Help with identifying set used by Geller

One set which has intrigued me for some time can be seen in this photo of Geller. It looks as if the king has no cross or finial. Although this could be by accident, I have seen sets without cross/finial/fleur-de-lys, and clearly intended to be so. The set seem to be based on a Staunton pattern, but can the exact model be identified?

It's more likely that the King's finial was broken off...you can see the remaining "stub" where the finial attached, on the top of the King....

Quite possibly, but I've seen sets with a king like that, with such a stub, although completely smooth, with no signs whatsoever of the cross of finial having been broken off. I'm not sure, but I have a feeling that the Russian made sets like this in the 70s and 80s.

If you say you have seen sets with stubs that have been smoothed then I am not going to dispute you.  That is possible.  A broken finial stub may be smoothed to make the piece look better.  But the nagging question is - why there is a stub in the first place.  It seems unlikely that pieces would be purposefully made with only a stub, in place of a finial.  More likely that there would be no stub, or a different style of finial.  But only a stub?  Doubtful.

Today, in some Muslim countries they use sets where the king is without cross, finial or crescent. I grant you that if they want the set to be without (if its plastic), it's probably easier to keep the mold as is and either fill in the cross/finial part or break off that part afterwards and file/sand down the stub.

I can buy that...

Hej Ola,

Det är möjligt att jag har fel, men visst verkar det vara en komplett svart kung som står på f7 !?

Hälsningar

Kent

Hej Kent!
Nej, jag tror det damen faktiskt.

Hur är det annars?

Mvh Ola

Hej,

Jodå, det knallar. Hur är det själv på andra sidan jordklotet?

Vore förresten intressant att höra från din horisont synpunkter på den spännande utvecklingen i Storbritannien med Brexit och Labours oväntade upphämtning i parlamentsvalet. Naturligtvis också spännande att höra vad som sägs i Brasilien om utvecklingen i USA. 

/Kent

I'm reasonably certain that the set is a Magistral from Argentina. It was the set of the '39 Olympiad in Buenos Aires. If so, then the cross has broken off the king.