THE LONDON SHOW: ALL OF THE DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS February/March 2019 • £4.75 www.toysoldiercollector.com • Issue 86 We’re as serious about collecting as you are NEW REVIEWS 02 772631 307858 Pigeon English Homing in on new releases from Tommy Atkins W Britain From the 1960s onwards Auction report The latest from the sale room 76 PAGES OF TOY SOLDIERS | METAL | PLASTICS | CASTINGS Editor: Mark Avery Sales & Marketing Director: Tom Foxon (tom@guidelinepublications.co.uk Tel: +44(0) 7540153368 Contributors: Mike Blake, George Phillips, Keith Nairn-Munro, Martin Ainscough, Gary Haines, Chris Bartlett, Robert Welham, Dr Victor Wong, Andrew Sutton, Tim Spanton and Gary Emery Welcome Sub Editor: Emma Whittaker Editorial Assistant: Gemma Avery Design: Andy Whittaker Printing: Acorn Web Toy Soldier Collector ISSN 1745-5804 Subscription rates: UK £27, Europe £36.50, ROW £40 (all prices include shipping and postage) Issue 86 Front cover: Mobile pigeon loft by Tommy Atkins www.toysoldiercollector.com Toy Soldier Collector is published bi-monthly by Guideline Publications Magazine Licensing & Syndication Guideline Publications publishes top quality magazines, books & bookazines Guideline Publications publishes a wide range of publications that are available for licensing and reproduction around the world You can find out more by contacting Tom Foxon Guideline Publications Kensworth Gate, 200-204 High Street South, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 3HS Tel: +44(0) 1582 668411 Email: tom@guidelinepublications.co.uk www.guidelinepublications.co.uk All rights reserved Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden but may be granted upon application to Guideline Publications All submissions to Toy Soldier Collector are welcomed and we will our best to return these to you free of charge, however to guarantee return please include a stamped addresses envelope All submissions should be mailed to the main Guideline office address as listed above Copyright of published articles will belong to Toy Soldier Collector unless a prior agreement is reached Toy Soldier Collector can accept no responsibility for lost or damaged submissions NOTICEBOARD LET’S START AT THE VERY BEGINNING Chris Bartlett looks at the earliest toy soldiers known to have existed made from wood 10 NEW RELEASES PART 20 THE DEATH OR GLORY BOYS Keith Nairn-Munro looks at the history of the 17th/21st Lancers 26 CASTING AROUND 31 THE CROSS AND CRESCENT Gary Emery delves in to the history of the Crusades 37 WINTER WARMERS Early December can only mean one thing for the toy soldier collecting community: the advent of the final London show of the year 44 FANTASTIC PLASTICS 48 AUCTION REPORT 50 BRITAINS PLOUGHS IN TO THE SWINGING SIXTIES AND BEYOND Keith Nairn-Munro continues his series of articles looking at the history of the most famous toy soldier company of them all, W Britain 57 LADIES OF THE COURT OF LOUIS XIV 60 THE BLACK ROBES Robert Welham tells the story of eight catholic priests who braved the ‘Americas’ in the mid 1600s to try and spread the Christian faith 64 NEW RELEASES PART 68 HOW DO I SELL MY TOY SOLDIER COLLECTION? 70 TOY LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE 73 SHOW DATES 74 FINAL WORD I don’t usually cover politics in TSC because this is a toy/hobby magazine rather than some highbrow broadsheet However, by the time you’re reading, this hopefully we’ll have resolved the Brexit muddle, or if we haven’t then we’ll be heading towards a ‘no deal’ exit from the EU In my ‘proper’ job, I a lot of importing and exporting from the UK and I know that without some form of agreement being reached, it will make my job a lot more difficult and this got me thinking about our hobby and the impact it could have There’s the obvious issues of European-made figures like Alymer being imported in to the UK and the potential price increases due to additional duties being applied, and likewise all the UK cottage industry makers who currently sell to European collectors will most likely have the same problems Then there’s the effect on shows Will it become harder for dealers like Saimex to come over and attend the London shows? And the same for the UK makers and traders that usually attend European shows like Kulmbach etc? Beyond these simple issues there’s the likely impact of major delays at all ports and airports for inbound cargo