Reproduction and Real Jaques of London Chess Set

Piano finishes have up to 50 coats of some kind of polish. 

Probably shellac. French Polishing is the process of applying layers of shellac to something. If the wood is smooth, and if a lot of layers are applied then a beautiful glass-like finish can be achieved - if you're sufficiently skilled. I'd like to be able to do it - I've had a go but it's tricky.

Shellac is a natural substance, extracted from some type of beetle.

Ah, well, beetles!  They should be natural and therefore preferable to toxic polymers, right?  But then, there are toxic beetles, I think

Ah, well, beetles!  They should be natural and therefore preferable to toxic polymers, right?  But then, there are toxic beetles, I think

I'm drooling over the set and that gorgeous custom board.....Someone,please pass me the spit bucket.

I'm an idiot, so I'm hung up on people spilling Coffee instead of beer.

Information in this post may outdated due to the original poster retiring their account.

It seems like these sets are important enough and popular enough to warrant their own thread.  I'm especially interested in discussing the 4.4" club sized sets made from 1849 til the early 1900s.  It seems these sets are the "Ultimate" chess set to own in many people's opinion, including my own.  But if you think otherwise I'd love to hear your opinion about it!

Now, real vintage Jaques sets range in price from "whoah that's expensive" to "that's more than I make in a year".  If you can find them for sale. For reference, here is the original 1849 set, photo credit Jon Crumiller from crumiller.com:
There are several reproductions available on the internet right now.  Let's examine them, and talk about the accuracy, cost, and any personal experiences.

The Chesss Piece offers this set:
http://www.thechesspiece.com/proddetail.asp?prod=The-Original-Staunton-antiqued-in-ebony-and-antiqued-boxwood
Looks like a pretty good match.  The Queen is appropriately short, as is the Rook.  And at 84 ounces it is well weighted, as it should be according to Alan Dewey who calls the original "massively weighted" (I don't know the actual weight of the real Jaques).  The antiqued wood is a nice touch. Price is $399.  A little high, but reasonable.

Next is The Chess Store's "1849 Heirloom Staunton Chess Set"  in antiqued boxwood and ebony.

Here

Note here that the Rook is incorrectly taller than the Knight.  The only Jacques sets with tall Rooks like this were made of ivory rather than wood.  Perhaps they used an ivory set as reference material.  So it is up to the buyer to decide how he likes it.  The same is true here for the Queen being almost as tall as the king.  The overall weight for this set is not listed, but there are good reviews on the site.  Note also that The Chess Store offers 1850 and 1851 varieties of this design with small differences.  The prices range from $200 to $600, with the seeminly unpopular 1851 being offered in the 4" size at the lowest price (perhaps because of the rather fat jowled knight piece).

House of Staunton offers its version, called "The Collector Series".
http://www.houseofstaunton.com/the-collector-series-luxury-chess-set-4-4-king.html
Not as explicitly marketed as a reproduction, but nonetheless the marketing materials reference " The Collector Series Luxury Chess set has been crafted to replicate the design and proportions of the original Staunton pattern Chessmen, registered by Nathaniel Cooke in March of 1849 and first manufactured by Jaques of London in September 1849".  This set is unique among the options here in that it is readily available in Boxwood and Shesham in addition to the standard boxwood/ebony combo.  There is a lot to be said about House of Staunton in terms of quality and communication, and I recommend you read some of the other threads in this forum to make your conclusions.  The price here is $799.  Quite high for a set that doesn't truly replicate the pieces to the level of the others shown here.  But HOS pieces have their own pedigree at this point, especially this series, and it will be a numbered set.  Note that this set does include the Kingside Rook and Knight stamping, not available on any other set featured so far. 

Chess Bazaar has entered the market with its attempt at a true 1849 restoration, and it is looking good so far.
http://www.chessbazaar.com/the-reproduction-staunton-series-1849-j-jaques-pattern-chess-pieces-in-antiqued-box-wood-ebony-4-4-king.html

Rumor has it this set is being refined with the advisory of reknowned master wood turner, restorer, and chess historian Alan Dewey.  If this is true this set could surpass all others. But that remains to be seen.  At $250 the price is certainly right, and there is even the option for non-antiqued boxwood if you really want the real deal and want to wait around 100 years for the proper patina to set in ;).  The set weight of 77 ounces is nothing to sneer at, but couldn't it be heavier?  (or perhaps the old Jaques were lighter than I think?).

