An Introduction To The Kipper Cards

Key features of this popular late 19th Century deck

“Original” Wahrsage Kipperkarten, 2nd version, German

For anyone used to reading with either the Italian Sibillas (La Vera Sibilla/Gypsy Oracle Cards) or the 32 or 36 card Austrian Traditional Gypsy Fortune Cards, then you’d find the Kipper cards very familiar indeed, as they are in fact closely linked and derived from these decks. Notably, most decks (with the exception of the Fin de Siecle) only have 36 cards, like Lenormand, and although they are numbered, they do not have playing card references, only images. There are several Kipper decks in existence with very different designs, but all have the same cards and order. These include the classic Wahrsage Kipperkarten (above) the Salish, and more modern versions such as the Fin de Siecle and Mystical Kipper decks, as well as an increasing number of others e.g. by Alexandre Musrick.

So let’s take a look at the history and background of this deck, its divinatory features, what’s IN a Kipper card (with some of its quirks)—not to mention …