For making chess sets different materials can be used, including silver, gold, marble, semi-precious stones, ivory, wood or glass. Custom ordered figurines made by artists are lately quite appreciated, especially those made of crystal. But real enthusiasts and collectors are always searching for rare and valuable antique chess sets.
Some of those antiques are quite expensive, especially those which are rare, or made of precious materials. Beautifully designed and carved, maybe they don’t look exactly like usual figurines, but more like an art pieces. Majority of collectors are men, although some women also appreciate this ancient game.
Highly appreciated Chinese lacquer masterpieces are usually made of wood, sometimes textiles. Wooden pieces are carefully carved. After that, the lacquer is applied in very thin layers. Some experts believe that high quality pieces have more than hundred layers of lacquer applied.
Some periods are quite recognizable by their motifs. In the first half of the previous century in Russia, they were making very specific, symbolic sets. They had white figurines for capitalists, and red ones for communists. It is a game of strategy, but two players are always enemies. The same was in India, in 19 century. There were British colonials on one side of the board, and Bengal fighters on the other.
Ivory was the most commonly used material. In India, mostly Indian ivory, but in England they used African ivory for making figurines. This was expensive even then, so they made small parts and put them together with screws. One way of recognizing English versions is the length of those little screws, because theirs were a little longer than Indian.
Indian sets are very popular among collectors, and there are numerous experts in that field. They are mostly finely turned and carved, very nicely proportioned. Red and white versions are quite common, and if you have natural and green combination from the same period, it will probably be more valuable.
In the beginning of the 19 century, one particular style was very popular. Among collectors, this style is known as Pepys, and it probably got name after one of his first owners. In this period, figurines were especially decorated, and a little bigger than before. Various stuff can help you recognize some particular style.
Vizagapatam was a district in British India, famous by numerous craftsmen. They made their products from sandal wood, ivory and horn. Horn pieces are very nice, and they can be expensive as well. Other styles, like for example Indian Muslim, are very recognizable, because they have no figurines, because their religion doesn’t allow figurative expressions. Antique chess sets look very decorative even if you aren’t a collector.
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