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.
Standard Swiss-German pattern (single-ended)
20th century version of a single-ended Swiss-German pattern pack for the game of Jass.
Genevan Dauphiné pattern
Unusual example of a double-ended Genevan Dauphiné pattern pack from c1910.
Mini Jass
Pocket-size cards with modern designs for playing the Swiss national card game, Jass.
La Compagnie de 1602
Characters from the annual festival held to commemorate the failed attempt to storm Geneva in 1602.
New Musical Express
54 black and white photographs of solo singers, duos and groups popular around 1990.
France, Champions du Monde 2018
Colour photographs of the World Cup-winning French football squad of 2018.
Guildhall Art Gallery playing cards
54 different paintings from the collection of the Guildhall Art Gallery, London.
The Fat Pack
A vastly expanded pack with 8 suits for playing traditional or new games, devised by Roger Howard Butler Clough.
Ancient Egypt playing cards
Fully illustrated set of cards depicting various aspects of Ancient Egyptian life and culture.
Baraja Canaria
Comic courts and non-standard suits representing the Canary Islands, with designs by Eduardo Millares Sall.
Festa Major de Vilafranca 1988
Colourful figures associated with the annual festival held in Vilafranca, Catalonia.
Loco Jumbo playing cards
54 different colour photographs of steam locomotives from around the world.
Haig Whisky
Japanese advertising pack for Haig Scotch whisky with modified international courts.
Kawasaki Trump
Humorous publicity pack for Kawasaki featuring some of their many products.
Maxim playing cards
Publicity pack from Nintendo for Maxim freeze dried coffee.
Ukiyo-E (Nintendo)
Classic examples of Ukiyo-E painting.
Les Ordres de Chevalerie
Six orders of chivalry represented pictorially by the artist Patrick Dallanégra.
Le Burling
1960s pack from Annecy with non-standard suits all connected with the office.
Ethiopian playing cards
A pack with court cards reflecting different ethnic and cultural groups found in Ethiopia.
Gruppo Perotti playing cards
Stunningly beautiful designs by the Japanese artist Tiger Tateishi for Gruppo Perotti.
Ilford playing cards
Colourful advertising pack for Ilford designed by Mario Grasso, based on standard English courts.
SCANIA 1891-1991
Centenary playing cards illustrating vintage trucks and buses produced by the Swedish company Scania.
Euro Playing Cards
New euro banknotes and coins from several countries on circular cards.
Magic: The Gathering® Poker Decks
A pair of suited packs with artwork from Magic: The Gathering trading cards.
Imperial Club playing cards
Large index broad size cards by AGMüller using a special red ink suitable for casinos.
Maquettes for an unpublished WWI pack
Original designs depicting leaders and allegories from Russia, France, Great Britain and Belgium.
Bohemia Moravia
Historical figures from Bohemia and Moravia in Piatnik’s traditional style.
Jeu de 7 Familles France 98
Families card game with comic designs featuring seven of the teams competing in the 1998 World Cup.
Jackspack Royal Navy Playing Cards
54 humorous illustrations of Royal Navy characters and Navy slang.
Le Jeu de Marseille (Vigno)
Amusing depiction of characters whom you might meet in the city and port of Marseille, as created by Anne Le Dantec.
Vues de Monaco-Monte Carlo
Souvenir pack with 54 different views of Monaco, especially Monte Carlo.
Visite de Saint Tropez
Souvenir pack with 54 different views of Saint Tropez.
Le tour de la Corse en photos
Souvenir pack with 55 different views of Corsica.
Golf Playing Cards
Humorous designs and non-standard pips poking fun at golf and golfers.
Jeu de Familles Les Pierrafeu®
Quartet game featuring The Flintstones and friends.
Dallas playing cards
Seven of the top stars from the famous TV series Dallas.
Crystal Time
Colourful and attractive designs by Violeta Monreal, inspired by stained glass through the ages.
Nokia II
Advertising pack for the Finnish firm Nokia showing different mobile phones.
Nordbräu Ingolstadt
Publicity pack for the German brewery Nordbräu with Bavarian pattern courts (adapted).
Wicküler Skat
Publicity pack for the German brewery Wicküler with courts merrily drinking beer.
Barok playing cards nr 232
Courts dressed in Baroque costumes in a pack printed by KZWP, Kraków, Poland, 1981.
Deutsche Dampflokomotiven
German steam locomotives from the period 1892 to 1950.
Joshi Bharát Tarot
A set of the major arcana created by an Indian fortune-teller living in Hungary.
The Firebird playing cards
Exquisite designs with characters and scenes from Russian folk tales by the artist Yury Shakov.
Mercedes-Benz Skat
Classy-looking designs by Monika Dostler for a manufacturer of posh cars.
Bahlsen Skat
Publicity pack for a German food company, featuring some of their products.
Marvel Poker
Marvel comic book characters on a pack from Italy with designs by Marco Nizzoli.
Endangered Species and other animals
54 different endangered species depicted in full colour published by Safari Limited, Ojus, Florida, USA, c1986.
Rombach + Co Skat
Publicity pack designed by Uschi Dorner for a bookshop in Freiburg im Breisgau.
B & K Skat
Publicity pack designed by Henning Loerzer for Busskamp & Koch, an advertising agency in Munich.
Overstolz Cigaretten
Colourful publicity playing cards for a brand of German cigarettes.