An Extremely Rare and Undocumented A.G. Spalding & Bros. Ltd. Prototype Minimalist Chess Set, Circa 1920s–1930s

A fascinating, museum-grade crossover piece of industrial and design history. This flat-profile geometric set represents a completely unrecorded development trial from the British division of sports equipment giant A.G. Spalding & Bros. Ltd. (High Holborn/Putney, London).

Never entering commercial production, this set was likely created as a toolroom factory test using Spalding's heavy-duty industrial timber die-pressing machinery—originally patented for tennis rackets and golf shafts—to see if production line wood off-cuts could be successfully upcycled into compact tabletop games.

Ditching traditional lathe turning, each piece features a striking, flat-profile 2D silhouette that brilliantly predates and mirrors the mid-century modern architectural aesthetic. The bishops feature sharp, minimalist pointed teardrop geometry, the knights are block-cut profiles, and the rooks taper into stark, functional crenellations.