Leather Chess Boards

What do you guys think about the idea of me bringing back the Leather Chess Boards?  These would be 2MM thick and have the squares and the notation printed on them.  

Here is a pic of one of the old ones.

Here is a pic of one of the ones with a brand on them.

We would make them nice and clean with the natural color material and either Brown, Green, or Black printing on them.

These are nice because they match well with pretty much any wood chess set.  I always thought it was an abomination to use a nice wood set on vinyl.  This would give people a nice roll-up travel board that sets the pieces on a new level.  They look nice, lay flat, and are WAY cheaper and easier to carry than a wood board.

Would love to get your opinions.

thanks

Shelby Lohrman

American Chess Equipment

Might be interested, what would the price point be? 

Mostly when I play outside of the house though I use plastic and vinyl. 

I have one small leather board and have used another...and I am completely on board (heh) with this (depending on the price point, of course, but I expect that will be fine based on your history)!

How about a "pleather" version for us phony vegans.

If the leather board is in the $30-35 range I'm in. Competing against $15 thin mousepad boards is going to be difficult. They're a game changer in every way.

Smaller more discrete notations. A subtle simple design element like a thin double rule on the border would be nice. And for the love of God, please no giant logo branding across the squares. These MUST be shipped rolled in a sturdy tube. No folding. Add that into the cost of production.

Yes, sturdy tube and maybe even offer a nice tube carrier for it. 

You getting all that Shelby?  

Shelby, I think that green board, in your first pic is absolutely beautiful! I may think that, because that may actually be an old photo of my board and pieces.  I love, love love that leather board.   I am weary to spill stuff on it and that is the only drawback to it.   I have owned it since about 2006 or 2007.   I have a video about that leather board on YouTube.  Yes, the pieces are HOS brand but the checker pieces in the video are your Wood Expressions (WE Games) brand. 

Since making the video linked below, I have also acquired a folding wood board for the pieces as well as a set of Chrisloid pool checkers from the American Checker Federation for use the leather board.  I'll take some more pics of the leather board when I get home from work this evening if you would like, and post them here. I'll use various sets of pieces and that may give folks a better idea of what it looks like.  In the meantime I am going to link my video about it. 

I for one, would love to see you bring them back, so I can know that I could replace it if I ever did spill coffee or red wine on it. 

Leather Chess Board Video Review

The first photo is very similar colors to the Drueke folding linen board, I like it.

What would the approximate price point be? 

Any chance of doing a vinyl board with the same backing as the thin mousepad boards?

I like the way mousepad boards lay but prefer the smoothness of the vinyl.

I bought some leather boards from ACE years ago. They were beautiful but I found it impossible to keep them free from dirt and ugly stains due to their suede-like texture.

I would buy a green one but I am sure postage to UK is too expensive.

I have one of these myself, the color scheme being cyan/white. Got it for cheap, although the main issue for me is the corners folding up.

Only a tiny segment, of an already small niche chess market will want a leather board nowadays as a novelty. And if it's priced above $50, the market gets EVEN SMALLER than that. There's one single person on Etsy selling rollable leather boards for an eye-popping $110. I think it's safe to assume that it's not that popular an item. FYI: if that board smells bad in any way, OMG you'll never hear the end of it. Walk away from this idea. Briskly.

I'd still probably buy one for $30-35. Definitely not for much more than that.

@ShelbyLohrman. How long ago did you last sell leather boards? Markets change with new products. 

You're comparing pricing of full sheets of quality leather (w/minimal flaws) to stitched together small leather squares? Hey if you got a hook-up, more power to you. But I'll believe it when I see it. Good luck!

I would love to see them return. 

I bought an older Chess Era board because I liked it so much. I would pay up to 50 or 60 dollars for a good full sized one (2.25 inch squares) in brown or green.

I like the idea. It gives a nice middle ground option for a traveling set. For when I want to bring over a nice wood set and don't wish to use a mousepad or carry the heavier stack board. 

Okay Shelby, here are more pics of my leather roll up board.  The waves in it look much worse in pictures than in person. They are not distracting and cause no problem playing chess. 
The first pic is HOS Championship pieces. 
The second pic is pool sized Chrisloid checkers from the American Checker Federation. 
The third is a Drueke set. (I believe) 

Sorry Shelby,  the only ACE pieces I have are the blue and yellow Susan Polgar Ultimate set.  I love them but they are hideous on this leather board. 😂