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AI Appraisal
Description
I have an old Aztec/Mayan Chess Set with wooden drawers that have carved horses with scenes on all four sides to tell a story of the Mexican/American War, the chess pieces are hand carved by some sort of valuable stone. The chess board itself has horses in every square. I have tried several antique stores in my area and none of the experts I've spoken to have seen a piece like this or know of its age and origin. I'm stumped at the moment and hoping someone can shed some light on this piece I have.
Category
Other
Medium
Wood & Stone
Distinguishing marks
No artists name just two sides that say MEXICO
Condition
Excellent
Size and dimensions of this item
20x20x6
L W H
L W H
Date Period
Unsure. But one expert quoted perhaps 100 years
Weight
About 15-25lbs without chess pieces in it, with pieces about 10
eBay Auction Link
Price Paid (If known)
Was in a storage unit.
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Re: Old Chess Set
I recently came into possession of a VERY similar set. Pictures can be seen here: http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/showimage.aspx?gid=1682046&image=581996171&images=581996171,581996184,581996205,581996213,581996226,581996238,581996251,581996262,581996271,581996282,581996291,581996310,581996329,581996349,581996370,581996382&formats=0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0&format=0
As you can see, it's very very close to the set you have. Close enough that there is no doubt they are related in some way (they even share the "Mexico" written on the side). Mine appears slightly different in construction, and perhaps a little older, it is also in slightly worse condition (broken pannel, decapitated pawn). Another user on this same site posted another similar set: http://www.instappraisal.com/comment/14971 although it has a few other distinguishing points (reversal in colors of pieces for one, their American soldiers are white). Perhaps these are made from some central template? Please let me know if there is any more information you discover about your set.
Re: Old Chess Set
These are modern sets, similar examples are still in production, very few of them predate the 1970's.
Re: Old Chess Set
Lovejoy, I saw you post this same thing on the other page with a similar set. I looked into the sets produced by Franklin Mint, and other similar commemerative production companies and I did not see anything that looked similar. I agree that, clearly since there are 3 similar pieces here, it is not a unique piece but I am very curious what your resource source is (probably a website that sells this set, as you are saying it is still in manufacture). It would be of great help. Thank you.