Finally there is a lesser known company out there called Amritsar Ivory Works.  They do not have much of an online presence, instead serving as a manufacturer for some of the bigger chess distributors around the world.  However, after a little communication with the owner, he sent me this interesting photograph:
Now it is my sneaking suspicion that this is a "real" Jaques set, in that Amritsar is the company making the officially licensed reproductions for Jaques (I'll get to that in a moment!).  The only thing missing is the stamp on the bottom of each king, the Kingside Rook and Knight Stamps, and all the fancy accoutrements that come along with the ones you buy straight from Jaques.  This set has also been given the antiqued wood appearance treatment, but seemingly to a much more convincing degree.  It really looks a century old!

Speaking of real Jaques...
http://www.jaqueslondon.co.uk/staunton-chess-set-mahogany.html
If you want to dig deep in your pockets you can own an official Jaques continuation of the 1849 pattern.  Not a reproduction (no antiqued wood), but the same set, only made 165 years after.  The accuracy seems good, but not perfect, and certainly not as close as some of the others here.  Especially look at the pawns.  Those colllars look far too sturdy.  Price is £2,999.99, or $5,142.   Yikes.  But something tells me these photos might be misleading, and the reality is you're going to get the same set from Amritsar I linked above, which although it might be very nice and amazingly accurate, I don't see how anyone can justify the price for what amounts to a piece of paper and a little stamp. 

And of course, the real deal:
Another 1849, this time owned by Alan Dewey.  Occasionally he restores old sets and sells them on his ebay site.  The price matches the quality of his work, which is to say it is up to a very high standard.  But still less than the $5k you're going to spend on buying a new Jaques.  Worth it?  Worth every penny imo.  If I had the cash I'd buy from him in a second. 

So what do you guys think? See anything I'm dead wrong about? Are you as obsessed with this particular set as I am?  Or do you hate it?  Any experiences playing on one? 

Information in this post may outdated due to the original poster retiring their account.

"Speaking of real Jaques...
http://www.jaqueslondon.co.uk/staunton-chess-set-mahogany.html
If you want to dig deep in your pockets you can own an official Jaques continuation of the 1849 pattern.  Not a reproduction (no antiqued wood), but the same set, only made 165 years after."

Hummmmm. Sorry to tell you this: A reproduction is a reproduction -- it does not matter who makes the reproduction, it is still a reproduction; that Jaques is reproducing their own 1849 set  makes it a Jaques 2022 set, NOT an 1849 set. Now IF a Jaques made chess set is important to you, and if you have the deep pockets -- and no brains to go with those deep pockets -- then have at it. You are still buying a REPRODUCTION only this REPRODUCTION happens to be made by Jaques.

Here is the reality: Jaques is not the only game in town, indeed what you are buying is the Jaques name, and paying a premium, for a reproduction that is not as good as many of Jaques competitors. Indeed the Jaques "1849" and subsequent Jaques sets can't hold a candle to the many, many Staunton style  sets that are being produced today! Indeed HOS blazing the trail of all modern Chess Sets being made today, so much so that *everyone* is copying the HOS sets.  Instead of buying sets that are ONLY made  in Boxwood and Ebony, now you can buy chess sets made in some rather exotic woods that Jaques never considered. Indeed I own one of HOS Collector Series sets, not in Boxwood and Ebony, but rather in Boxwood and Rosewood. Check out their https://www.houseofstaunton.com/the-exotique-imperial-collector-series-luxury-chess-pieces-4-0.html and if you like 4.4 kings check out their https://www.houseofstaunton.com/chess-pieces/luxury-wood-chess-pieces/the-exotique-collectiontm-imperial-collector-series-chess-pieces-4-4-king.html And instead of geting a PAPER certificate, HOS includes a BRASS Plaque with their Luxury sets. My set is a one of a kind, is registered to me, and is Numbered!

Sorry, an 1849 reproduction set is still a reproduction, even if it is made by Jaques. The HOS is the Jaques of today. You can buy a far better set, at a fraction of the price you would pay for a genuine Jaques, 1849 set.