Chess Coffer (Storage) for new Chess set...

Hi Folks, 

I'm looking to purchase a new Chess coffer to store chess pieces and came across this unit on Ebay.  I'm looking store a 4.5" King and 4 Queens set.  Is the price of $150 an average/under/over for this unit?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Leatherette-Coffer-Storage-Box-for-Chess-Pieces-of-4-2-to-4-5-with-tray/303552986047?hash=item46ad2afbbf:g:eUMAAOSwmgtd8cYx

Or perhaps you know or can point me to a better unit?

Thank you in advance!     

You shouldn't really keep your pieces in a box or coffer, they need to breathe (i.e., they need proper exposure to proper humidity). The only real use for a box is transportation, and it is probably rare for most people to take a box-worthy set out of the house...I would proceed accordingly. If you're fixed on getting a box, I have a few of these and they are very good: https://www.regencychess.ca/chess-cases-bags/root-wood-burl-chess-case. HoS has a number of good boxes; you'll want something big enough to allow you to at least store all the chessmen right-side up (standing up).

MGT88 - Thanks again for the sound advice...  So all the pieces should be stored upright and not in a coffer.  If my HoS 3.75" king with a 1.75" base, then standing upright the box is going to be pretty big including room for the pawns to stand upright no...?     

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdSsl8owWHk

I see this video that shows the pieces stacked and on top of each other...?

I would not store any set I care about like that; the pieces are rubbing together (possibly getting scratched etc.) and they are not getting proper exposure to air/humidity. Regarding box size, yeah, you would need two of the boxes I linked to store a 4" (or smaller) set right-side up (one box for the white pieces, one box for the black pieces). Not only are boxes a complete waste of money, they are actually detrimental to the condition of your set (as I mentioned above re: scratching/lack of air flow). The only utility a box provides you with is the ability to transport your set; if you're not taking your set out of the house, a box is pretty much useless.

Thx...!  May I ask a favor?  When you have a moment, can you share a picture of how you store you sets?  Only if it's not to much trouble...? Greatly appreciate it...!!!  

I agree that proper humidity is important for "any" type of wooden product,but a coffer is just fine(and safe) for storing chess pieces......Humidity gets into almost anything that is not air tight.....Chess coffers are not completely air tight and the one you want(which I own) is pretty much perfect.

It is more important to keep the room and house in a proper humidity range......The suggested ideal range is 45-55%......A subtle shift is OK,as long as it does not go too far off for long periods.

I have a whole house humidifier and a small in room portable unit,in my chess/hobby room.

Good luck.

Coffers let in some air, but if the pieces are piled up on top of each-other, they all get uneven exposure in a best case scenario, worst case scenario some pieces get no air at all. If you leave an elastic band in a pocket or pouch for long enough, it will become dry and crack; same concept with pieces.

I keep them on a desk end-table, standing right-side up, in the boxes I linked, with the lids open at all times; one of the two boxes came from Noj with my BCE set, the other I purchased from Regency Chess (before I realized boxes were unnecessary). I actually intend to move my sets from open-lid box storage to simply standing in place in the same locations. If you have extra cash to spend then, by all means, grab a nice box or two, I'm just pointing out the fact that box storage can be detrimental to the condition of your set and that the money you spend on a box can be allocated elsewhere (to a nice board for example).

   wow!!!!!!!!  Can I just say I love this forum and all the advice I've gained from just literally being on here for 3 weeks...!!  Simply incredible advice (MGT88 & MagicTwanger)  -  Love the bit about Extra Money and money being allocated for something else!!  

I have found that all the sets I have dealt with that were stored in coffers are in much better shape than sets stored jumbled in a box. Even old sets that have a musty smell after they have been stored for years are in good condition. Rarely have seen cracks. Just my observation. Dryer climate will accelerate cracks and warps in cheaper sets that the wood was not cured properly..

Believe me "MGT",I am not attempting to be a contrarian,but that is just not accurate.I used to collect vinyl LP's and rare Martin acoustic guitars.....The guitars were definitely supposed to be kept in a tight case and I always kept my old/rare LP's in a plastic sleeve......If you have ever come across an old record that was kept in the original plastic,the jacket would look brand new.

If a home did not have proper humidity,the guitar mfgrs would recommend an in case humidifier.

Chess pieces sitting on one another "still" get the same humidity in a coffer.No coffer that I know of is sealed so tightly that humidity cannot get in.

Hi @lonewolf69ay,

If you don't want to spend money on a fancy wooden box, a better unit is an empty shoe box. Hopefully there's a few lying around in your shoe rack. You can even put the pieces all standing up. It's also great for hiding your luxury pieces inconspicuously from other household members.  Having said that, I do have a fancy shoe box for my chess pieces. Got it when I purchased a wooden chess set from a Slovenian manufacturer.

I'm not an expert on guitar care, but I don't think a guitar can be kept sealed in a case indefinitely; the case must be opened periodically to "change the air" and refresh the humidification device (Boveda packs, for example, have a service-life). I'm also no expert on LPs, but I've read that they need to be stored with humidity exposure in mind (like chessboards, stored vertically).

