Lot #30. Antique Type 10 Staunton Chess Set, Library Size
Antique Type 10 Staunton Chess Set, Library Size.
An Antique Type 10 Staunton Chess Set, Library Size, weighted. These vintage chessmen are Boxwood and Ebony, and weighted. The King stands 3-0″ tall with a 1-1/2″ diameter base. The chessmen still have their original green baize base pads. The Kingside Knights and Rooks are not differentiated. The Knights are crudely carved and slightly resemble those found in “Second Quality” sets by the Jaques firm in the early 1850s. The distinguishing characteristic of these chessmen is their stout bodies. The chessmen have a very imposing board presence, and the Rooks are particularly stout. The Queens have rather unusual crenellations. The crown is quite wide and has 14 points, well beyond the 8 to 10 normally found on other Staunton sets. The King sports the characteristic formée cross. The Bishops have very deep, wide miters. These are features typical of sets made in the early to mid-1850s. The chessmen are housed in a replacement, dark stained, hinge-top box. Although there is no definitive supporting evidence, based on experience and the appearance of the chessmen cited earlier, these particular chessmen would have been produced in the mid 1850s. The chessmen are in excellent condition for their age and have developed a very pleasing honey patina. The only damage is a chipped Boxwood Pawn collar, a chipped ear on one Boxwood and one Ebony Knight, and fine hairline cracks to an Ebony Bishop and two Ebony Pawns.
