A VICTORIAN CARTON-PIERRE MOUNTED LEATHER GAMES BOARD
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A VICTORIAN CARTON-PIERRE MOUNTED LEATHER GAMES BOARD

LEUCHARS, PICCADILLY, CIRCA 1851

Details
A VICTORIAN CARTON-PIERRE MOUNTED LEATHER GAMES BOARD
LEUCHARS, PICCADILLY, CIRCA 1851
The exterior with Gothic style pierced spandrels and interlaced border with gilt-embossed cartouche inscribed MARLBOROUGH COLLEGE CHESS TOURNAMENT MAY, 1851 2nd PRIZE, E.C.HARWARD, the interior inscribed LEUCHARS and PICCADILLY
20¼in. (51.5cm.) wide
Together with carton-pierre casket, mid 19th century, Design by Joseph. L Williams, with pierced panels in the 'Gothic' manner with castellated turrets to the corner angles, a red label to the underside, printed Registered No.58,607, 5 & 6 Vict. cap 100. JAQUES, LONDON with a facsimile of Howard Staunton's signature beneath (2)
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Lot Essay

The ubiquitous Jaques' Staunton chess men received praised on 9th November, 1849 from the Times newspaper who wrote, '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'. Nathaniel Cook's design was patented in 1849 and several months later John Jaques gained the manufacturing right and started to supply retailers, such as W. Leuchars of Piccadilly. At this time a set, carton-pierre box and handbook on the game was priced at £5,50 shillings.
The celebrated chess champion, Howard Staunton, was recruited by Jaques to market the sets and protect his manufacturing right. Each box was originally issued with individually signed labels. As production accelerated the labels, (red were used between approximately 1850-60), detailed the number of the set and a facsimile of Staunton's autograph. See Michael Mark, British chess sets, V&A Museum and Chess Collectors International, 1986 and Gareth Williams, Master Pieces, Quintet 2000

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