Beware that over 99 percent of these cards offered at auction are FAKES. Very few were ever issued to the average  US soldiers. Real cards were printed cheaply with a soy based ink on rice paper parchment so deteriorated rather quickly in the humid environment.

Most cards were produced under the auspices of  the JFK Special warefare School and the 4th PSYOPS Group and distributed (Usually by air) By units associated with the 246th PSYOPS Company from 1967 onwards.

The real cards today are generally quite brittle and tend to brown from the edges and will break when bent. Fakes are lighter on an acid  cardstock cream or ivory in color and will bend and snap almost like a playing card.

Print on originals is rather poor and would often bleed into the surrounding paper when printed. The Fakes will often have a shiny ink and the lines will appear thicker with no light bleeding or shadow. The paper in fakes is smooth to the touch while the real cards have a rough texture in comparison.

Skull Cards  distributed by the 246th were 4x6 in size.

Typical story line is that Soldier or Marine used them and was wounded and they were sent back  to him while he was in the hospital. This is totally false unless the individal was with an Intelligence unit (ASA MI etc), Special Forces, Air Force or a PSYOPS Unit.

These cards were not distributed to the general  infantry troops with the excepting of the Full color surrender (Chuei Hoi) leaflets which were generally distributed  printed on a light tissue type paper used often for toilet paper by both sides.

At the division level  some cards in batches of  up to 100,000 plus and dropped in the operations areas such as the card addressed to the Viet Cong 9th Division or those distributed by the 25th INF (electric Strawberry) targeting the 165 NVA  Regiment. This type of distribution  occured  and the cards can be identified as they list the unit on the card itself. Fakes are too often generic althought there were drops of generic surrender cards with the skull logo.

An irony of all this effort is that the  Deaths Head and ACE of Spades had no negative connotation to the Vietnamese.

Cards were generally tasked to specific units ,times and areas and often listed enemy KIA WIA (names ,photos and hometowns) in action in specific battles with US Forces.

An exception is when two LTs of Co C, 2nnd Batt. 35th Regt. 25th INF DIV, in Feb of 66 wrote to the United States Playing Card Co for decks of cards with only  the Ace of Spades. The Company supplied a number of packs consisting of defective and rejects for the troops and today has furnished such decks to troops in Iraq.

Also elements of the 1st CAV had cards printed  privately and these were the cards that were generally available to all in their units.

If you want feel free to ask a real vet from the VFW American Legion  etc as often these sellers claim to be veterans and are not. Ask who they served with when and where. That information can be verified....also ask how they got their cards. I got mine when bad weather forced the OV 10 that was to fly out of Bien Hoa on a drop was rained out and most cards were soaked and ruined and I had the job to trash the resulting mess....I saved a few of the lesser damaged bundles and  handed tham out at the NCO club at that base...had only a few hundred and they went quickly so I only had a two bundles  left that were mailed home. I have some of them today, but gave the bulk of them to the wounded guys and gals at Walter Reed over the last 4 years. Most Vietnam Vets may only have had a couple of real cards  and would be unwilling to part with them on ebay for 10 bucks!  (Oh I was intellegence at Bien Hoa and we did joint ops with PSYCHOPS used some of the same planes!)

SGM Herb Friedman is an expert on the PSYOPS use of these cards and I would say to look him up.