World Championship Chess Sets - where to purchase?

Hi there, tried searching the subforum but didn't find the answer so figured I would ask the experts directly. I would like to purchase a world championship chess set as a gift for my dad (for his birthday). He enjoys a good game of chess every once in a while and spends spare time woodworking so figured wooden chess set would make for a great gift! I watched business insiders' video and that sparked the idea.

Do you have any recommendations in terms of reputable online retailers in the US that carry world championship sets? There is a few retailers I found but it is very difficult (for newbie such as myself) to tell what is / isn't world championship set.

Budget ~$500, would like a brand new set, that was made for world championship tournament sometime in the past. Hope this helps to narrow down the search criteria somewhat. Please let me know if you have any suggestions / links that I should check out. Thank you! 

I only know of two places that the official set can be purchased. The first is World Chess at https://shop.worldchess.com/shop/official-world-chess-set and through Barons https://www.chessbaron.com/product/X2077/. Both are sold out at the moment. I don't think any US retailers carry this set. I could be wrong though. Hopefully this will bump your thread for others to respond.

Correct. No US retailer carries the Official FIDE World Championship Chess Set at the moment. As @MCH818 mentioned, Worldchess (UK) and Chessbaron (CA) carry the sold-out set. I have been following the prices and availability of this set for months. $300 being the average price. The moment Business Insiders' video started circulating, the sets sold out soon afterwards. If you can wait a few months, they will be restocked. 

BUT....

US retailer, Chesshouse (based in WA) does have the DGT FIDE Weighted Chess Pieces in stock. Notice the $740 price tag. Since you are a self-proclaimed "newbie" I'll explain. This set has the added benefit of electronic coils in the bases to be used on DGT electronic boards. These particular DGT chess pieces are what was used in the tournaments. Weighted pieces WITH the electronic DGT coils. Most people won't purchase this $740 set of chess pieces, unless they have the electronic DGT board to go with it. They will opt for the $300 set. Unless you are a real diehard fan. And want to know that the DGT coiled pieces are literally the ones Magnus and Nepo uses in the tournies. The only difference is the embedded DGT coils. And maybe some very minor cosmetic changes on the bottoms, (Black felted bases, King base with DGT logo) Not noticeable in actual play. 

With all that said.... Are you by any chance in NYC? This link might be of interest:

https://worldchess.com/news/all/the-most-exciting-chess-shop-in-the-world-to-open-in-new-york-to/

"The shop comes to New York (at the end of August) in anticipation of the 2021 FIDE World Championship Match that takes place in November 2021 in Dubai. The shop will feature the exclusive official sets for the Championship Match and other collectible chess merchandise."

AND last but not least.... If you want a set of un-official chess pieces that LOOKS VERY CLOSE to the Official FIDE World Championship Chess Set there are manufacturers that make reproductions of the set for a cheaper price. With varying levels of quality. Good luck!

Good post @Pawnerai! It is very informative.

Thank you all for valuable feedback. The links provided by @MCH818 were exactly what I was hoping to find. Close enough to the real thing from my perspective. Appreciate @Pawnerai explanation of the differences between the sets with / without dgt coils. Certainly explains the price delta. 

I will keep an eye out on the inventory levels and pull the trigger once they are back in stock.  Wouldn't mind checking out the store opening in NY, unfortunately, I am on the opposite coast (bay area).  

Good luck with the purchase! I hope you father likes his gift.

bump

I understand that is a matter of taste, but to me the WCC set looks extremely ugly. The proportion of piece's height to width is just not right. And the knights are ones of the ugliest I have ever seen.  Complete lack of any esthetic sense.

Can't comment on the WCC set, but I have recently purchased from chess.co.uk. The customer experience for me was excellent, including shipping across the world.

The knights look like toilet bowls to me. Demonstrably ugly, but apparently good to handle.