The Lewis Chessmen

Katherine with Phil Pfeffer (Random House) and Kathryn Falk, Lady Barrow

My friend, Kathryn Falk, Lady Barrow, (Director of Romantic Times Magazine), convinced a group of us authors to contribute our names to the floor tiles when they were remodeling the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Hence I came in contact with one of my favorite chess sets, The Lewis Chessmen.

Just recently an Isle of Lewis chess piece surfaced — worth 1 million pounds!!

The newly discovered Lewis Chessman on display at Sotheby’s London.
(Image: Sotheby’s, Tristan Fewings)

Article from CBS News:

Chess piece missing for almost 200 years discovered in family’s drawer

A 900-year-old chess piece was identified after missing for almost 200 years. A family in Scotland’s capital city of Edinburgh kept the chessman in a drawer since 1964 with no details about the piece.

It was purchased for a few pounds by the family’s grandfather, an antique dealer, without knowing its value at the time, according to the BBC. The artifact was carved from walrus ivory during the 12th century and comes from the Viking era.

A total of 93 pieces were originally discovered in 1831 on Scotland’s Isle of Lewis. The incomplete set is held at the British Museum in London and the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh where five pieces still remain missing, according to The Associated Press.

Discover more about the Lewis Chessman from The National Museum of Scotland.

The 11 pieces of the Lewis Chessman held by the National Museum of Scotland.
(Image: National Museums Scotland)