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The British company Jaques is the oldest games company and sports manufacturer in the world. Passed down from father to son for six generations, Jaques have been responsible for inventing many well known games, such as Croquet, Ping Pong, Snakes and Ladders, Ludo, Tiddley-Winks, The Staunton Chess Set, Happy Families, Snap and many more.
Thomas Jaques was a farmer’s son of French Huguenot descent, born in 1765. At twenty-one, Thomas married the niece of his employer Mr Ivyand when he died, Thomas took on the business and established himself in 1795 as “Thomas Jaques, (Manufacturer of Ivory, Hardwoods, Bone, and Tunbridge Ware)” in Leather Lane, London. His son John was apprenticed at age 15 and five years later partnered him in the firm, now “T. and J. Jaques, Wholesale Ivory Turners”. But by this time, their materials now included hardwoods; Lignum Vitae was the unique wood which was to become the signature material for Jaques croquet mallets-boxwood was used for balls.
The family expanded into additional premises at 102 Hatton Garden, with an enterprising, comprehensive range of products and materials, and as the father and son partnership prospered, so the family grew. John married, and had a son: John Jaques II. He too was apprenticed and showed a remarkably fertile mind, inventing Happy Families, Tiddley-Winks, Ludo, and Snakes & Ladders. The company’s stand at the Great Exhibition in 1851 included Croquet, which then spread throughout the world. The Staunton Chess set was introduced by Jaques in 1849, and since 1934 has been adopted as the world standard pattern. They introduced Table Tennis to the world in 1891 under the name Gossima, a version of the popular game Wiff-Waff; renamed and trademarked Ping-Pong, it swept the country in 1902. The trade name Ping-Pong was sold to Parker Brosabout 1920.
Jaques jumped on the Mahjong bandwagon in the early 1920s, producing medium quality sets, chiefly bamboo tiles in wooden boxes; their logo is very similar to Gibson and Parker Bros, but their signature is a faux ‘chop’ with 3 sinograms.
In 1941 the Jaques factory in Hatton Garden was demolished in the blitz, leaving only a burnt safe containing the original Pattern Book of designs from 1795 to 1870. John Jaques IV re-established the factory at 361 Whitehorse Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey.
During WWII, the British Intelligence Ministry MI9 employed Jaques to make prisoner of war escape kits in the form of many games, including cribbage boards with secret map compartments. In the post-war era, Jaques sold Chinese Bakelite, Acrylic, Polypropylene, and Japanese Urea sets in faux leather zipper or attaché cases, but pure lyasa sideline to the mainstream games business. Today, Ben, Emmett and Joe Jaques run the family business (now Jaques of London) and they offer 3 types of high-end, hand-carved bone & bamboo sets housed in solid wood presentation cases.
Black Vinyl Case Urea Mah Jong Set 1.
The same as the set we use all the time, this was bought in the 70s as a Jaques set, but it is a re-badged Japanese set. (I think Gibson also re-badged the same set).
The black vinyl popper case with white interior houses 4 large trays holding the tiles and a smaller one for the counting sticks, dice and spare tiles. The case measures 325x220x40mm.
The tiles are made from Urea Formaldehyde (same as used for your household light switches) with nice deeply impressed designs (see following images).
They measure 31x23x12mm and feel cold and heavy in the hand with a satisfying clink when shuffling.
Black Slide-top Bamboo Mah Jong Set 2.
I got this very cheaply, but although it was advertised as Pung Chow, it is definitely by J. Jaques & Sons, London, (their logo on the top panel and the style of the tile designs)... I guess the seller was confused by the associated Pung Chow booklet and Score-Meter.
The box is black-stained hardwood with sliding top and 2 small compartments for the dice and counters. It measures 240x165x75mm and holds the nicely-carved bamboo tiles loose in the large compartment.
The small tiles measure28x19x10mm and feature a very standard arrangement with swooping crane #1 Bamboo, nice Flowers and Scholarly Arts ()see following images).
Black Vinyl Case Urea Mah Jong Set 3.
Very similar to set #1 with the tiles being smaller, but thicker and dovetailed onto a bamboo base.
Again this is a re-badged Japanese import from Dragon brand, really good quality and very under-rated.
The black vinyl popper case with red interior houses 4 large trays holding the tiles and smaller one for the counting sticks, dice and spare tiles; it measures 290x190x50mm.
The tiles are made from Urea Formaldehyde (same as used for your household light switches) with nice deeply impressed designs measuring 25x18x15mm.
They feel cold and heavy in the hand with a satisfying clink when shuffling(see following images).
Yellow Box Bamboo Mah Jong Set 4.
A rare example, but the box is in dire condition - I thought it could be restored, but the paper covering just disintegrates at any attempt to fix.
So I made a new box, same construction, but 10mm taller to accommodate new trays (originally the tiles were just stacked loose in the base with a tray on top holding the dice, counters etc.)
The box measures 230x160x95mm, made from pine, pinned & glued, covered in art paper with a white art card inner liner. The top has a cotton tape hinge with a satin restraint - the logo was copied faithfully using Visio - the trays are art card, part covered in yellow art paper with satin lift tabs.
The tiles measure 31x21x12mm, and are made from unsealed bamboo, fairly well carved, but the #1 bamboo looks like it was carved by a 4-year-old! Having said that it has a naive attraction. The #8 circles are an unusual red(see following images).
I think the box now appears as Jaques intended it to look in the 1920/30s - I'm well pleased with it.
Yellow Flip-top Bone&Bamboo Mah Jong Set 2.
Bought as a BiN on eBay, it was poorly advertised, no pics of the tile set and obvious external damage, but I had not seen this style before.
The box had been taped up as the hinge glue had failed, which proved impossible to remove without taking the old paper with it (these boxes are covered in very thin paper which degrades easily).
The carcase is wood with a card liner, measures 210x140x95mm - the tiles just sit in the base.
The tiles measure 30x20x13mm with 5mm bone to dovetail. They feature a cute displaying peacock #1 bamboo, rod bamboos, simple wans, plain circles and plants for Flowers and Seasons - all very nicely carved(see following images).
I doubt if the set has been played with very much.
I decided to remove all the paper & tape from the sides and bottom - the top was still in very good shape after 90 years, although I had to glue it back onto the carcase.
I sanded off all the paper and old glue on the belt sander, re-fitted the hinge, then glued on new art paper, matching the colour as closely to the original on the inside.
I fitted a restraint tape, to preserve the hinge, then made 4 trays from black art card, with lift tabs to aid removal. The top logo cleaned up quite well with saliva and paper towel and voids touched up with paint.
