Vintage and rare set probably from 1930-1960. The material from which the pieces are made is a kind of compound. It looks similar to plaster, but lighter. It reminds me a little of salt dough, which means it could be a chess set made of an organic composite material. The figures were not produced in a mould, because there are too many differences in the details between the individual pieces for that.

This can be seen, for example, in the bishops, which all look different. It indicates that each individual sculpture was handmade. The pieces themselves resemble comic or cartoon characters from the 1930s or 1940s. However, I have not yet been able to find a specific template after which they were modelled. The kings are about 12.8 cm or 5" tall. The faces of the characters and their postures are heavily exaggerated, as can be seen from some of the detail shots, e.g. red cheeks, red lips, black outlined eyes etc. On the back, the kings have a large coin with a dollar sign at their feet. All in all, an extremely unusual collector's item.

Many thanks to Holger Langer for the photos and the description.