The only published reference of any real value to F H Ayres chessmen,
was in issue V1 no 3 in the July 1997 issue of the chess collector magazine, by Gareth Williams. This publication is for CCI members only.
Way back in the Autumn of 2007 I purchased a disc from a founding CCI member, and noticed this very important reference,since at the time, it appeared to answer an important question, regarding the so called British Chess co, stamped sets.
There is an important point to be made here, which is that it appeared that if any collector had a view on Ayres chessmen, it did not surface here in this group, nor in the Antique Collectors group one either.
So in effect for ten years there was no visible reaction to this article at all.
I recall offering a theory to two persons, one being Tim Millard of the Antique Chess shop, who having heard my view, offered a general speculation that these stamped might be Ayres,in 2009. I also contacted Alan Dewey on this issue.
Alan in 2008 posted the article on his Chessspy site, for all to see.
So one can only speculate if any collectors had any views on this article, or preferred to accept the House of Staunton BCC description,from 1987-2008,which is over a decade later.
In Vol VX11 of the chess collector in 2008 I offered an article titled BCC or not BCC that is the question. I did not attempt in the article to prove the case for Ayres,since it was at the time impossible to do so.
In December of 2009 there was an attempt to prove these unknown stamped chessmen were Ayres, in the now dissolved public group called chess sets.
Not a single scrap of evidence was offered to support this idea, bar that it was obvious.
In 2010 a few collectors who are fellow Picasians,and have a genuine interest in these sets, discussed the issue, in some depth, and offered a great deal of photographic evidence, from owned sets of this famous maker, to each other, and a general agreement was reached. No harm could come of offering a view on such a crown stamped set, but it would be wise to use caution, when stating as fact such sets are proven Ayres produce.
Last year in private and heated discussion with F Camaratta, I offered compelling and detailed evidence, contesting the House of Staunton description of such sets, having been labelled as BCC, as probably Ayres produce. Being able to read the complete 1895 Strand Gazette article, was a very important refrence,since the size of the maker was considerable.Fellow collector Mick Deasey, kindly offered the the material to me for study.
He quite rightly claimed the firm evidence was missing, but I countered this with the idea, that our probable evidence was far more compelling than his, offered on the H O S site.
To make a public statement, I offered a public Picasa Album, called Current research " thinking " amongst active Internet collectors who are CCI members.
On the current public Picasa sites, viewers will see refrences to probable Ayres chessmen, but to date, no proper proven evidence has been found to date. Some collectors have preferred for their own reasons,not to discuss their views in any detail, on their Picasa sites.
