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.
Politiker-Skat by Bubec
Caricatures of world leaders, including many German politicians, by the artist Bubec.
Le Poker Politique
French politicians and various world leaders caricatured by the German artist Bubec.
Modern Jass (Fredy Sigg)
Caricatural updating of traditional Swiss Jass cards by the artist Fredy Sigg.
Baraja Cultura Española
ASESCOIN pack for 2022 designed by M.A. Corella featuring famous Spaniards and notable buildings.
Play Architecture
Twentieth century architects and their creations on a well-designed pack from Finland.
English pattern by JRC Industries
A standard pack from South Africa using Piatnik courts with minor modifications.
Leadmill playing cards
Promotional pack for an arts centre in Sheffield with designs by Martin F. Bedford.
SCOR playing cards
Bizarre and fantastical images by the artist Roland Topor for the SCOR reinsurance company.
Mountain Dream Tarot
Groundbreaking Tarot created by Bea Nettles, using photographs and photo montage.
Blake et Mortimer – La Marque Jaune
Blake and Mortimer comic strip characters created by Edgar P. Jacobs.
Jeu de 7 familles Les Dynasties d’Artisans Basques
Long-standing Basque businesses represented in a traditional card game with illustrations by Odile Artéon.
English Heritage
52 different colour photos of historic sites managed by English Heritage.
Il Tarocco Mitologico
Fully pictorial Tarot designed by Amerigo Folchi with figures mainly from Greek mythology.
Junior Playing Cards
Child-friendly versions of standard English pattern cards designed by Louie Mantia, Jr.
Ubo cards
Traditional Ubo cards from the Philippines made from tree bark.
Last Call Cats playing cards
Bar-crawling cats, designed by artists Arna Miller and Ravi Zupa.
Trek Deck Malta Vol. 1
Innovative pack describing 52 different treks around Malta, Gozo and Comino.
Warka playing cards
Advertising pack for the Polish brewery Warka, featuring footballers, coaches and supporters.
The Malt Whiskies of Scotland
Three packs featuring photographs by Duncan McEwan of malt whisky distilleries in Scotland.
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.