CARDS 2000
(Not the year, the number)
by Mike Rogers
Two thousand different
brands of playing cards! Is that possible? Indeed
it is. Here's the story.
In November 1999, while visiting Edinburgh, Scotland,
a taxi driver stated that, "Edinburgh may not
be the most beautiful city in the world, but it
certainly ranks in the top ten." His statement
required no serious thought, for I have to agree.
Edinburgh is indeed one of the world's most beautiful
cities. Princes Street, Edinburgh's main through
fair, is lined on one side with neat modern shopping,
as nice as you will find anywhere in the world.
Among the many choices you can enjoy Jenners department store which is often referred to as the
Herrods of Scotland. On the other side of the
street you see Princes Street Gardens, a large beautiful park having lush
foliage and winding paths. You leave modern shopping
and join the Old World with the impressive Scott
Monument honoring Sir Walter Scott. (Alas,
I can still recite passages from Lady of the Lake,
going back to my days in high school..) Looking
beyond the monument, and across Princes street
Gardens, your breath is taken away by a majestic
backdrop having a high mountain topped by The
Edinburgh Castle. This is a real castle,
one over which battles have been fought. For hundreds
of years it has reigned supreme over the city,
offering an awesome view to be enjoyed by young
and old.
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A tour through
Edinburgh will open the doors to museums,
shops, galleries, and probably more pubs
than ever observed (We highly recommended
The Abbotsford pub
in city centre). Crossing Princes Street
looking towards the castle you enter a
venue of Old World charm having had as
its residents: royalty, poets, writers,
painters, inventers, scholars, thugs,
scoundrels, pick pockets, thieves, whores,
and mudlarks. Along the Royal
Mile you will discover Deacon
Brodie's Pub, some delightfully
interesting shops, and R.
Somerville Playing Cards. I was
impressed with Deacon Brodie's Pub because in my hometown of Lander,
Wyoming there are several people from
Scotland having the name Brodie. It pleases
me to think that perhaps my Wyoming friends
might be descendents of Edinburgh's Deacon
Brodie, one of Scotland's most notorious
shysters. Wait, what's with R.
Somerville Playing Cards? You'll
have to love it.
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Though Edinburgh
offers delights in every direction, the
business having the name R.
Somerville Playing Cards was high
on my list of important places to visit.
I'm glad I did. R. Somerville Playing Cards, located along the Royal Mile, is a specialty shop dealing in nothing but
playing cards. For more than 22 years
the establishment has been a vendor of
nothing but playing cards, currently offering
more than 2,000 varieties. Yes, I said
2,000. That number is not a misprint.
The owner, Roderick Somerville, is a pleasant
academia type having a Masters Degree
in Art, a degree he admits to having never
used. On this point I tend to disagree,
for this gentleman is truly an artist
in his own way. His clientele run the
entire gamut from serious card collectors,
to magicians, to the poker player needing
a couple of new decks for the next game.
Roderick knows his business and he knows
about playing cards, the brands, the makers,
the packaging, and the artists who might
have designed the various backs and faces.
For magicians he even carries the Fournier
505 brand of cards including the
decks of various gimmicks. (Those unfamiliar
with the 505 brand need only to check
the DeKram back design marketed by Ken Fletcher's Magic Masters in the U.S.) Through it all Roderick admits
to being neither a magician nor a card
player. He does, however, have a personal
collection of neckties having a playing
card motif. He told me there's one for
every day of the month.
Mr. Somerville's
venue is a quaint shop, somewhat disjointed
and askew, having playing cards everywhere.
The tables are stacked high with the many
brands, and the walls are filled with
posters and clear insert pages where an
entire pack can be displayed both front
and back. Adding to this he has notebook
binders crammed full of clear plastic
pages showing the many decks offered.
On one of the days when I visited the
shop a serious card collector from Japan
was stocking up. I did a quick count and
he must have picked at least 40 decks,
and he was still going strong when I left.
Some of these decks are quite expensive,
and I was surprised to learn that there's
such extensive interest. I even dropped
about fifty bucks, which is small potatoes
compared to the collector from Japan.
A visit to R.
Somerville Playing Cards is simply
plain fun. You will find the shop at 82
Canongate, on the Royal Mile, Edinburgh,
EH8 8BZ, Scotland. It's within walking
distance of all the sights. On the internet
http://www.playing-cards.demon.co.uk/.
E mail cards@playing-cards.demon.co.uk
. You won't regret it. Call before visiting
because in a year or so the location may
move. He is currently located in the area
being converted to buildings to house
Scotland's new Parliament. As a result
many charming shops of the area are relocating.
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