The set doesn't look like anything to write home about. The knights look quite generic to me. The CB 1849 set and the HOS Cooke set are a much better buy and choice IMO.
The Chess Piece - New 1849 Staunton Set
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Apr 30, 2015
0
#3
I see he chose not to get it antiqued to keep the price down? This seems like he specifically came out with this to challenge CB? In the recent sale you could have bagged the CB 1849 for a little less than $300. $299 and change and free shipping, just saying that was a great deal and stamped.
I've been impatiently waiting for this set to come out. Now I'm a little disappointed. I don't like chamfered bases and that knight is not right. The ears aren't right, the mane isn't right, the jaw line is not right, the cheek carvings are not right...
That's odd because the knight on their first reproduction was very good. It seems like a good reproduction 1849 set is almost impossible to make. Many have tried and, in my opinion, only TheChessPiece's first repro comes close.
The knight in the first edition was perhaps better but the pawns are better in this one. It's still closer overall than the CB one, and I like that they didn't go for the antiquing look, which I feel is never successful. As for as CB's one being stamped, those stamps looked truly awful in my opinion; if I had wanted a CB set I would have insisted it was not stamped because they looked so amateurish in comparison to antique or HoS stamped sets.
Steve from thechesspiece and I swapped a couple emails sometime last year. He mentioned he was working on another repro and I told him I'd like to see one without the antique finish. I don't know if I swayed his decision or not but I'm also glad to see the set as it would have looked when new.
Apr 30, 2015
0
#7
Each his own opinion. I think the CB set wins hands down vs the CP set in craftmanship and overall quality.
I bought the CB set when it first came out got set #3.
I will await to see what Carl has in store for us chess crazed people in his rendition which I have a feeling is going to be great. If the ebonized set I received from him is a prelude I know it will be fantastic. His web site which is hard to find since I am sure he does most of his business in the EU and UK is http://www.officialstaunton.com/collections/chess-pieces/products/the-steinitz-antiqued-chessmen
The pictures do no justice to the set and that is a good thing to say.
But my opinion is the CB set is of much better quality than the CP. Would I pay more for a set from Carl if he hits it out of the ballpark, you betcha. The sun doesn't rise nor set on any one chess company and whoever puts out a great quality will win the business.
FYI, the Chess Piece has just released an update to their 1849 Staunton set. The price is $349 and includes free shipping. Nicely done.
https://www.thechesspiece.com/proddetail.asp?prod=The-Original-Staunton-in-ebony-and-boxwood