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.
Logger-Reno
A tribute to the logging industry with suits of trees and trucks.
Virginia Slims
Tasteful advertising pack promoting Virginia Slims cigarettes.
Flickers playing cards
Stills from MGM films from the golden age of Hollywood.
South Africa Souvenir
Photographic views of South Africa and Rhodesia.
Tarot Junior Walt Disney
A Disney version of the French Tarot game aimed at younger players.
French External Trade Organization
Promoting the elegance and quality of a range of French products.
Scenic Views of New Zealand
A ‘Rangitira’ souvenir showing 52 different scenic views of the North and South Islands of New Zealand.
The Times of Kamehameha The Great
Figures from Hawaiian history and scenes of everyday life designed by Joseph Feher.
Trip or Trap
Fighting drug abuse in the flower power era using humour and ridicule.
Sigma Coatings
Advertising pack for a company supplying marine paints.
Beauty
Pin-up pack closely resembling the more famous one called “Darling”.
English pattern by Bielefelder Spielkarten
Standard designs by Bielefelder Spielkarten GmbH, Bielefeld, Germany, c1966.
Masuo Ikeda
Striking, colourful designs by the Japanese artist Masuo Ikeda.
Politically Incorrect Happy Families
A Happy Families set with many differences from a conventional one.
Great Romances of the 20th Century
Famous stars featured in series two and three of this BBC programme.
Wimmera Playing Cards
Different scenes from the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia, drawn by Colin Daniels.
Whales and Friends
Whales and penguins as seen through the eyes of marine life artist Robert Wyland.
Luxembourg Souvenir
54 scenic views of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
Baraja Maya
Original designs inspired by Mayan art and culture published by Fernando Güemes, Mexico.
Naipe Centenario
Latin American designs by Productora de Naipes y Confetti (Pronaco), S.A., Mexico, c1980.
Lost Boys
Designs created on the occasion of a chess tournament in Antwerp, 1997.
Stainless steel playing cards
Out-of-the-ordinary set in an unusual container.
Roche
Advertising pack for the Swiss-based healthcare company.
Queen High Equality Deck
A women’s liberation deck described as “A New Deck For A New Deal”.
Popular Fine Art Litho Works
A standard English pack and one adapted for magic tricks by Popular Fine Art Litho Works Ltd., Bombay, India.
Banco Borges & Irmão
Commemorating the centenary of a Portuguese bank, depicting historical figures.
Fernando Valenti
Designs by Italian artist Fernando Valenti issued to coincide with an exhibition of his work in 1986.
Rok playing cards
Distinctive designs by James Hodges for a clothing company.
Le Vieux Campeur
Advertising pack designed by James Hodges for a Parisian shop selling camping equipment.
Voutch
Comic designs by the French artist Olivier Vouktchevitch.
Le Jeu Sétois
A celebration of the town of Sète and its famous water jousting tournaments.
Gorleben soll leben!
Skat deck produced by opponents of atomic energy and the dumping of radioactive waste.
Parfums Van Cleef & Arpels
Advertising pack for the perfume division of Van Cleef & Arpels.
Van Cleef & Arpels
Promotional pack created for Van Cleef & Arpels’ boutique in Geneva, Switzerland.
Parfums Gianni Versace
Advertising pack for Gianni Versace perfumes.
KOOKAÏ
Playing cards promoting ready-to-wear outfits for women, produced by Compte-Fil, Nantes, France, 1992.
Kings and Queens of Portugal
Cameo portraits of Portuguese royalty from 1128 to 1910.
East African Playing Cards no. 2
Colour photographs of East African wildlife published by the East Africa Tourist Travel Association, 1965.
Bicentenario della Rivoluzione Francese
Bicentenary of the French Revolution pack produced by Vannini, Florence, Italy, 1989.
Maisons-Alfort à la “Belle Epoque”
Celebrating 1,000 years of the town of Maisons-Alfort (988-1988) with designs by Henri Simoni.
Marionnettes Wayang
Striking Wayang puppet designs conceived by Youdi des Aubrys from Indonesia, 1985.
Phone and smart cards
Phonecards with playing card designs.
Wayang Bridge Cards
Traditional Wayang puppet theatre characters from Indonesia.
Topolino Fiat Cinquecento
Fully illustrated Italian Disney pack advertising the Fiat Cinquecento, made by Modiano, Trieste, Italy, 1993.
Disneyland Paris
Disney characters deck from Euro Disney, Marne la Vallée, France, c.2000.
Reagan’s Rogues Gallery
A pack inspired by the Iran-Contra affair or Gipper-gate during the Reagan era, produced by R. Billingsley, USA, 1987.
Grand Slam
Limited edition gift set issued to mark the American Bicentennial, 1776-1976, produced by John Waddington Ltd and the Bristol Pottery for the British American Bicentenary Group, 1970.
The Great Indoors
“The Great Indoors” playing cards published by DesignWorks Ink, Nashville, USA, 2021.
Revolutionary playing cards
Revolutionary playing cards with decapitated courts published by ATYPYK, Paris, 2010.
Flying Tiger playing cards
An “eco-conscious” product with fun, modern designs from Denmark.
Spanish pattern by Productos Leo, S.A.
Colourful Mexican version of standard Spanish designs, by Productos Leo, S.A., c.1980s.