CHESS COLLECTORS INTERNATIONAL

[chesspurr]

having recently joined the CCI , which i am informed has some 400 members , it seems most interesting to me that a collectors group can amass 218 members in a few months . why can a most established organisation almost seem under threat with new collectors ? do new collectors feel the e bay group is sufficient ,and CCI membership ,not necessary ? has the internet taken the CCI by suprise ,and they have underestimated just how many collectors are out there ? could cost of membership be a factor ? could the chosen locations of conferences put off certain collectors ( no uk meetings ?? ) and also is the cost of attending such meetings a worry for any collectors ? could more links between our group and the CCI ,offer advantages to us both ,with possible increased membership, for the CCI ,and thus offer improvements ,if membership was suddenly greatly increased ? could existing members even consider leaving the CCI if our group continues to expand at such a rate ? it would be very interesting to see a flood of inputs from group members , which offer views positive , or negative . it might off the CCI an opportunity to adress ,study ,and benefit from this discussion. i have a number of ideas ,which might be worth considering ,but on this issue ,i am at present a lone voice , not a rich collector , and my views alone cannot possibly be enough . i have enjoyed the issues so far ,and have no desire to leave the CCI , and sincerly hope that this discussion will benefit , chess collectors international. chess collecting has changed forever , with the internet , e bay , and it seems to me at least that this discussion might conclude that change is necessary.

[acf1515]

Hi All, This is a very interesting discussion and one that needs to continue. As the editor of the CCI magazine I am always interested in the views of CCI members (& non-members). I think there is a "perception" problem on both sides! 1)The CCI does contain some very rich members, but they are in the minority. I am certainly not a rich person with a wife & family and a mortgage, but I managed to attend the Berlin congress, by staying at a different hotel and restricted my attendance to specific days. I have to say that I thoughly enjoyed the congress and discussed all aspects of chess collecting with many people. 2) The CCI has not changed very much in it's structure since its inception and I think it does need to update itself. eg: The CCI website is virtually static! I am keen to get some discussions going in the magazine. I have already made some changes to the magazine and more are on their way! 3) With regards to a UK meeting. I fully support this, but the main stumbling block is that someone has to volunteer to organise it! A few CCI members did have an informal dinner / meeting the night beofre the last Bloomsbury auction. For the next auction in May, maybe someone could suggest a suitable location and we can publicise it both here and in the CCI magazine and anyone who wants to turn up can do so. Anyway thats my opinion! Jim Joannou

[lichess]

Jim, You have put your finger on the heart of the CCI problem. Someone has to organize it. We need people to step up and take the lead. Being critical won't get the job done. All International meetings have been organized bny the same two people for the past 20 years. The publications have been edited by only a handful of people for the past 23 years.The website ws put up by one member only. Even this great discussion group with over 230 members still has only a handful that regularly comment. Where is everybody else?

[chesspurr]

lichess i could not agree more . we have a wonderful opportunity here ,but we need a little more help.

[la200o]

Have we paid dues yet this year? I don't think I've gotten notice yet. Maybe I'm persona non grata because I was (mildly) critical in another thread? Bill

[lichess]

Bill, No one is persona non grata because of criticism. It is a free world. What country are you in? I will contact the appropriate Treasurer to send you dues notice. Next issue of CCI-USA will be mailed in late February and The Chess Collector should be mailed in March to dues paying members of CCI.

[rickofricks]

I don't know if I missed this, but what does it cost to be a CCI member and/or receive the CCI magazine?

[acf1515]

The Cost of CCI membership is 25 Pounds for UK or 45 Euros for EU. I'm not sure what it is for the USA! All members get 3 x "The Chess Collector" magazine per year & 2 x "CCI USA" News per year, plus any other information or publications that come our way. Jim

[lichess]

USA membership is $50 per calendar year. There are also occasional extra publications like the three part series CCI distributed on Staunton chess sets, occasional access to free auction catalogues, a pamphlet on anri chess sets, etc.

[rickofricks]

Thanks! Sounds good! 🙂

[lichess]

Reminder to all members of this group, Chess Collectors International (which many of you are already members of) has been in existence since 1984. There are regional meetings for the USA and for France/Italy already scheduled for 2007 and the next international meeting scheduled for 2008. We publish The Chess Collector and CC-USA, as well as other pamphlets such as a catalogue of all Anri chess sets ever made; a 3 part series entitled Reflections on the Staunton Design; a 38 page booklet by T. Gallegos entitled Ivory at a Glance (a Field Guide for Antique and Art Collectors), and a forthcoming publication on Porcelain Chess Sets Around the World. For more information contact me at Lichess@aol.com. Floyd Sarisohn

[jvreij]

Hi Floyd Indeed CCI did more as at first thought. So you did forget about the arrangement with Bloomsbury about distributing auction catalogs. I'm happy to be a member.

[chesspurr]

lichess hi floyd great stuff you are doing here. if you have any info on any bakelite sets in the c c i publications from past years .... well i will give you a warm bear hug , a few dollars more ,and a beer if we meet again in london.

[lichess]

chesspurr, sorry nothing yet published by CCI about bakelite sets. Maybe you could write an article for us on that subject? Jvreij, Not sure if Bloomsbury is continuing to send CCI members auction catalogues. I can only hope so. Floyd

[chesspurr]

lichess hi floyd collecting bakelite is a "knightmare" ,as its not a material too well researched in the chess collecting world. since i am a lesser collector with only three years experience to date, it would seem incorrect to cliam my opinions are worthy enough to write an article on the subject, at present . however once i have sufficient information on my bakelite type collection ,i would love to write such an article ,in the future, for the C C I . i say bakelite type since i have sets in materials that i simply cannot identify exactly what they are, and to make matters even more difficult ,a leading B B C television antiques expert i know quite well , is unable to be of much help. in fact i have met some 30 1/2 decent experienced antique dealers in glasgow who are quite lost on the subject ,as many have never even seen such sets. in london my visits to portabello road for research were fruitless , and two bakelite sellers at aquarius were almost hopeless , and the final nail in my coffin was staggering ........... the bakelite chess museum in somerset england had only one set the greys of cambridge silette , for refrence ...... i have two such sets .... yes floyd ... a knightmare !!!! having to buy sets from e bay photos because i have hunches or gut feelings is rather risky ,since every plastic seller out there is punting plastic sets described as bakelite. it seems one has to buy with great risk to collect sets in this material ,and errors are rather easy to make in buying interisting looking sets on the bay.

[chesspurr]

lichess hi floyd i received via vizam your articles sent free of charge to scotland . many many thanks for your kind gesture, as we both very much appreciate it. yes floyd being a C C I member has its advantages.