Shreeyansh Kar, Delhi, 31 October 2026
The King of Spades said to me, “If I were not the King, I’d wish to be the Ace card.” I replied back, “And if I were any other card in the deck, I too would wish to be the Ace of Spades!” But things weren’t always like this. I still remember my past, the time I spent wasting away at the bottom of the deck and the joy I felt when I reached the top!
My less than humble beginnings go as far back as the Roman Empire, where my whole identity revolved around being worth a meagre, small coin. With playing cards and dice games, I expected to get a promotion, maybe climb the ladder. But no, I was yet again the card or pip with the lowest possible value. My reputation plunged so low that even rolling an ace became a bad omen! I was insulted, humiliated. I envied all fifty-one of my siblings — being in the middle of the suit sounded far better than being at the bottom.
But even when I had nothing, I represented the common people. The French Revolution culminated in the transfer of power from the king to the common man. To symbolize their victory over the nobility, the common people in France placed me, the card which stood for them, higher than the King card! I was on top of the deck and my reputation was ace-high! Now, my value can be either high or low, depending on the game. Versatility became the newest ace up my sleeve!
But nothing ever stays perfect. When I reached the peak of my fame, the humans just had to sabotage my legacy and tarnish my name. Around 1588, King James of Britain decided it was a bright idea to raise revenue by requiring card makers to pay for a stamp that would be carried on the Ace of Spades card. I bet the only reason they chose me for this role was to ride my coattails! And to make matters worse, the stamp duty was not abolished until 1960.
Later in the Vietnam War, American soldiers believed the spade symbol signified death in Vietnamese culture, so they scattered Ace of Spades cards in the jungle for psychological warfare. I was even forced to serve as the ‘Death Card’ tucked into the helmets of soldiers! I stood for the common people, the underdog, not capital gain, and certainly not death!
On one hand, the humans used my fame — my brand value — to send out dark messages which I never personally endorsed. On the other, I became a representative of magic tricks and sparked joy and wonder all around the globe! I had become such a classic and established icon that children and adults alike could not resist my appeal in card tricks! In tarot, I was crowned as the purest form of energy, carrying different meanings across the four different suits. The hearts stood for love, the diamonds for prosperity, the clubs for creativity, and finally, the spades for challenge. Alongside that, numerologically, I was made the f-ace of the start of everything. One. Unity. A fresh start.
From starting as an underdog of the lowest rank to becoming the mighty wildcard, I must admit I aced this success story.
