Bert Bakker Tarot 1971 — Rare Dutch RWS Deck

A fascinating and highly collectible Dutch edition of the legendary Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot, published during the great European occult revival of the early 1970s.

Produced by Bert Bakker in the Netherlands, this edition is notable for its distinctive minimalist presentation, featuring the complete Rider-Waite-Smith imagery reproduced in striking black-and-white line art. Stripped of the familiar colors, the deck reveals the elegance and precision of Pamela Colman Smith's original drawings, allowing the symbolism and composition of each card to stand out with remarkable clarity.

This particular printing is especially sought after by collectors because it features the famous "Coleman" misprint, where Pamela Colman Smith's name appears incorrectly on the box. This unusual production error became one of the defining characteristics of this edition and later reappeared on the Kosmos Z&K reissue. The deck also retains its original magenta Ankh card backs, another feature unique to this lineage of Dutch Rider-Waite editions.

🔸 Deck Details

Title: Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (Dutch Edition)
Publisher: Bert Bakker, Netherlands
Year: 1971
Artists: Pamela Colman Smith & Arthur Edward Waite
Language: Dutch
Number of Cards: 78 cards + 2 original title cards ("78 tarotkaarten")
Card Size: Approximately 12 × 7.4 cm
Card Backs: Magenta Ankh design
Printing Style: Monochrome black-and-white Rider-Waite 

🔸 Condition

• Cards are in very good vintage condition
• No tears, writing, or significant staining observed
• Complete deck including the two original title cards
  
• Box shows noticeable age-related wear and damage
  

Overall, a very attractive surviving example for a deck now more than fifty years old.

🪶 Collector's Note

Among European Rider-Waite editions, the 1971 Bert Bakker printing occupies a special place. It was one of the earliest widely distributed Dutch versions of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot and introduced many readers in the Netherlands to the deck that would later become the world's most influential tarot.

Collectors particularly seek this edition for its unusual combination of features: the monochrome artwork, the magenta Ankh backs, the Dutch titles, and especially the famous "Coleman" spelling error. Complete examples retaining both title cards and the original box are becoming increasingly difficult to locate, making this a desirable acquisition for collectors of vintage tarot, Rider-Waite variants, and European occult publishing history.