The 1851 Great Exhibition Commemorative Croquet Set

This is the croquet set made by master wood turners John Jaques established in 1795 and still the worlds oldest sports and gaming manufacturerthat commemorates the original croquet set presented by the company to the world for the first time at Londons Great Exhibition of 1851. One of 13,000 exhibits that demonstrated Englands industrial supremacy for the 19th century world, the sets unparalleled quality draws upon six generations of Jaques family craftsmanship. Using wood that is seasoned for three years after harvest, the set includes two 38" Oxford mallets made with hardy English ash round heads bound with brass fittings (the same wood used for English longbows in the Middle Ages), two 38" Hampton mallets made with square rockwood heads and hickory handles, two 38" Challenge mallets made with round rockwood heads and hickory handles (designed for competitive versus leisure play), and two 33" Intermediate mallets made of ash designed for shorter or younger players. All but the Intermediate mallets are inlaid with a boxwood sightline. A zipped canvas bag holds two sets of competition sized hand crafted 13 oz. balls. Includes an eight-color winning peg, boundary flags, eight color clips, Association hoops, hoop smasher, hoop drill, ball markers, a copy of Croquet: The Complete Guide, and a set of rules. The set comes in a stout oak stained storage box. 48" L x 16 1/2" W x 14" D. (70 1/2 lbs.)