A Vintage American Drueke Set

Some recent posts about possibly American-made sets motivated me to take some shots of an old Drueke I aqcuired not long ago. The king's are not quite 2.7", but they are surpringly well-weighted. They're shown here on a vintage Drueke board with 1.75" squares. They came in a gorgeous mahogany slide-top box.

Nicely shaped pieces, really too tiny for me to ever play with. They appear very close in form to the No. 0 set of the 1920 catalog.

The kings have rounded crowns...

Slightly under 2.7 inches tall.

The queens...

Nicely formed bishops...

Hi - I love the shape of those rooks - quite elegant.

The knights have some nice carving.

The rooks are small. Barely distinguishable from the pawns.

The pieces fit comfortably into a slide-top mahogany box.

Thanks for the photos of your set, Mr. Grau.  I knew nothing about this vintage Drueke.

I'm thinking of posting a few of my nicer travel sets from around the world and asking others to post theirs, but I suspect the Millennials will take a picture of their iPhone (with another iPhone) and post that.

Actually, I shouldn't laugh.  I'll probabaly have to add some comment to the effect that posting pictures of your iPhone is not what we're looking for.

Best,
Bob

Thanks, Ronbo. They have very interesting lines.

You're very welcome, Bob. I look forward to the pics of your sets.

Imo.. not aesthetic. Proportionally incorrect. Modern Druke sets got it right. That set looks "cheap" imo.

No doubt later Druekes were more aesthetic and more expensive. In 1920, the predecessor of this set was selling for $7.20/dozen. But this set is in the lineage of those later sets. And unlike many of the later Druekes that were imported Lardys, these were actually made in the U.S., not France or elsewhere. There are not a lot of examples of U.S. made sets out there. I have a Horn Co. set that I'll post some pictures of.

It is interesting to see how an American chess producer attempted to stay within the Stuanton guidelines yet create something distinct.

I agree.  I know mdinnerspace noted the proportions are wrong, but I find it interesting that there is a more or less consistent slope from the top of the king's finial crown down to the battlements of the rook, which gives it an interesting look on the chessboard.  Of course, that makes the rook almost the same height as the pawn, which is a bit peculiar.

I agree about the rooks. It's not unique to this set. I see many sets where I think the rook is undersized in proportion to its value as a major piece. They must be designed by people who have at most a passing familiarity with the game. I like robust, hefty rooks.

Nice set and review Chuck, thanks for sharing

Chuck, just to let you know that we "usual suspects" are still out here enjoying your pictorials! Thanks.