Author: Frank Camaratta

Jaques Northern Upright Chessmen. Offered here is a superb set of Jaques Northern Upright Chessmen, crafted from fine Boxwood and Ebony. The unique Knight head carving is consistent with Knight heads found in Pre-Staunton chessmen produced by Jaques of London. An image of a page from the 1860 Jaques Pattern book shows the Northern Upright chessmen as part of their offerings.  This style of chessmen was common in the early and mid-Victorian Period and dates to the 1840s. The King stands 4-0″ tall with a 1-1/2″ diameter base. The pieces…

Jaques Antique Hartston Chessmen, Full Club Size Offered here is set of Jaques Antique Hartston Chessmen, Full Club Size, circa 1895. The Staunton chessmen are Boxwood and Ebony. The King stands 4-3/8″ tall with a 2-0″ diameter base. The chessmen rest atop green English baize and are heavily weighted. The Knights are of the Hartston style. Both Kings are stamped “Jaques London ” on the rim of their bases, indicating that this is a later Hartston set. The Kingside Rooks and Knights are stamped with a red King’s crown on…

Calvert Revolutionary War Chessmen. This offering is an example of a set of Antique Calvert Revolutionary War Chessmen. The chessmen are natural and red-stained ivory. The King stands 3-1/2″ tall with a 1-1/2″ diameter base. The Royal chess pieces are an evolution of the Selenus pattern with the distinctive features of the well-known Calvert Pistil and petal design. The Rooks are full rusticated towers, typical of the work of John Calvert, with staffs and accentuated brick-work. The Bishops and Pawns are headpieces and spheres mounted atop self-similar baluster pedestals with…

Portable Gold Tooled Leather Cased Buffalo Horn Chess Set This is a high quality portable Buffalo Horn Chess Set housed in a two-volume, leather covered, chessboard-box with gold-embossing. The natural and Black Buffalo Horn chessmen stand 2-7/8″ tall and are housed in a 10-1/2″ x 8″, green leather covered book-box which unfolds into a chessboard. The box opens to expose two storage compartments with flaps for securing the chess pieces. The spine of the storage Book/Box reads Chess volume I and Chess Volume II. The Staunton pattern chessmen are nicely…

Type II Large English Barleycorn Chessmen. This offering is an example of a set of very early Type II Large English Barleycorn Chessmen, with broad, heavily adorned, bodies on the Royal Pieces with deep cogged detail carving and an unusual “Acanthus Leaf” King’s finial. The chessmen are all mounted atop smooth baluster stems with “cogged” circular bases. The chessmen are fabricated from natural and red-stained bone. The King stands an impressive 4-3/4″ tall with a 1-3/8″ diameter base. The Rooks are massive, reticulated towers, well carved, with surmounted staff and…

Anri Caribbean Chessmen. Offered here is the Rarest of the Anri Chess Sets, the Anri Caribbean Chessmen, Item #71819. This is a beautifully hand-carved and hand-painted set of very festive figural  Chess pieces depicting Caribbean Native life. Each of the chess pieces is magnificently hand-carved and painted The King stands 4-1/4″ tall. The finely hand carved Chess pieces are crafted from alpine maple and are hand-painted and gilded, the bases are nicely weighted and the pieces are felted. The Chess pieces are housed in a finely crafted, two-tray, fitted mahogany…

Large Antique Folding Chessboard. A Large Antique Folding Chess Board. The construction is mottled gold paper back and gold-trimmed Bone and red leather squares over cardboard. The Antique Folding chessboard measures 22-0″ square. The individual squares are 2-5/8″ in Red and off-White, outlined in gold. This antique  chessboard is in quite serviceable condition for its age and the seam is still in tact.  The covering is sound and the chessboard lies flat.  Based on the back design and the gold-outlined red and white squares, the chessboard was produced in The…

Antique Jaques Nimzowitsch Chessmen. A set of Tournament Size Antique Jaques Nimzowitsch Chessmen. These vintage Staunton chessmen are Boxwood and Ebony, unweighted. All the chessmen are in like new condition and still have their original green baize base pads. The King stands 3-1/2″ tall with a 1-5/8″ diameter base. The chessmen are very well turned and finished. The Knights are the Jaques Nimzowitsch style. These chessmen were likely produced around 1920. The chessmen are housed in a lined Mahogany hinge-top box, which is not the original. This style box was…

Antique Jaques Tournament Chessboard. Offered here is an Antique Jaques Tournament Chessboard. The chessboard squares are Holly and Rosewood veneer with a solid Mahogany frame. The Jaques London label which reads “Jaques & Son Makers, London” is affixed to the top surface of the chessboard back. The chess board measures 17-3/4″ square with a square size of 2.1″. An ivory plaque with the number “4” is affixed to one side of the frame, indicating that the board was probably used in an old English Chess club or pub.   This antique…

Large Jaques In Statu Quo Travel Chess Set, Type IV This is a rare example of a Type IV Jaques In Statu Quo Travel Chess set, more correctly, “Status Quo”. This is the very rare and largest version of the Jaques In Statu Quo travel chess set, measuring 16-5/8″ long by 12-5/8″ wide. The red stained and natural ivory chessmen have a King measuring 3/4″ tall by 1″ in diameter.  It has an additional section at each side of the board to store and secure captured pieces. The older style…