Attention: Good Buys(?)

[knight_knight_zzz]

Purpose of this thread: To bring to the attention of fellow collectors, chess sets which appear to be fairly (or very) reasonable priced. Of course, "fairly (or very) reasonable priced" may be subject to some debate. (And of course, such sets are those in which we, ourselves, are not all that interested to buy.). 😉 Contributors to this thread realize that it is ok for all of the amicable / amiable members of this group to help each other find potential sets which may well elicit interest in purchase. This thread is not restricted to antiques sets or ivory sets or "low end" sets or "high end" sets. "All sets are welcome"! Let's start with: 130385155763. (Possibly Sandalwood? Tusks could well be bone. Size of chess pieces not identified. BIN and "best offer" is available! Appears to be original display/storage box. Probably made in India?) GO FOR IT! ;-) John. VT.

[knight_knight_zzz]

Well, it looks like the 1890's Ayres chess set and box... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rt=nc&nma=true&item=160512646654&si=1gPRs%252FDkrlD2W0... ...went for less than I thought it would go for. I had been tempted to place a bid in myself. However, I had a very brief discussion with a fellow chess collector who had asked me a question about the set... I sensed how badly he wanted it, so I backed off and did not even bid. (And to think that a past contributor to these threads, no longer with us, apparently saw this type of activity as somewhat rigging of an auction! Apparently, that past contributor thought that occasionally placing the "needs" / wants of another before one's self was somehow inappropriate, improper, and unethical, or just plain wrong(?) Well, once again, I digress...) My questions here are: Did that chess set (160512646654) go for a lot less than it is actually worth (monetarily)? Did it fly under the radar screens of most collectors? For some reason, I thought it would go for closer to $400 or more. Did the buyer (winning bidder) of that set get a "good deal"? Just curious. What do any of you think? John. PS: Mick, thanks for the info you gave in your previous posted response! -- Edited by knight_knight_zzz at 12/06/2010 8:52 AM PST

[candylab1]

John, VT I bought a pretty much identical "Ayres" set about 12/18 months ago on UK eBay for £100 ($150).The only difference is that mine is weighted. Since then prices for these sets have gone up (the power of the crown stamps!) but even so I would have thought $260 (£160)probably about right. It seems quite a lot of these sets were produced so they are not particularly rare.Others may disagree. The knights on these sets are noticeably smaller than one might expect and the bishops taller (above the queen's coronet).On bigger sets however, i.e. over 3.5" kings, it is my opinion that the carving and production of knights is considerably better. Mick -- Edited by candylab1 at 12/06/2010 1:45 PM PST

[knight_knight_zzz]

M. Tx! J. 😉

[knight_knight_zzz]

All: For your consideration: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350373570168&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT and maybe even: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180620096028&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT On the other hand, the following - I believe - is NOT a good buy, as far as I am concerned. (Regardless, even if I were interested, I would never make such a bid sitting down - as they'd miss my little bidding-card hand raised up as high as I could!) 😉 But maybe it could fit and be appropriate in Floyd's bathroom... I still think he could fit more in there... Hmmmmm! ;-) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290530085957&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123 John.

[knight_knight_zzz]

All: for your consideration: http://cgi.ebay.com/Death-Ivan-Terrible-Chess-Game-Antique-Art-Print-/220719764965?pt=Art_Prints&has... (Small in size, but maybe appealing to some of you? Maybe for collectors of small sized items, or for those of you - us? - that seem to be running out of allowable space for chess items?) John, VT. PS: Ty, you seem to have some degree of eclectic taste. May I have your email address (assuming it is not already somewhere on these threads) where we can continue our piano-related discussion? BTW, my "hobby" / personal one is VermontMidKnight@netscape.net

[knight_knight_zzz]

Well, hello, All! On this very fine Sunday, late winter morning in the northeast... with more snow falling from the heavens... because "Lord knows" we need more of the white stuff here in Vermont... .... I would like to contribute a little more (yes... I know... I do contribute so very little of anything of quality on any of these threads for the past 3 years.... I hear these threads are more of a supposed kindergarten than anything else.... but that is reportedly someone else's past opinion (hopefully those old feelings and opinions have dissipated.... which is what I wish this darn snow would do....) But I digress as usual.... For those of you still here and alive and awake.... take a look at the following three items which I think are "good buys" - and even chess related! 1 and 2.) These are individual chess pieces from a chess set which I had never seen split up like this. My wild guess (duh) is that the set was not a complete set, so the seller decided to sell the remaining pieces individually. My suggestion would be to focus in and buy two sets of these items.... and specifically the pawns. WHY? Because the odds are that if there is ever again such a set available for sale - that has only one chess piece missing, it will likely be a pawn (since there are 16 pawns. The price for each of the two partial sets of pawns is not bad at all! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170608830908&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT and http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170608830915&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT 3.) Now, here is an especially interesting and harder to find (relatively speaking) set with a very good price (in a BIN option!) This is a real treat for any of you still awake after this longwinded Sunday sermon. Hey, "shush" about the obvious disclosed material.... and get over it with respect to supposed pre-ban or post ban, since that term is always up for debate depending on which country an observer is from and what political stance one takes. It is indeed a pre-CITES set... so the only remaining issue would be ebay own superficial ban. (Yeah, go ahead.... tattle to ebay about this one - if it makes your life worth living....) I guess I am feeling a bit more snide than usual this morning.... blame it on the Dr. Jekyll - Mr Hyde syndrome.... better yet, blame it on Vermont Cabin Fever, as I am certainly going stir crazy. In addition, this is a "victim" prone world nowadays in which we live, ain't it? - all the finger pointing... (Oh, one final little thing before I give you the final "without further ado"...) the seller as a rating of ZERO. So, how many of you are willing to take the chance with buying the following set from this particular seller(0)? And who knows? Maybe by the time you click onto the item, it will be gone due to a whiner (bigger than I am! ;-)) but with his own slant on things! OR maybe someone will try to buy this one off the ebay website... Hey, go for it, if it is still available! I am, afterall, just thinking of all of you and what a good buy this could be! (Yes, you are welcome for all of the potential "good buys" I try to bring to your attention....) So, "without further ado".... http://cgi.ebay.com/1950s-Japanese-Ivory-Chess-set-/110654552331?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19c3... One of several possible "moral of the story" lines we can have right here is: If you have some extraordinatry patience (and some willingness to take some "hits") as well as a tad of a sense of humor and acceptance of the total human condition - ok, even if it is very very little - to read through a lot of my longwinded gibberish.... you just might occasionally see not only a possible "good buy", but also my own willingness to leap out there and take a chance at criticism! (or even more avoidance, ignoring, and silence.) John, VT. (Now, darn it.... I will certainly have to do penance for my latest rant above.... but regardless, you are all also certainly welcome for these little tidbits I bring to your attention...) 😮 In all sincerity, have a good day, y'all (Dr. Jekyll has returned.) 😉

