Card games have been a source of entertainment and betting around the world for centuries, but very few people pay attention to the history and design flaws behind its 52 cards. Have you ever noticed that the Kings of Spades, Clubs and Clubs have thick moustaches, but why is the King of Hearts clean shaven?
This is not a deliberate artifact, but the result of a 500-year-old technical mistake. When modern playing cards were being designed in France in the late 15th century, all four kings had moustaches. In that era, cards were printed by carving them on wooden blocks.
Over time, these wooden blocks began to wear out due to repeated use. In this process, the red betel leaf above the king’s lips became blurred and the lines of his mustache disappeared. Later, when the new designers reproduced these cards, they accepted the old blurred print without the mustache as the original and since then Lal Paan Ka Raja started being printed without the mustache.
Not only the moustache, the history of this king’s weapon is also quite interesting. Originally this king used to have a big ax in his hand, which he used to wave in the air. Due to designing errors and wear of the block, the front part of the ax disappeared and began to resemble a small dagger or sword.
Today the situation is such that the dagger is visible behind the king’s head, giving the illusion that the king is killing himself. Because of this strange design, it is known internationally as ‘Suicide King’. Although some countries, such as Russia, have maintained their tradition and adopted the mustachioed King of Hearts design, the global standard remains the same flawed old design.