They aren't superfluous. They became necessary to distinguish the order of play. The tarot was first and foremost a game. The idea of granting the order some sort of special occult significance began with Antoine Court de Gebelin in 1781 and found its fullest expression...perhaps, in the RWS.

One of the things I find utterly fascinating about the tarot is the emphasis on the order of the trumps. Most people coming to the tarot today naturally assume that the order printed on their card is the "correct one," which brings me to my primary point. Michael Dummett identified 3 early...

I keep a digital gallery of historical decks on my website at https://www.classicaltarot.com/p/reference-decks It is not comprehensive....yet, as I have only listed the decks I utilize in teaching the historical tarot. All the images are either public domain or else displayed with the permission of ...

I'd love to hear your answer to the question you posed. I personally have a very difficult time seeing anything of the historical decks in our modern counterparts.

My absolute favorite historical deck is the Estensi Tarot, sometimes also known as the Charles VI or Gringonneur tarot. You can see the original trionfi at https://www.classicaltarot.com/p/estensi-tarot The only restoration ever done was by Giordano Berti - a fantastic artist overseeing Rinascimento...