A fantasy battlefield chess-set for $1.65 million!

A fantasy battlefield chess-set for $1.65 million!

Yes, you read that right. New Orleans based antiques dealer M. S. Rau Antiques is offering a chess piece that actually costs $1.65 million. Yes, each piece of this set is created from 14 K gold and studded with precious stones, as you’d probably have guessed from the price tag, but that’s not the sole claim to fame. This fantasy chess set is an intricate, complex work of art depicting The Battle of Issus and each piece is created to resemble an actual figure from the historic fray between the League of Corinth and the Persian Army. Alexander the Great takes the place of the Greek king while the queen is represented by Athena. On the other side, there’s a figurine representing Darius III along with the winged Persian god of war. Created painstakingly across the length and breadth of 10 whole years, with 14000 man hours, this chess piece has each figure standing on a solid pink rhodonite (Greek side) or green malachite (Persian side) base that, when twisted, causes the figures to move! The ships oars row, archers ready their bows and horses shake their manes, even Alexander lowers his sword. So you have a real live battlefield right on your chess board! The chess board rests atop a custom made mahogany and leather-topped table, and comes with a pair of 19th-century leather upholstered chairs.  Bet you can’t wait to get your hands on it!