The Dublin pattern

I have recently discovered that one of the classic and elegant nineteenth century chess set designs is called the Dublin Pattern:

The Dublin Pattern chess set, via Bill Wall's Chessville site


Bill Wall says the Dublin pattern was introduced about 1820. The pieces were made of ebony and boxwood with fine carved knights, and it was marketed by Jacques. Although Jacques is still going strong, they don’t seem to have the Dublin pattern in their current chess set listing – unfortunately. The House of Staunton says that original Dublin Pattern sets are extremely rare, with only a handful of complete sets in existence and securely in the hands of private collectors, but it has thoughtfully introduced an exact replica set, for a mere $695. I think I’ll still with my current set.