The Oldest Games Company in the World: Founded 1795, Older Than Nintendo
Jaques of London, founded in 1795, is the world's oldest games company, and it has stayed in the same family for the whole of that time. That single fact sits behind almost everything else worth knowing about the firm: the Staunton chess set, the invention of modern croquet, and the household games that arrived through its doors before they reached the rest of the world.
We have written this as a careful record rather than a celebration, because the dates matter and they hold up. What follows is the evidence: continuous ownership across generations, the firsts and inventions, and the museum collections where you can still see the original pieces. If you want the shorter version, our companion piece on the oldest games company in the world covers the headlines.
Founded in 1795, and family-owned ever since
The starting point is simple and, importantly, documented. Thomas Jaques set up as an ivory turner and games maker in London in 1795, and the business has passed from parent to child without a break ever since. That is the claim that earns the title of oldest games company, and it is worth saying plainly: the test is not just age but continuous trade under the same family, which Jaques meets.
To put the date in context, 1795 is before the railways, before photography, and well before nearly every name you would recognise on a toy shelf today. The British Museum and the V&A both hold games and game pieces from the long Victorian period in which Jaques did its defining work, and the firm's own output sits within that record rather than apart from it.
Continuity is the quiet hero here. A company that survives that long has weathered wars, recessions and the rise of plastic and the screen, and it has done so by making things meant to last. You can still buy the descendants of those early pieces today, from chess sets to best sellers, and our guide on choosing toys that last explains why that durability still matters for families.
A company older than almost everything
The Staunton chess set: how Jaques gave chess its standard
In 1849 Jaques launched the design that became the world standard for chess. Nathaniel Cooke was the named registrant who worked with Jaques on the pattern, and the set was endorsed by Howard Staunton, the leading player of the day, which is how it took his name. Before 1849, chess pieces varied wildly from maker to maker. After it, players had a shared, legible design they could trust across borders.
The genius of the Staunton pattern is restraint. A cross for the king, a coronet for the queen, a horse's head for the knight: each piece is recognisable at a glance and stable in the hand. The international chess federation, FIDE still bases its tournament standard on this design, and you can read its story in full in our piece on the Staunton chess set.
The original sets are museum pieces now, but the line continues. Our 1849 4" Edition in a mahogany casket and the more compact 1854 Edition in a mahogany box are made to the same pattern Jaques set down. The famous Immortal Game of 1851 was played in the years just after the launch, on pieces of exactly this kind.
The Staunton pattern Jaques launched in 1849, weighted and finished as it was then, presented in a mahogany casket.
Most games companies measure their history in decades. Jaques measures it in generations, and the records bear it out.
Croquet: invented, codified and given to the world
Croquet is the game Jaques can claim more completely than any other. The firm did more than sell it: it shaped the equipment and, crucially, published the rules that turned a loose pastime into a recognised sport. Jaques produced codified croquet laws in the 1860s, and the modern game grew from that foundation. The Croquet Association remains the governing body in this country today, and the international picture is held by the World Croquet Federation.
What makes croquet such a good family game is that it rewards both gentle play and real tactics. A child can roll a ball through a hoop with delight, while an adult can plan three turns ahead. If you are setting up at home, our guide on how to set up a croquet court covers lawn size and hoop layout, and how to win at croquet explains the strategy once you are confident.
The equipment we make traces directly back to that Victorian work. The Sussex croquet balls and the heavier 16oz regulation ball are built to tournament weights. If you are weighing up the variants, croquet versus golf croquet is a good place to start.
Why croquet endures
The household names Jaques brought to market
Beyond chess and croquet, Jaques sits behind a remarkable run of games that families now treat as timeless. Ludo and Snakes and Ladders, both adapted from older games of India, reached the British home through Jaques. So did Happy Families, the card game with its gently comic illustrated households, and table tennis, which Jaques marketed under the name Ping Pong around the turn of the twentieth century.
These were not one-off curiosities. They were carefully made, well illustrated and built to be played again and again, which is why they outlived their fashion. You can read the story of Happy Families, the card game Jaques invented, and the related history of tiddlywinks, another Victorian craze the firm helped popularise.
The thread running through all of them is sociable, screen-free play, which feels more relevant now than it has for years. Our board games and card games collections carry that lineage forward, and the wider case for it is set out in our guide to the best screen-free toys. The history of table tennis records the Ping Pong name clearly.
