My down-sizing pics.. Anybody else have any you want to share?

warren · January 2021

Near death experiences ... Don’t crossover, you can’t come back. If you do you weren’t dead.

Tony M · January 2021

I KNOW I was on a razors edge between moving on or coming back after a serious head impact.

I was given a choice through a voice that spoke into my head. A CHOICE.

I chose to come back.

I didn't see a tunnel with light at the end...I was a quick decider at that point in my life.

I FEEL if I chose to continue, I would've been dead in the water floating face down.

marvda1 · January 2021

you can donate chessmen to me

Tony M · January 2021

marvda1 wrote: »

you can donate chessmen to me

Can I put you in my will?

I'll tell you what, some of the finest chess pieces I have are plastic.

They're affordable and super detailed and heavy. 1st class plastic pieces. I have about 6 different sets ( a couple of sets are smaller ) in 4 colors I believe. Have you seen these? I bought mine years ago WHEN the draw-string felt bags were included.

https://www.houseofstaunton.com/the-collector-series-plastic-chessmen-4-0-king.html

These bags are really nice too for only 6.00 ea.

I have also bought some nice wooden sets from them years ago.

motorstereo · January 2021

Great job; keep up the good work as I know to how good it feels to see all that extra gear leave.
I dug up a couple pics from the mess I had a few years ago. It is a lot of work it is to go through it and re-home but soooo worth the end result

marvda1 · January 2021

Tony M wrote: »

marvda1 wrote: »

you can donate chessmen to me

Can I put you in my will?

I'll tell you what, some of the finest chess pieces I have are plastic.

They're affordable and super detailed and heavy. 1st class plastic pieces. I have about 6 different sets ( a couple of sets are smaller ) in 4 colors I believe. Have you seen these? I bought mine years ago WHEN the draw-string felt bags were included.

https://www.houseofstaunton.com/the-collector-series-plastic-chessmen-4-0-king.html

These bags are really nice too for only 6.00 ea.

I have also bought some nice wooden sets from them years ago.

I have these plus the same set in ebony.
https://www.royalchessmall.com/collections/chess-pieces/products/4-4-bridled-staunton-luxury-chess-pieces-only-set-lacquered-bud-rose-wood

Tony M · January 2021

NICE!

I bought a set or two sets of the bridled knight design also. That style was the FIRST style I paid good money for.

This set also came from The House of Staunton and also came in a nice little box. This is #29 of 50 sets he sold in this Rosewood wood for the dark side.
He called it the Brighton series back then. Now it's called "The Leicester Series".

It only comes in Ebonized Boxwood for the dark side now.

I think I only have one set with the bridled knight now that I've looked at two others I thought were. When that design came out...I HAD to own a set.

https://www.houseofstaunton.com/the-leicester-series-chess-pieces-4-0-king.html

I also bought back then, a set similar to the above but in Sheesham wood for the dark side. This set came from a eBay seller. When I saw this set in person, I bought another set and gave it to my sister's boyfriend of 40 years for Christmas. I also gave him a Drueke 2" size squares chess board too.

Now why there that Christmas, we played a game of chess using those pieces and board on his glass top dining table. The game got really intense. So after about 40 minutes I think it was, The thick glass table top CRACKED in two. One foot on my side to about 3 foot on his side, the crack went. The top was surrounded by wood and had a support or 2 under it so the glass stayed in place. That was one on the best games I think we both have ever played.

We were like these two men but much younger and also playing on A LOT bigger glass top table. Our four elbows were pressing down hard!

;

I think these guys look tense.

I like chess.

Tony M · January 2021

Just a minute ago, I thought...what if I put all the chess items from the 2 rolling racks I have out there and shelve them up on the wall now.

I'll clear a 16" x 40" of floor space. I want to keep the chess stuff for now anyway. Why not put them where the books were! Then donate those racks.

marvda1 · January 2021

do you think these are worth $300? the black pieces are not even ebony, they are ebonized boxwood. i can get $600 to $700 sets for 50% off at house of staunton.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZpFdvG-754

Tony M · January 2021

well...

I saw some H.O.S. chess sets at 50% off that are "as is / no refund" deals. Frank is an awesome guy and would probably look at a set to see if the colors match pretty well for the boxwood pieces. Maybe not...

World chess federation pieces have generally been ehhh to me. Those knights are so basic with very little detail. the other set he showed had a bland knight too. The third one had some detail and wasn't that basic anymore. It looked good.

I noticed when ever a set was used in a certain year's championship, the price goes up 25%. The DGT encoded pieces..$$$$$..

I don't want to buy them since my "Better" sets are just fine at 1/4 the price.

Then there's Better and then Best.

I think the players play so fast during those championships, detailed pieces aren't necessary at all.
Fischer vs. Spassky used bland knights back then too. You'd think at that level, they'd break out the Ivory pieces.

Now "Studio Ann Carlton" chess pieces are usually $$$. I wanted to buy a few sets from them over the years but have yet too just because of the prices.

This set in the above video you showed is "distributed" by SAC. Co. Seems like a great name branding connection ploy going on here to add prominence.

The size of the set looks very nice. All the other pieces look pretty nice too. When the guy plunked the pieces down, they sounded heavy and quickly stuck to the board.

