Description
Large French Lardy Tournament Chessmen.
Offered here is a set of Large French Lardy Tournament Chessmen, Natural and Black Lacquered, weighted and felted. The King stands 4-1/2″ tall with a 1-7/8″ diameter base. The chessmen are quite heavily weighted and have developed a nice patina. The Lardy sets of the style offered here were produced after WWII, probably around 1950 – 1970, Lardy was eventually forced to close its factory in 1992 due to the flood of cheaply made Indian knockoffs. The Large French Lardy Tournament Chessmen are housed in the original vinyl-covered case. These Staunton chess pieces play and display best on a chessboard with 2-1/2″ squares. The chessboard shown is not included in the sale. For a complete selection of our finest new and antique timers and chessboards, please click here.
Some History.
Lardy was a French chess set manufacturer, founded in 1890 in Dortan near Oyonnax in the French Jura, which closed shop in 1992. In the Post World War II era, Lardy exported very large numbers of chess sets to the major market USA and England. Within a decade or so, cheap knockoffs of the Lardy chessmen were flooding the English and American markets. Although not nearly of the same quality and proportions as the originals, buyers flocked to purchase these cheaply made, although economically priced chess sets in large quantities. The glut of these inexpensive knockoffs using cheap Indian labor eventually forced Lardy to close their doors in 1992.
Lardy was not the only French manufacturer to offer decent quality chess sets at a reasonable price. Makers like Chavet and Drueke also tried to infiltrate this lucrative market for mid-range chessmen. For more information of the Lardy Chessmen, visit here for an interesting historical overview.
