Small mixed English Staunton c1890

A case of buyer beware, especially when buying from someone who is not familiar with chess sets.  The photos all looked okay (but, again, someone who is not familiar with chess sets doesn't always take the "right" photos) - and the price was relatively low, so I hit the eBay "buy it now" button.

The set arrived a few days later, and I immediately spotted the problem.  Both queens and one black knight were weighted, but the rest of the set was not.  They are, to be fair to the seller, very good matches to the rest of the set, and I accepted a very small part refund to cover this flaw.  Apart from being weighted (which a non-expert seller is unlikely to pick up on), the colour of the black queen is significantly (to an experienced eye) darker than the rest of the black side, which has a very dark brown appearance (whether from faded stain or possibly the type of ebony wood used, if indeed it is ebony).

So...buyer beware!  Sometimes in the cut and thrust of eBay you end up hitting the "buy it now" button without adequate inspection or opportunity to ask the seller considered questions.  Most vintage or antique Staunton sets appearing on eBay with a "buy it now" option do, however, act like a piece of fresh meat tossed into a piranha infested pool...you don't have long!

Whilst similar to an Ayres set, there are no King side markings, so I will put this down as another "unknown" maker.