The "Suicide King"
Last modified : 01 Nov 2006
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This image of an early English playing-card shows the king of hearts wielding an axe. Due to poor copying by blockmakers the axe lost its head over the years and the shaft was turned into a sword which appears to be driven into his head, hence the nickname "Suicide King".
More images of the king of hearts changing over time are available.
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![[Fake ace of spades]](../images/gallery/5.jpg "[Fake ace of spades]")
Fake duty ace of spades, c.1815. The duty on playing-cards in Great Britain in the early years of the 19th century became prohibitively expensive, reaching a maximum of two shillings and sixpence per pack. Tax evasion was common and packs were illegally imported from other European countries. The one shown above was probably printed lithographically in Belgium and is masquerading as a British pack printed from woodcut and coloured by stencil in the traditional manner.