Among the four kings in a deck of cards, only the King of Hearts is missing a mustache. It’s not a style choice, it’s a historical printing error that stuck.
In early versions of playing cards from Europe, all kings did have mustaches. But as cards were copied and redrawn over centuries, especially by hand, small details began to change. The King of Hearts lost his mustache somewhere in the late 1600s due to a misprint or engraving slip, and for whatever reason, future printers kept it that way.
Originally, card kings were meant to represent real kings:
King of Hearts = Charlemagne
King of Diamonds = Julius Caesar
King of Clubs = Alexander the Great
King of Spades = King David
But over time, those identities faded and so did their accuracy.
So next time you play Go Fish or War, impress the table with this quirky card fact.
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