London Auction House Hosting Major Game-Related Sale

Bonhams in London, one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers, will hold its first-ever sale of items related to Chess and other board games on Tuesday, May 13. According to a press release, "Chess sets from almost every continent will be offered for sale by Bonhams, including an extremely rare ivory inlaid Backgammon and Chess board from Northern Italy and dated to circa 1500 -- the time of the Italian Renaissance." Its value is estimated at £8,000 to £12,000, or about $15,750 to $23,750.

Also on the list of items to be sold, according to the release, are:

• A circa 1830 Chinese Export Gaming Table from Canton mounted on a tripod base, richly inlaid with mother of pearl and delicately carved with dragons’ heads (£4,000 to £6,000, or $7,900 to $11,800).
• A circa 1900 Belgian Congo Tribal Chess Set in ebony and ivory, highly stylised with the king as a chieftan, bishops as witch doctors, and pawns as tribal elders (£800 to £1,200, or $1,575 to $2,375).
• A circa 1920 silver Chess set from Ecuador depicting Inca folklore figures (£700 to £900, or $1,375 to $1,775).
• A circa 1950 large Eskimo sperm whale ivory chess set in which knights are represented by dolphins, rooks by arctic hares, and the queen looks like Pierrot the clown with a ruff around her neck (£1,200 to £1,600, or $2,375 to $3,150).

The sale also will include a variety of other games, such as Mah-Jongg and Backgammon, rare playing cards and books. A complete listing of items to be sold is available online. It is possible to bid on items through the Bonhams web site.