[chesspurr]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140518311569&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT ;-) http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190504861504&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT ]:) In keeping with the present no discussion policy . 40 days of silence .:-D

[d-baron]

In view of the title of the thread- Must not have been that many 'Good Buys' in the last month or so? :^O

[knight_knight_zzz]

Guy Chesspurr, Despite the damage to that second linked chess set you recently posted on this thread, I think the "winner" (apparently a mutual "friend") got a good buy on that set. Regardless, I think it was kind of you to bring it to our attention. As for the first linked chess set you posted in that same message on this thread.... you certainly do have a big tongue in that cheek of yours, don't you? ;-) Duncan d'baron, I see that you also have a relatively big one in that cheek of yours! ;-) There are still plenty of relatively "good buys" out there. But one needs to either have a keen eye, a lot of time on their hands, luck, and/or a willingness to "share" and publicize when good buys are seen. Not everyone is like that. (OINK?) But then again, I do some oinking myself every now and then, so who am I to point fingers, right? ;-) Well, anudder day anudder dolla... off to WOIK.... John, Vt.

[chesspurr]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ANTIQUE-RED-BLUE-FINE-GLASS-CHESS-SET-MEDIEVAL-TIME-/290540720889?pt=UK_Toys_G... A rather interesting idea is to attempt to figure out how much Glass was used in this set. ]:) http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360345957870&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT Is this a Marble set ? Or perhaps something softer ? ?:| http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250780714741&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT Good things are happening at Jaques these days. :-D

[knight_knight_zzz]

Hi, Guy Chesspurr, Now, your 3rd link is funny! A Mexican Jaques set, eh? As for your 2nd linked ebay set, is that a (smaller and shinier) replacement red pawn I see way on the upper left corner? John. (Off to work now!)

[ne0romantic]

140525533239 metal chess set designed by Gino Ferrari.

[noybear]

I would guess that Gino is a lot older than anyone realizes ? I wonder if there is any relationship between him and Enzo ? Distant cousins, maybe ? Maybe someone could take the time to explain to the Scottish and British Museums that the mystery surrounding the origins of the Lewis Chessmen has finally been solved ? I am warning everyone that it is a global conspiracy... don't drink the water ! LOL !

[chesspurr]

Clay, The business of going to Museums, taking photographs of special historic chessmen is one heck of a hot topic just now. However I am in complete agreement with you,that in some cases Museum evidence can be inconclusive or incorrect. However in other cases, we collectors can learn one heck of alot more if we are prepared to visit them, and study the chessmen. Sometimes we researchers can miss the obvious, and the hardest part is simply admitting it

[noybear]

Guy, My post was supposed to be read as very 'tongue in cheek' because from my 60 second search, Gino Ferrari is a clothes designer and who knows what else versus the great Enzo Ferrari of car fame. That and the seller's statement that the obvious Lewis chessmen set was designed by Gino. I even gave the seller the benefit of the doubt by checking 'sellers other items' to see if he had possibly mixed this description with another set that he might have been listing at the same time__nope ! In this case I followed Ty's lead. Are there any of us that have not found grotesque misdescriptions numerous times ? The reference to the museums was strictly to enforce the seller's claim of designer and maybe I should have followed it by numerous LOL or LMAO or similar ? So much for an attempt at humor...back to my cave and I'll be quiet. As for researchers, like yourself, I admire such efforts more than I can adequately express as I read much of this information in an entertaining way much as I read Twain or Stevinson or other authors with stories to tell. And before you go there, no I am not inferring that research stories are fictitious...only that I find them interesting reading. One related observation is that I did see the infamous Lewis pieces in person and have read that they were red and natural originally but that the red has 'faded'. I could not detect one trace of coloring so I assume that this claim is from bottoms or observations made decades ago ? Then I asked myself why SAC and most others do not do their copies in similar colorations rather than black and... ? Now that is an interesting question ? I will also offer one other observation that proves that I am losing it. Hollywood makes great claims and efforts toward period costuming and so forth and yet some props are way off base. In the Sobieski 'Joan of Arc' Charles plays chess with a Lewis set that would be just about right, give or take a little bit but the Bergman film of the same name is way off. I would hate to think of how many other films have been made with similar glaring errors ? Clay Neubert