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Lot 55

Wooden Chess Box – Cyprus Detention Camps, 1947/1948

Chess box made in the detention camps in Cyprus, 5708 (1947/1948).
Fine wooden box. The lid doubles as a chess board and is inscribed on the margins "Souvenir from Cyprus / 5708" (Hebrew); edges with barbed wire pattern. Lined with fabric. A handwritten inscription on the underside reads "To Shayke, a souvenir from the Movement in Cyprus" (Hebrew).
The box contains a set of chess pieces (made of Bakelite). The black king piece is surmounted by a white Star of David (decoration missing on the white king piece).
Box: 15.5X15.5 cm. Height: 3 cm. Height of pieces: approx. 1.5 cm. to 3 cm. Good condition. One black pawn missing. Minor blemishes to game pieces.
Provenance: The Rimon Family Collection.