Looking at buying this Goban

balistic · #1

So i see this Goban listed for sale and its in the next state over so i can't inspect it.
I'm looking at it thinking, that's pretty cheap. It's $200 for the lot.

The Goban however is painted black on two sides :scratch:

i'm not sure what it's made of or if it's veneered. It's been described as vintage but the skeptic within me is wondering just how vintage it is.

So can someone who knows about this kind of stuff please tell me if it's a dud or not by these pictures? It would be my first goban.

1. what do you think the goban is made of and does it justify the cost?
2. What are the bowls and stones made of and worth?
3. $200 deal or no deal?

Thanks for any help~! :clap:

p.s. The board is 15cm thick

UPDATE: I asked the owner if it was veneered or even painted on top and they said it was not. Please help me guys

tchan001 · #2

It's hard to say how vintage the set is from the pictures but you can't really say that it has darkened much with age. I would guess it might be kaya (if you are lucky) or shin-kaya but it's difficult to really say what the wood is. You can't really see the grains of the goban well enough to say anything about cut. With the ends painted black, I wouldn't expect the best cut of wood though. It doesn't look veneered. The legs look simpler than modern japanese floor gobans and there doesn't appear to be a pyramid cut at the bottom. Compare with the pictures and information on goban from kurokigoishi.
The go bowls look like they are made from perhaps kuri.
The stones are thin stones and you can't see the lines to determine the grade. But you should at least ask the seller how many black and white stones there are in the set. A normal full set would have 181 black and 180 white stone but vintage sets tend to have several missing due to breakage and loss, etc.

In my opinion, it may not be a set you would dream about, but for $200 it seems reasonable for a whole set that you could enjoy studying and playing with. You should perhaps inquire about shipping costs as floor boards are quite heavy and will be a significant part of the total cost.

xed_over · #3

I'd buy it for $200.

in fact, if my wife discovers the offer, she might outbid you for it

balistic · #4

Thanks for the replies so far

I asked the seller and they said there was in fact the full 181/180 "stones"

They are asking $20 for postage.

Another goban i spotted is this one.

Its going for $100 and is $50 postage but it's thinner at 8.89 cm and has no stones or bowls.

What do you guys think, is this a better quality board?

tchan001 · #5

For $220 vs $150 for product including postage, I'd take the first one because you'd have a fairly decent set to play with for a very reasonable price. With the other, you'd need to find another source for the bowls and stones. I would also prefer a lighter looking board because the black stones would stick out more against the background.
Compare it with my fairly old goban and you'll see that even for a well aged kaya board, it's not as dark as the second board you are looking at.

balistic · #6

thanks tchan001, i think i will get it :tmbup:

Your goban is beautiful by the way

Update: Bought it, it's on it's way :salute:

Looking at buying this Goban

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