A rare specimen of the German "self-righting chessmen" made by Ludwig Sigismund Schmitthenner with a King size of 62 mm. The pieces are made of boxwood, one side natural, the other side stained black. The bases are filled with lead, which provides for the pieces to retain an upright position, even if moved or accidentally knocked over, hence their description as "self-righting" chessmen. This style of Schmitthenner chessmen is similar to the non-Staunton design shown in the patent application. The set was also made in slightly larger size in the Staunton design, an example of this is shown here together with additional information on the maker.