The article includes interesting picture of an almost-Staunton set where the King does not have a cross on top.
Just the facts here, more commentary in the Pit.
Since there is a thread in the Pit, made by you, and this one would probably just evolve into the same type of discussion, I’m going to close this.
If you would like a serious discussion (that doesn’t include Pit rules) on the subject, I’d think Great Debates would be a better fit.