VIETNAM & DESERT SHIELD "ACE OF SPADES DEATH CARDS"
YOU WILL RECEIVE 1 VIETNAM ACE OF SPADES DEATH CARD WHICH IS AN EXACT REPRODUCTION AND 1 DESERT SHIELD ACE OF SPADES DEATH CARD WHICH IS AN ORIGINAL BOTH IN PLASTIC CARD PROTECTORS.
DON'T BE FOOLED BY OTHERS CLAIMING THERES ARE ORIGINALS BELIEVE ME THEY ARE NOT
The Vietnam Card is an exact reproduction of the famous Ace of Spades "Death Card" used during the Vietnam War by the United States Military Armed Forces. The Desert Storm Death Card is an "ORIGINAL"Card made by the U.S. Playing Card Co.
The Vietnam Death Card was put on dead Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army soldiers to send ‘Charlie’ a message that US soldiers had been there. The top line reads: "Death awaits Viet Cong cadres." The second line reads: "Return [to the south Vietnamese side] rather than being killed. These seem to be the most prevalent type of death cards, one might almost say "the standard" death card. I have seen about three variations with slightly different fronts but always the same message on the back.
My reproductions are as close to the originals as possible and by far surpasses any others offered. Printed on Card Stock.
It was the Best of the Best that used the cards. The guys that wanted Charlie to be really sure who it was that killed him. The whole idea was to scare the crap out of Charlie.
DESERT SHIELD
The death cards made an appearance again during desert Storm. because the entire war was over in 100 hours there was no point in using them on the enemy. Instead, they were made up as calling cards and personal mementos of the units involved in the war.
The President of the United States Playing Card Company mentioned them:
United States Playing Card has been making cards for the military for nearly a century, President White said. Remember those Vietnam-era images of soldiers tucking the Ace of Spades in their helmets? U.S. Playing Card made entire decks of the aces because they were believed to inspire fear among enemy fighters. Similar decks were reissued in Operation Desert Shield, but more as a tradition than as a psy-ops weapon.
Bicycle Ace of Spades
This is a standard Bicycle ace of spades produced by the company and shipped to the troops about to take part in the Persian Gulf War. It looks exactly like a standard playing card, except at the lower center they have printed the words "Desert Shield." Desert Shield was the name of the operation during the defensive phase of the war when the Coalition was building up its forces in Saudi Arabia. The operation was changed to Desert Storm when the Coalition went on the offensive.
It seems that The U.S. Playing Card Company sent boxes of death cards to Saudi Arabia too. In 2001 an unopened deck of all Ace of Spades was offered at sale. The caption beneath the photograph of the cards is:
Here is an unopened deck of all Ace of Spades from the U.S. Playing Card Company. During the Vietnam War, the U.S, Playing Card Company produced entire decks of the Ace of Spades for combat troops in Vietnam. They were sent free of charge in a box called "Secret Weapon." Those decks were not marked Vietnam since this was never done before. During Operation Desert Shield, however, Bicycle again produced the decks in new packaging and typeface to distinguish the Vietnam and Desert Shield decks. The Desert Shield decks are clearly marked "Desert Shield." Again, these decks were supplied to U.S. troops free of charge. I don’t think the card had the same significance as it did in Vietnam.
The box has an ace of spades stamp at the top holding it closed. The word "BICYCLE" appears around the top of the box in red. The front of the box has a picture of the ace of spade and the text "Bicycle 808 The U.S. Playing Card Co. CINCINNATI, U.S.A. DESERT SHIELD." The back of the box is all text, "Secret Weapon BICYCLE Aces of Spades by The U.S. Playing Card Co. Cincinnati, U.S.A.
FREESHIPPING IN THE USA
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