Rare "The Looney Trails" Chess Set Warner Bros. Kracov Individually Signed & Sculptured Figures Warner Bros. Start Price USD 14,500.00 Current Price USD 14,500.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Monday, November 17, 2008 End Time Thursday, January 08, 2009 Location Rocky Mountains See more about ' Rare "The Looney Trails" Chess Set Warner Bros. Kracov' Description    For your consideration is a limited edition 41/50, Warner Brothers David Kracov "The Looney Trails" clay figurine chess set. Individually artist signed pieces. This set was proudly displayed and does have some minor cosmetic problems. A few of the 32 figurines are repaired or missing small pieces.  I have shown examples of these in the last pictures. Please do google this amazing artist and this rare set. According to the David Kracov web site this set is valued at over $25,000.00. The set sold new in 1993 for $700.00 and sold out of all 50 sets in 2 days. The wood board is signed but barely readable as noted in the pictures. The chess set will be professionally wrapped and shipped in the original box and foam padding. Sold As-is. No Returns.   David Kracov is the only official licensed sculptor of Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera characters. With this honor and in his most unique style, David has been creating amazing one-of-a-kind and limited edition sculptures for over 10 years. It wasn't until 1993 when the journey of Kracov's rise to popularity began. The phrase "right place-right time" could not be more appropriately applied than to the discovery of Kracov's sculptures. On a Friday evening, in late April 1993, a gallery specializing in animation art, was having an opening of David Kracov's personal line of sculptures and one-of-a-kind chess sets. While waiting for his reservations at the restaurant next door, a buyer for the Warner Bros. Studio Stores, decided to pass the time walking through the gallery. He was so impressed with the style and subject matter of Kracov's sculptures that he immediately approached the gallery curator. Within days, Kracov was commissioned to create a limited edition chess set for the Warner Bros. Studio Stores. The chess set was titled "Looney Trails" and was produced in a limited edition of just 50. Each chess piece was hand-sculpted by Kracov. The 50 chess sets required almost eight months to complete. At $700 per set, all 50 sets were sold out within two days of their release. It was not long after that Kracov was contacted by Disney Studios to create sculptures of individual characters as well as chess sets for their galleries, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Tokyo Disneyland. Until 1996, all sculpture editions created by David were each, individually hand-sculpted. Although this was a labor-intensive task, David believed that each piece should be original and different. Like an original oil painting by master painters, where each brush stroke can be seen, leaving the viewer with a sense of the artist's thought process, the sculptures created by David show each and every fingerprint. The colors of the sculptures were the actual colors of the clay used by David. Like paints, the clays are mixed to create an endless palette of colors. Due to the demand for the sculptures and the time involved in creating each piece, David has limited his one-of-a-kind original sculptures to private commissions only, although he still designs and sculpts every piece in his collections. Now, the hand-sculpted originals are some of the most sought-after sculptures David has created. Due to the scarcity of pieces sculpted from 1993 - 96, the value of all sculptures has increased over 3500%! A chess set that originally sold for $700.00 in 1993, is now valued at over $25,000.00. I know its hard to buy something that you can't hold or touch. I do try to describe the items I sell as honestly and accurate as I would want, if I were buying the item. I also give close up pictures to help you in making that buying decision. If you still have questions please ask before bidding and I will answer asap. Please check out my feedback and bid with confidence.   If you are the Happy Bidder we will discuss shipping and insurance. Place a Bid!