Lot #171. Antique Franco Staunton Chessmen

Franco Staunton Chessmen

The antique chessmen offered here are a very unusual and rare example of the Franco Staunton chessmen. This was an apparent attempt to improve upon the rather ungainly French Règence design by crafting the chessmen in the Staunton motif.  The King 3-1/8″ tall with a 1-1/4″ diameter base. The lack of the King’s finial belies its true stature. On the chessboard, as the images show, the set has the same board presence as the 3-1/2″ Jaques Staunton chessmen. The chessmen are weighted and rest atop green baize base pads.aside from the rather obvious French Règence DNA, the set features rather striking Knights with glass eyes. These Franco Staunton chessmen are in excellent condition and, based on the style and color of the baize, were produced in France around 1885.