Probably Ayres

The Probably Ayres set of my recent post has arrived. It is exquisitely crafted, and the photos to follow don't do the rich patina justice. The kings are large club-sized and the pieces are heavily weighted. There are a few battle scars and cracks, especially in the ebony pieces.

The boxwood king exhibits a slight "Lardy Lean." 

No such problem with the ebony king, which stands just a shade below 4.4".

The pieces are very heavily weighted.

The queens are magnificently proportioned and carved.

Inasmuch as the kingside stamping is important in identifying and dating such sets, here are some close-ups of it...

Also note the six crenellations.

The bishops have large miters with deep, clean cuts.

I have to examine this miter cut more closely.

I'm at a loss as to how to explain why it looks like this cut narrows at the top. The photo below demonstrates that it doesn't. Oh, now I get it. What looks like a narrowing of the miter cut really is the head of a white pawn behind the bishop being seen through the cut.

What can I say about these knights? Magnificantly carved. Just look at the clean detail in the manes and faces.

The white queen's knight's left ear shows some battle scars...