OK $1 = £0.77
£1500 = $1948
$2000 = £1540
Are you going to ask the seller to post the pic or shall I? They'll need to remove the baize
Reproduction and Real Jaques of London Chess Set
Sort:
Hi Matt,
I am in conversation with Jess as we speak. I will update as things progress.
It is up to about $1300 now
I am not bidding btw.
Aug 3, 2018
0
#3044
Cool - See if you can find out the story behind the set!
I'm not bidding either, I like sets and boxes made out of wood, not a fan of ivory
New message from: jessicwarin-9 (1) |
|
|
Hi Matt,
I have just asked about the history of the set.
Probably the seller will not know but we live in hopes.
Also, family histories of this sort of thing are notoriously inaccurate. In some cases the item will be one which has passed on to a 3rd generation (grandson/granddaughter) and the child, as was, will remember some romantic story his or her grandfather told about foreign princes and family heirlooms etc.
Aug 3, 2018
0
#3047
I did however just miss out on this "possibly a Whitty"- I bid £301 and some b'stard bid £311. There were only 2 bidders over £170, me and the idiot with an infinite amount of cash who seems to follow me around bidding on everything I bid on. Maybe I should have bid more. No box though
The more I look at it the better it looks. Big set, 4.5 inch Kings. Bo££0ck$!!!!
Hi Matt,
Yes, nice set. I thought it might be Whitty too.
The Jaques wood/ivory set does seem to be stamped, albeit with the JAQUES scrubbed (al a Leuchars) and only the OND of LONDON just visible.
Aug 3, 2018
0
#3049
I'm not happy I missed out. I need more chess sets, I don't have nearly enough.
Aug 3, 2018
0
#3050
chessspy1 wrote:
Hi Matt,
The Jaques wood/ivory set does seem to be stamped, albeit with the JAQUES scrubbed (al a Leuchars) and only the OND of LONDON just visible.
That's interesting, so are they going to change the description? You reckon that doubles the value?
IpswichMatt wrote:
chessspy1 wrote:
Hi Matt,
The Jaques wood/ivory set does seem to be stamped, albeit with the JAQUES scrubbed (al a Leuchars) and only the OND of LONDON just visible.
That's interesting, so are they going to change the description? You reckon that doubles the value?
WOW ! what can of beans did one open ?
IpswichMatt wrote:
I did however just miss out on this "possibly a Whitty"- I bid £301 and some b'stard bid £311. There were only 2 bidders over £170, me and the idiot with an infinite amount of cash who seems to follow me around bidding on everything I bid on. Maybe I should have bid more. No box though
The more I look at it the better it looks. Big set, 4.5 inch Kings. Bo££0ck$!!!!
I hate that when it happens. I think you change your bidding name. :-)
So, what's the difference between Ayres, Whitty, and Leuchars? Which one is more expensive?
Aug 3, 2018
0
#3054
And there are no Ayres sets - there are only "probably an Ayres" sets.
There's a picture of mine here:
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/chess-set-restoration-repairing-cracks-in-ebony
So, what's the difference between Ayres, Whitty, and Leuchars?
Ayres were in Aldersgate Street in London.
http://www.chessspy.com/pages/HowGamesAreMade.pdf
Whitty was in Tythebarn St in Liverpool and had no connection to Jaques, contrary to online speculation to the contrary. Whitty's sets were never stamped AFAIK but he seems to have favoured concentric rings turned into the underside of the bases. Perhaps to help the glue hold the baize and no doubt applied with a hand thread chasing tool.
Leuchars were an upmarket fancy goods retailer in London, now mostly remembered by chess collectors for scrubbing the JAQUES stamps off sets they sold and substituting their own stamp.
Some Leuchars ivory sets seem to have had Canton style knights causing some collectors to speculate that they went into manufacture as well as retail. However in my opinion these few sets were messed with later by a dealer.
The Jaques wood and ivory set has been relisted.
