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Interestingly, while each suit has a king, the king of hearts has a distinct appearance, lacking the moustache found on the other three kings
Today’s playing card designs are based on styles developed in 15th-century France. (News18 Hindi)
Card games are a beloved pastime across the world. In India, playing cards with the family is also considered to be part of Diwali celebrations. One deck of 52 cards and the joker can be repurposed into scores of games, some that involve betting money.
While the design of the cards may vary, the decks are same everywhere – spades, clubs, hearts and diamonds. The king is the highest value face-card. While the king of spades, clubs and diamonds look the same, the king of hearts looks a bit different. He has no moustaches!
Why No Moustache For King Of Hearts?
First, let’s look at the essentials of a standard deck. There are 52 cards in a deck, consisting of numbered cards from ace to 10 and face cards — King, Queen, and Jack — across four suits — Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, and Spades. Each suit has 13 cards, making up the 52-card deck. Interestingly, while each suit has a king, the king of hearts has a distinct appearance, lacking the moustache found on the other three kings.
Originally, the king of hearts did have a moustache. According to Technology.org, today’s playing card designs are based on styles developed in 15th-century France. Back then, cards were printed using wooden stamps and were hand-carved. Over time, these wooden blocks would wear down, causing the designs to fade.
This happened with the king of hearts’ block, resulting in the gradual disappearance of his moustache. When new cards were printed without the moustache, the change became the standard design, even as different countries adopted their own variations. In Russia, the king of hearts is still depicted with a moustache.
From An Axe To A Dagger
Another curious feature of the King of Hearts is the dagger in his hand, which appears to be aimed at himself. This, too, was changed by the worn wooden blocks. Originally, the king of hearts held an axe, but as the block’s details wore down, the head of the axe faded, leaving only the handle, which began to resemble a dagger. This led to the image we see today, where the king of hearts appears to be holding a dagger, earning him the nickname, ‘The Suicide King.’