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532 Articles

Roddy Somerville

  • France • Member since May 31, 2022

Roddy 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.

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1997 The Lord of the Rings Tarot Deck & Card Game

The Lord of the Rings Tarot Deck & Card Game

The Lord of the Rings Tarot Pack by Terry Donaldson and artist Peter Pracownik. Published 1997 by U.S. Games Systems.

1979 Logger-Reno

Logger-Reno

A tribute to the logging industry with suits of trees and trucks.

1985 Virginia Slims

Virginia Slims

Tasteful advertising pack promoting Virginia Slims cigarettes.

1974 Flickers playing cards

Flickers playing cards

Stills from MGM films from the golden age of Hollywood.

1910 South Africa Souvenir

South Africa Souvenir

Photographic views of South Africa and Rhodesia.

1979 Tarot Junior Walt Disney

Tarot Junior Walt Disney

A Disney version of the French Tarot game aimed at younger players.

1979 French External Trade Organization

French External Trade Organization

Promoting the elegance and quality of a range of French products.

1985 Scenic Views of New Zealand

Scenic Views of New Zealand

A ‘Rangitira’ souvenir showing 52 different scenic views of the North and South Islands of New Zealand.

1984 The Times of Kamehameha The Great

The Times of Kamehameha The Great

Figures from Hawaiian history and scenes of everyday life designed by Joseph Feher.

1970 Trip or Trap

Trip or Trap

Fighting drug abuse in the flower power era using humour and ridicule.

1971 Sigma Coatings

Sigma Coatings

Advertising pack for a company supplying marine paints.

1955 Beauty

Beauty

Pin-up pack closely resembling the more famous one called “Darling”.

1966 English pattern by Bielefelder Spielkarten

English pattern by Bielefelder Spielkarten

Standard designs by Bielefelder Spielkarten GmbH, Bielefeld, Germany, c1966.

1977 Masuo Ikeda

Masuo Ikeda

Striking, colourful designs by the Japanese artist Masuo Ikeda.

2014 Politically Incorrect Happy Families

Politically Incorrect Happy Families

A Happy Families set with many differences from a conventional one.

2000 Great Romances of the 20th Century

Great Romances of the 20th Century

Famous stars featured in series two and three of this BBC programme.

1981 Wimmera Playing Cards

Wimmera Playing Cards

Different scenes from the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia, drawn by Colin Daniels.

1985 Whales and Friends

Whales and Friends

Whales and penguins as seen through the eyes of marine life artist Robert Wyland.

2006 Luxembourg Souvenir

Luxembourg Souvenir

54 scenic views of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

1975 Baraja Maya

Baraja Maya

Original designs inspired by Mayan art and culture published by Fernando Güemes, Mexico.

1980 Naipe Centenario

Naipe Centenario

Latin American designs by Productora de Naipes y Confetti (Pronaco), S.A., Mexico, c1980.

1997 Lost Boys

Lost Boys

Designs created on the occasion of a chess tournament in Antwerp, 1997.

2005 Stainless steel playing cards

Stainless steel playing cards

Out-of-the-ordinary set in an unusual container.

1980 Roche

Roche

Advertising pack for the Swiss-based healthcare company.

1971 Queen High Equality Deck

Queen High Equality Deck

A women’s liberation deck described as “A New Deck For A New Deal”.

1970 Popular Fine Art Litho Works

Popular Fine Art Litho Works

A standard English pack and one adapted for magic tricks by Popular Fine Art Litho Works Ltd., Bombay, India.

1984 Banco Borges & Irmão

Banco Borges & Irmão

Commemorating the centenary of a Portuguese bank, depicting historical figures.

1986 Fernando Valenti

Fernando Valenti

Designs by Italian artist Fernando Valenti issued to coincide with an exhibition of his work in 1986.

1972 Rok playing cards

Rok playing cards

Distinctive designs by James Hodges for a clothing company.

1972 Le Vieux Campeur

Le Vieux Campeur

Advertising pack designed by James Hodges for a Parisian shop selling camping equipment.

2015 Voutch

Voutch

Comic designs by the French artist Olivier Vouktchevitch.

2006 Le Jeu Sétois

Le Jeu Sétois

A celebration of the town of Sète and its famous water jousting tournaments.

1979 Gorleben soll leben!

Gorleben soll leben!

Skat deck produced by opponents of atomic energy and the dumping of radioactive waste.

1985 Parfums Van Cleef & Arpels

Parfums Van Cleef & Arpels

Advertising pack for the perfume division of Van Cleef & Arpels.

1980 Van Cleef & Arpels

Van Cleef & Arpels

Promotional pack created for Van Cleef & Arpels’ boutique in Geneva, Switzerland.

1982 Parfums Gianni Versace

Parfums Gianni Versace

Advertising pack for Gianni Versace perfumes.

1992 KOOKAÏ

KOOKAÏ

Playing cards promoting ready-to-wear outfits for women, produced by Compte-Fil, Nantes, France, 1992.

2012 Kings and Queens of Portugal

Kings and Queens of Portugal

Cameo portraits of Portuguese royalty from 1128 to 1910.

1965 East African Playing Cards no. 2

East African Playing Cards no. 2

Colour photographs of East African wildlife published by the East Africa Tourist Travel Association, 1965.

1989 Bicentenario della Rivoluzione Francese

Bicentenario della Rivoluzione Francese

Bicentenary of the French Revolution pack produced by Vannini, Florence, Italy, 1989.

1988 Maisons-Alfort à la “Belle Epoque”

Maisons-Alfort à la “Belle Epoque”

Celebrating 1,000 years of the town of Maisons-Alfort (988-1988) with designs by Henri Simoni.

1985 Marionnettes Wayang

Marionnettes Wayang

Striking Wayang puppet designs conceived by Youdi des Aubrys from Indonesia, 1985.

1990 Phone and smart cards

Phone and smart cards

Phonecards with playing card designs.

1981 Wayang Bridge Cards

Wayang Bridge Cards

Traditional Wayang puppet theatre characters from Indonesia.

1993 Topolino Fiat Cinquecento

Topolino Fiat Cinquecento

Fully illustrated Italian Disney pack advertising the Fiat Cinquecento, made by Modiano, Trieste, Italy, 1993.

2000 Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris

Disney characters deck from Euro Disney, Marne la Vallée, France, c.2000.

1987 Reagan’s Rogues Gallery

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.

1970 Grand Slam

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.

2021 The Great Indoors

The Great Indoors

“The Great Indoors” playing cards published by DesignWorks Ink, Nashville, USA, 2021.

2010 Revolutionary playing cards

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.