Reproduction and Real Jaques of London Chess Set

TRUE!! There are a great number of sets currently being produced, that said in 50-100 years from now how many of those will have survived the passage of time and hard play?? Are you going to tell me that Jaques of London produced only *5*  Club Sets -- the official number that have been found -- or did he create more and due to hard play and the rages of time on 5 sets still remain? I suspect the latter: there were many, many more sets but most of those sets were simply lost or destroyed. Likewise, it is reasonable to assume,  that of the many sets created today will end up being lost or destroyed. 

Not really disagreeing with you, just saying that no-one really knows the future of any market. I understand from watching "Pawn Stars" that the value of some items (e.g. baseball cards, comics) went right up a few years ago and then went right down - nothing to do with supply, it was just fashion, and the 2008 crash.

Having said that, it would be interesting to know how many really top quality repro sets are being produced each year and how many Jaques sets were produced in each year. The former is probably commercially sensitive information and I suspect the latter is unknown.

In his book Alan Fersht estimates, based on sets numbering etc.,that between 400-800 Jaques sets were sold per annum from 1849 to 1859. Seems low to me but I'm no expert.

What do you think about this set and these knights?
https://www.houseofstaunton.com/the-camaratta-collection-the-1857-chess-congress-series-luxury-chess-pieces-4-4-king.html

 That’s a nice looking set.  And it is Ebony not Ebonized.

Remember it is a bigger set and needs a 2.5 inch square size.

Also with a sale discount, the price is not expensive.

If you decide to get it, let us know how you like it and give some pictures of it in your setting.

I am afraid that would be too tight.  The King base diameter is 1.9 inches or 48mm.  That would give you a size percentage of 87%.  The recommended percentage is between 72% and 80% at the highest.

Do you think that these pieces would be complimented by this board or would it be a mismatch?

https://www.houseofstaunton.com/olmo-burl-maple-signature-traditional-chess-board-gloss-finish.html

This would be a more understated alternative:

I don't think there is anything understated about that red board!  My opinion is that an antique repro set should go on a board that would also be remeniscent of the time period and what those pieces used to actually be played on.  That's just the direction I would go.  

Well, it depends on where you will be using it and of course on your personal preferences.

The first board would be more traditional.  The glossy finish could be too shiny for what you like.

The red one would also work very well, in my opinion.

Red is my favorite color and that red is not too gaudy.  I would pick the red one if it were me.

I vote for the olmo burl maple one, really nice for a veneered board

Oh! I just googled what veneered means. Those two are indeed glossy!

Would you give me some recommendations? Something suitable and traditional, also reasonably priced. 

Aren't many of the high end boards that use exotic woods made from veneers?

Absolute bargain at that price !! ..and the red board 😊

There's nothing wrong with veneered boards and they're probably the best route to get a really nice looking board for an affordable price.
However if you google "colorado woodworker" you'll see some seriously nice boards, but with prices to match. It's up to you of course, I hope to buy from Colorado Woodworker at some stage but now right now.

Yes they are, and with some of these woods becoming endangered perhaps veneered boards are the responsible choice.

@IpswichMatt
You are right. We can buy a Solid board in the price of veneered boards. 
https://www.etsy.com/in-en/shop/ColoradoWoodWorker

For some reason I associate the olmo burl with mid century modern opulence. 


I've seen Colorado Wood Worker on Etsy but they look too 'raw' for me. Also the prices go up considerably with bigger square sizes and shipping to EU

I bought this "rustic" board on Etsy from a german carpenter but it's too small for that 1857 HoS set 

Really?  High end veneer?  I'm thinking in terms of furniture.  Is your high end desk going to be a solid oak top or plywood covered in veneer?  

There is really no reason a veneer board should be expensive.  Cheap materials and easy construction.  

What a ridiculous statement !! I'm not even going to give you the benefit of any further input, suffice to say your comment is obviously an uneducated guess