This Antique Jaques Timeline exists solely thanks to the extensive research and dedication of Alan Fersht, whose many years of work on antique British and Jaques chess sets laid the foundation for this project. His books—Jaques Staunton Chess Sets 1849–1939 and Jaques and British Chess Company Chess Sets—along with his website britishchesssets.com, are the cornerstone references behind this Historical Jaques Chess Set Timeline.
I’m deeply grateful to Alan for generously allowing the use of selected images from his books and website to help bring this timeline to life. My goal is for this project to serve as both an extension and a practical tool that complements Alan’s work—helping others to educate themselves, identify, or even reconstruct possible original sets.
For a deeper and more detailed analysis, I encourage you to visit: britishchesssets.com.
(This timeline will be updated with revisions or newly discovered information as it becomes available.)
Nathaniel Cooke filed an “Ornamental Design for a set of Chess-Men” (Registered Design No. 58,607)
The first Jaques of London "Staunton Chess-Men" were officially advertised in The Illustrated London News for sale on September 29, 1849 at W.Leuchars on 38-39 Piccadilly.
are a Diamond-shaped Registration (Lozenge) which are in the middle of a green round sticker under every piece. These stickers entitles protection against the design being copied by rival for three years.
(The earliest [1849] have The “S” omitted by mistake but the “5” in the correct orientation)
(Image by: Alan Fersht of britishchesssets.com)
"Leuchar's Cook","Cook Type 1" and "Cook Type 2" set designs.
Cataloging both the recognized and perceived changes in the carving styles of Jaques knights’ heads remains a complex and often problematic task. One major challenge is the uncertainty surrounding whether we’ve even seen all the possible variations to date. Further complicating matters is the fact that some variations in knight heads can appear within the same set, while other supposed stylistic differences may simply be the result of natural hand-carving variations by the same artisan at the same time.
(Images by: Alan Fersht of britishchesssets.com)
Each set from the first series featured a hand-signed and numbered label. For boxwood and ebony sets housed in mahogany boxes, a green label was used, while sets housed in Carton Pierre caskets—whether boxwood/ebony or ivory—carried a white label. These early labels, used by Staunton up to at least set No. 684, were titled “THE STAUNTON CHESS-MEN” and framed with a decorative floral border.
The name “Jaques” was not printed directly on the label but rather impressed using a blind stamp. This appeared on the left side of the printed number, while “J. JAQUES” and “LONDON” were stamped on the right—either in a straight line or a curved arrangement. These labels were hand signed for one to two years at most and printed entered numbers for another two to four years.
(Image by: Alan Fersht of britishchesssets.com)
During the first two years of production (1849–1850), the base of boxwood kings and the underside of white ivory kings were stamped with “J. JAQUES LONDON.” This marking was later simplified to “JAQUES LONDON," a format that has remained in use to the present day.
(Image by: Alan Fersht of britishchesssets.com)
The earliest Jaques 3.5” (89 mm) sets—crafted from ivory, boxwood and ebony—were originally housed in Carton Pierre (papier-mâché) caskets. These sets were often advertised alongside the Leuchars Carton Pierre boards, and customers could purchase both the board and set as a matching ensemble, as seen with this 1849 example.
The casket design remained unchanged until 1927. Over time, adaptations were made to accommodate different set sizes: a false bottom was added to fit the smaller 2 7/8” sets, and a skirting was introduced to deepen the interior for the larger 4.4” ivory sets.
Original labels were affixed underneath the caskets. Sets featuring these labels became increasingly rare after 1890.
(Images by: Alan Fersht of britishchesssets.com)
Jaques started selling Weighted - “Large Club size” Boxwood / Ebony sets housed in cheaper mahogany boxes.
(Image by: Alan Fersht of britishchesssets.com)
In April of 1850, Jaques introduced the highly sought after “Large Club sized” Ivory sets to the world.
(Image by: Royal Chess Mall of RoyalChessMall.com)
Jaques started selling Unweighted - 3.5" Boxwood / Ebony sets housed in cheaper mahogany boxes.
(Image by: Alan Fersht of britishchesssets.com)
After October 1850, the labels on mahogany boxes for boxwood sets were moved to the underside of the hinged lid. These green labels featured a new border design and the inscription "JAQUES LONDON" at the bottom. This relocation proved fortunate, as very few of the earlier labels affixed beneath the boxes have survived in legible condition.
(Image by: Alan Fersht of britishchesssets.com)
In 1850, the name stamp marking was simplified to “JAQUES LONDON," a format that has remained in use to the present day.
(Image by: Alan Fersht of britishchesssets.com)
Is the only Jaques set without a "Camaratta Codex" name to it.
Jaques design mix & match
(1849/50 "Cook"Type 2)-(1850 "Cook"Type 1)-(1850/51 "Morphy")-(1851-52)
(1849/50 "Cook"Type 2)-(1850 "Cook"Type 1)-(1850/51 "Morphy")-(1851-52)
(1849/50 "Cook"Type 2)-(1850 "Cook"Type 1)-(1850/51 "Morphy")-(1851-52)
(1849/50 "Cook"Type 2)-(1850 "Cook"Type 1)-(1850/51 "Morphy")-(1851-52)
(1849/50 "Cook"Type 2)-(1850 "Cook"Type 1)-(1850/51 "Morphy")-(1851-52)
(1849/50 "Cook"Type 2)-(1850 "Cook"Type 1)-(1850/51 "Morphy")-(1851-52)
"Leuchar's Cook","Cook Type 1" and "Cook Type 2" set designs.
Following the end of personally signed labels around 1850–1851, there was a significant shift in both the coloring and numbering system of Jaques labels. A printed facsimile of Staunton’s signature replaced the original hand-signed versions—a practice that continues to this day.
The updated labels included a printed "Entered No." and were color-coded to distinguish the type and style of each set:
Green labels were used for wooden sets with weighted bases, housed in mahogany hinge-top boxes. These sets formed a series starting with “1,” numbered from 1,000 to 1,999.
Yellow labels identified sets in Carton Pierre caskets—typically smaller, unweighted wooden sets. These were numbered in a “2” series, ranging from 2,000 to 2,999.
Red labels were reserved for ivory sets, with all numbered examples beginning with “3.”
(Image by: Alan Fersht of britishchesssets.com)
Jaques started selling Weighted - “Large Club size” Boxwood / Ebony sets housed in cheaper mahogany boxes.
(Image by: Alan Fersht of britishchesssets.com)
Is the only Jaques set without a "Camaratta Codex" name to it.