Reproduction and Real Jaques of London Chess Set

My experience with Jaques sets is that the quality is still very good.  Yes, they are made in India, but the quality of carving, fit of weighting, finish is better than most reproductions.  I understand that Camaratta is the engineer behind the modern Jaques sets, and I expect his high end reproductions are as well (better?) made.  However, the lower end HOS reproductions are not as fine as the expensive ones.

The antique Jaques set are artfully carved, and it seems to be difficult to copy those lines exactly.  I have a circa 1895 "Marshall" set that is fabulous, but the weights are lighter than today's reproductions, bases are not identical from pawn to pawn, bishop to bishop, etc., and the white boxwood pieces weigh less than the ebony black ones.  But, it's a piece of art.  Craftsmen today and then were artists.  Well made reproductions today are beautiful in their own right.  So, I don't think the value of Jaques or House of Staunton is all in a name.

To my untrained eyes I can easily see when the lines are not exactly the same, so for a master carver he surely can see that as well. About what we're seeing what it seems they can't just make a perfect copy, this is just speculation from my part as I'm not familiar with their circumstances.

I can imagine the guys that are in charge of making knights, they're restraint in time and materials (in particular expensive/exotic woods) and the boss probably doesn't care if it's not 100% exact, 90% is probably good enough for him as long he gets his knights in time ready. The tools are probably old and not regularly maintained or replaced.

I personally think if a master carver is given carte blanche time and materials wise, he can make an exact copy. 

I'll say it again, this is just speculations from my part.

Hello.

Had to post after seeing Official Staunton's recent 1849 with Mahogany Box and label!  what do you guys reckon? I think they've nailed it

Looks superb!

Hi guys it’s Carl here (os) I would like to offer my sincere apologies to any members I may have offended over the years. I realise after reading through some of the posts that I was simply awful in my belligerent attitude.  My sincere apologies 

Hi Carl, is there any chance of selling outside UK again in the future?

Carl has always been a good man and he has successfully reproduced some of the most popular chess sets in the world. Carl’s Jaques series reproductions are the best and they are also at very reasonable price. 

I agree, OS has some of the finest sets I've seen.

Yes, Official Staunton quality is premium.

Carl is one of the nicest folks I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with in any of my buying experiences! A little story demonstrating his character(I'm sure you remember this Carl).......

A few years ago,when I began to put together a chess set collection,I ordered one of his mid priced Staunton sets.I ordered it on Christmas day (maybe eve,can't be sure at my age...ha).

Anyway,the next day I got an email stating that since I ordered the set on Christmas,I can upgrade the set to the O.S. 1849 Staunton/Antique Limited Edition set for the same price as the original set I ordered! This was almost double the price!

I jumped at the opportunity and never forgot what a wonderful gesture that was.

Just a super classy guy with a big heart!

Thanks guys much appreciated 🙌

I agree with all you wrote above. When I started my Leipzig Augustea reproduction project, Carl was the one who put me in touch with the right people. It was crucial for the whole project.

Hello! Need help identifying chess pieces!

Photographs from the 1927 and 1933 Chess Olympiads, which were held in Great Britain, have appeared. The photos are of good quality, the chess pieces are clearly visible.

Since the Chess Olympiads were held in England, it is clear that this is most likely the chess of the Jaques London company.

Could you identify the chess pieces?

Photos: Chess Olympiad 1927 (London)

Photos: Chess Olympiad 1933 (Folkestone)

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Looks like a Jaques set. Quite hard to be sure from those pictures though.

In England, at that time, tournament chess was made only by Jaques London.

There are 17 recognized variants derived from the original 1849 Staunton chess set, classified as follows:

Marshall chess set (1900–15)

Nimzovitch chess set (1927–1937)

Broadbent chess set (1925–37)

Lessing chess set (1927–1937)

Based on the photographs, can you classify what year the design of Jaques of London chess is?

I can't tell from those pic - other posters might be able to though. Maybe you can zoom in on the chess sets on your original photos?

I've just seen this come up for auction. It's an early "entered-number" set, with one replacement Knight. I'm not sure about the box though, I've not seen a Jaques set with a box like that. The label looks right, I'm wondering if the original box has gone and label has been transferred?

It's described as a 3.5 inch King height - and unweighted.

Right up MCH's alley!

:
If you look at the lining on the box lid, you can see there's no change of colour where the label is torn. Actually a label like that is a bit of a giveaway in the first place. It's obviously been lifted and also the lining of the lid tells us that is not the original label. It's come from somewhere else. I think that the box looks cheap and maybe like something my father might have made in the 1950s.
:
I have no expertise in old chess sets at all, except I own a couple. But I do have expertise in old documents, labels, stamps and paper ephemera.