i see red in the background!
Displaying My American Sets
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Apr 2, 2017
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#3
To the far right is Official Staunton's excellent reproduction of Herman Steiner's set used in the Piatigorsky tournaments, paired with Frank Camaratta's personal Solara clock, the same type used at the tournaments.
Apr 2, 2017
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#4
Moving right to left, next is a good part of my Windsor collection. I love these pieces because I played with them in North Central and Western Opens in Milwaukee in the sixties, because they were ubiquitous from the mid-fifties to the mid-sixties, and there is a rich photographic record of Bobby Fischer and Lisa Lane playing with them. The Milwaukee sets were tan and black bakelite, just like that in the foreground. Mine is weighted. I don't recall those in Milwaukee being so. Behind that are the white pieces to a heavily weighted bakelite set in excellent condition. Quite rare, I think, as bakelite chips so easily. Behind that are the red lacquered pieces from an excellent House of Staunton reproduction. The companion ivory pieces are not displayed. Nor are lacquered black and ivory and black and natural HOS reproductions.
Apr 2, 2017
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#7
Lisa Lane playing poolside with a red Windsor in a photo from a great article about her in Look Magazine...
Apr 2, 2017
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#8
Speaking of Lisa Lane, here is her Drueke Players' Choice set. I wanted to display an entire shrine to her replete with autographed prints and magazines, but space prohibited. This set is very well-used. The felts are almost completely worn away...
Apr 2, 2017
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#9
To Lisa's left are two All-American designs. In the foreground is an outstanding House of Staunton reproduction of the Pinney Liberty set. In the back is and equally outstanding HOS reproduction the the Mechanics Institute set made for Capablanca's visit and used in the Mechanics Institute Chess Club for years thereafter...
Apr 2, 2017
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#10
Finally, to the far left are most of my Horn and early Drueke sets. The back two sets are Horns, and the front three early Druekes. The detail on the two tiny lacquered Druekes in front is exquisite.
Fabulous display Chuck! So many beautiful sets. Thanks for sharing your passion for collecting chess sets.
What else is there to say? Great sets and great staging. The tiered racks work wonderfully. Of course, this almost makes me thankful for my much more modest collection. With so much greatness to choose from, I think I'd spend more time deciding which amazing set to play with at any given time than actually playing.
@Moriarity_697 - Exactly. Chuck has an incredible collection but with 9 sets (plus 2 plastic sets I love) right now and another on the way I can have trouble as it is picking one to play with.
I am stuck on one set right now but with all of those sets Chuck has ... I don't know.
Apr 2, 2017
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#18
cghori wrote:
cgrau: Exactly how many chess sets do you have?
I have no idea. At least seventeen.
Apr 2, 2017
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#19
Eyechess wrote:
cgrau continues to deliver phenomenal sets.
Many thanks, Ron!
After reorganizing my collection and working up displays of my Soviet, Eastern European, and Lardy collections, I next tackled my American sets. Here they are, with a few notable absences--My Sterling Furniture Company Set; two early Druekes (including a Drueke #1 that is just butt-ugly); several Windsor reproductions from House of Staunton; and my Pacific Game Co. Cavalier set. Perhaps when I next reorganize, I can display them, but for now, shelf space is at a premium and I still have Spanish, Latin American, and German sets to display.
The American collection resides on the shelf above the Lardys...