due to all the additional products having to be checked, meaning even manufacturers producing in China, etc, could be impacted as the goods get stuck in customs for much longer periods Whatever your personal view on the whole Brexit situation, there’s no denying that without some form of agreement being reached before the March deadline, even life’s little pleasures like our hobby will feel an impact in some way or another Anyway, that’s enough about politics for now and hopefully by the time I’m writing my next introduction for TSC the future will be clearer than it is now As always, enjoy this issue and I’ll see you all back here again in two months All the best Mark Avery Editor TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR NEWS Noticeboard The latest news from around the global toy soldier hobby Email any hobby-related news to the Editor at tsceditor@darkmedialtd.com or alternatively write in to: Guideline Publications Kensworth Gate, 200-204 High Street South, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 3HS Best of Britains Hardcore Britains fans descended on the London Scottish Regiment headquarters in Westminster at the end of November to celebrate the 14th annual W Britain Collectors’ Club event On arriving at the venue – which also doubles as the regimental museum – guests were greeted by the team from W Britain and seated at tables before a light buffet and wine were served Collectors were then treated to a unique presentation from retired RAF pilot Wing Commander Stuart Reid Wg Cdr Reid flew Jaguar and Tornado fighters while on RAF service but his presentation focused on his role as a Lancaster pilot with the Battle of Britain memorial flight His warts and all exposition of the thrills – and challenges – of flying Lancaster PA474, a 1940s-vintage heavy bomber, seemed to have guests transfixed the 7-man crew The session ended with a lively Q&A session, with club members quizzing Wg Cdr Reid about the history and operational characteristics of the ‘Lanc’ Potted history Prize draw He explained how PA474 is one of only two Lancaster aircraft remaining in airworthy condition out of the 7,377 manufactured PA474 rolled off the production line at the Vickers Armstrong Broughton factory at Hawarden Airfield, Chester in May 1945, just after the war in Europe had come to an end The aircraft was prepared for use against the Japanese but the war in the Pacific ended before it was deployed The slide presentation delivered by Wg Cdr Reid also gave his audience an insight into the cramped interior of the aircraft and the positions occupied by It seemed that every guest present won either a Britains toy soldier, scenic piece or military print in the prize raffle And the exclusive figure presented to collectors on the night –a dynamically posed member of the 24th Foot from the Zulu War – seemed to go down very well The evening ended with a slide presentation from Ken Osen, General Manager and Creative Director of W Britain, in which he discussed new figures in the production pipeline and some of the meticulous research that has gone into ensuring their historical accuracy Imperial Miniatures Miniature knights Mike Lewis was at the show in December with a couple of new releases including this little vignette titled ‘The death of Marshall Lannes’, the piece CONTACT: is available either painted (as Imperial Miniatures shown here) for £85 or as a Nyetimber casting for £30 Norfolk Farm Road If you’re a fan of miniature knights then make sure to check out www.chevalierdelenfance.com which is a new website created by collector and ex-military man Pierre Neven Pierre freely admits the site is still developing but I have a feeling it will become a very useful resource for anyone with an interest in toy soldier knights! The death of Marshall Lannes Woking Surrey GU22 8LF Tel: 01483 855757 www.imperialminiatures.co.uk GNM Miniatures website Graham Mollard, owner of GNM, has recently launched a new website, point your browser to www.gnmminiatures.com and take a look as it’s filled with tons of photos of Graham’s stunning craftsmanship (and if you like Graham’s figures make sure to get next issues TSC to see some reviews of his latest figures) TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR Capture the intensity of the action of Isandlwana, the first major battle between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom, with our