Was your first deck a gift?

I remember coming up against the "your first deck must/should be gifted to you" concept when I first became interested in Tarot cards. What I can't remember after all these long years is whether I went ahead and bought one anyway (a Rider-Waite-Smith mini, as it happens) or whether I was given my well-used Aquarian Tarot first.

Seriously - how did this deck get so worn out in the seven years or less between it being published and coming to me? That's some heavy-duty tarot reading! I didn't contribute much to the wear-and-tear - I never really took to the deck. That's perhaps the best reason for buying your own deck.

The guys at Psychic Bazaar have been wondering about this "tradition" and tried an interesting little experiment - The Gift of Giving | Psychic Bazaar Blog.