That's easy misses Claudia! Just look for anything that you like and if it's cheap then buy it! It works for me 
Local finds
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Another old board find, looking at yellowed white squares probably from 1970's. It has odd squares size 53cm.
53 cm is definitely not the norm. I like this one a little better than the other because it is slightly thinner.
It's fascinating to see back in those times, raised borders and thin borders were the norm. I gotta say those raised borders grow on me now, so much I prefer them over flat boards now.
Jul 30, 2021
0
#46
Not being a collector myself, were raised borders more the norm in previous eras?
True mister Wits, the thin boarders are more Dutch thing. I find many old (almost vintage) thin boarder boards in local craiglist and they're mostly made (or sold by) Revanche.
Does it lay flat? Is the bottom completely flat and flush with the table? Or is it inset, similar to the top? The playing surface and frame is constructed with a dado joint? I wonder if a frame like that helps with stopping any potential board warping.
I have noticed the 'better/heavier' boards are well constructed meaning the veneer part don't move at all and they are flush with the table. I have some light weighted boards where the veneer part mostly are slightly moveable and more often than not have obviously warping.
About the dado joint, I've looked it up what that is and I have no idea how I can see how the boards are constructed.
Another local find, Chavet 253/5 RB aka 203/50 RB, came with the matching board from RF red ash burl.
This 253 serie is just weird, the pattern looks beautiful on the red pieces, but on the white pieces it just looks like dirts.
Aug 1, 2021
0
#51
Hmmm… The One is fortunate to live where local treasures seem to be available. I see what you mean though. I really like the red ash burl. The light pieces have a tattered, been marching for weeks without rest or water look. Perhaps battle worn and battle tested. Best to not turn your back on them!
Sir, I had the ad in my sights, he saw me move in for the kill, he proceeded giving me his bank account, I had the shot, there was no danger so I took it
Actually, the person didn't know what she was selling. If I paid what she asked, I'd feel guilty it'd be just a robbery. So I offered to pay way more and she accepted it.
TheOneCalledMichael wrote:
This 253 serie is just weird, the pattern looks beautiful on the red pieces, but on the white pieces it just looks like dirts.
Yes, the Chavet 253 series is a very strange set. Painted with a splotchy pattern.
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/chavet-chess-set-just-looking-for-info
That's a cool set Michael. Thanks for the link @Pawnerai. I did not even know this existed. It almost looks like stone.
MCH818 wrote:
That's a cool set Michael. Thanks for the link @Pawnerai. I did not even know this existed. It almost looks like stone.
This 253 series exists in 3 colors, blue, green and red. The first two colors just look weird, I find the red one beautiful because it looks like Padauk although in lacquer. Personally I don't like lacquer that much but it is what is is.
It is so interesting. I am not sure I would like blue or green either. Red looks good. Generally I do not like lacquer ether. I'm not sure if Noj uses lacquer. If they do then that would be the only exception for me. I think lacquer might protect the paint so that would be good in this case.
93mm glasseyed knights lardy.
Nice find!
This glasseyed knight lardy set is funny, the knight is like dogface knight on steroid, the bishop and the one from Chavet 121/6 looks similar to each other, the queen looks like the Lardy 1974 version, the pawn, rook and the king are very similar to Chavet or the other way around. The best part this set is 93mm, most of the sets that you find are usually 85mm.
The glass-eyed knight is somewhat strange. I like the knight but don't prefer the eyes. It is like the knight is looking back at me. Haha! The rest of the set looks great. 93 mm is definitely a plus. Also, the white pieces in your site is not too dark. I've seen some old ones where the white army is almost as dark as the dark army. To me, all Chavet and Lardy pieces except for the knights are almost interchangeable. I think most Chavet and Lardy purist can tell the difference of course.
They're all so lovely! Now lockdown has eased in the UK, I'm hoping when I'm feeling a little better to visit the many charity shops in my area to see if I can find a hidden gem although it would help if I knew what a hidden gem looked like! Anyways I've always loved poking around but at least now I have a purpose plus I have a couple of ugly plastic chess sets to donate!