My initial acquisition from Official Staunton.

This week I had received my first of 3 sets I had ordered earlier in the year from the Official Staunton company. What arrived this past Tuesday was a dark Antiqued and Ebony  3.5' king Cooke Staunton set with a Fischer board. A very finely carved and beautifully antiqued set. There was a Royal wedding discount going on and I quickly made the purchase as an add on to a existing order. Carl Miceli was kind enough to make the offer of sending me the first set which I concurred with most graciously. The discount included the acquisition of the Fischer board as well. Beautifully made by Italian craftsmanship.

The set is nicely weighted for it's size which I think I will use to play some games with but will use it primarily as an analysis set. The antiquing is superb, a beautiful deep amber hue which gives it an aged museum quality look. I'm quite impressed with this reproduction and will look forward to the other two sets which will arrive at years end. I had photographed the set both on my patio area with natural daylight and indoors to show the difference of the antiqued finish with both types of lighting (natural and artificial). I like how they look in both setups. I may eventually opt to buy the complete 1849 Staunton chessmen next year from OS but as of now I am totally content with my purchase and the sets on order in queue to arrive later on during the holidays I believe will be equally if not more impressive in style, size and quality of craftsmanship. Great job Carl Miceli I tip my cap to you in respect and recognition. 

That's a beautiful set. 

Thanks liml a bit diminutive but superb quality all around. 

Gorgeous set Jorge.Only problem I see is that you are about to lose your black Queen. -

Promotional queens are positioned diagonally just for display. I had to give the set a double checkover to make sure all 34 pieces are still present and accounted for...they are.

I knew that.I was kidding.-

I bought the same board earlier this summer, and was somewhat disappointed. What's not evident from the photos on the web site is that this board is actually in two pieces: The outer frame is not attached to the board. This makes the board awkward to move, and also causes an annoying rattling noise when the pieces touch down on the board, especially near the corners. It looks awesome (even better in real life than on the photos, in fact), but it's not pleasant to use.

I am very happy with the Wilhelm Steinitz pieces (sadly out of stock now, but hopefully only for a short time) I bought along with the board, though.

I haven't encountered this problem, so far so good.

What precisely are you saying here? That your board doesn't rattle, or that the frame is actually attached to the board in your case? I'm beginning to suspect that my board actually has a manufacturing mistake.

Just to be clear, on my board, the frame isn't attached to the board at all:

Is your board like this?

No my board isn't like this at all and no it doesn't rattle at all. The only significant and ever so slightly change of noticeable differences is the "thud" sound while moving pieces from square to square. Some are more distinctly louder than others especially when reaching the corner squares of the board but never a "rattle" as you describe and that different "thud" sound is negligible to my hearing and doesn't bother me in the least. Perhaps from what I see in your photo is the adhesion to the outer frame wasn't sufficient or the glue used wasn't strong enough to keep the board's frame/moulding held together to the playing surface which may have loosened thus causing the "rattle".

There is a rather simple solution to this if you are willing to try it. Get yourself some Titebond II or III wood glue and place a thin bead on the perimeter of the interior moulding were the playing surface rests and situate the playing surface on it using some wood clamps. Let it cure completely for up to 72 hours before using it. The only other solution I can see is asking either for a replacement board or a refund if you are dissatisfied with your board purchase. These are just suggestions...good luck in your decision.

Very elegant set, but it seems a bit incongruous to play with it on top of a garbage can in the cellar.

It's a patio and sits atop a waste container for display purposes not for actual play. I don't have a table for the patio area not a cellar btw. If you read my post accurately you can review where I had mentioned that the setups were to show the antiquing looked under different lighting conditions. There isn't any total natural encompassing light in a basement or cellar. FYI. I do appreciate your fine comment and thank you kindly.

 It seemed pretty obvious to me that the set was photographed out doors,simply as a way to show appreciative forum members,it's overall appearance.....I've never seen direct sun light in a basement!

I'm a consumer, player of the game, fairly new collector and avid lover of the game of chess and as like most members enjoy posting a new topic or a frank and clearly defined review or meaningful discussion for those have an interest in certain sets or to thank long time members and collectors who have helped me choose the sets to my liking.

I have have no connection whatsoever to any of the companies I transact with but I guess if YOU feel my words comprised of a review weren't of an "honest" distinction then I guess YOU as everyone else has an opinion to which they are so entitled to and therefore with that being said,  there is nothing further to discuss.

The antiquing looks like a fake tan under all the various lighting conditions. Thanks for posting these pictures, they serve as a grim warning to stay well clear of these artificially antiqued sets.

Nice board though - I like that board.