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.
Jeu Boléro
Sweeping, semi-abstract designs by J.L. Jolin in red and black only.
The Lovers playing cards
Reproductions of old postcards with romantic messages for Valentine’s Day.
I Gatti Originali di Evelyne Nicod
Etchings of cats on a set of major arcana created by Evelyne Nicod.
Knoll International
Geometric designs by the French artist Jean Garçon for Knoll International, the furniture company.
Carte Osteologiche
Skulls and bones of all descriptions have become the suits and pips in this 40-card pack from Italy.
Marcello Morandini
Modern designs by Italian artist Marcello Morandini using the simplest of forms and colours.
Cartes à Jouer Fluorescentes
Standard French cards but printed with fluorescent inks on a black background.
SEMP playing cards
Modified Anglo-American courts advertising a French medical publishing company.
Tarot de Madrid
Black-and-white photographs of models whose faces are made up using elements found on the major arcana.
Portrait de Fribourg
Fine reproduction of a Fribourg pattern pack, originally by Jean-Jacques Burdel.
Claude Weisbuch
Free reinterpretation of the traditional Paris pattern courts by the artist Claude Weisbuch.
Orientierungslauf Skat
Humorous designs by Helmut Härtelt on the subject of orienteering.
Borna Skat
Publicity pack for the Saxon town of Borna, with designs by Andreas Wachter.
Postgeschichte
A celebration of different postal systems in Germany from 1630 to 1850, with designs by Volker Hartmann.
EPOC playing cards
Modern designs by Brazilian artist Maria Leonor Décourt inspired by standard English pattern courts.
Campari playing cards
Publicity pack for Campari, designed for the Portuguese or Brazilian market.
Batman® playing cards
Characters from Batman: The Animated Series on a pack issued in 1992.
Sylvanian Families mini playing cards
Miniature cards in sheet form with Sylvanian Families characters on the courts and Jokers.
Hôtels-Grils Campanile
Publicity pack for the Campanile hotel and restaurant chain featuring French provincial costumes, with designs by James Hodges.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! playing cards
Strange facts from Robert Ripley’s ‘Believe It or Not’ books, in the form of cartoons.
Tavaglione playing cards
Well-designed pack by Giorgio Tavaglione, with courts in medieval costume.
Belgian/Genoese pattern from Turkey
All-plastic cards of the Belgian/Genoese type, made in Turkey.
MISSCŒUR
Elongated cards from France with a fourth court card, a Miss.
Jeu des Copains
French popular singing stars of the 1960s.
Wren 300 playing cards
Papercuts by Chloe Campbell of the 52 Wren churches in the City of London.
Marlow playing cards
Visitor attractions and businesses to be found in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.
Card Tricks
Stereotypical representations of gay men and men they most admire, in a 1981 pack from San Francisco.
Naipes de Personajes Granadinos
Forty famous men and women with links to Granada, on a pack designed by Rubén Garrido.
El Niño de las Pinturas
Forty-nine distinctive works by Spanish graffiti artist Raúl Ruiz.
Christmas 1980 playing cards
Festive courts on a Waddingtons pack designed to celebrate Christmas 1980.
Mediaeval Playing Cards
Finely executed late 19th century pack from the USA featuring courts in medieval costume.
From Empire to Commonwealth
Flags, locations and admission dates of 52 Commonwealth countries.
Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
Famous people associated with Nicolas Fouquet’s splendid château of Vaux-le-Vicomte.
Compagnie Maritime des Chargeurs Réunis
French navigators and explorers on a promotional pack for the C.M.C.R shipping company.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Pack featuring six images from the Disney film of the same name, on cards made for Eastern Europe.
Shrek the Third playing cards
Characters from the 2007 film Shrek the Third, a DreamWorks Animation production.
Storia del Fascismo
Published by Il Meneghello, this pack provides a visual history of Fascism in Italy between 1919 and 1945.
Jeu de cartes Armelle
Advertising pack designed by James Hodges for a company specialising in regional cakes and biscuits.
Jeanne d’Arc, “La pucelle d’Orléans”
Joan of Arc and her contemporaries in a colourful pack designed by Patrice Louis.
Louis De Poortere
Psychedelic designs promoting Louis De Poortere, a company selling carpets and rugs.
Costumes Alsaciens
Typical costumes and views of Alsace together with lists of the principal sights.
Das Nassauische Kartenspiel
Pack conceived by Berthold Conradi, commemorating the 700th anniversary of the granting of town rights to Idstein.
Winnie the Pooh Rummy
Disney’s Winnie the Pooh and friends on a pack made for Eastern Europe.
The Pack of Positivity
Katie Abey’s rainbow-coloured designs using crazy animals to convey motivating phrases.
Historic Early Aviation
Reproductions of cigarette cards from 1910 on the subject of the early days of aviation.
Les “Œufs de Cartes” de Krasno
Egg-shaped cards created by Rodolfo Krasno employing photographic images by Michel Leclerc.
The Age of Dinosaurs playing cards
Dinosaurs from different ages and locations, with artwork by Virginijus Poshkus.
3-D Dino Cards
Lenticular images of different, unnamed dinosaurs on all-plastic cards.
Dino Deck playing cards
A different dinosaur for each of the four suits, two printed in red and two in blue.
The Famous Dinosaurs Playing Cards
54 different dinosaurs, both large and small, illustrated by Cecilia Fitzsimons.
Möbel-Spiel
Publicity pack for the East German furniture industry, with designs by Werner-Hans Schlegel.