Creatures of the arctic, including bears, whales, eagles, seals, and walrus take center stage in this charming mid-20th-century chess set. As in Kholmogory, Russia, there were long traditions of bone and ivory carving in Alaska that artists adapted to creating trade items after contact with outside cultures. These included scrimshaw and small decorative items, and by the late 19th and early 20th centuries incorporated chess sets. This set embraces the unique qualities of walrus ivory, which often gains a yellow and white marbled quality with age, to depict the two opposing sides. This set is paired with an Inuit chessboard made of strips of woven fur. 5" x 7"
In 2015, the World Chess Hall of Fame premiered the exhibition "Encore! Ivory Chess Treasures from the John Crumiller Collection" focused on the most stunning ivory sets from one of the most extensive chess set collections in America.