{"product_id":"an-extremely-rare-and-undocumented-a-g-spalding-bros-ltd-prototype-minimalist-chess-set-circa-1920s-1930s","title":"An Extremely Rare and Undocumented A.G. Spalding \u0026 Bros. Ltd. Prototype Minimalist Chess Set, Circa 1920s–1930s","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a very rare piece of chess history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-hveid=\"CAIIAQgnEAA\" data-processed=\"true\"\u003eA 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 \u0026amp; Bros. Ltd. (High Holborn\/Putney, London).\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-hveid=\"CAIIAQgpEAA\" data-processed=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-hveid=\"CAIIAQgpEAA\" data-processed=\"true\"\u003eNever 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.\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"yhAwj\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-processed=\"true\" data-sfc-inited=\"2\"\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"ZLzG0d ncoeY E8xBUb\" role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"4\" data-animation-nesting=\"\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-wiz-attrbind=\"aria-level=xO5AFd_8j\/fLk2Md\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-hveid=\"CAIIAQgrEAA\" data-processed=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"ZLzG0d ncoeY E8xBUb\" role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"4\" data-animation-nesting=\"\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-wiz-attrbind=\"aria-level=xO5AFd_8j\/fLk2Md\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-hveid=\"CAIIAQgrEAA\" data-processed=\"true\"\u003eDesign \u0026amp; Materiality\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[[2,[null,null,1,null,null,null,null,null,null,null,null,null,[351768,null,0]],[],null,1]]--\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-hveid=\"CAIIAQgtEAA\" data-processed=\"true\"\u003eDitching 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.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-hveid=\"CAIIAQgtEAA\" data-processed=\"true\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-hveid=\"CAIIAQgvEAA\" data-processed=\"true\"\u003eThe wood remains in its distinct, unpolished \"rough-cut\" toolroom prototype state. Despite the minimalist profile, the set boasts an incredibly substantial, heavy feel in the hand—weighing a massive ~600g in total, indicating a dense hardwood stock or concealed ballast engineered for structural stability.\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-hveid=\"CAIIAQgvEAA\" data-processed=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"yhAwj\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-processed=\"true\" data-sfc-inited=\"2\"\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"ZLzG0d ncoeY E8xBUb\" role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"4\" data-animation-nesting=\"\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-wiz-attrbind=\"aria-level=xO5AFd_9g\/fLk2Md\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-hveid=\"CAIIAQgyEAA\" data-processed=\"true\"\u003eMarkings \u0026amp; Provenance\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[[2,[null,null,1,null,null,null,null,null,null,null,null,null,[351768,null,0]],[],null,1]]--\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-hveid=\"CAIIAQg0EAA\" data-processed=\"true\"\u003eThe base of the pieces features an authentic, beautifully preserved circular purple ink-stamp reading: \u003cstrong class=\"rQesXe MPyX\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-processed=\"true\"\u003e\"A.G. SPALDING \u0026amp; BROS. LTD. PATENTED TRADE MARK.\"\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e The specific serif font and double-ring perimeter layout explicitly align with trademark branding utilized by the company's London facility between 1920 and 1938.\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-hveid=\"CAIIAQg0EAA\" data-processed=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-hveid=\"CAIIAQg5EAA\" data-processed=\"true\" aria-owns=\"action-menu-parent-container\"\u003eAn extraordinary, irreplaceable artifact for the advanced collector of rare travel\/military sets, mid-century design prototypes, or industrial corporate ephemera.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-hveid=\"CAIIAQg5EAA\" data-processed=\"true\" aria-owns=\"action-menu-parent-container\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe King is 2.75\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cambridge Chess Forum","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58342715490686,"sku":null,"price":550.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0913\/0226\/5214\/files\/IMG_9412.jpg?v=1793219542","url":"https:\/\/cambridgechessforum.com\/products\/an-extremely-rare-and-undocumented-a-g-spalding-bros-ltd-prototype-minimalist-chess-set-circa-1920s-1930s","provider":"Cambridge Chess Forum","version":"1.0","type":"link"}