Lot #90. Jaques Reintroduction Club Size 1850 Series Chessmen
1850 Reintroduction Jaques Club Size Chessmen.
Here is a new set of Jaques Club Size Chessmen. This is Jaques’ new 1850 Series, which was intended to replicate their original Cooke-Style chessmen, first introduced to the public in September of 1849. These are full Club-size chess pieces with a 4-3/8″ King having a 1-7/8″ diameter base, just like their original sets. The Kingside Knights and Rooks bear the red King’s stamp on their summits. The Jaques Club Size Chessmen are heavily weighted, with “Jaques London” inscribed on the base of the White King. Each of the chessmen rests atop black, gold-embossed, English leather base pads. These chessmen are housed in a Mahogany casket with removable fitted trays, custom-made by Jaques for this limited edition run. The set comes with its original green numbered label. Production was limited to a single run of 60 sets. This is set Number 0057. All the paperwork is included. The certificate of authenticity is signed by Christopher and Joseph Jaques. The Mahogany case is protected by a cloth draw-string bag and is housed in its original green cardboard display box. Jaques reintroduced these chessmen to commemorate the turn-of-the-century. These pieces are the first in their new Millennium series, produced in the year 2000.
The Staunton Pattern was first offered to the public for sale in the Fall of 1849 by the company of John Jaques of London. The original design was registered to Nathaniel Cooke in the Spring of that year. The chessmen design was named after the self-proclaimed world champion, Howard Staunton, an English Shakespearean scholar. Whether or not the design was actually the brainchild of Cooke is open to much speculation. It is relatively certain that the pattern was not designed by the egotistical Staunton, as he never laid claim to such.
What is known is that, on 1st March, 1849, Nathaniel Cooke, 198, Strand, London, registered an Ornamental Design for a set of Chess-Men, under the Ornamental Designs Act of 1842. At that date, there was no provision for the registration of any design or articles of ivory, registration was limited to Class 2, articles made chiefly of wood.
The right to manufacture such sets was acquired by John Jaques and he began to supply the retail trade on 29 September, 1849. On the same day, the following advertisement appeared Illustrated London News: AA set of Chessmen, of a pattern combining elegance and solidity to a degree hitherto unknown, has recently appeared under the auspices of the celebrated player Mr. STAUNTON. A guiding principle has been to give by their form a signification to the various pieces – thus the king is represented by a crown, the Queen by a coronet, &c. The pieces generally are fashioned with convenience to the hand; and it is to be remarked, that while there is so great an accession to elegance of form, it is not attained at the expense of practical utility. Mr. STAUNTON’S pattern adopts but elevates the conventional form; and the base of the Pieces being of a large diameter, they are more steady than ordinary sets.@ Illustrated London News, September 8, 1849.
