@EfimLG47 That ivory set is astounding. Can you give an estimate to how much it would cost buying a similar set.
Buying ivory today, even when it is antique, is tricky. Finding a set with all the right attributes that would make a transaction lawful is challenging, especially when you are located in the US or the UK, where rather strict ivory bans have been introduced lately. I was lucky to buy my set before all these rules applied. In the UK, prices dropped just before the ban, because many people wanted to dispose of their ivories before it became unlawful or at least more demanding. But since the ban is in place, it seems that prices have gone up again, because it has become all the more difficult to find ivory sets. While in the past, I saw at least 5-10 ivory sets sell in UK auctions per year, you nowadays find none apart from the rare European auction, e.g. in Portugal or Switzerland. And it seems that collectors do not really care if a set comes with proper documentation (which most sets do not!!!), because they are willing to pay high prices even without. The best example was the Koller auction in Switzerland three weeks ago, where a similar 3.5" Jaques ivory set (albeit with a carton pierre box that in addition had a Leuchars sticker) was sold for the incredible amount of 13,750 CHF (which is approximately 12,500 £ or 15,000 US$). I would say the price for a set like mine would probably be in the region of 6,000 - 8,000 US$, but that is just a rough estimate.
Thanks everyone for the positive responses.
I forgot something. I just wanted to publicly express my gratitude to Holger. The above Jaques was my first Jaques. Prior to that purchase, I had many questions about condition issues, missing or incorrect items, etc. I am sure many of you can appreciate the loads of questions one would have prior to buying the first Jaques. I reached out to Holger for the first time and asked if I may bounce some questions about antique sets off of him. He gladly said yes. I asked lots of questions, and Holger provided detailed answers to all of my questions. His answers helped me understand where to begin in terms of evaluating these sets. He also helped alleviate some concerns I had over condition issues, price, repairs, etc. After a few back and forth, I felt comfortable enough to move forward once I found a set. I cannot express how grateful I am to have such a knowledge and experienced collector who is willing to share information with an inexperienced collector such as myself.
Thanks Holger!
Mike, you are more than welcome! As I said, I am not a true Jaques collector and do not have the same knowledge as some authorities out there, but I do have a share of experience from collecting a few years and I am more than happy if that can be of help.