrast artwork. This deck challenges the reader to approach the cards from unexpected angles, making it an excellent tool for shadow work, advanced practitioners, and collectors who appreciate avant-garde tarot aesthetics.

Description:

Quick Specs

• Creator: Jody Boginski Barbessi
• Publisher: U.S. Games Systems (2020)
• Type: 78-card Marseille-tradition tarot in tin, black and white
• Format: 4 x 2 3/4 inch pocket tin with 64-page booklet
• Best for: Travel reading, Marseille study, minimalist tarot practice

Inversion Tarot: What It Is and Where It Comes From

Inversion Tarot is a 78-card tarot deck published by U.S. Games Systems in 2020, created by artist Jody Boginski Barbessi. The deck is based on mid-century artwork originally created in 1960 by Paul Mathison for the Rolla Nordic Tarot, a deck that followed the Marseille tarot tradition in its structure: illustrated Major Arcana and non-scenic pip cards on the Minor Arcana. Barbessi's contribution was to digitally invert the original imagery, reversing the light and dark values of Mathison's artwork, then refine the resulting images with new decorative elements and sharper detailing to produce a contemporary reading deck.

The inversion process produces a striking visual effect: what was light becomes dark, what was shadow becomes the primary graphic element. In black and white imagery, this creates a reversal that makes familiar Marseille figures look simultaneously classic and alien, which is part of the deck's distinctive appeal. Collectors and readers who know the Rolla Nordic Tarot will recognize the underlying structure while finding the inversions genuinely surprising in how they change the visual emphasis of each card.

The Marseille Tarot Tradition and What It Demands of Readers

Marseille-tradition tarot decks predate the Rider-Waite-Smith system by several centuries. The Marseille format uses illustrated scenes only on the Major Arcana and the court cards; the numbered Minor Arcana cards show the suit symbols, wands, cups, swords, pentacles, arranged in a pattern on the card without narrative scenes. This means Marseille reading requires either memorized card meanings or the ability to read from the arrangement and numerology of the pips, a skill that rewards dedicated study but that gives the reader more interpretive flexibility than an illustrated deck.

Inversion Tarot follows this tradition faithfully, making it a solid choice for practitioners who want to deepen their Marseille study or who are looking for a pocket-sized Marseille deck for travel. Browse my tarot deck collection to compare the Inversion Tarot with other Marseille, RWS, and contemporary decks I carry across different sizes and formats.

The Tin Format: What It Offers and Who It Is For

The Inversion Tarot tin measures 4 inches by 2 3/4 inches, making it genuinely pocket-sized in a way that standard tarot decks are not. The 78 cards and 64-page booklet both fit inside the tin with the lid closing securely. This format is most useful for readers who want a deck they can carry in a bag or coat pocket for daily draws or readings on the go, and for collectors interested in the mid-century American tarot tradition that Mathison's work represents. The booklet includes meanings for both Major and Minor Arcana and two spreads, a three-card reading and a moving-forward then-now-later layout. You can find additional tarot and divination tools in my oracle and reading cards section.

How to Use the Inversion Tarot Tin

The Tarot Fellow Standard

I carry the Inversion Tarot because the tin format fills a real gap: a Marseille-tradition deck in a genuinely pocket-sized format that does not sacrifice the complete 78-card structure to get there. Barbessi's inversion of the Mathison artwork is a legitimate creative contribution rather than a gimmick, and the visual result is striking enough to keep the deck interesting over repeated use. If you work with Marseille tradition or want to learn it, this is a practical starting point that travels well.

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