Tagua Nut Staunton Chess Set, late 19th / early 20th century

Tagua Nut Staunton Chess Set, late 19th / early 20th century

Antique English Chess Set produced in the late 19th or early 20th century. The pieces are made from tagua nut, one side left natural, the other side stained in red. Tagua nut is the white endosperm of the seeds of certain palm trees, which mainly grow in South America, especially in the Upper Amazonas region. When tagua nut is harvested, it is soft, but when dryed it hardens to a very dense consistency similar to animal ivory. This is the reason tagua nut is also called vegetable ivory. In the late 19th century it was imported from South America and widely used in Great Britain for the production of buttons (in this case called "corozo" or "corosso"), but also for making jewellery, dice, cane handles, knife handles and last not least chess sets. 

All pieces are made from several parts screwed together. The kings stand 2.4". The red Queen and a white Pawn are missing the top finial, but apart from that the set is in good condition. The set is shown on a leather folding board from approximately the same period which resembles two book spines with the imprint "Hist. of China" when folded.
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