First and foremost, this beautiful set is clearly WW2 / WWII themed, likely a naval battle in the Pacific if I had to hazard a guess. It's in superb vintage condition as the entire set (board, pieces, etc) were stored within the original Nigri outer box it was purchased in. It's an Italian import, hand carved and painted.
Once the outer box is removed, the 'actual' brown case and board are in excellent condition. Remove the board from the case, and the pieces are stored within with a plastic cover further protecting them.
As the board fits perfectly into the base, you can play either with the elevated base or with the thinner board directly on your table.
Each piece is hand carved and painted, and a stunning tribute to the US Navy. Each pawn a sailor, the rooks are warships roaring through the waves, the knights are fighter planes above roaring waves (and subtly horse head shaped). Captains as kings, nurses as queens, and what appear to be armed pilots (you may know better than I) as bishops. The entire set complete, and all elements in shockingly good condition for its age. The only flaw I can find (besides shelf wear to the outer box) is that one of the tiny tips of a bishop's gun appears to be missing, however it's so subtle I thought it was part of the carving process at first and does not take away from the set.
Overall I think you will be extremely happy with the vintage condition of the set, please see photos for exact condition as I try to take photos from every angle I could think of until I reached eBay's limit. If you're seriously interested in this, please review the photos provided, and if you need more, send me a message and I'll do my best to accommodate.
The sticker on the plastic cover for the pieces reads
NIGRI CREAZIONI ARTISTICHE
MADE IN ITALY
HAND CARVED
The rooks are clearly marked as US warships (battleships? Destroyers? I'm not sure).
The kings are 3" high. The squares are 1 3/8". The board is about 13" square, with base around 14", and with the outer protective box about 14.5" square. The board looks to be leather, but I cannot confirm.
This is the perfect set for any collector of chess sets or militaria in general. As a gift for the yourself or that service member in your life, it's a standout set worthy of both play and display.
As always, we go above and beyond to ensure vintage items like this arrive to you safe and sound.
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