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Also, is the box this set comes with original? No other Golden Castle set comes with a folding board that has red felt inside.
Probably the box/board is what made this one special. I didn't remember this being an auction but a Buy-It-Now offering. Did someone pick it up?
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Also, is the box this set comes with original? No other Golden Castle set comes with a folding board that has red felt inside.
Probably the box/board is what made this one special. I didn't remember this being an auction but a Buy-It-Now offering. Did someone pick it up?
Someone picked it up on Yahoo Auctions for about $1055 USD/120 000 yens: https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/h1000993209?lang=en&rc=yaucc
I ended up finding it there after a search because I was also wondering if someone bought the eBay one. Turns out it was just relisted over on Yahoo Auctions, and one person bid and got it.
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Also, is the box this set comes with original? No other Golden Castle set comes with a folding board that has red felt inside.
Probably the box/board is what made this one special. I didn't remember this being an auction but a Buy-It-Now offering. Did someone pick it up?
I have one with a fitted case as well, also from a later date apparently.
That is beautiful @EfimLG47! I'd love to see pictures of the set on its board if you have more pictures of it.
EDIT: I wonder what the number 65907 means. There is no way they produced that many sets!
@jdsto, the set came without a board, but I set it up with a fitting board I had. It was a bit dark already. I should probably take more pictures, when there is better daylight. But you will get the overall picture, I guess.
Regarding 65907, I was wondering myself. It is definitely not a sequential number, as you already said.
@jdsto, the set came without a board, but I set it up with a fitting board I had. It was a bit dark already. I should probably take more pictures, when there is better daylight. But you will get the overall picture, I guess.
Regarding 65907, I was wondering myself. It is definitely not a sequential number, as you already said.
Thanks for the picture! What a beautiful set. I'm going to have to hunt one down for myself sooner rather than later.
@jdsto, the set came without a board, but I set it up with a fitting board I had. It was a bit dark already. I should probably take more pictures, when there is better daylight. But you will get the overall picture, I guess.
Regarding 65907, I was wondering myself. It is definitely not a sequential number, as you already said.
Beautiful set, Holger.
I was unaware of the fitted cases until I saw those in this thread.
I don't know of anyone who has figured out which set numbers correspond to which years. Until I saw yours, all the other numbers I've seen have been consistent with a sequential system. I might hypothesize that the 65 preface to you number refers to the year of production, but that is only an hypothesis. When I get some time I will look at the Chess Life and Chess Review archives for advertisements of these fitted cases.
As to the 1944 reference in the original post, I am fairly certain that these sets did not begin production until after the war, and likely not until 1946 or even later.
Beautiful set, Holger.
I was unaware of the fitted cases until I saw those in this thread.
I don't know of anyone who has figured out which set numbers correspond to which years. Until I saw yours, all the other numbers I've seen have been consistent with a sequential system. I might hypothesize that the 65 preface to you number refers to the year of production, but that is only an hypothesis. When I get some time I will look at the Chess Life and Chess Review archives for advertisements of these fitted cases.
As to the 1944 reference in the original post, I am fairly certain that these sets did not begin production until after the war, and likely not until 1946 or even later.
Thanks, Chuck! I was also wondering, if the 65 might indicate the production year, but could not find any further reference. The set itself is fantastic, it is literally new. No signs of use whatsoever, in absolutely pristine condition.
Hello!
I'm looking for a Golden Castle Chess set, The Craftsman.
Any advice, would be much appreciated.
Thank you!
Beautiful set Holger!
Beautiful set Holger!
Thanks, Mike. It really is a beauty. And they seem to be very rare. Have not seen many specimen in the collecting community so far, especially not in this type of fitted box. It cost me dearly, when I bought it in a German auction some years ago. But it was worth the money. The quality is so superior, it could not be better IMHO. Definitely beyond the sets you buy from India nowadays.
Holger, I agree. All of the ones I have seen posted here at CB&E have the flip top box. I have not seen any in a fitted box like yours. Also, I have seen these sets on eBay and the prices are always up there. Some sets even had pieces and/or labels in pretty poor condition. The condition of yours is excellent. It is definitely a rare find and a valuable set.
I'm trying to figure out when the set in this auction was made.
Here's a copy of its label:
I know SM-302 is the model, which is the "Crafstman" in this case, but what does "1281 - Special" mean?
As far as I know, sets were numbered serially, starting from 1. They began production of their very first sets in 1944. You can find early sets in the 100s and 200s on Google Images and a few sets in the 400s/500s/600s that seemed to have been made either in Occupied Japan or right after. One can infer that this set was made after the "Made in Occupied Japan" period, which ranged from 1946-1952, since they obviously just removed the word "occupied" from their labels, yet left the space. So this was made between 1953 and and a later date.
When could have this "1281" set been made? And why is it "Special"? I have never seen that mention on any other Golden Castle chess set label.
Also, is the box this set comes with original? No other Golden Castle set comes with a folding board that has red felt inside.