*SOLD* Könige von Sachsen (Kings of Saxony); German, ‘Cold War’ Staunton Chess Set with Folding Board, c.1960

Kings of Saxony (Könige von Sachsen); 32 vintage chess pieces with matching folding board, amber vs. black, oak wood, German (probably Nazi occupied East Germany), weighted, artistically reinvented, aged/antiqued, c.1960
Height: King 9cm, weight 27g, base width 3cm; Queen 8cm, wt. 22g; Bishop 6.3cm 15g, Knight 6.5 cm 19g, Rook 4.5cm 17g, Pawns 4.3cm 8g.
W: Lush crimson red felt pads; B: same

Vintage folding board dimensions: 40cm x 40cm, square size 4.5cm.
The board is of the same vintage as the chess set and has visible signs of age, The antiqued patina of the light pieces purposefully reflects the lighter squares of the playing field. The crimson red felt bases were selected to compliment the red/dark squares of the board.

The Kings of Saxony came to me via the well-known U.S. chess collector, Chuck Grau. The set was in good condition apart from a little chip to the king’s collar which has been repaired. The main problem with the set was the original weights, which rattled around inside the bases. When extracted these ‘weights’ weighed in at a measly 1 gram – apart from the rattling, you wouldn’t have guessed they were weighted at all! This was remedied by boring larger cavities and almost doubling the king’s weight from 15g to 27g, and likewise with the other pieces. The pieces are now a joy to play with over the board.

The original finish of the light pieces, which I would describe as a lack-lustre, dull, uninspiring dirty beige has been removed to reveal the wonderful oak wood beneath. The oak grain was then brought to life with multiple layers of custom-coloured shellac (gold, light yellow and amber) hit with a minuscule amount of crimson pigment powder. This was then sanded back, aged and waxed to a buff finish that will itself age over the years like a good bottle of wine.

The characterless black pieces were also stripped back to the raw wood, which was then repainted in an oil-based matte black as a base, brought to life with the same layered shellac process as the light side. This immaculate finish was then aged/distressed to create the feel of a well-used club set complimenting the worn patina of the light pieces perfectly. Paired with the wonderfully aged folding board the complete set-up makes for a very attractive centrepiece for any collection.

Both kings carry the hand-painted 2023 iridescent pearl ‘Power’ signature of the artist on their bases and are accompanied by our unique ‘Certificate of Artistry’ which are posted out separately, once we tally up how many pearl signature sets passed through our galleries in 2023.

Etsy Set Price: $500.00
thechessschach.com Set Price: $450.00 CN

Ref Code: KS23