I don't really collect Tarot decks, I only have a few, but I really like the idea of a hand gilded Tarot deck, if I had a little extra free cash on hand I would definitely get one, but I can only imagine how gorgeous it will be for those who get it. I thnk that would be a really wonderful touch for people that use them spiritually more than as a games deck.
From my research, I've found that the use of the tarot deck for games came much earlier than it did for cartomancy.
All of the research I've done seems to point to Tarot decks originating as playing cards as well, with the spiritual aspect appearing much later. But nothing I have found on the subject has been definitive.
My first tarot deck was actually the one that came with the video game "Dishonest"
Mine as well =D I grew up with my mom doing simple Tarot readings for herself as an introspective activity and have always really liked Tarot, but didn't add one to my collection of playing cards until I saw the Dishonored deck and was a fan of the game so I figured 'why not'. I now have three or four Tarot decks, I'm not interested in collecting them seriously like poker decks, but I like picking up the occasional deck.