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.
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.
Cartes enfantines
Miniature 18th century Paris pattern cards for children, with decorated aces and 2s.
Sweetule Natural History cards
Small cards featuring natural history subjects, given away with packets of sweet cigarettes.
Poker Lusso
Richly costumed courts on a luxury poker pack from Masenghini.
Music playing cards
Portraits of 13 classical music composers.
Classic Card Games for Kids
A boxed set of playing cards, Happy Families and an alphabet pack with rules for 22 games.
Les plaques émaillées d’Antoine Vollon
54 different enamel plaques depicting silk manufacture, by the Lyon artist Antoine Vollon.
Asha Industries’ Castilian pattern
Colourful Spanish (Castilian) pattern cards made by Asha Industries in India for Mexico.
Le Roi bridge
Reprint of a Piatnik (Budapest) pack of 1927 with Hungarian historical figures and scenic aces.
Club Soft Drinks
Promotional pack for Club soft drinks with amusing illustrations of different kinds of ‘club’.
Mit Rhino auftrumpfen
Black rhinos on a publicity pack for Armstrong, a flooring company, with comic designs by Pit Flick.
Valhalla spillekort
Characters from the Valhalla comics, designed by Peter Madsen, as commemorated on a Danish stamp.
So-Lah – A Game of Music
An early 20th century domino-type musical card game by Goodall.
Pinocchio playing cards
Comic book drawings inspired by Carlo Collodi’s children’s classic, Pinocchio.
Le Ore playing cards
Caricatures of famous personalities from the late 1970s for the Italian magazine Le Ore.
Walt Disney Cards II
Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and other familiar Disney characters.
Postabank 3
Caricatures of German personalities on a promotional pack for a Hungarian commercial bank.
Postabank 1
Caricatures of Hungarian politicians on a promotional pack for a commercial bank.
Le Jeu des Musiciens
Artist Silvia Maddonni’s gently humorous take on musicians and their instruments.
Les Saints Guérisseurs et Protecteurs
Healing and patron saints portrayed in paintings, manuscripts, altarpieces and statuary.
Scenic Views of Australia
54 different scenic views of Australia in full colour.
Kuzco, l’empereur mégalo
Notched cards featuring toys representing characters from the Disney film Kuzco, as offered by McDonald’s.
The Beatles playing cards
Two packs featuring photos of The Beatles issued by the same publisher in 2004 and 2005.
Costume Playing Cards
Four centuries of costumes from the Costume Court at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Hilti I
Promotional pack for Hilti power tools, with courts in medieval costume and non-standard pips.
Transair
Humorous designs promoting Transair, a German charter flight operator.
Merz Pharma Skat
Comic designs promoting Merz Pharma, a German drug company.
escART, ec-ART, SKAT
Fully illustrated pack printed from etchings by Johannes Vennekamp.
Not the Iraqi Most Wanted playing cards
Fifty-five Irish heroes and villains, some ancient but mostly modern.
Feh Schnapskarten
Colourful promotional pack for Feh household and toilet papers.
Hansaplast®
Advertising pack for Hansaplast, with comic courts sporting sticking plasters.
Lorilleux International
Promotional pack for Lorilleux International’s Lotus inks, with designs by James Hodges.
Les Tontons du Rock
Caricatures of rock and pop stars in black and white by Charles Da Costa.