Games Jaques brought to British homes
- Adapted from the Indian game Pachisi
- A staple of family game nights
- Rooted in an older Indian game
- Teaches counting and turn-taking
- Illustrated card game of households
- Still played and collected today
- Marketed by Jaques as Ping Pong
- Now an Olympic sport
Why the heritage still matters when you buy
Heritage is only worth talking about if it changes the thing in your hands, and here it does. A company that has made games for more than two centuries has had time to learn what lasts: the right weight in a chess piece, the right hardness in a croquet ball, the joints in a box that survive being opened a thousand times. That knowledge is the reason these pieces are passed down rather than thrown out.
It also means the catalogue is genuine rather than nostalgic. The chess line runs from the 1854 Edition in an oak box through the 1869 Edition to the 1890 Edition, each named for its year and made to the standard of its time. Our chess set buying guide walks you through choosing well.
If you want to start somewhere classic and shared, a 15" oak backgammon set is a fine first board, and our backgammon buying guide explains what to look for. Independent reviews on Trustpilot give a sense of how the pieces hold up in real homes. You can browse the chess and draughts range to see where the heritage lines still sit today.
A folding oak backgammon board with full pieces, dice and cups: a classic shared game made to be handed down.
Is Jaques of London really the oldest games company in the world?
Yes. Jaques of London was founded in 1795 and has traded continuously under the same family ever since, which is the test for the title. That makes it older than essentially every modern games and toy company you would recognise. The key point is continuity: not just an old date, but an unbroken line of trade and ownership across generations. You can read the fuller case in our piece on the oldest games company in the world.
Did Jaques invent the Staunton chess set?
Jaques launched the Staunton chess set in 1849. Nathaniel Cooke was the named registrant who worked with Jaques on the design, and it was endorsed by the leading player Howard Staunton, which gave it his name. It became the world standard, and the international chess federation still bases its tournament rules on the pattern. Our history of the Staunton set tells the full story of how it became universal.
Did Jaques really invent croquet?
Jaques shaped modern croquet more than anyone. The firm produced the equipment and, crucially, published codified rules in the 1860s that turned a loose pastime into a recognised sport. The game is now governed in this country by the Croquet Association. If you want to play, our guides on setting up a court and winning tactics are a practical place to begin.
Which famous games did Jaques bring to market?
Alongside the Staunton chess set and croquet, Jaques brought Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, Happy Families and table tennis to British homes, the last marketed under the name Ping Pong around 1900. Several were adapted from older games of India and given the careful illustration and manufacture that made them last. You can read about Happy Families in detail, and browse the current board games collection.
Is Jaques of London still family-owned?
Yes. The company has passed from generation to generation within the Jaques family since 1795, and remains family-owned today. That continuity is the heart of the heritage claim, and it shapes the products too: a firm that means to hand the business to the next generation tends to make things meant to be handed down as well. It is the same logic we set out in our guide on choosing toys that last.
Where can I see original Jaques pieces?
Major collections of Victorian games and game pieces are held by the British Museum and the V&A, which document the period in which Jaques did its defining work. Jaques also exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851. The original Staunton sets from 1849 are now collectors' and museum items, though the same pattern is still made today in our chess sets range.
What does the year on each chess set mean?
Jaques names several chess editions after the year of their original pattern, such as the 1854 Edition, the 1869 and the 1890. Each reflects the proportions and finish of pieces made in that period, so you can choose the look that suits you. They share the same Staunton lineage. Our chess buying guide explains how king height and weighting differ between them.
Why does a company being old actually matter?
Because age, in this case, means accumulated craft. More than two centuries of making games teaches you what survives daily use: the right weight in a piece, the hardness of a croquet ball, the joints in a box. That is why these things get passed down rather than discarded. It is not nostalgia for its own sake; it is the practical reason a well-made set still feels different in the hand, as reviews on Trustpilot tend to reflect.
Is the Staunton design still used in tournaments?
Yes. The Staunton pattern Jaques launched in 1849 is the basis of the official tournament standard, and the international chess federation still references it for piece shape and proportion. The reason is legibility: each piece is recognisable at a glance, which matters under time pressure. The famous Immortal Game of 1851 was played on pieces of exactly this design, just two years after the launch.
What is a good first Jaques game to buy?
For a shared classic, a 15" oak backgammon set works for two players and lasts for years; our backgammon guide helps you choose. For chess, the compact 1854 Edition in an oak box is a fine start. For the garden, a set from the croquet collection brings everyone outside together. Browse the best sellers to compare.
There is something steadying about a company that has been making games since 1795. It tells you that the things worth doing, sitting down together, taking turns, playing a long game well, do not really change, even as everything around them does. We are proud to keep that line going, and grateful to the families who play with these pieces and, in time, pass them on.