Performance Chess Clocks- a virtual chess clock museum

It's beautiful whether solid or plated.  A great find either way.  As you can see from my photo, my clock literally looks brand new, though you can see tiny signs of wear around the winders, so it has been used, but very well cared for.  To think that it is almost 60 years old and still looks so good makes me very happy.  Just for scale, I put a few of my new Dubrovnik pieces on too.  It doesn't show too much in this picture, but the light pieces have some artificial antique shading on them that makes some of the lines darker, as if they had been handled for many years in smoke filled chess clubs.  It is a very nice effect, not at all like the sort of orangey color I see on some antiqued pieces.  Not a NOJ set, but probably half the price, and very nice.  I think the board and pieces really go nicely with this clock.

They look great!

I found a space in my living room to display one of the sets that I really like. The board I found in a sidewalk in Burgdorf, Switzerland. I think I purchased the set in Brazil. Look at the basis of the kings!

Wow that's a great looking Staunton set!  And yes, apparently quite large.  I've seen those boards before, and I think they are 2 inch squares, or 50.8 mm in metric.  That means the King's bases are about that size, which is quite large.  They would fit even a 60mm squares board and not be too roomy.  I like the color too.  Do you know the approximate age of them?

From post # 26.....I didn't know Skelator played chess!

I'm scarier than him over the board.  Haha, wish I was joking.

Square 53mm, the king 50mm, size 110 mm. The set is heavy; the queen alone is 94 grams. It is difficult to estimate the age, but I guess the set is at least from the 1950s, perhaps much older. The color is beautiful, like chocolate. The knights are nicely carved.

If I'd have kept all of my son's original He Man figures,I'd be a rich man.Not to mention Star Wars.

I never said I was too sharp....Just look at my rating in chess....Ha.

They look like a Leuchars set, but I really can't tell the age.  They have seen a lot of use from the wear patterns on the black pawns.  Are they ebony, or do you think ebonized, or perhaps black lacquered?  The light pieces were probably normal colored boxwood when new, but age has given them a great patina.  I should hang out with you when you go chess hunting.  Leuchars was a store that sold the original Jacques sets and was located in Picadilly square in London.  

I found them in a junk shop. I didn’t know much about them, I just thought they are weird.
I am an avid collector from different things. The most “serious “ topic is bathing, swimming, diving, just everything related to humans interacting directly with water. This was also the topic of my PhD thesis I finished in 2015.  I collect also anthropomorphic figures, things were races are displayed in a stereotypical way (perhaps I will donate once this part of our collection to a museum in US).  And chess items, as you know 😊

😊

I am quite sure I found them in an antiques shop in Rio de Janeiro. Because the inflation in Brazil the prices were low if you get payed in Swiss francs! 

I have a degree in Anthropology, and absolutely love Australian aboriginal art and the very stylized depictions of people and animals.  I have some ebony carvings of African figures from the Makonda tribe as well.  Fascinating stuff.

I hope Holger (collector, author and expert in chess collection) will pop up here and tell us something about this set. I will check your information about Leuchars.

That photo he took in natural light through our living room window, with a reflector to help light the other side a bit, but mostly for the benefit of the clock.  But you are correct in saying it looks even better than the eBay photos, as natural light doesn't leave that blue tint, so you can see the clock dials are clean and white, the wood has a great gloss shine, the metal parts are still shiny and not corroded.  When I think this clock was made in the early 60's it is in remarkable condition.  I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that yours will be as nice.  How is your progress on package tracking?

Your dials may be white as well, because the darkness could be only on the glass.  If the clock was in the home of a smoker, it could be that left a residue on the glass that you could clean off if you wished.  I will eagerly await your post to see your clock as well.

Those clocks have a fantastic vintage look.....Soooo much nicer,to me, than the cold looking digital ones.

Indeed that is. Digital clock is like vaping, nothing beats good ol' handrolled cigarettes.