latest hand-to-hand sets Hand-crafted in our matte style finish, they incorporate highly detailed sculpting and shading To view the full range of Anglo Zulu War figures please visit www.wbritain.net Piece Set Piece Set Piece Set B20185 24th Foot Standing Loading B20186 24th Foot Kneeling Loading B20187 24th Foot Standing Firing 1:30 Scale Piece Set Piece Set B20188 24th Foot Kneeling Firing in Shirtsleeves B20189 ”Here They Come!” 24th Foot Yelling and Pointing To view the full range of Zulu figures or pre-order from your nearest stockist please visit www.wbritain.net Model • Collect • Create These are all plywood figures which are around 11” tall and are signed Emspan or Eispan Let’s start at the very beginning… Chris Bartlett looks at the earliest toy soldiers known to have existed made from wood T he earliest known wooden figures were found in the Egyptian pyramids over 4,500 years ago From there on wooden figures as toys for both boys and girls have been found throughout history and all over the world Wood, as a medium for making toy/model soldiers has been used by many model figure makers in the last century Holger Eriksson and Gustave Vertunni sculpted many of their masters in wood Although the majority of my personal collection are metal and 54mm in scale, I have accumulated (as you do) quite a few flat plywood cut out figures, along with some other flat ‘toy’ like figures made in France (I think?) I believe Rene North produced a series of plywood 13” tall plywood figures which I obtained from well-known collector John Ruddle There are no markings on them and although he never mentioned it maybe they were made by John himself! This is a 13.5” tall ‘Nutcracker’ which was made in Germany during the 1980’s TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR Maison Militaire, Flint Barn Farm, Flint Lane, Lenham, Kent, ME17 2EN (Callers by appointment only please) Tel: 01622 850336 Contact Tina or Robin 1pm - 10pm, days a week Please leave a message outside those hours Email: maison.militaire@sky.com We carry a comprehensive range including figures from: First Legion, King & Country, Black Hawk, Collectors Showcase, Thomas Gunn, Conte Collectibles, W.Britain, Forces of Valour, St Petersburg and lots more Maison Militaire website now open www.maisonmilitaire.com If you not see what you want on the website please call as we have lots more items available Exclusive First Legion dealers for the UK U REVIEWS New Releases Reviews of new metal figures to arrive in the hobby by Marti Ainscough Martin i h and Mark Avery y The 27th Enniskillen’s at Waterloo Alexander’s Toy Soldiers Danish infantry from the Battle of the Boyne Napoleonic Infantry Nik Biberovic at Alexanders Toy Soldiers added to his extensive range of Napoleonic figures for his December new release offerings The 27th Enniskillen with their distinctive buff facings is depicted as they would have fought at Waterloo Illustrated here is just a very small sample of a range for which there are in excess of 20 different figure variations These come in the form of a command group, consisting of various officers, sergeants and other ranks, drummers, wounded fellows being pulled out of the line etc; more than enough choice for collectors to recreate authentic impressive squares 10 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR to repulse the French cavalry sorties Individual figures are priced at £16.50 which includes postage costs Expect to pay slightly more for the two figure vignettes and for standard bearers to reflect the extra work involved in the production process The second offering from this excellent gloss painted figure maker features one of the newest ranges in the ATS catalogue – The Battle of the Boyne This series charts the fight for the English Crown between William III and James II In no time at all this range has already grown into a substantial collection on offer to collectors and features some of the many varied and different nationalities that fought on both sides of the conflict The newest recruits to this range come in the form of Danish Infantry that fought for William III They are depicted both kneeling firing and standing firing poses As with the Napoleonic figures the Danish Infantry too are priced at £16.50 painted and are inclusive of postage I am reliably informed that a command group consisting of an officer, sergeant and drummer at the advance is in the