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. United States Playing Card has been making cards for the military for nearly a century, 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. 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. 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.

Ist edition all Aces of spades used by US soldiers during the Viet Nam war. Notice the difference in the printing of the B Bicycle compared to 2nd and 3rd editions.

Conjuring Arts information: Conjuring Arts proudly introduces our new exclusive Professional Bicycle® Playing Cards to the magic community. These new Professional Bicycles® may look familiar, but they have been custom designed for discerning card handlers. They feature an unprecedented level of quality along with a handful of clever surprises. These cards are printed on the highest quality casino stock with USPCC’s finest coating. This makes for a deck that not only feels as good as cards from 10 years ago, but even better. These cards will make many common sleights easier, and certain sleights and flourishes wouldn’t be possible with any other deck. These decks are arranged similarly to the Spanish, or Fournier, order. It is a natural Stay-Stack or mirror stack and will allow those of you who use Mnemonica to get into stack more quickly than with regular Bicycles. As with our other cards, users can decide whether they prefer the feel of an Air Cushion or Ivory finish. Clever magicians will create “sorts” by mixing the two finishes together in one deck. A very powerful secret weapon from nearly a hundred years ago that has not been available for decades!

There are a total of 12 different editions of this deck. The difference is the prediction readable in the bar code.