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William F. Drueke began making quality chess sets and other games before World War I. This set of pieces is from the 1980s. Every manufacturer experiences the disappointments of mass production. There is a famous U.S. postage stamp where the airplane was printed upside down. This may have happened here. This set is most unusual. First, the pieces--the kings, queens, rooks, bishops and knights--are all "heavyweights," that is, from sets produced by Drueke with heavier weights. The pawns, however, are all standard weight pawns. As a result the set is about 34 ounces, lighter than a heavyweight set (usually about 40 ounces) but heavier than a standard set (usually about 24 ounces). But that is not all.
The White men are all swirled with with flourishes. These are in the plastic, not painted on. Apparently during the mixing process the resins did not blend perfectly, thus creating these odd patterns. They are found only in the White pieces; the Black men are all uniform. This did not happen often. This set is probably second of its kind that I have found, produced by a glitch in the manufacturing process. Some of the White men have dramatic flourishes, as the photographs show. The kings stand 3 5/8 inches tall with a base diameter of 1 1/2 inches. The felts are good, but several had to be replaced. We added an "El Leon" cigar box for easy storage. Yes, they all fit, as the photograph shows. Worth every penny.
We combine shipping! To combine, place all your purchases in the shopping cart and press "proceed to checkout." Follow us! We found a number of antique sets! We have an ongoing sale of 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st century chess clocks, books, and sets! Watch for our big sales!