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.
The Millenium Tarot: Tarot of the Four Worlds
First Australian Tarot, designed by Mary Susan Chamberlain, with artwork by Ziba Vilmanis-Westenberg.
Simpson (Piccadilly) playing cards
Innovative advertising pack for Simpsons of Piccadilly designed by André François.
Les Jeux de Pastor
Striking designs by Edouard Pastor focusing on the heads of figures from the medieval period.
Karl Korab
Austrian artist Karl Korab’s first pack, displaying his use of different techniques.
Le Jeu des Personnages de l’Antiquité et du Moyen-Age
Edouard Pastor’s designs in black and gold inspired by Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
Iroha Karuta for Hino City
Special version of Iroha Karuta, a traditional Japanese matching game, made for Hino City, Tokyo.
Iroha Karuta
Traditional Japanese matching game played mainly by children.
Jeu de Tarot (Catel & Farcy)
Colourful version of a standard French (‘Bourgeois’) Tarot.
Smith-Corona Marchant
Simplified yet colourful court card designs by Avoine for Smith-Corona Marchant.
Redrawn French pattern (Héron)
Redrawn French pattern retaining traditional elements.
Dylan Dog
Characters and objects from the Italian comic book series Dylan Dog, written by Tiziano Sciavi and drawn by Corrado Roi.
The Playing-Card Industry & Its Relevance Today
This video explores the relevance of playing cards today, highlighting industry diversification, modern artistic influence, and their use in education, advertising and entertainment.
Austria Ski Team playing cards
Photos of members of the Austrian skiing team replace the normal courts on two different packs.
Poker Combi-Nation
‘Split’ cards with English pattern designs at both ends.
The Heart Deck™
Useful information about heart health on every card.
1968 Worshipful Company Pack
Commemorating the Games of the XIX Olympiad, Mexico, 1968 (Master: Michael J. Amberg).
Royal Britain
Pack devised by Pietro Alligo depicting English monarchs from Alfred the Great to Elizabeth II.
7 Familles Le Manège Enchanté
The Magic Roundabout characters on a jeu de 7 familles designed by James Hodges.
Grunwald 1410 – The Battle of Tannenberg
Details from the famous painting of the Battle of Grunwald (1410) by the Polish painter Jan Matejko.
Het Olympisch kaart- en kwartetspel
Dual-purpose set featuring photos of sporting figures from the Netherlands on every card.
Unimog UX 100
Cartoons promoting the Unimog UX 100, a small truck produced by Mercedes-Benz.
Juristenskat
Caricatures of lawyers and judges by Philipp Heinisch for HEEL Verlag.
Famous Faces playing cards
Images of the great and the good to be found in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Star Trek® – The Original Series
Promotional pack for CIC Video with characters and starships from the original series of Star Trek.
Paris 2024 Olympics 3
Paris Games mascot Phryge engaged in different sports in a Happy Families-type game.
Paris 2024 Olympics 2
A standard French Tarot game pack with passing references to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Paris 2024 Olympics 1
Modern Paris pattern courts, special ace and jokers for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Piatnik’s 200th Anniversary
A special philatelic souvenir for Piatnik’s 200th anniversary, combining playing cards and postage stamps.
Playing cards with prints by Sumio Kawakami
Woodblock print designs created by Sumio Kawakami in 1938-9, each card having a different illustration.
QAIPES – cartas españolas
Spanish-suited cards made in China inscribed “QAIPES” and “BAIPES”!
Baraja de la Cocina Española
A celebration of Spanish gastronomy, with designs by Silja Götz employing non-standard suits.
Animal Kingdom
Crafted by Hatch Design and benefitting the World Wildlife Fund, animal heads replace the traditional courts.
Hand-drawn transformation cards, c1875
A complete set of hand-drawn transformation cards from c1875, using a standard De La Rue pack.
Deportivo Alavés 1921-2021
Drawings by Guillem Bosch of famous Alavés footballers in celebration of the club’s centenary.
Tarot – Images du Pays Basque
Seventy-eight photographic images of the French Basque Country on a pack for playing the game of Tarot.
Warner Bros 100th Anniversary
An array of famous characters from Warner Bros films in celebration of the company’s centenary.
Medizin Skat
Promotional pack for a hospital group in the Saarland, with non-standard suits and courts designed by Detlef Krause.
Holidays – les côtes françaises
Holiday destinations around the French coast as depicted by Pauline Launay.
Naipes Kukuxumusu
A 52-card Spanish-suited advertising pack for a clothing company in Pamplona.
Euskal Herriko Mitologia
Important figures from Basque mythology, named in four languages.
Líneas rojas 2016
Semicaricatural images of Spanish politicians by Jordi Minguell, combined with non-standard suits.
Jeu des 7 familles basques
A Happy Families-type game from the Basque country, with designs by Soledad Bravi and Agathe de Lastic.
Sevilla 1647 reproduction
Facsimile of Spanish-suited pack produced in Sevilla, Spain, 1647.
Atout Cœur!
Poster designs by children for an anti-smoking campaign in the Midi-Pyrenées region of France.
Kojak bubble gum cards
Bubble gum cards featuring stills – mainly of Telly Savalas – from the cult TV series Kojak.
Victor Hugo 1885-1985
Characters from novels by Victor Hugo marking the centenary of his death, as conceived by Dominique Asselot.
Victor Hugo “L’homme qui rit”
Two different packs with costume designs for Victor Hugo plays, issued on the centenary of his death.
Les Beaux Étés
Comic book characters who lead mundane lives, with designs by Jordi Lafebre.
I Tarocchi del Buongustaio
A less-than-serious set of major arcana on a gourmet theme, with designs by Cosimo Musio.
Haushaltgeräte
Publicity pack for VEB Kombinat Haushaltgeräte, makers of household goods, with designs by Volker Hartmann.
Traditional Cyprus Recipes
Traditional recipes from Cyprus, with a small photo of each dish.