Nice Pieces!
That's surprising about France. From their appearance and the sheesham for the dark pieces, they seem to be made in India. My guess would be the pieces and the box were mismatched?
A Lardy Hiding in Plain Sight
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Apr 5, 2020
0
#3
Unless... Lardy did close in 1992. Maybe they started outsourcing to India, too? anyone know? I'm so curious.
flantastico wrote:
Nice Pieces!
That's surprising about France. From their appearance and the sheesham for the dark pieces, they seem to be made in India. My guess would be the pieces and the box were mismatched?
The pieces came in that box. Are you suggesting that 30 years ago someone in the supply chain placed Indian pieces inside of a Lardy box?
anat743 wrote:
Very nice and I love that board. Square Size?
The board is a Cambor "Champion" from Spain. I bought it second hand on eBay earlier this year for $50 (including shipping).
The squares are 2", and I think the pieces look better situated on this board than the 2.25" boards I had always used in tournies here in the US.
anat743 wrote:
DrChesspain wrote:
anat743 wrote:
Very nice and I love that board. Square Size?
The board is a Cambor "Champion" from Spain. I bought it second hand on eBay earlier this year for $50 (including shipping).
The squares are 2", and I think the pieces look better situated on this board than the 2.25" boards I had always used in tournies here in the US.
Wow $50- what a bargain.
That set up is simply stunning
Thank you. The only drag about the board is that because it's high gloss and second-hand, there are some minor scratches and blemishes that wouldn't be as apparent with a matte finish.
anat743 wrote:
DrChesspain wrote:
anat743 wrote:
DrChesspain wrote:
anat743 wrote:
Very nice and I love that board. Square Size?
The board is a Cambor "Champion" from Spain. I bought it second hand on eBay earlier this year for $50 (including shipping).
The squares are 2", and I think the pieces look better situated on this board than the 2.25" boards I had always used in tournies here in the US.
Wow $50- what a bargain.
That set up is simply stunning
Thank you. The only drag about the board is that because it's high gloss and second-hand, there are some minor scratches and blemishes that wouldn't be as apparent with a matte finish.
Obviously the pics cant pick them up- is there nothing you can do about them?
They are really subtle and only visible when the light hits them right. I'm smart enough than to try to mess with the finish. 
Haverumwilltravel wrote:
That's a nice set but it is not Lardy. The knights are patterned after Drueke . They have the Drueke drooping front jaw. When Drueke stopped making wood sets in the US they outsourced to India. It appears that the Drueke pieces were put in a French made box.
I believe you, I guess, but this means that Drueke was fraudulently selling Indian sets as being "Made in France"?
Apr 5, 2020
0
#9
Nah- they did sell sets made in India and they did sell sets made in France but they weren’t devious about it. I really think it’s as simple as a mismatched box. Still a great set!
flantastico wrote:
Nah- they did sell sets made in India and they did sell sets made in France but they weren’t devious about it. I really think it’s as simple as a mismatched box. Still a great set!
Sorry if I sounded huffy before, but it wouldn't have occurred to me that the box and pieces did not belong together.
Haverumwilltravel wrote:
That's a nice set but it is not Lardy. The knights are patterned after Drueke . They have the Drueke drooping front jaw. When Drueke stopped making wood sets in the US they outsourced to India. It appears that the Drueke pieces were put in a French made box.
Dureke knights from the 90's
When I held up my knight next to the above picture, they do look extremely similar. Now I understand why my knights didn't look like Lardy knights.
Drueke commissioned very similar Chess pieces to be made in India during the late 80's early 90's. I have a few of those sets. And the quality back then was far superior to what is coming out of there now.
Apr 6, 2020
0
#14
Haverumwilltravel wrote:
flantastico wrote:
Nah- they did sell sets made in India and they did sell sets made in France but they weren’t devious about it. I really think it’s as simple as a mismatched box. Still a great set!
Yes it is mismatched and I agree its a nice set and box. Lardy never sourced out having their sets made but they did outsource their boxes. The boxes were usually made local.
Respect! You know your stuff Chris!
I acquired this set in the early 90s. It was the first tournament size, wooden set I ever owned. I believe I purchased it at a toy & hobby shop in my local mall. It remained my standard, tournament set for nearly 25 years. In fact, one can see some battle scars on the white knight.
I never thought this set was anything special, especially considering the “beer belly” knights. However, after learning more about the Lardy line since being here, I decided to take a closer look at the label affixed to the bottom of the wooden storage box it came with.
As can be seen from the upper right-hand corner on the label, the pieces were made in Dortan, home of the Lardy factory. And it also looks as if the pieces were made in 1990, which would make sense since I believe I bought them in ’91 or ’92.
While I understand that these were seemingly budget pieces, it does feel cool to own a piece of chess history.