300.00 ? Depends on one's wallet I think. I'd shop at the other BIG sellers of sets to compare the facts. Height, style, detail of the knight and castle/rook and then the weight. Weight is very important to me too.

marvda1 · January 2021

i need to see and feel some of these sets in person, like what makes a set of men $1600 as opposed to $900 or $500. looking at them on screen they all look alike.

Tony M · January 2021

Look through the H. O. S. web site in the "Luxury Wood Chess Pieces". The site has those GREAT close-ups of everything you'd want to get close to.

The "Reg. Wood Pieces" pages have some beautiful pieces too.

They have flawless finishes and some weigh a staggering 80+ ounces.

The more carving a knight needs has a good influence on the whole set's price.

nooshinjohn · January 2021

marvda1 wrote: »

i need to see and feel some of these sets in person, like what makes a set of men $1600 as opposed to $900 or $500. looking at them on screen they all look alike.

Are they volunteers or conscripted?

BlueBirdMusic · January 2021

Tony,
I'll bet you never thought you would be opening a new flank in this thread when you started it regarding downsizing.

Tony M · February 2021

Did a little more last night;

I discovered this set in a box I hadn't opened in a long time. Leather bottoms and very heavy too. Look at the size of the rook and knight. Stout!

Next is to organize this corner where the chess rack was. There's one more chess rack in the corner, 3 bookcases and albums and cassettes and empty shelves up above.

I think I can eliminate one shelving unit.

Eliminating the next rack with chess sets and boards might be more challenging.

Tony M · February 2021

I emptied the second chess set/board rack today. That was quite the operation. I'm going out to finish the mission. I had to disassemble it some to remove it from the corner. I'm going to disassemble it some more to take it outside easier.

I knocked a cat rock off of a shelf around 4:PM and I thought it just nicked my toes. I just took my sock off and maybe I broke a toe. It swelled up since then and it's black and purple.

maxward · February 2021

That’s not good news! Hope it heals soon.

Tony M · February 2021

Thanks.

I went out and did a lot more tonight. My toe looks worse now.

I might have to take it easy for a couple of days...

This is the cat rock that fell from the shelf;

It was here;

BlueFox · February 2021

I hope you soon recover. Being injured sucks. And thanks. I was wondering what a cat rock is.

BlueBirdMusic · February 2021

Tony M wrote: »

Thanks.

This is the cat rock that fell from the shelf;

Here is my cat rock. I had three different sized ones with cats in different poses and colors, but I gave them away to cat lover friends. This woman used river rocks, and she told me when she looked at a rock, she could see a cat. Her name Mary "Cat Rock Lady" Baerenwald.

Tony, by any chance was your rock painted by the same woman?

Hope your toe gets better fast. Cat rocks can be dangerous.

Tony M · February 2021

LOL.
It seems even "cat rocks" can attack us.

I'll go check now...

Unfortunately there's no name anywhere. There's glue residue on the bottom from where a rectangular sticker once was. I got mine from Goodwill for 2.99. This cat is very well done. The white hairs / feelers are scraped into the rock. I guess the artist used a Dremel tool.

I'm pretty sure this is a big river rock too. I think it's lead

My toe, next to the pinky is the same as it was when I came in last night. There's no heat and I can still walk on the foot. I am trying to be easy on the pressure with each step.

Tony M · February 2021

Here's a few more pics. moving the 2nd chess set/board rack. I dismantled the 2nd rack. I'll probably dismantle the 1st one too.

I had to slide the sets out from the sides. Some boards had to come from the front of the rack as did all the wood shelves the stuff sat on.

BlueMDPicker · February 2021

Tony M wrote: »

Thanks.

I went out and did a lot more tonight. My toe looks worse now. I might have to take it easy for a couple of days...

This is the cat rock that fell from the shelf;

Darn it! I was hoping that photo sequence would include you smacking the cat rock with the hammer.

By chance, do you have a steamroller behind the cottage? You could give ole' "Rocky" the early Letterman treatment.

Tony M · February 2021

I was then able to finish dismantling it.

Floor space...

Tony M · February 2021

Now to fill it with speakers I want to listen to later. I re-foamed those woofers on both sets.

My frankinfinity's. Craig's list buy. 50.00 with a receiver, rack and something else..CD player I think. They do sound great. It's those tweeters. No grills though.

Taking that chess rack out freed up enough space for those 3 sets of speakers to be placed there instead of out in the room.

Some Krystonia figurines finished the newfound space.

Tony M · February 2021

Tony M · February 2021

Somebody might buy this little set of Polks...

Tony M · February 2021

The little ones in front of the stereo cabinet are for sale. Not any of the other Polk's.

Here's how some of the A/C wall looks right now. Still shelving space available on that wall.

Tony M · February 2021

BlueMDPicker wrote: »

Tony M wrote: »

Thanks.

I went out and did a lot more tonight. My toe looks worse now. I might have to take it easy for a couple of days...

This is the cat rock that fell from the shelf;

Darn it! I was hoping that photo sequence would include you smacking the cat rock with the hammer.

By chance, do you have a steamroller behind the cottage? You could give ole' "Rocky" the early Letterman treatment.

I should've hit it with the hammer! I just had the hammer there and used it for scale.

Tony M · February 2021

My down-sizing pics.. Anybody else have any you want to share?

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