Set Identification & Restoration Advice

[u/HereForMooreInfo]

Edit: Found a similar set from 1940’s??

We recently acquired this set off of marketplace and I want to confirm that it is a French Lardy set. The king is about 4 inches tall, the knight pictured looks like the other Lardy knights. What I can’t find is age - any ideas? I also want to replace the felt since it’s missing on quite a few pieces. But I’ve seen some debate about glues to use. Is there a preferred type?

Thanks for any insight!

[u/BackToTheBasic]

Hey, nice set! If it’s actually a 4” and not 3.75” king, that’s a particularly good score! The vintage French sets this size are harder to come by. It could be Lardy, it could also be a Chavet. It can be pretty difficult to discern these set makers from one another. Some are more clearly one maker or the other, some are more ambiguous. But I would call it a set from Dortan, France. For felt, get a cutting of billiard baize, preferably 100% wool if you can find it. Craft felt is often too thick. Elmer’s All-Purpose glue is good for this. Spread very thinly and evenly on base of piece. Too much glue will oversaturate and harden the baize.

[u/HereForMooreInfo → u/BackToTheBasic]

Thank you for the reply! The king is actually 4.12” and we got the set for $40 with the board! After playing with our little unweighted plastic pieces these seem almost comical. The only reason I was thinking Lardy over Chavet is the knight, but ultimately it doesn’t really matter since we’re not trying to sell it. 

[u/BackToTheBasic → u/HereForMooreInfo]

That’s my favorite size and $40 is a great score. Determining maker is more nuanced than just the knights on the sets from Dortan. Feel free to message me if you want.

[u/Efficient_Depth_6009]

I saw that knight and immediately ran in the basement to grab my dad's old set... nearly identical... doesn't have the teeth grooved like the image but the rest of the carving looks similar... the remaining pieces have the same turnings, the king is only 3.53" tall, Ø1.43 base.... some of the weights rattle.... most of the black pieces have the black finish wearing off the high spots..... even the box looks similar... doesn't say Made in France but it's at least as old as me... almost 70 years... It's amazing to me that a set may be identified without markings!