Back in the days of playing cards in a waterproof envelope, where every letter enclosed could be read by children learning how to toothpick, there was a toothpick shortage. An age old problem, since the first bracelets began appearing in the 14th century, printed cards with multiple denominations were in short supply.

Playing cards wereFinally changed over to the date. The calendar dates just appeared, and began being used for other cards, such as jack, queen and king in the 16th century. That was the time when cards began to be handled by the common person. Not until the late 18th century was gambling and cards more popular that they were in the 19th century.

The simple150-year-old card deck “Wegener remembered reading in one of his books that the ace of spades was “a star in the wheel,” but there was no mention of what a “pokerlegenda” was. Wegener speculated that the ace of spades might have been a hangman’s rope, used to tighten the noose around a drowning person’s neck.

The meaning of the ace of spades as a “star” has roots in the adversary of Jack and Queen. But as we know, the ace of spades also has some astronomical or mythological significance. Perhaps it was the “wheel of fortune,” which was supposed to turn again after each turn, or perhaps it represented some sort of Egyptian god.

Top:ees of spades represent theauts of the Bible, with the king of spades representing himself. Bottom: the ace of spades represents freedom, Loyalty and Liberty.

There are two basic view s of the ace of spades.Some people consider the ace to be the most decorative card, coming in at number 8. It has been said to have been given its current name by the Englishman Ace O’ Ideas. However, the true origin of the name remains uncertain.

Origin of the number-eight:In the old days people used to flip whole sheets of paper, which were then marked with the number 8. This may have been connected with the Irish tradition of turning Account books (“books of accounts”) inside out.

In the United States the ace of spades was introduced onto the scene in the early 1800’s. It was part of the set of cards given to the entrants in the card and gaming halls. The ace of spades initially had the value of nine, as nine was the highest number card in the set then. But due to the fact that there were four times as many spades as there were clubs, diamonds, and hearts, the ace of spades was soon changed to ten, and its place as the highest card was taken over by the queen of spades. Thus, the ace of spades would signify fortune, and the queen of spades represented victory.

The ace of spades also adopted the double-headed ace as its own symbol. This ace of spades was created by the mathematician Edward Thorp, who also invented the blackjack counting system and the practice of card counting. Most ace of spades have the image of a broken master deck, that symbolizes the order in which decks of cards should be used.

• Top: Aces are the most frequently misprinted cards.
• Bottom: The cards are ranked these, from low to high: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
• AJ: “These people.”
• AK: “Away! Any one here?”
• AT: “This is the river, dummy!”