Since Google closed Picasa down for free public viewing a significant number of my purchases from the distant past have been hidden hence my website category ‘mature meat’. Back in the spring of 2014, this ‘treat to myself’ purchase came from an antiques website in England and it is a nice little thing. The chess set king has a base width of 2.75 cms and a height of just under 6cms. Many of us will have seen the excellent Netflix series, the Queens Gambit, and this delicate little set would be just perfect for a young lady who is a lover of this wonderful game. The set was retailed in the Army & Navy Stores in the early 1900’s. The pieces are housed on ivory pegs in a 2 piece box for display – the box measures 8.5 inches x 4.5 inches and is 3 inches deep. A special thanks to CCI member Peter Armit for this info.
When I first saw this lovely little thing on the internet it was ‘treat me time’ , as recovering from aggressive lung cancer treatment was torture (don’t smoke!) but thanks to our wonderful National Health Service and The Beatson Hospital in Glasgow, I am still alive and kicking. Having looked at thousands and thousands of chess items, I have yet to see an identical cutie out there. To make a point for auction houses out there, see photos 3 and 5 which at least allow collectors to view items being charged 33% commission so perhaps they could earn it! Good photos give experienced collectors a chance to assess the item and avoid requesting a truck load of questions from auction houses thus saving time! Some photographers are behaving like frightened rabbits when it comes to taking snaps of chess sets for sale at auction – the pieces don’t bite after all!
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