I had seen this fascinating goban from Japan on eBay that shows a very pronounced grain (like extra-high figure curly or fiddleback maple) that has an almost OpArt effect when looking at it. I don't think I'd want to play on a goban that looks that "busy" but it is striking nonetheless. The auction goes up in less than a day, and I thought I'd share before it was gone.
Here's the link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Rarity-Tiger-pattern-Japanese-Go-Goban-IGO-Game-wooden-table-wood-board-/221555412177?pt=Games_US&hash=item3395bb4cd1 Enjoy!

Striking indeed, but I'd also find it a bit difficult to play on. Thanks for sharing it!

What an utterly beautiful piece of wood. Looks like it would have made an incredible looking guitar too.

_________________
Confucius in the Analects says "even playing go is better than eating chips in front of tv all day." -- kivi

Thinking on it further, I thought I should also include a couple of screensnips of the eBay posting for anyone interested in the future, since the listing will be gone from eBay's servers in a few weeks. Cheers!

I think it’s a beautiful piece of work (and nature, of course), and I’m quite sure the “psychedelic” patterns would probably quickly fade into the background once the first black and white stones have been played and created a much stronger contrast on its surface. If I were wealthy I’d have placed my bid.

_________________
“The only difference between me and a madman is that I’m not mad.” — Salvador Dali ★ Play a slooooow correspondence game with me on OGS?

I think I've seen this wood used for a pair of go bowls. If so, the eye-dazzling effect is even more pronounced in real life--it's almost like a hologram in that you feel you can look through the surface into the depths of the grain. It seems to move as you move your head.

That would be very disturbing for a go board, I feel. I wonder if this was made more for show? Someone got an amazing bargain there.