Knowledge-sharing within the Card Collectors’ Community
The global move towards a knowledge-based economy influences cards collecting too. Knowledge helps to create consensus, make wise decisions, and govern the whole collecting system more effectively. The Tarot and Oracles card collecting implies four types of knowledge:
- Historical knowledge that derives from analysing and evaluating books and other primary information sources about the past to reconstruct a history of the cards’ origin and development.
- Artistic knowledge is based on the critical habits of the mind and ethical standards to estimate the style and technique of the artwork in cards.
- Symbolic knowledge is a deeper understanding of hidden meanings through decoding of the cards’ symbolism.
- Financial knowledge allows a collector to make informed and effective decisions about buying, selling, and swapping decks, taking into account market trends and financial goals.
Due to growing knowledge, the following positive changes in the card collecting process will take place:
- The transition from a quantitative approach to qualitative with the decreasing frequency of purchases but, at the same time, increasing the purchases costs.
- The transition to a higher price category with preferences given to vintage and special limited-edition decks.
- Increased willingness to pay for exclusive products with higher involvement is a qualitative change in the collections in which more expensive decks appear, while the perceived value of cheap and affordable decks decreases.
- The shift to a connoisseur approach to carefully shaping collections, turning from mass-produced decks to one-of-a-kind masterpieces.
Step by step, the collectors’ community will move towards more effective card collecting.
