Set: The Grim Reaper | Cash
Manufacturer: Classic Poker Chips (CPC)
Designer: Myself (Fran)
Mold: Ewing
Production Year: 2025
The colonial times french famous Rue Catinat became Tu Do Street from 1955 to 1975. It was one of the busiest streets in Saigon during the Vietnam War. Located in the central business district, it was the center of the city's commercial and social activities and a meeting point of many cultures with a strong presence of American soldiers. This created a lively, cosmopolitan atmosphere, with numerous bars, restaurants, hotels, stores, cinemas and nightclubs.
I know that GIs played cards in Tu Do street bars notably Gin Rami at the King bar.
but I haven't found any precise information regarding poker... so I imaginiated an illegal poker room that would have been set up clandestinely by two Americans with the complicity of South Vietnamese who were paid to run the business and keep it secret. This card room made it possible to satisfy the gambling desires of GI’s in R&R in Saigon.
Original name of the set was The Death Card Club as a reference to the ace of spade left on Vietcong/NVA bodies to create a psychological effect. After some thoughts and a discussion with Jim (@Potsie1 ) (thanks for his help by the way
) the final set name became The Grim Reaper « Card Room of Death ».
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. So this set is a kind of tribute.
I understand that it is a sensitive and potentially polarizing theme. This set is not intended to glorify war or provoke, but rather to pay tribute to a powerful historical era, drawing from its visual culture, its dark atmosphere, and the harsh reality faced by those who lived through it.
The helmet marked with the ace of spades, along with the overall tone of the set, reflects the tragic irony often found among soldiers — a constant tension between chance, survival, and fate, much like in a poker game (If I may draw this comparison…)
I share this set with respect and passion, and I hope it will be received in that spirit.
Now it is time to discover the set !
(All guns pictured here are collectible air soft replicas only)
Manufacturer: Classic Poker Chips (CPC)
Designer: Myself (Fran)
Mold: Ewing
Production Year: 2025
The colonial times french famous Rue Catinat became Tu Do Street from 1955 to 1975. It was one of the busiest streets in Saigon during the Vietnam War. Located in the central business district, it was the center of the city's commercial and social activities and a meeting point of many cultures with a strong presence of American soldiers. This created a lively, cosmopolitan atmosphere, with numerous bars, restaurants, hotels, stores, cinemas and nightclubs.
I know that GIs played cards in Tu Do street bars notably Gin Rami at the King bar.
but I haven't found any precise information regarding poker... so I imaginiated an illegal poker room that would have been set up clandestinely by two Americans with the complicity of South Vietnamese who were paid to run the business and keep it secret. This card room made it possible to satisfy the gambling desires of GI’s in R&R in Saigon.
Original name of the set was The Death Card Club as a reference to the ace of spade left on Vietcong/NVA bodies to create a psychological effect. After some thoughts and a discussion with Jim (@Potsie1 ) (thanks for his help by the way
) the final set name became The Grim Reaper « Card Room of Death ».This year marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. So this set is a kind of tribute.
I understand that it is a sensitive and potentially polarizing theme. This set is not intended to glorify war or provoke, but rather to pay tribute to a powerful historical era, drawing from its visual culture, its dark atmosphere, and the harsh reality faced by those who lived through it.
The helmet marked with the ace of spades, along with the overall tone of the set, reflects the tragic irony often found among soldiers — a constant tension between chance, survival, and fate, much like in a poker game (If I may draw this comparison…)
I share this set with respect and passion, and I hope it will be received in that spirit.
Now it is time to discover the set !
(All guns pictured here are collectible air soft replicas only)
