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Old Vienna Chess Sets

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magictwanger

If you can live without vintage,there are some extremely nice Soviet sets available.

ungewichtet

@MCH818

Yeah, that would truly be cool to have a couple of games together with a few cups of Mokka!

Here is my pic 'tall visitors on a small board'

The tall pieces discussing the scene: -'Hand-sanding went poorly, he'd love the laquer back on rich&sticky.' -'Thank god at least he didn't touch the knights.' -'Though he ought to have some, he is a man without qualities: Not only is he mate..' -'..but he also gave rook odds!' All laugh heartily.

Here is the set in daylight:

Horsing around Wiener Schmäh.

ungewichtet

The knights are atypical, also they are huge. They are for real and caricature, I guess, so they are for real. I was just writing that scene down. As a German, what do I know about Schmäh.. It is not a show, it is expression of a way of life, for sure. "The thing the most alive for the Viennese is death. Were it not for the presence of "die schöne Leich"- yesterday's and tomorrow's- Wiener Schmäh would be (..) deutsch (German)." (Robert Schindel) The waiter returning to your table after all: Are you doing okay here, I mean, apart from the service?

Cartoonist Nicolas Mahler

Don't worry, I am just washing my net - I see

Tex Rubinowitz

Tharkun2112

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Powderdigit

Hi forum folk,

This lovely vintage Vienna Coffee House set recently made its way into my collection, however I have no idea of age or provenance. Other than it made its way to me from a friend in France. 

In the coffee house style, I have two vintage sets of pieces. Both lovely, and the second set is pictured in the last photo below.
I am finding it hard to place and date this set that I recently received. The king and queen’s crowns are similar but not a style that I’ve seen widely before, but that could very well be my ignorance.
The honey glaze is a beautiful colour. It’s interesting that the bases have a thin woven papery-type felt. Does that provide any clues? Also note that the purposely exposed raw wood in the black and white pieces (e.g., in the rook cutouts, or the cutouts on the crowns) -the wood in the cutouts is not died or glazed.

My instinct says these may have been manufactured in the 1940’s or 1950’s but I have no real clue. I enjoy coffee house sets and would appreciate any further insights.

magictwanger

Really nice example Powder....The Coffee House sets are one type that I've always wanted but, in reality, have no more room for. At least that's my rationalization.....Superb design though. I've seen a couple of differing examples...All really worthy.

Enjoy that gem.

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