Auction Results

There was an auction of chess artifacts in conjunction with the CCI (Chess Collectors International) meeting in Florida in May (held in tandem with the U.S. Seniors Chess Championship). Here's some info on the auction: Art, Furniture and Exotic Chess Sets Lead The Way in a Fast Paced Spring in West Palm Beach West Palm Beach, FL (OPENPRESS) June 7, 2008 -- Brian Kogan, owner of Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches, certainly met his goal of the skillful merger of art and commerce in the three sales in his Gallery in March and May. Then the Gallery executed a complete change of direction and went from a broad based art form to a narrowly focused event to conduct the biennial auction of Chess Collectors International on May 1. This sale featured exotic chess sets, memorabilia and related ephemera from around the world. It was the first CCI sale to be held in the United States since 2002 and was conducted in conjunction with U.S. Seniors Open Chess Tournament held in Boca Raton. The 137 lots attracted 50 bidders to the room and had 82 online through LiveAuctioneers. The top lot was a unique Japanese 20th century carved ivory set. The two 3¼in tall kings were each signed with a red seal. One set of competitors was lightly stained and the other left natural ivory. Each figure represented an activity in traditional Japanese life. The king was a warlord, the queen held a box, the bishops were ninjas and the knights were samurai. With fitted box and carrying case, the set sold for $15,210. It was followed closely by a rare French/German “Dieppe” style carved bone figural set, 18th/19th century. Each figure was fitted with a leather hat and all figures were in period costume. Estimated at $6,000/$8,000, this popular set brought 20 bids and was a nice surprise closing online at $13,420. Most of the remainder of the lots sold in the $1,500 - $2,500 range.