Help with old set identification

Picked up this great old set and board today. Unweighted, king is 87 mm., board has 50 mm squares.  Small knights, deep mitre in bishops, patina indicative of some age.  Anyone know?

The white bishops look quite different, maybe something has been replaced?

Maybe BCC Popular

That’s probably it. Thanks.

The pieces and board are beautiful, so congratulations! I have a similar set, and my research indicated these are post-BCC pieces since the kingside knight/rook stamps are missing, while the rooks have 4 crenelations instead of 5.

True to the original design's naming, these remained popular following BCC's conclusion, as production/importing/sales continued into the early 20th century. I suspect the absence of stamping and less crenelations cut down costs, increased profits, and made the set even more obtainable for the masses.

Thanks for the info. The patina is fabulous. What year do you think they were made?

You're very welcome, and agreed! BCC sold chessmen until closing in 1908, so I'd date these between then and the subsequent 1910s. Enjoy!

@VTVXIV

I have a similar set that might be BCC, rooks have 5 crenelations...what do you think?

It came in a very nice old box:

@Pamvo7, your composition and lighting in the first image is stellar! Bravo, indeed. The set looks very similar to Feltham of London productions from the late 1800s to early 1900s. I've yet to dive into their history, variations, or evolutions, but they produced beautiful sets in their heyday.

Could you imagine visiting various shops in London, and budget willing, being able to purchase a set from Jaques, Ayres, Feltham, B&Co., et cetera? What a pinnacle of chess production from various English namesakes all pushing to dominate or carve (no pun intended) their rightful place in the chess market! 

^^^^ nice choice of words.

And agreed, being in Europe during the Romantic Chess Era would have been…interesting. Fun to think like you @VTVXIV. The sets on this thread are especially historical; nice work!

The box is wonderful!

I have a sweet old set that reminds me of the sets here, I wonder if you can place it? Thanks a lot!An early position from Pillsbury-Lasker, Cambridge Springs (1904)

The kings are 6,5 cm.

Edit: Let me add a little wanted poster for a 4 cm black knight, too.

Unqewichtet: I have similar set. I inherited my set from my grandfather.

Each knight is unique with slight variations. Looking at the cross on your black king's crown I would say both our sets suffer from same the same lack of quality control. Perhaps production was focused on volume rather than quality.

I would guess that our sets were made in England in early to mid 1900's. I don't have any information about a manufacturer.

Chris, thank you for posting, so my set is not alone. I have only seen these knights a couple of times, and that may well have been in collections. So I am happy to have 3 out of 4 knights and pieces partly broken, it looks good and plays well. As for the date, you have not exactly narrowed it down a lot, have you?

Ungewichtet:

I wish I could have narrowed down the dates. My grandfather's small collection of chess books ranged from 1903 to 1955. When he acquired the set is lost to the mists of time. I'm still happy with it.

Note poor workmanship on both king's crosses. Other than the knights the quality of other pieces are better.

The four knights. Each one uniquely carved. Perhaps apprentices practiced on these smaller pieces for the mass market.

Your set is not alone.

I recently confirmed that although the black knights and queen are ebonized boxwood, all the other black pieces and pawns are ebony. Does this change your assessment?

@BCPete47, I’d say the assessment still rings true based on previous research, with the key takeaways being 4 rook crenelations and absence of kingside stamping. Are your knight bodies boxwood, or molded? I believe my knight bodies are molded (boxwood bases), but they’re currently in storage. I suspect your set predates mine, as that change would have further cut down production times, scrapping, costs, et cetera. It’s ironic though, as BCC’s earlier knights were molded Xylonite, with the exception of extremely rare upgraded sets, so it’s almost as if the influence came full circle.

The knights are boxwood, and the carving is very nice. I’m enjoying this set more and more. Cheers.