Good Luck

Bert Grimm was an outstanding figure in the American tattoo industry and made innumerable contributions to the trade, setting standards still followed to this day. When he was just fifteen years old, he ran away and began his tattoo journey. For several years he was on the road gaining experience from the other tattoo artists he met on his travels. In the 1930s, Grim started applying his experience in St. Louis. For 26 years, he inked the backs, chests, and arms of hundreds of military men and in-port riverboat workers. In the 1940’–s and 1950’–s it became more common for members of the military to get tattoos of aces of all four suits. Aces, more specifically ace of spades, was used in war by soldiers. They often painted it on their gear as a good luck charm, but during the Vietnam War it's said that soldiers would leave ace of spade cards in the battle fields to evoke fear from the Vietnameis. These cards therefore became symbols of death to anyone who passed them. All four card suits were used in war to help identify American soldiers during the Vietnam War however, and this is why it is shown in this flash sheet.