All of the following styles of chess sets have been called "Barleycorn" at one time or another. This is the start of an attempt to systemise the naming of this type of set. I propose to call this style "Barleycorn standard". If you have an opinion as to the name of this or any other shown here then please make a suggestion.
Old English Ivory
Ropetwist king with Barleycorn Queen.
Old English bone
ropetwist?
Note the early style of English knight.
Old English Bone set, (1820 -1880)
Old English plain turned ivory set
This is an early English set and could resonably be called "Washington" Due to it's similarity to a set once owned by George W. Note the early shape of the knight and rook 1750 -1820?
Another Barleycorn It looks as if the rooks once had flags.
Fleet Street knights.
An unusual design with "van dyke" bases. Supplied by a Chess collector.
Another unusual set by the same collector. I would prefer to call this "paralell stem, rather than "upright".
Interesting "pearling" on the bases. The photographer has used a knight base and stem instead of a pawn. C'est la vie.
See next picture for the same set in the Jaques catalogue. Thanks to Prof Fersht and Henk for pointing this out, (hey, I'm busy ok?)
The written comments are from when I used the catalogue at the sale.
Yes, £1000 is what it made at the sale!! (I don't set the prices)
Yes, £220 + commision of 25%. I wouldn't pay £60 for it.
That "Hastilow manner" comment is nonsense of course
These are the sort of tools used to make the screw threads on these sets. The number on the shank denotes the threads per inch, (T.P.I.) that will be cut. (in this case 22)
