<P> The fanciful design and manufacturer's logo commonly displayed on the ace of spades began under the reign of James I of England, who passed a law requiring an insignia on that card as proof of payment of a tax on local manufacture of cards . Until August 4, 1960, decks of playing cards printed and sold in the United Kingdom were liable for taxable duty and the ace of spades carried an indication of the name of the printer and the fact that taxation had been paid on the cards . The packs were also sealed with a government duty wrapper . </P> <P> Though specific design elements of the court cards are rarely used in game play and many differ between designs, a few are notable . </P> <Ul> <Li> Face cards or court cards - jacks, queens, and kings are called "face cards" in North America because the cards have pictures of their names . In Britain they are called "court cards" </Li> <Li> One - eyed Royals - the jack of spades and jack of hearts (often called the "one - eyed jacks") and the king of diamonds are drawn in profile; therefore, these cards are commonly referred to as "one - eyed". The rest of the courts are shown in full or oblique face . </Li> <Li> The jack of diamonds is sometimes known as "laughing boy". </Li> <Li> Wild cards - When deciding which cards are to be made wild in some games, the phrase "acey, deucey or one - eyed jack" (or "deuces, aces, one - eyed faces") is sometimes used, which means that aces, twos, and the one - eyed jacks are all wild . </Li> <Li> The king of hearts is the only king with no mustache; </Li> <Li> Suicide kings - The king of hearts is typically shown with a sword behind his head, making him appear to be stabbing himself . Similarly, the one - eyed king of diamonds is typically shown with an axe behind his head with the blade facing toward him . These depictions, and their blood - red color, inspired the nickname "suicide kings". </Li> <Li> The king of diamonds is traditionally armed with an axe while the other three kings are armed with swords; thus, the king of diamonds is sometimes referred to as "the man with the axe". This is the basis of the trump "one - eyed jacks and the man with the axe". </Li> <Li> The ace of spades, unique in its large, ornate spade, is sometimes said to be the death card or the picture card, and in some games is used as a trump card . </Li> <Li> The queen of spades usually holds a scepter and is sometimes known as "the bedpost queen", though more often she is called "black lady". </Li> <Li> In many decks, the queen of clubs holds a flower . She is thus known as the "flower queen", though this design element is among the most variable; the Bicycle Poker deck depicts all queens with a flower styled according to their suit . </Li> <Li> "2" cards are also known as deuces . </Li> <Li> "3" cards are also known as treys . </Li> </Ul> <Li> Face cards or court cards - jacks, queens, and kings are called "face cards" in North America because the cards have pictures of their names . In Britain they are called "court cards" </Li>

How many royals in a deck of cards