Lot #356. Antique Type 10 Staunton Tournament Chessmen
Antique Type 10 Staunton Tournament Chessmen.
Shown here is a set of Antique Type 10 Staunton Tournament Chessmen. These vintage chessmen are Boxwood and Ebony, nicely weighted, resting atop green baize base pads. The King stands 3-3/8″ tall with a 1-1/2″ diameter base. . The Kingside Knights and Rooks are not differentiated. The Knights are rather nicely carved for a Type 10 Staunton and slightly resemble those found in the early sets made by Richard Whitty. The distinguishing characteristics of these chessmen are their stout bodies and broad bases. These chess pieces have a very imposing board presence. The Rooks are particularly stout and aggressive appearing. The Queens have rather unusual crenelations. 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 finial. The Bishops have very deep, wide miters. The chess pieces are housed in a replacement 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 Queen has two knots in the stem which can be seen in the attached images. There appears to be no damage to any of the chessmen.