Leuchars
Leuchars was established at 47 Piccadilly, London in 1794 by James Leuchars. In 1820, the business moved to 38 Piccadilly shortly before James Leuchars died in 1823.
Lucy Leuchars, James’ widow, continued the business under the name of L. Leuchars. In 1837, the same year as Queen Victoria came to the throne, the firm was awarded the Royal Warrant for their supply of dressing cases to the royal family.
Expanding to 39 Piccadilly in 1841, the name had now changed to Lucy Leuchars & Son; the ‘Son’ referring to William Leuchars. After Lucy’s death in 1847, William gained sole responsibility for the business. Leuchars exhibited and won prize medals for his dressing cases at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and the International Exhibition of 1862, winning a further silver medal at the International Exposition of 1867 in Paris.
In 1870, under the name of Leuchars & Son, William Leuchars along with his son, also called William, opened a further shop at 2 Rue de la Paix in Paris. When William Sr died in 1871, William Jr took control of the business, later winning a gold medal for their dressing cases at the International Exposition of 1878 in Paris.
In 1884, Leuchars moved their existing manufactory from 31 Gerrard Street, Soho, London to 8 Sherwood Street, Golden Square, London.
William Jr finally agreed to sell the business, along with their Sherwood Street manufactory, to Aspreyin 1888. Leuchars continued to trade from their 38 & 39 Piccadilly address until 1902.
Asprey acquired the firm of Leuchars & Son in 1888, and started to share their manufactory at 8 Sherwood Street, Golden Square, London. However the actual business of Leuchars & Son remained trading from their 38 & 39 Piccadilly, London address until 1902.
Lund
Thomas Lund established his business and warehouse at 57 Cornhill, London in 1804. Initially selling pens and quills, Thomas had expanded the business by about 1815 to include the manufacture of cutlery, writing boxes and other fancy items, taking an additional premises at 56 Cornhill. By 1832, Thomas Lund had added dressing cases to his already extensive and impressive manufacturing repertoire.
William Lund (Thomas’ son), also a cutler and dressing case maker, set up his manufactory and retail shop at 24 Fleet Street, London in 1835. The property had been acquired from William Anderson, a cutler and razor manufacturer, under whom William Lund had been previously apprenticing.
Thomas and William ran their businesses independently, but after Thomas’s death in 1845, William took over the running of both, whilst also expanding his own premises to include 23 Fleet Street. By 1859, the Fleet Street premises had again expanded to include No. 25.
When William Lund died in 1872, his son Charles continued on the business under the name of William Lund & Son.
I have decided to re-post this here as it might be the 'right' place.
I didn't realize that the weighting of chess pieces with lead was such a controversial subject.
I had heard from one manufacturer many years ago that lead could not be used in chess pieces as they are regarded in the same group as toys (for children presumably) and of course lead is supposed to be toxic. (It never did me any harm, I've worked with it for years blblblblblbl).
I worked with a guy in the building trade (Jeff Hamlet, are you still alive?) who said he used to chew bits of lead when he was young. (But then he was often moody and aggressive, so I guess that proves it is dangerous.
Anyway. I looked at Tungsten putty and although it looks good, heavy and pliable the price would kill. $8 per oz so that is a no-no.
I think that lead under felt or baize is safe enough except to the poor person who has to install the weights. But then there are plenty of prolls so we might as well use them up. The best way to make weights for a set in my experience is to cast the lead into holes drilled in a block of scrap wood and then when cool knock the weights out.
Strips of lead (from the local scrap yard) can be melted into the holes with a plumbers blow torch. ( I have one from Lowes with a click start lighter thingy) You can trim the tops flat whilst they are in the wood mold on a sanding disc.
If you drill out the holes in the pieces 1/8" larger then glue them in with one of the rubber solution type glues, I should think that would do it.
Drill the holes for the weights before you turn and finish the pieces... ask me how I know.
$2k if not stamped under king $5k if it is and the seller posts a pic before the end of the auction even though it is almost illegal to sell it post it import or export it etc.