If a chessboard is kept flat (one side exposed to the open air, one side not), warping is more likely to occur than if both sides of the board are exposed (this is why the craftsman of JLP boards recommends storing boards vertically); similar concepts apply in timber storage, hardwood flooring, etc. If a set of chessmen are kept in a coffer, with one side of each piece pressed firmly against coffer cloth, it would reason to say that an uneven distribution of humidity is most likely occurring.

Chess piece warping is less likely/visible than with chessboards, but chess piece cracking is fairly common. I think chess pieces are fairly forgiving, and you can probably get away with piling them up in a box or leaving them in a coffer for a long period of time, but why risk it? I keep my home office temperature and humidity controlled (the humidity is always around 47-48%), so I don't see why I would choose to stuff my pieces into a box or coffer, risking inadequate exposure, when I can just keep them out. At best, a box/coffer provides the same level of atmosphere as no box/coffer; in my opinion, a box/coffer simply introduces risk without any benefit.

The only benefits of a box/coffer, besides chessmen transportation, that I can think of would be dust reduction and stability of atmosphere/slowing of atmospheric change (however, the room the chessmen are stored in should be kept stable, so this would only benefit someone storing their pieces in a volatile environment, which is dangerous in and of itself).

cgrau has the right idea (or maybe he just couldn't get 100 boxes!):

This is approximately $40 CAD (vs the $95 CAD Regency is asking); pretty good deal depending upon the shipping to North America (which I suspect will cost $20-50 CAD) and the duties at customs.

I have the same boxes. MGT is actually not wrong regarding obtaining proper humidity.Even with tightly sealed boxes,or cases,humidity has a way of finding it's way inside.The "best" scenario is to have a properly humidified environment.

This way you can either expose your sets openly,or have them safely stored in a coffer/box.

Btw,I always had either correct room humidity,or in case humidifiers with my acoustic guitars.

I never was thrilled with the Boveda packs.They always dried out in due course and even if I re humidified them,they were not my cup of tea.

Best scenario is to have correct room/house humidity and go with either a nice coffer,or exposed if you like that route.

It's all good.-

I remember reading an article from a chess piece manufacturer (can't remember which) that recommended opening boxes/coffers at least every few weeks. Humidification systems inside guitars/guitar cases, for example, eventually dry out and need to be replaced; I think these kinds of examples, and our own logical reasoning, would suggest that the air inside a sealed case/box/plastic box/whatever will eventually dry out.

Here is a quote from russbell in a thread I created a while ago:

----------------------------

Consider the following article about using guitar humidifiers:

https://www.taylorguitars.com/support/maintenance/using-guitar-humidifier 

Careful reading will reveal that even though the guitar is stored inside a case (along with the humidifier), eventually the humidifier needs to be replaced, because it has dried out (i.e., its water content has evaporated).  But where did the water go?  It is not retained indefinitely (only temporarily) inside the guitar case, otherwise there would be no need to replace the humidifier or recharge it with water.  The water eventually evaporates into the outside air (assuming the humidity/water content of the outside air is lower than inside the guitar case).  The case only slows down this evaporation process, it does not prevent it, over the long run.

----------------------------

As pointed out by magictwanger, most boxes/coffers are not air tight and probably let enough air in; it's very difficult to make a box completely air-tight (I can see on my Philos boxes, for example, that there is a space between the back of the lid and the body of the box, kind of like a mail-slot opening which air can travel through).

I am, admittedly, a perfectionist; can you pile your pieces into a box, leave the box closed indefinitely in an area with poor humidity control, and get away with it (with no piece damage)? Probably, but I'd rather just keep my pieces in the open exposed to properly humidified air.

One last note I would add to this is that your chessboards (which are much more susceptible to humidity damage) can't be kept in a coffer, therefore, any perceived benefits your pieces are receiving from your coffer are not being received by your boards...I remember thinking this when I was looking at Boveda packs etc., and figured it was just better to properly humidify the entire room; in addition to this, if you intend to buy more than one set, buying boxes for every set you acquire can get expensive.

I thought of this a while back; I suppose it's possible, however, I don't know the science behind it and I don't think trapping air in an air-tight case for a long period of time is a great idea. There is a guy who posts videos of himself eating 30-100 year old MRE's (war rations (e.g., canned food for soldiers from the Vietnam War)) and the food inside them is...interesting. The food was kept in air-tight containters and it appears edible in some cases, but it just doesn't look/smell/taste "right" lol.

Silica packs go bad after while in enclosed areas...as a matter of fact, when I received one of my chess boxes, it had a silica pack in it that had exploded.

Depending upon where you live, you can control humidity pretty well by simply controlling the air register in the room (any air from your HVAC system (cold or hot) will bring down the RH in the room, so you can just open/close it as required); I almost never need to use my humidifier. I think keeping your pieces right-side up in a closed box the way you're doing is fine as long as you make sure some air is getting in there (probably already/always the case, since no box will be air-tight) and that you open the lids every few weeks. My issue with box storage is more about piling up pieces, and about the use of coffers where pieces are stored flat pressed up against the cloth of the coffer.