Reproduction and Real Jaques of London Chess Set

I have a SOLID mahogany casket from Official Staunton made in Sorrento, Italy where they have many of their boards made too. The craftsmanship is  superb, and yes it is solid mahogany and not veneer, although there is nothing wrong with the Spanish wood veneer boards coming from Ferrer, which are of excellent quality.  

Official Staunton may have sold solid mahogany caskets for a short period, but this is simply not the case anymore.

That is an untrue statement They still have the same casket I bought and they have some solid wood boards also made in Sorrento. Italy 

Here is the casket:

https://www.officialstaunton.com/collections/chess-boxes/products/luxury-hand-made-mahogany-chess-box

I am not affiliated with any chess vendor, just to let you and others know. 

Why do people get so angry at chess vendors?  They provide a service.

That’s a box, not a casket. 

You did say casket or box in your original post. You also said they have no interest in true quality. Again Official Staunton goes out of their way to bring the best product to market. Problem with many consumers is they do not have the deep pockets for the ultimate quality. Official Staunton makes products for everyone's pocket and delivers some of the best quality for the respective price categories.  Maybe you are looking for gold for the price of tin?

Anyways lets stick to the topic of the thread as it has gone so far astray. 

Chessspy,

My point was that its straight-forward if you know what you are doing: the paperwork and everything else has to be in order (and if its not, confiscation/destruction is quite possible). It looks like Cormark run their own mill or mills in South Africa and for some of their products at least are handling both ends of the transaction.  Running your own saw mill makes having to do an EIS for some new timber much more likely, but thats not an import issue thats an issue for the source.  I wouldn't buy timber internationally off ebay, you need to know something about the administrative competence of the supplier, not just about what they are selling.    As a side note, customs agencies tend to treat larger amounts of wood differently to small manufactured items, the level of biosecurity risk is quite different. 

What is it about you and the "middle class"?  You've used the term in a disparaging way a couple of times now.  I thought that only happened in Edwardian costume dramas.   

Free shipping is not free as it cost the sender money. Shipping from India happens to be less expensive than from Europe, GB, or USA.  At least most busy companies get a decent discount from a carrier, much less than an individual would pay for shipping. But remember shipping cost money last time I went and mailed a package.

Staunton Offical Store UK is now Free Shipping World 

I see that free shipping is becoming ubiquitous in Amazon world and elsewhere. 

yes Mr Alan sir, even to cheese eaters

now we see what you real are . you are a house staunton member in some way method, it is clear now why you make the slander for all other sellers of the chess but House of Staunton .  

Liar! here go on once more with the sets you say you got, it is merde bullcrap words only ! lets see dozens of chess from europe chess set makers who inhereted their skills from jaques, all bull crap words ..it is clear you work at House Staunton 

 I find myself (albeit reluctantly) partially agreeing with our French friend  above.

I have been to the Jaques HQ in Edenbridge and met and talked with Joe Jaques.

Jaques do not have a list of previous employees or in fact a clear grasp of the history of their firm. I have never met anyone who worked for them in the quite distant past when they were making their own sets (If ever). 

To claim to have dozens of hand made chess sets from set makers who inherited their skills from their fathers who worked for Jaques is so clearly impossible for so many reasons it is hardly worth listing them. So I conclude, as does Mr Templars knights  that such claims are spurious and the claimant is a fantasist who lives (probably with his mother at home still, no doubt, in lower middle class glory) in a world of make believe. Now, who does he remind me of? Ah yes, best leave that alone before I open myself to criticism.

LOL...and yet you claim that you continued to buy sets from CB despite experiencing problems with them due to shoddy workmanship.

Judging from the quality of the above posts I think this thread has reached the end of its shelf life and needs to be locked.

That would be a shame since there is a plethora of information and pictures in this thread. Why let one person who came on  5 weeks ago with a United Kingdom flag, with the purpose of bashing chosen chess purveyors end a thread which has ben on here for a long time.

so hundreds of chess vendors worldwide are wobbling on surface of chess world? really ? 

it is those larger vendors such like house staunton, wholesalechess. the chess house, official staunton ,etc who keep the industry at working with liasion with these wonderful craftsmen of india without vendors there would be no trade survive reciprocation. 

Bill jones was a friend of mine. He lived on Canvey Island in the Thames estuary with his wife who predeceased him by a few years. I corresponded with Bill about the making of chess sets on occasion.

Bill did get the patterns for ivory chess pieces from his father (when he retired at about 90 years old) and made several sets in that style as well as a few 'onion' sets as he called them. He was a poor carver unfortunately and his sets when they come up for auction in London rarely make over 2000 GBP 

Bertram, his father was also a rather poor carver. 

These two men made sets for Mackett-Beeson and Alex Hammond from about 1940 through into the 1980s I think.

Neither of them ever worked for Jaques

Bill's two books are a good read for anyone interested in woodturning and chess set making.

Notes from the turning shop and Further notes ditto 

Wow, Stauntonmaster claims to be a professional when it comes to Chess sets.  He has made many claims that a good number of people have challenged.

I believe that there is an American saying that applies.  It is, "Put up or shut up."

So, it is now on the shoulders of Stauntonmaster to give real evidence of his claims.  And by real evidence we are talking about actual pictures of the sets and pieces he owns, as he has claimed.

It also is called for Stauntonmaster to stop being anonymous and tell us his real name.  If he indeed is a professional we will recognize that.

Thanks for the info.