Most playing cards don't have any sort of meaning beyond what you see on the card itself. However, a few have become associated with certain stories or myths. The Queen of Hearts, of example, is connected to the character from Alice in Wonderland. Then there's the Ace of Spades. This card has become associated with death for a number of different reasons. That association led to this patch, the Skull Ace Of Spades Patch, which features a little skull and crossbones in the middle of the large spade. It's one of the Skull Patches, and it makes a nice addition to any jacket, especially if you're looking for a skull that's a little bit different from the others.
The Ace of Spades got its reputation as the death card through a number of events. It has been used as the symbol of different regiments and divisions in war, such as appearing on the helmets of the American 101st Airborne Division in World War II. Soldiers actually used it as a symbol of luck. Later, in the Vietnam War, soldiers believed that the Vietnamese thought that the ace of spaces meant death. As a result, U.S. soldiers started putting the Ace of Spades on the bodies of dead enemy soldiers hoping that they would scare away the Viet Cong. This custom became so prevalent that one division actually asked the United Stated Playing Card Company to send them a crate of nothing but the Ace of Spades.
This rectangular patch measures two inches by three inches. The embroidery is black on a white background with a black die cut border. It can be sewn on to leather or other materials. If you're not putting it on leather, you can iron it on using the heat-activated plastic backing.
