Official Staunton's New Leuchars Reproduction

 Chuck that set does have the new weighting system?  I think it does but not 100% sure, I know the 3 1/2 overstamped set coming in a few weeks will have it.

Thanks!

Hi Mike! It wasn't marketed as such, so I'd have to say no.

Interesting but not completely surprising given that Frank C claims ownership and or pre eminence to almost all staunton designs, you may find his comments useless and laughable at the same time. 

Frank Camaratta Your Leuchars is simply a copy of my Cooke set. The set you have copied is not the Leuchars. That's the difference. I know these designs, I just don't copy what someone else's work and add an incorrect label. I started the praxis of reintroducing the old world sets in 1996. It was a very expensive education requiring my purchasing and studying literally hundreds of these sets of all styles and periods. The fruits of my labor and financial investment has since been copied by everyone in India with a large and penknife who wouldn't know a Jaques Leuchars set if they fell over it. And, by the way, the Leuchars moinker was "borrowed" from the Camaratta Codex from the early 1990s which everyone now uses, but do not have a clue where it came from.

OS Leuchars 

HOS Cooke

The knights look nothing like each other. 

So HOS copied other people's work and now they complain that everyone is copying their copy. 

That's just not fair. 

Whoever makes the nicest copy at the best price is doing a good job. 

Bishop and Queen and King also besides the knight all different. 

When I look at a Jacques reproduction, or any other for that matter, I first look at the Bishops and Knights.  I also pay attention to the King and Queen tops, next.  Finally, the Rooks and Pawns get my attention.  I then look at the base size and set proportions of the set as a whole.

This Leuchars set by Carl is not like most any set from HoS.  The Bishop top is similar to HoS Morphy Series and only a few others including their plastic Zurich Series.  The other Bishop tops, like the one pictured above, are more oval.

Of course the Knight designs are quite different as well.

I bought a Leuchars set from Carl and it immediately went to the top 2 or 4 of my favorites, including my Noj sets.

This set handles and feels like the HoS Player Series, and I like the design better.  Since I play rated games with my sets I really want my sets to handle as well as look good.

There are also so many variations in pieces, even of the same year, in Jacques sets that any reproduction will have some resemblance to other originals and reproductions.

Suffice it to say that Carl has produced a real winner in this Leuchars set.

I don't know what Frank was thinking when he made that post.  His HOS Cooke and Carl's Leuchars set are quite different to my eyes.

I think it's safe to say Frank Camaratta doesn't know his own products very well. The picture attached is the New Cooke Series, not the Cooke series, the latter of which indeed features a very similar bishop to the one in Carl's set, but which is still markedly different otherwise. The below picture is of a Cooke Series HoS chess set:

There are similarities in a lot of the pieces, but I think that the queen's crown, altogether different knights and lower-looking bases give the OS Leuchars a very distinct appearance nonetheless.

Rook, Pawn, Knight and Bishop are totally different . Frank is wrong in his assertion that this set is a copy of his Cooke set....he also wrong to assert that the Leuchars or any other design is "his" to reproduce.  We will be continuing our efforts in supplying superlative chess sets at affordability, despite the obvious attempts from our competitors to discredit what we do. We, that is our companies make reproductions, so it goes without saying we will offer same/similar sets from time to time, that doesn't necessarily mean we or they have copied anything from each, we simply have the same goal, except we do not extort with our pricing. 

Not sure I fully follow the point being made by FC here. Even if the sets were exactly the same (which they clearly are not) both HOS & OS are effectively copying the work of others from 160+ years ago. Which is fine. People will buy the copy they like best but I don't think you can lay claim to any rights when your effort is a knock off in the first place. Nothing against HOS by the way, I have dealt with them in the past and found them to be very professional and to sell good products.

HOS do make a Leuchars and they offered their version prior to us. Ours is 3.75 Inch with stamping too.

Whats really puzzling is Frank C claiming ours is NOT a Leuchars because he really knows his chess piece designs, but here is his offering take from his website, ad the description: 

The House of Staunton is proud to offer another masterpiece - The Leuchars Timeless Series Chessmen. Part of our Timeless Collection, it is an exact reproduction of the Jaques of London Chessmen Circa 1849 Leuchars Staunton Pattern Chessmen

Hey cgrau, I am not really of fan of newly produced sets but this is impressive. Thanks for the pics. Beautiful.

Plus the HoS set will set you back major cash if you don't want your pieces to be lacquered black, which I think looks truly godawful. I am talking more than 500 USD for the Cooke series pieces for unlaquered wood. Compared to what Carl is asking, I think OS' pricing structure is more reasonable, especially for buyers in Europe, since shipping from HoS would be another 90 USD or so, and then there's customs...

Received my 3 3/4" Leuchars set from OS and it is beautifully done, expertly turned, carved and finished. Feels great in the hand moving the pieces. THis set will see lots of use as I want to make this my tournament set. WIll have to put a coat of museum wax on it before I bring it out to play for protection.  Then again maybe I only want to bring it to the chess club where I know responsible players will handle it. I would shudder in a tournament game , playing a stranger , and they smash one piece on another when capturing as  some do, DO not want dings in my pieces.

It was all you could ask for and then some for a set selling at this price range. I can imagine the 3 1/2" Leuchars that is coming out that will be much more detailed will be a super collectors set and will set out in a NY minute although it will be at a much higher price. OS and Carl keep up the great work.

My two cents:  OS used a photo of MY set without my permission to make copies.  That is not a public domain photo.  If they were US based I’d take a swing at them in court...