2003 Iraq Most Wanted Cards
In 2003 playing cards were released with Iraq’s Most Wanted. Originally a batch of 200 were printed by the DIA for CENTCOM. I worked personally for the Commander of CENTCOM at the time which is how they came in my possession. I have one of the original 200 printed before a PDF was publicly released to allow playing card companies to reproduce. These are sealed and have never been touched since being printed. http://www.theartnewspaper.com/archive/british-museum-buys-iraq-most-wanted-cards
Since coming off the DIA presses I have been the only owner. They have been stored with items I have collected from all my travels
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Thank you for contacting Mearto. This is a deck of 2003 Iraq Most Wanted cards. These decks are very collectible, and like you stated, were reprinted by many companies after the initial run.
I read the 2003 British Museum article you linked to. It would be useful to mention the Hoyle logo to authenticate the deck when you offer this at auction. Today, there are quite a few decks by Liberty and other printers on the market that are selling for between $10 and $100. The medium price is around $20 to $25. On eBay, there were a few asking prices in the $500 range, but they were not completed sales.
I did find one sale of an original CENTCOM deck, which sold for $200 in 2019. I have added links below to the sale description and the auction house that handled the sale.
These cards will inevitably go up in value as scarcity increases with time. Based on what I found at this time, the Fair Market Value of the deck is between $200 and $250.
https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/iraqi-leaders-most-wanted-cards-1464-c-85b46edb21
https://www.alexautographs.com/
“Rare set of 57 playing cards produced by U.S Central Command (CENTCOM) at the outset of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, bearing images and personal information on the 55 "most wanted" members of the Iraqi government, including dictator Saddam Hussein, his sons Uday and Qusay, and other top government officials. The cards presented here feature squared corners, are not wax coated, and are secured with a rubber band and sealed loosely in shrink wrap, all features consistent with officially-produced examples, as opposed to copies intended for civilian sale. Unopened, in fine condition.”
You're welcome. Those cards are really an interesting artifact. I remember seeing them when I was a child; it brings back memories!
Thank you so much. I have a treasure box that throughout my travels I gathered things and tossed them in. These were just one of the items that i have. Always wondered about somethings. I’ll definitely be coming back.