Chess clock for sale – for collectors and historians

The House of Staunton is offering one of the two remaining official Jaques London Congress Chess Timers used in the 1927 Capablanca-Alekhine match in Buenos Aires.

The clock was acquired by the Club Argentino de Ajedrez around 1905 and was one of the three Jaques Congress timers used during the 1927 match – according to the owners for games 15-34. It has been recently restored and serviced by the top clocksmith in Argentina.

The Timer that is being offered on eBay by the Hous of Staunton is one of the original three used for the match and the only one that will be offered for sale. The Timer used for games 7-13 was sold last year, the remaining Timer, which was used in games 1-6, will not be sold, but retained by the club. Images of the clock, table, chairs, players and chessmen can be found in this Spanish language ChessBase report.

The clock, with the original chess pieces and table used during the match

The setup as displayed in the Club Argentino de Ajedrez in Buenos Aires

The clock that is being offered for sale comes with a letter of authenticity from the club. The letter is signed by the President of the club as well as its historian. The clock was also used in various simultaneous exhibitions including those given by Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, and Tartakower. The clock was retired in 1955 after the club aquired a new home, and it was placed in a safe.

EBay offer of the Capablanca-Alekhine clock
At the time of writing there have been two bids for the clock and the price is now US $142.50. But don't expect to get it for a bargain price. Experts expect the bidding to go into five-digit figures.