Lot #631. Watergate Political Chessmen by Mascot Direct.
Watergate Political Chessmen by Mascot Direct.
These are the Watergate Political Chessmen, a whimsical representation of the infamous Watergate Scandal. The Watergate Political Chessmen were Made in China and distributed through Mascot Direct in England during the early 1980s. This vintage chess set is made of Oxblood and Ivory colored crushed stone resin. The Watergate chess pieces feature whimsical depictions of the personalities involved in the 1972 Watergate scandal. The Kings are 5″ tall with a 1-5/8″ rectangular base. The Watergate Political Chessmen are in like-new condition and will ship with the original box. The Chess board shown is not included. These chessmen will require a chessboard with 2-1/4″ squares. A complete selection of our fine vintage and modern chessboards can be found here.
Here are the players who played major roles in this world-shattering scandal.
White
King: President Richard Nixon
Queen: First Lady, Pat Nixon
Rook: White House
Knights: Former Nixon V.P Spiro Agnew and Nixon Attorney General John Mitchell
Bishops: Nixon White House Counsel John Erlichmann and Nixon White House Chief of Staff Robert Haldeman
Pawn: CIA Officer and “Plumber” E. Howard Hunt
Black
King: Democrat Sam Ervin, Senate Watergate Committee Chairman
Queen: Martha Mitchell, unflatteringly depicted with a tiny man (Her Husband?) in her gaping mouth.
Rook: Watergate Building
Knights: U.S. Distrric Court Judge John Sirica and Democrat Archibald Cox, Watergate Special Prosecutor (Both riding Lady Justice)
Bishop: Nixon White House Counsel John Dean and Nixon Attorney General Elliot Richardson.
Pawn: Daniel Ellsburg, writer and Political Activist
Some Background.
Watergate was a major American political scandal that lasted from 1972 to 1974, following a burglary by five men of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. on June 17, 1972, and President Richard Nixon’s subsequent attempt to cover up his administration’s involvement. After the five burglars were caught and the conspiracy was discovered – chiefly through the work of a few journalists, Congressional staffers and an election-finance watchdog official, Watergate was investigated by the United States Congress. Meanwhile, Nixon’s administration resisted its probes, which eventually led to a constitutional crisis, impeachment hearings and Nixon’s ultimate resignation from office. The scandal also resulted in the indictment of 69 people, with trials or pleas resulting in 48 being found guilty, many of whom were top Nixon officials. A more informative overview of the Watergate Scandal can be found here.
