Six Things that Make One Wooden Chess Set More Expensive Than Another
Everything else being equal, the physical factors that most determine the difference in price between one wooden chess set (chessmen, only) and another are as follows:
1) Wood type: The more “exotic” the wood the higher the cost. For example, ebony is much more rare than maple. Just like gold is more rare than silver, and therefore more valuable, a wooden chess set that contains pieces made from ebony will cost more, usually a lot more, than those made from maple. Knowing the different types of wood used to produce chess pieces will go a long way in helping you to determine the value of any particular chess set.
2) Workability: The harder the wood the more difficult it is to work with (carve). Some woods e.g. ebony and rosewood are more difficult to work. As a result, more time is needed to produce a quality chess piece. Much like everything else, the more time it takes to produce the more it costs.
3) Size: The bigger the chess pieces the more they will cost. It’s sort of like the “Super Sized” fries at Mickey D’s costing you a little more. Therefore, a four-inch rosewood chess set costs more that three-inch rosewood chess set. The more material, the more cost. Again, everything else being equal.
4) Details: The finer and more intricate the carved details of a chess piece, the more expensive it will be. The best examples of this can be found in the details of a particular chess set’s knight, the king’s crown, the queen’s coronet, and the bishop’s hat.
5) Weight: Wooden chess pieces come either weighted or not. For reasons of balance and stability, your better chess pieces are weighted. Weighting can be done by placing “washer-type” metal discs into the hollowed out bases of chess pieces. Sets vary in weight depending on how many discs are placed in the base. Typically, pieces are single, double, or triple weighted. Outside of the cost of the metal itself there’s another cost factor that weighted chess pieces incur: they weigh more so they’re more expensive to ship. This too adds to the overall cost of a chess set.
6) Extras: A set of extra queens adds to the price of chess set. Think of it like buying an extra spare tire with a new car. More product, higher price. Also, leather padded chessmen bases cost more than felt padded bases. Which leads us to cloth-felt padded bases costing more than paper-felted bases.
So, there you have it. In no particualr order and in a nutshell I might add. I didn’t go into the details of the details for reasons of brevity. However, if you’d like to know more about these subjects please feel free to contact me. I am always happy to talk about chess sets. I can be contacted through or web site or at info(at)YourChessSet.com.
