Reproduction and Real Jaques of London Chess Set

Well, it is four stampings, not two. But count yourself lucky. HoS charges $100 to add kingside marks.

I can't even find the nose on the horse, lol.

The set is very nice looking IMO. This size is too big for my tastes. I will wait for the 3 1/2 inch King version. I would be real suprised if the sets do not sell out in a week.

Hope this helps.

Maybe Alan Dewey can comment on the knight since he is an expert in this field.

well, despite my misgivings about the knight in particular I went ahead and ordered one. Will post pics/opinions once I receive the set.

I was told lead weights before I ordered.  I would guess he did a screen copy as the picture of the set was rotating slowly on the CB site. Looks exactly like what they posted. 

Of course you can opt for this copy of the set, it does come with a mahogany box which is worth an extra $150.00  Same as the British site only in US$$ etc.  ONLY $5499.99 maybe they will give you a 10% discount if you ask nice.

http://www.jaquesamerica.com/staunton-chess-set-mahogany.html

That thing is just wrong. it have nostrils but have not nose, like a dolphin.

Im goign to call this the Chernobyl Horse.

I happen to like the set as is.  The rooks I thought are identical. Pawns are a bit thinner but alan even lieks them better and I think they look better too. You can view this set as a collectors item unto itself. 

Maybe it has to do with trademark laws with Jaques of London. I remember reading somewhere that HOS pays Jaques a fee to make reproductions. Perhaps if enough subtle changes are made no fee is required . I'm just recalling what I read. Tried to find the source again but couldn't find it.

Edit : The source about trademark could have been rubbish so take it with a grain of salt.

Hi Guys,

Well some people like them and some don't. Not a surprise really.

I think for purists the only option is to shell out up to 10 thousand dollars for an early example of a genuine 1849 or first year production Jaques 4.4"

These were many different styles of knights heads even in the first year of Jaques production of these sets. I have seen many variations some even with teeth in upper and lower jaws, some with short heads and some with long. even mixed in the same set. You can look on Alan Fersht's site for more info on this type of thing.

The point being that whoever carves the knights they are going to put their interptetation on it and there is no getting away from that. I have looked into getting the knights heads scanned and machine carved but it looks like the technology is not up to it yet. The other alternative is to have them cast but that is unlikely to be acceptable to most I think except for copies of the BCC set which is being considered by Vik and I and even then BCC offered wooden knights heads on the boxwood side as an optional upgrade.

I personally like the look of these knights heads. I do not rule out a redesign at some future date however it depends on the feedback from this first batch I guess.

This looks to me like a good fairly priced set suitable for home study and congress games. If every buyer keeps all documentation with their set, I think that in time these sets will become collectable too and provenance is the key.

The knights heads whilst a very important part of the set is not all that has to be considered. the rest of the pieces look well balanced to me and the antique staining is very well done.

The place for this set is with committed players and in use at congresses not in a cabinet for display only.

Unless there are quality control issues I think the buyers of these sets will come to love them. Just as the lucky (And wealthy) owners of early Jaques sets do warts and all. Have a look through Prof Fershts pictures of Jaques knights heads and you will see that consistancy was never their strong suit. I hope that with modern production methods and strict quality control that these old problems have and will be overcome.

Lastly, have a good look at the pictures before you buy and be sure this is the one you want as returning sets for a refund can take quite a while to complete satisfactoraly. Vik is your first port of call with queries but I will answer anyone who contacts me if I can help.

As always thanks for the insight Alan . Incredible looking set. Great price and the antique coloring is VERY nice. Might just have to buy one before my buddy does ;)

Are these Knights correct or not for the time period? I would think the Jaques trademark would have expired a long time ago except for the King side stampings.

I just got the email from CB announcing the set for sale for $350. I have seen previous posts regarding the weights on CB pieces. Does anyone know for sure what these are weighted with?

It's still a mystery what documentation we get with it besides a bill of sale?  Maybe expand of he documentaion a bit?  

Wiscmike said they are lead weighted which is good IMO. For 350.00 shipped free by Fedex it is a very good price IMO for such a large set. However, you will need a large board. I stick with standard pieces & boards but, thats just my personal preference.

Although $350 isn't cheap as there are many choice for a set similar in the $250-$400 range it isn't $2k to $5K either like you can drop at HOS or the Jacques site.  How much better do the sets get?  Same wood and yes they ALL dye their ebony black they have been doing so for years. if you think you are getting unstained ebony for 2K you are mistaken. I think this set wil be in demand in a few years and you will be proud to won it.

Hi 9kick9,

They are an interpretation of a vey early Jaques knight head. I sent a genuine Jaques knight head to Vik to be copied along with exact copies of the other pieces and accurate drawings.

This is the protoype which Vik sent to me for approval. It is as close to the production models as I think can be expected.

https://plus.google.com/photos/116152809472643080958/albums/6018470387104490385?banner=pwa