The 5 Most Expensive Antique Chess Sets in the World

As the fascination with chess spread from 7th century India to many corners of the world. Industries sprung up to cater to the increasing demand for elaborate chess sets crafted with ingenious skill and luxurious materials. For the leisured, intellectual, and high-ranking members of society who flocked to the board game. Chess sets became a way to showcase their status and rethink what the game could be.

Fortunately, some of the creations born from this exercise are still around today. These have now become priceless antiques. If you're looking for the most expensive antique chess sets to invest in. Or just curious about exquisite chess boards that money can buy.

So here is our roundup of sophisticated and valuable chess pieces that are worth every penny and more.

What Are the Most Expensive Antique Chess Sets in the World?

These are some of the world's most extravagant vintage chess sets. From minimalistic leather-bound sets that can fit in your pockets. To lavishly designed period pieces decked out in rare materials and semi-precious stones.

• The Emperors’ Chess Table — $$2,608,075.
• Battle of Issus Chess Set — $1,650,000.
• The Christian I Von Munch Chess Set —$547,192.
• Pagoda Figurines Chess Set — $Price: $262,600 - $393,900.
• Marcel Du Champ Pocket Chess Set — $200,000 - $300,000.

The Emperors’ Chess Table - $2,608,075

Designed in 1866 by Albert Williams, created by the award-winning Elkington & Co studio, and once owned by Tsar Alexander II. The Emperor's Chess Table is arguably the most expensive antique chess set available today. It sold for £1,986,500—equivalent to $2.6 million today— in a keenly contested auction by Christie's in 2014.

Beyond the prestige of its former owner, there's a lot to admire in this deluxe chess set, from its intricate design to the exceptional enameling techniques used to manufacture it.

Set in each corner of the chess table is a gold portrait roundel of some of history's great emperors. These symbolically represent the wit and military precision required to emerge the victor in a game of chess. The emperors depicted are Charlemagne, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, and Timur. 

The Emperor’s Chess Table is made of English silver, with electroplated silver-gilt, ebony, ivory, and enamel. Silver-gilt and enameled leaf-like patterns bring the chess pieces to life. They take their place on a white and black chequered board. Which is glazed with enamel featuring gifted scrolls and a mix of purple, cream, and sky-blue champlevé along its border.

The set’s entire appearance invokes memories of Renaissance paintings. Its construction is a testament to its designers' and manufacturers' genius and craftsmanship.

Battle of Issus Chess Set - $1,650,000

Named after the epic battle between Alexander the Great and King Darius III of Persia. The Battle of Issus blends breathtaking artistry with history to create a one-of-a-kind chess set. It serves as a unique decorative piece and a functional game board.

In this stunning rendition of the battle, historical figures and structures of Persian and Greek origins claim spots on the board beside each king. In place of rooks and knights, it has columned temples and armored horsemen. Footmen with bows and swords clear paths and fend off attacks as pawns. Elaborately adorned elephants and warships travel diagonally in place of bishops. While the Persian god of war and Greek goddess of war watch over the battle as queens.

Every piece is impeccably made by a master jeweler over the course of a decade. This late 20th-century masterpiece features an array of precious gems and metals, further enriching the design with character and sparkle. This includes game pieces made of 14k gold. Chess Board squares crafted of green malachite and pink rhodonite. Sides sculpted from pure silver, and encrusting of enamel, turquoise, pearls, and rose quartz.

Unlike traditional chess boards and pieces that are static, the Battle of Issus set is imbued with mechanical complexity. By twisting the base of the board, you can make the pieces move. Alexander the Great can raise or lower his sword, the archers can aim, and the ships can sail as if on water.

The Christian I Von Munch Chess Set - $547,192

Made of carved ivory and ebony wood with a tortoiseshell veneer, silver foil trim, and precisely carved inlay of silver scrolls and stars, this 18th-century chess set captures the gaze at first sight.

The opposing sides of the set are carved from different materials. One set of pieces is made from ivory with silver-gilt bases represents the “Romans”. The other pair consists of ebonized wood with ebony and silver bases to depict the “Carthaginians”. These depictions pay homage to the long-lasting Punic wars fought between the two empires.

Each figurine, from the soldiers on horseback and elephants to the standing warriors, displays an astounding amount of intricate detail. In the hands of one of the bishops is a piece of paper believed to be the remnant of a signature belonging to the artist who sculpted the characters. Unfortunately, the sculptor's identity remains a mystery, contributing to the piece's allure.

Rumors are that this luxurious chess set was the property of by Christian I Von Munch. It sold at auction in 2018 for £416,750 ($547,192).

Pagoda Figurines Chess Set - $262,600 - $393,900

Believed to have originated sometime between 1720 - 1730 in Augsburg, Germany, from the workshop of Emmanuel Eichel and Johannes Mann, on commission by Fredrick Augustus III, this rare masterpiece is a nod to the oriental origins of the ancient game.

It is also one of the few surviving Silberkistler works, objects made by a specific group of artisans and cabinet makers specializing in veneering objects with a mix of techniques and exotic materials such as silver, marquetry, ivory, tortoiseshell, tortoiseshell, ebony, and semi-precious stones.

The contrasting colors of this antique chess set lend it an air of animation and intrigue. Silver and silver-gilt mounted brass, pewter, copper, and mother-of-pearl make up the chess board, with inlay marquetry superbly crafted with stained ivory. Some of the panels are marked with chinoiseries and paintings of mythological creatures and exotic animals to create a chequered pattern.

The white chess pieces use mother of pearl, with gold for the base and rock crystals decorating the upper extremity of the castles. For the black pieces, aventurine glass is mounted on silver gilt, with a base made of tortoiseshell, ebony for the knight heads, and polished jet blackamoor busts for the bishops.

Pagoda figurines — seated Chinese men — set in white Meissen porcelain represent the Kings and Queens. However, the pairs stand apart by faces and crowns made of aventurine glass for black and seed pearls with silver crowns for white. 

Marcel Du Champ Pocket Chess Set - $200,000 - $300,000

Several qualities make this chess set stand out and worth acquiring. Unlike most traditional chess boards and other antique chess sets on this list, This one is designed to fit inside a pocket for easy transportation and on-the-go gameplay. 

Also, it's a product of the mind of Marcel Duchamp, the revolutionary French painter, sculptor, and writer renowned for his seminal influence in the field of conceptual art and his contributions to 20th and 21st-century art development. Interestingly, Duchamp was also an ardent lover of chess and would go on to attain a Master title. He is also credited with creating a cryptic endgame problem that has perplexed grandmasters and endgame specialists to this day.

The Pocket Chess Set features a leather board with small pockets, or indents cut into it to hold the chess pieces printed on celluloid and secured using small pins to keep them in place during transport. 

A few dozen of this portable chess set were assembled while Duchamp was living in New York City in 1944. One of them he gifted to Harold M. Philips, former President of the United States Federation, and the Manhattan and Marshall Chess Clubs.

A Game For All Time

If these sets prove anything, it's that chess goes beyond a game used to kill time or hone strategic thinking; it carries cultural and historical significance. Unique, beautifully designed chess boards only get better with age. So they'll always be in demand and admired by enthusiasts and collectors who wish to marry the arresting worlds of gameplay and art.

So, if you're considering investing in an expensive antique chess set. Whether as an investment or as part of a prized collection, the right piece will hold and even increase its value over time.

This piece was originally written by Precious Arinze