The Ace of Spades has a unique history in playing cards, with a promotion over court cards and its association with death. Playing cards likely originated in China and spread to Europe, with different suits developed in various regions. The Ace of Spades is often the highest card in games and was taxed in early British decks, leading to its “death card” reputation. It was also used as a good luck charm in World War II but placed on dead enemy soldiers in the Vietnam War.
The history of the Ace of Spades is closely related to the history of playing cards in general, although there are some unique aspects to the Ace card itself. In the past, the cards were typically numbered from Ace to 10, with face cards being the highest cards in each suit. Ace cards, however, were eventually promoted over court cards and different suits were used in various regions, with the spades suit developed in French decks. The Ace of Spades is often associated with death and is commonly referred to as the ‘death card’.
Playing cards in general likely developed in China and made their way to Europe during the 14th century, where they quickly spread in popularity to various European countries. Some early decks of cards were clearly numbered from one to 14; the term “ace” was used to refer to the smallest unit of something. The highest cards in these decks were not the aces, but the face cards which often included rogues, queens and kings. However, games began to develop in which aces were used as high cards, and the French Revolution probably further promoted this idea as the low card was promoted to be superior to the “royalty” within the deck.
Different suits were initially introduced in early European playing cards, with many cards using the suits of swords, coins, cups and wands often found on tarot cards. German playing cards, however, were created with bells, hearts, acorns and leaves. Playing cards created in France introduced a different set of suits, keeping hearts from the German deck, establishing diamonds instead of bells, changing acorns to clubs, and finally keeping a leaf-like shape but renaming the suit “spades”. This created a deck of cards in which the ace of spades could be found, and eventually led to its promotion over court cards.
The Ace of Spades itself is often the highest card in the stock in many games, including most poker games. Its reputation as a “death card” may stem from the fact that early decks of British playing cards were taxed by the monarchy. Anyone could print the other 51 cards in the deck, but the Ace of Spades had to feature an approved printer’s insignia to ensure taxes were paid on each deck. Illegal card printing was a lucrative but dangerous business, and at least one person was sentenced to death for printing the ace without paying the necessary fees, which may have ruled it a “death card.
This association between the ace of spades and death was probably furthered by its inclusion in the fabled “dummy’s hand” of two pairs of aces and eights, allegedly held by Wild Bill Hickok at the time of his murder. Because of its importance as the luckiest or highest card in the deck, the Ace of Spades was often painted on military vehicles or armor in World War II as a good luck charm. In the Vietnam War, however, some American soldiers placed the ace on the bodies of dead enemy soldiers in hopes of instilling a superstitious fear of the card and its wielders in their enemies.
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