Battling the boredom with vintage games
Enthusiasts investing in pricey sets that will last for the long-term
Jigsaw puzzles have received the lion’s share of the attention, but they aren’t the only oldschool game that’s experienced a renaissance during the pandemic self-isolation period. Board games such as chess and backgammon have jumped in popularity.
Even as lockdowns lift, fans are investing for the long-term, surfing the web to splash out on pricey vintage sets, rather than plastic stopgaps. Take the surge in online business reported by London-based Luke Honey, one of the world’s foremost collectibles dealers. Honey tells Pursuits that he sold four highpriced vintage chess sets in the last week alone; he estimates that his unit sales in such games is up by a third over the same period in 2019. Honey isn’t an outlier: Online antique marketplace 1stdibs has seen a similar uptick. According to data supplied by the firm, page views for vintage chess and backgammon sets were up 67 per cent in April versus a year earlier, and the posting of comparable sets for sale rose 180 per cent.
Honey explains that these seemingly similar games appeal to distinct markets. “You’re most likely to get a well-connected hedge funder buying a backgammon board, and a Silicon Valley computer guy buying a chess set,” he says. When backgammon was invented, it wasn’t for gambling, but the introduction of the doubling cube in the U.S. in the 1920s made wagers viable. (This is a numbered die that allows players to increase the point value of a game.) The doubling cube transformed the audience for backgammon, making it a high-stakes game players can win or lose quickly. Anyone gifted at math and comfortable with risk will be a natural at backgammon, which explains demand among Wall Streeters. Honey says many of his middleaged buyers refer to memories of childhood in the 1970s and early ’80s, when backgammon was the purview of playboys and “Playboy.” They recall how Roger Moore’s incarnation of James Bond memorably won a game over “Octopussy” villain Kamal Khan. Honey also points to the ads touting Hefner’s clubs, which showed a backgammon player surrounded by bunnies.
Vintage chess sets hold an entirely different appeal. Traditionally, they have been targeted by collectors who accrue dozens, perhaps hundreds, of boards. Playing chess is more a mental than a math challenge, so it’s long held brainfood-like appeal for Ivy League Silicon Valley types. They’re all keen to buy old games produced by a now-defunct British manufacturer: Jaques (pronounced Jakes), a games maker that also helped popularize croquet and table tennis.
Starting in 1849, Jaques began producing what are now called
Staunton sets. Named after a chess master of the era, they were noteworthy for standardizing design. Staunton established a profile for pieces that remains consistent today. It featured a magpie-like design instinct, borrowing such elements as the Masonic compass and ball (pawns) and the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum (knights). Jaques continued producing high-end chess sets until the Second World War, tweaking its design over time. The shapes and styles of each piece allow experts to accurately date them for collectors who love their unique attributes.
So if you’re stuck at home and inspired like so many others to test your chess or backgammon skills, we’ve collected some standout vintage pieces to consider.
Staunton chess sets, 1870-85 vs. 1920s and ’30s
These two sets show how collectors use the shapes of Staunton pieces to date them, as Honey explains. First, consider the knights, which were handcarved as opposed to produced with a template on a lathe; the profile changes subtly over the years. Prices: £1,100 ($1,870) and £1,550 ($2,630)
Selenus chess set
This set from Germany in the early 19th century shows how game pieces looked prior to the Staunton-induced global standard. It uses what’s called the Selenus pattern, then popular in Eastern Europe. Price: £850 ($1,440)
Gucci backgammon game
Alessandro Michele’s current incarnation of Gucci is an explicit nod to its 1970s heyday, when the jet set’s favourite brand produced playboy-targeted portable backgammon sets such as this one. Price: $8,770
Berluti leather backgammon set or chess set
Berluti is known for its bespoke leather goodies. It now produces games by special order, painstakingly assembled them by hand, using traditional techniques. Choose between a handmade backgammon set, made from patinated leather, ebony, and buffalo horn, or a leather and brushed stainless steel chess set. Prices: $14,030 for backgammon, $9,440 for chess