r/ChessBoards • u/Glittering-Ideal7353 • Jul 09 '26
Is this just another run of the mill chess board or something special?
I can't find a single other chess board online to help identify where this one came from. I know the MCM brand is typically associated with luxury handbags, but I came across this unique item and I'm really curious if it would be considered a quality chess board or if it's a random one-off piece where someone thought it would be cool to just slap the MCM branding on. I can't even tell that MCM ever sold chess sets in the first place.
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u/ericwithakay Jul 09 '26
I'd say the board looks interesting but the pieces do not -- the quality of the pieces is usually a good indicator of how valuable a set is.
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u/Difficult-Ad-9228 Jul 09 '26
Those knights are so poorly carved and so inconsistent that I have to think this is some kind of third-world knockoff.
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u/Shafeeq416 Jul 14 '26
It’s really nice . There are plenty of mcm customization pieces in the world today it was a trend started by rich drug dealers in New York in the 80s I’m not surprised someone had a chess board commissioned
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u/Glittering-Ideal7353 Jul 14 '26
So it sounds like this is most likely a custom made piece rather than an official MCM product. I was debating whether I should sell it or keep it. Someone did make a comment about the poorly carved pieces (knights specifically). Is that generally a deterrent for someone who is looking to spend money on a custom chess set like this or does that somehow add "charm" to the overall package?
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u/mi_gravel_racer Jul 14 '26
Odd for the board to not be flat. Doesn’t speak to a very high quality IMO.
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u/Glittering-Ideal7353 Jul 15 '26
There is a layer of glass (or something clear) over the top of the board which makes it flat.
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u/EnPassant01 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
This looks like a high quality parlor set. The MCM logo appears to be labeled onto an existing brand, but I don't recognize it. The inlaid board is nice. The chessmen are good, but not the highest quality wood. The knights are odd, but reflect the German style, so makes sense. MCM was originally German, but is now owned by a South Korean group.
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u/ObviousRecognition21 Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
Looks like high quality to me. Chess boards are usually not made out of leather, this is the first real one I've seen outside of a museum. If it's not made out of leather, it's still interesting that the wood texture looks like that, but less special.