Description
ICE Columbia Aluminum Chess Set.
The ICE Columbia Aluminum Chess Set (The Aluminum Chess Set) is a limited edition of 200, produced in 1972 by The Columbia Aluminum Extrusion Group. The 32 pieces were cut from an Aluminum extrusion using the same tooling employed to produce the very rare 1972 copper version of this set. The light army is left in natural Aluminum, while the opposing army is differentiated by slicing the pieces from an anodized extrusion producing a matte black finish along the sides. The King measures 5″ with a 1-1/4″ square base. The Queen is 4 3/4′ tall, the Bishop is 4 3/8″ tall, the Knight is 4″ tall, the Rook is 3 5/8″ tall and each Pawn measures 3 3/8″ tall.” The pieces are strikingly abstract in form. The King and Queen is represented by crowns, the Bishop is a shield bearing a Christian cross, and the Knight a silhouette of a horse head. The most unique feature are the Pawns, which are represented as Silhouettes of a hand wielding an axe. Each of the chess pieces is stamped in their underside with “ICE 1972“. This abstract chess set design with its clean lines is typical of the Minimalist and cubist movements which permeated design and architecture during that period.
The ICE Columbia Aluminum Chess Set is shipped in its original configuration shown, where the chessboard and pieces combine to form a neat, integrated, aluminum-framed package. The Plexiglas cover slides off to expose the pieces, and the obverse is the blue and gray cloth fiber chessboard. THE BLACK AND SILVER ETCHED GLASS CHESSBOARD SHOWN IS NOT INCLUDED.
Background:
This Chess Set, along with the very rare Copper version, was manufactured by The Columbia Aluminum Extrusion Group.as a limited edition of 200 for promotional purposes in 1972.
