The Camaratta Collection - The 1850 Morphy Series Chess Pieces - 4.4" King

The House of Staunton is proud to offer the 1850 Morphy Series Chess set from the Frank Camaratta Collection. A full club-sized Chess set, it features a 4.4" King with a 1.7" diameter base. The Chess pieces are hand carved by our master artisans and crafted out of the highest grade woods. The Chess pieces are heavily weighted with English leather embossed with Frank Camaratta's signature for the King's and the other pieces have luxurious billiard cloth base pads and a beautiful finish. The form, board presence and exquisite craftsmanship of these magnificent chessmen have been recaptured and are offered to you.

As with all of our Chess sets, the 1850 Morphy Series exemplifies a perfect combination of distinct beauty and functionality. It has been designed to withstand the rigors of practical play while maintaining an elegance which has become the hallmark of a House of Staunton chess set. The design, quality and craftsmanship of this set is UNMATCHED by any set of Chessmen in its price range. Nothing even comes close!

The Chessmen are new and each set consists of 34 Chessmen, including four Queens, a standard that was introduced by The House of Staunton in 1993.

Frank Camaratta, the Maestro, has been involved in the World of Chess for over 60 years. Initially a player, having achieved the rank of International Master, Frank broadened his horizons, involving himself in chess promotion & governance, chess collecting and chess design research. He also has produced several chess-related patents, the most significant of which is Time Delay. Frank is today considered the foremost authority of Jaques and other Staunton and pre-Staunton chessmen, having written numerous articles on the subject.

Mr. Camaratta founded The House of Staunton in 1990, primarily collecting and dealing in antique chess equipment. It was during that period that inspiration struck to instill Old world craftsmanship and pride into present-day chessmen. In pursuit of that goal, Frank retired from his position as an Engineering Director on the Space Shuttle Program in 1998 to devote full time to making his vision a reality, which he did after spending years of research and study in to Staunton and pre-Staunton designs. The House of Staunton has emerged as the World’s leading producer of Pre-Staunton and Staunton chessmen, as well as numerous artistically-inspired sets, which are unmatched in design, accuracy and craftsmanship.