Let's Talk About Pottery & Collectables

Collectables => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: Tigerchips on May 20, 2010, 01:10:45 PM

Title: Chinese Chess pieces
Post by: Tigerchips on May 20, 2010, 01:10:45 PM
For charity, I'm looking for information and possible value of these Chess pieces. I'm not sure how old they are but they seem to be made from some sort of stone or maybe even pottery. The damaged one has a gritty surface, a bit like a broken stone.

There are a lot more pieces but i left them in the shop.
Title: Re: Chinese Chess pieces
Post by: keith on May 20, 2010, 03:35:28 PM
Seeing how similar the pieces are would they be some kind of plaster mould?
Title: Re: Chinese Chess pieces
Post by: Anne on May 20, 2010, 06:17:47 PM
Has the one on the left been beheaded, TC?

I wonder if these might be one of the SAC sets? They do a whole range of themed chess sets, so it might be worth a look through their listings or even drop them an email and ask them: http://www.sac-games.com/
Title: Re: Chinese Chess pieces
Post by: Tigerchips on May 20, 2010, 06:58:17 PM
Has the one on the left been beheaded, TC?

I wonder if these might be one of the SAC sets? They do a whole range of themed chess sets, so it might be worth a look through their listings or even drop them an email and ask them: http://www.sac-games.com/

Yes, off with his head, lol. I think the SAC ones are all made from wood.
Title: Re: Chinese Chess pieces
Post by: Anne on May 20, 2010, 07:41:54 PM
Hmmm poor chessman!  :boohoo:

Re the pieces, the other possibility is that it's a set made by from moulds as Keith suggests. There was a craze around in the 1990s of making your own chess set from plaster of paris and latex moulds...  the moulds were on sale in craft shops - they were for all sorts of figures, models and chess sets...  :pst:  I remember buying some of the moulds for my son to make models from when he was little - we made plaster ones and wax candle ones.

The moulds work with plaster of paris, stone powder, resin, wax, etc... Fred Aldous still seems to sell them too: http://www.fredaldous.co.uk/shop-online/latex-chess-set-moulds.htm as do Europa Crafts:
http://www.europacrafts.com/
Title: Re: Chinese Chess pieces
Post by: Tigerchips on May 21, 2010, 01:05:00 AM
Sorry Keith, i didn't see your last post.

Yeah, now that i come to look at it, they are indeed from a mould.

It's a very tough plaster, it's like stone. When i scratch it with a pin it leaves a white powder, but if i run my finger over the powder it goes away and it turns back to the red colour again with no signs of the white scratch.

It's a shame they aren't antique ones.
Title: Re: Chinese Chess pieces
Post by: antiquerose123 on May 22, 2010, 10:51:00 AM
Could they be Chalk ware??


Or a composition?
http://www.collectorsquest.com/blog/index.php?s=chalkware&submit.x=22&submit.y=13


or something like this:  Click here (http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51sxo8xXiQL.jpg&imgrefurl=http://boardgames.guidestobuy.com/vintage-style-chess-set-chinese-qing-dynasty&usg=__c0PilH8jhziKLFZMNyDnrXAzHMg=&h=500&w=500&sz=53&hl=en&start=5&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=-2gGTcOeeEtH8M:&tbnh=130&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvintage%2Bchess%2Bpieces%2Bpeople%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG%26tbs%3Disch:1)