Here is a chess set for which the late Nicholas Lanier coined the term "Onion Top" due to the peculiar shape of the kings' crown. Some collectors have assumed these sets were made in Austria without giving any further evidence. To me, these sets do not show any particular similarity to the well known coffee house sets popular in Austria. But they do show some comparable features of 19th and early 20th century German sets, inter alia the rounded shape of the kings' crown, which makes me believe these were made in (South) Germany rather than Austria (which is in line with the assumption of Nicholas Lanier, who always described these sets as being of German origin).

The pieces are made of wood, one side ebonized, and unweighted. King size is 11.75 cm (4.6"). The black king has a bit of a lean in the upper part. The most interesting feature are the knights, which are made of two pieces, a turned wooden base and an upper part, which is made of some kind of composite. Nicholas Lanier speculated that this could be papier maché, which is very likely when comparing the appearance to papier maché sculptures and toys from the same period. However, the material also bears a lot of similarity with the Xylonite knights in some BCC sets, so it could also be a sort of early plastic, i.e. Celluloid. It is what makes this set both very special and rare.