Roddy Somerville
Member since May 31, 2022Roddy started collecting stamps on his 8th birthday. In 1977 he joined the newly formed playing-card department at Stanley Gibbons in London before setting up his own business in Edinburgh four years later. His collecting interests include playing cards, postcards, stamps (especially playing cards on stamps) and sugar wrappers. He is a Past President of the Scottish Philatelic Society, a former Chairman of the IPCS, a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards and Curator of the WCMPC’s collection of playing cards. He lives near Toulouse in France.
Promo-Québec
Fun designs by Normand Hudon promoting the Canadian province of Quebec.
Les 7 Familles Pyrénées
Mountains, flowers, animals, tourist sites of the Pyrenees, all drawn by the artist Pertuzé.
Jeu des 7 Familles Spider-Man
Colourful card game featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man and some of his fearsome adversaries.
CNES playing cards
Fully pictorial pack featuring rockets, satellites, scientists and views from space.
Cards on Cards (E.H. Locker)
Artist Edward Locker’s view of London life in 1799, using every card in the pack as part of the picture.
Pan-American Exposition Souvenir
Pan-American Exposition Souvenir Playing Cards, Buffalo, NY, 1901.
Baraja Española de Pintores Murcianos
A Spanish-suited pack as conceived by 48 different artists from the region of Murcia.
Neiman Marcus playing cards
Cowboys and American Indians on a pack for Neiman Marcus, the Dallas department store.
Wolfgang Dorn Werbe
Designs by Jürgen Pankarz for the 20th anniversary of the Wolfgang Dorn advertising agency, Cologne.
Le Jeu d’Issy
Bold designs by Jacques Auriac representing people and enterprises for which the town of Issy-les-Moulineaux is famous.
Cartavi
Promotional pack for AVI paints, with 54 different colours on the backs.
Alessandro Manzoni Centenary
Issued to mark the centenary of the death of Alessandro Manzoni, one of Italy’s greatest writers.
Baraja Napoleónica
Re-edition of a French-suited Spanish pack from the Napoleonic era, with designs by J. Carrafa.
Bilder zum Tarot
Detailed pen and ink drawings of the major arcana by the German artist Helmut Wonschick.
English (or Rigel) Tarot Cards
‘Authentic English fortune telling’ Tarot cards said to be based on a 15th century original found in the British Museum.
Golden Charades
Drawn by Bernard Cookson, the clues, riddles and puzzles on these cards could have won the solver a bar of silver or gold.
Das Tübinger Skatspiel
Pack devised by Volker Scheub depicting characters associated with the city of Tübingen.
Baraja Nefertiti
Mexican fortune-telling pack with black and white designs by Thania Nicolopulus.
Le Jeu de la Chance
Original designs by French artist Jean Vérame, with clubs replaced by four-leaf clovers to bring good luck.
Non-standard pack by J.J. Nunes
Charming designs reminiscent of older, northern European models.
Playing cards by António
Caricatures by António Moreira Antunes of Portuguese politicians from the 1980s, with non-standard suits corresponding to their respective parties.
Conseil Général de la Somme
Famous people and places of the Somme department in northern France, with designs by James Hodges.
Les Chemins de Saint-Jacques
Paintings, statues, monuments and maps associated with different routes to Compostela.
Baraja del Camino de Santiago
Designs by Guitián, published by Ideas Peregrinas, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, c2018.
Diabolik Poker
Characters from the Italian comic series Diabolik, with designs by Paolo and Sergio Zaniboni.
Lo Zodiaco
French-suited fortune-telling pack with distinctive designs by Italian artist Sergio Ruffolo.
CCCP playing cards
Soviet and other Communist celebrities depicted on every card, designed by Vladislav Pankevitch.
Into space and back
A NASA experiment to test a new inflammable material for playing cards.
Baraja Aragonesa
Celebrating the costumes, architecture, coins and crafts of Aragon in Spain, with designs by Raúl Rodriguez Segurado.
Multicard
A Spanish-suited pack with multiple uses including roulette and dice.
The Seven Ages of Man
Original paintings by Jane Daniell depicting characters from Shakespeare’s plays.
Alabama Crimson Tide 1972
Photos of American football players representing the University of Alabama in 1972.
La Rayonnante
Publicity pack for a French cleaning business, with suit-signs given smiling faces.
Easter Playing Cards
Egg-shaped cards with rabbit designs in soft, pastel colours for Easter.
The New Game of Tarot (or Tarock)
Regional costumes and alpine flora on a French Tarot game pack marking 600 years of playing cards in Europe.
Jeu des Chats
Eighteen different cat breeds drawn by Marie-France Gary.
Les Moyens de Locomotion Insolites
Unlikely, ridiculous or just plain impossible means of transport, drawn by Hubert Rublon.
Mexican Artdeck
Works by 14 different 20th century Mexican artists.
Chandelier No. 55 (Nintendo)
Standard international pattern playing cards made in occupied Japan, c.1950.
Pierre Etaix
Colourful, stylised courts designed by the French clown, comedian and filmmaker, Pierre Etaix.
Clavecin
Courts in 18th century costume, with designs by F.R. Gabiraud.
Velux International
Publicity pack for the Danish company, Velux, manufacturers of roof windows and skylights.
Modet Sardegna
Costumes, masks and symbols from the island of Sardinia, with designs by Luciano Dettori and Tonino Caputo.
Le Jeu des 4 Opéras
Characters from five famous operas brought alive in artist Silvia Maddonni’s inimitable style.
Jeu de la Révolution
Artist Silvia Maddonni’s take on various characters from the French Revolution, in honour of the bicentenary in 1989.
ZPA Trutnov
Publicity pack for a Czech company making mains receivers and electrical control units.
Jan Becher playing cards
Publicity pack for Jan Becher, a Czech liqueur company, with modified international courts.
Schwyzer Fasnachts-Jass
Traditional carnival figures from the Swiss canton Schwyz, as interpreted by the artist Léon Schnyder.
Joker Tell
Comic celebration of 700 years of the Swiss Confederation, 1291-1991, with designs by Roland Gazzotti.
Old Bachelor™
The 90’s version of Old Maid with illustrations by Susan Wise.
Swiss Souvenir
55 different scenic photographic views of Switzerland.