Where to shop for antique chess sets in London?

Greetings all!

First time posting here after months of lurking... I am on my way to London now and am wondering where one find antique chess sets for sale?  Many posters here have referred to certain shops on Portabello Road in the past tense - would be grateful to learn where one can shop these days?   

Many thanks!

Riaz

I was just a in London a short while ago. There's no longer any dealer offering vintage chess sets on Portobello Rd. Garrick Coleman died and his shop was taken over by someone who no longer sells sets, even though the old window advertisements are still there.

Someone resident in London may jump in and correct me, but I believe all the specialized dealers have moved to selling exclusively online.

Thanks Frank.  That is disappointing to hear.  I have never seen, for example, a Jaques set in person, and it would make a difference to do so before committing significant funds.

You could have a look at this site:

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb

And search for chess. This site shows the stuff for sale in upcoming auctions (live auctions, but usually accessible via the internet). There are usually some Jaques sets for sale, and there might be some around the London area that you could view.

Thanks Matt!  Good to know about that site.

Be advised that the auctioneer's commissions and mailbox delivery ( if buying online) really add on to the hammer price! 

Indeed, the hammer price is also exclusive of VAT. 25% commission + VAT for internet bids is not unusual. Delivery is likely to be another £30+ on top. You can see this info by clicking on the "T & C s and Important Info" tab.

Even so, it's a possibility for getting in front of a Jaques set in person

Also, be aware that the descriptions are written by people who are not specialists in chess sets. So they will often think that a set is a Jaques when it clearly isn't etc. Many people think that the crowns on the Rooks and Knights are the Jaques "trademark", whereas these just denote King side pieces, for descriptive notation (I've seen "this set has the flower symbol on the castles and the horses - indicating a Jaques set", although I think it might have been eBay where I saw this one). Others think that Jaques is a synonym for Staunton, or that the full name is "Jaques Staunton".

When are you in London?

I have been here for the last week and leaving on Wednesday.  We had a lot on our agenda, so didn't have too much time for antique hunting, but I did make it to Camden Market (no luck) and Alfies Antique Market where one of the booths had an interesting Indian red and white Indian ivory or bone set, but the proprietor was not there at the time.