Vintage Staunton Pattern Chess Set

Vintage Staunton Pattern Chess Set

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Staunton Style Chess Figures.
A Staunton style chess set in cloth bag. The set has wooden chess pieces with wide turned weighted bases for added stability, and the underside of each piece being covered with felt allowing the pieces to slide more easily across the chess board. The chess set comprises of thirty-two pieces, four Knights featuring the head and neck of a horse. Two kings (being the tallest pieces at 3 ¾" high) both with a stylised crown topped with a cross whilst the two Queens feature a coronet topped with a tiny ball. The four Rooks are towers (castles) with a crenelation top and the four Bishops with mitres. The sixteen Pawns are the smallest pieces at 1 7/8" high and are topped by a plain ball. All the pieces with a collar except the rooks and knights. One Rook on each side stamped "House Of Chess" with a horse head. Size shown is for the King and the price shown is for the chess pieces only and not the board.

Staunton chess sets were first made available by Jaques to the general public on 29th September 1849 and quickly became the standard style. The journalist Nathaniel Cooke (editor for the Illustrated London News) had registered his design earlier that year at the Patent Office on 1 March and named the style after the leading English chess master at the time, Howard Staunton. Staunton published chess articles for the Illustrated London News and was asked to endorse the chess sets by Cooke. The first 500 Jaques sets were numbered and hand-signed by Staunton who promoted the product for Jaques and ridiculed and disrespected all other designs of chessmen.

Dimensions:

Height 9.5 cm / 3 34"
Diameter 3.5 cm / 1 "
Period

2000-present

Country

United Kingdom

Condition

All pieces in good condition, no chips or cracks.

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