pipeline for release shortly Review by Martin Ainscough CONTACT Alexanders Toy Soldiers 14 Constance Road Whitton Twickenham TW2 7HY Tel: 0208 894 5925 www.ats-uk.net JAMES OPIE AT C&T AUCTIONS 11th TOY SOLDIER SALE Wednesday 27th March 2019 For Further Details Contact James Opie Tel: +44 (0) 20 7794 7447 Email: jamesopie@yahoo.co.uk My eleventh sale includes Britains early, inter-war and post-war hollowcast sets, with more recent issues, King and Country etc with Civilians, CJB, and much more, featuring: THE COLLECTION OF THE LATE BRIAN CORNALL Lot Britains Rare PARIS OFFICE Chasseurs a Cheval at the halt with Officer and Trumpeter, 10 pieces, Estimate £400 - £600 CATALOGUES, BIDS & INFORMATION Call: +44 (0)1233 510 050 Email: enquiries@candtauctions.co.uk Auction Venue: The Spa Hotel, Mount Ephraim, Royal Tonbridge Wells, Kent TN4 8JX SALES LIVE ONLINE AT: the-saleroom.com 18 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR Albatros W.4 SeapLane JUNKERS D.11 1/30 T sca H ful le ly a sse pai mbled mod nted els and Rufe Seaplane Phonix Fighter www.tomgunn.co.uk email: welcome@tomgunn.co.uk Available direct from us and from all good quality toy soldier stockists throughout the world Thomas Gunn Miniatures, Unit 21, Deverill Road Trading Estate, Sutton Veny, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 7BZ Tel: 01985 840539 Royal Navy gun and crew by Reka Mini Morant Regulars at the London shows will be familiar with the tanned skin and infectious mirth of Andy Morant, a Portobello Road market trader who brings a broad range of vintage collectables along to the London shows On this occasion, however, I will not be reporting on some rare item that had surfaced on Andy’s tables Instead, I’m going to describe a terrific little tribute to Andy from Nik Biberovic of Alexander’s Toy Soldiers Andy gleefully shared with me a miniature metal replica of his market stall that Nik had cast and painted for him It’s a lovely gesture and a very singular piece made for Andy alone So I asked Andy the inevitable question: why no miniature of him to accompany the stall? With tongue firmly in cheek, Andy explained that none of the masters of the figure created to date had been able to capture the full extent of his good looks, so it was still a work in progress We can only hope that the next version is truly lifelike ‘ a lovely gesture and a very singular piece ’ A miniature rendering of Andy Morant's market stall But where is Andy? TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR 41 Spanish craftsmanship It’s always a pleasure to see traders from overseas at the London shows and it was a delight to speak once again to Antonio Martí of Alymer Military Miniatures Alymer is based in Spain and produces some unique Spanishthemed sets A case in point is two recent releases, members of the crack modern-day Spanish Legion or Legión Espola, walking with their regimental mascots The first figure is accompanied by a ram and the other by a white German Shepherd-type dog Both sets retail at E35 painted and E20 unpainted The painted figures are also supplied in very attractive presentation boxes The final new item that Antonio had for sale was a Spanish Civil War Civil Guard unit of riflemen, officer and colour bearer, carrying the unit’s distinctive tricolour flag This attractive 8-piece set retails for E136 42 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR Spanishthemed offerings from Alymer In closing I hope this short report has offfered just a glimpse of the varied array of collectables available for hobbyists to buy at the London Show In truth, I have barely scratched the surface The next event takes place on Saturday March 30th at the Haverstock School Why not take a look for yourself? END REVIEWS Fantastic Plastics Mike Blake reviews all the latest and greatest plastic figures to be released into the hobby for collectors Engineer Basevich Nomads Here we have twelve superbly sculpted figures in twelve poses (colours may vary) depicting the warriors of the Golden Horde or one of the other great armies of Mongol warriors and conquerors And what splendid figures they are too EB go from strength to strength, the animation and detail getting better and better with each new set These are truly splendid figures, 44 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR full of life and action, and sculpted in amazing detail They vary from heavy armoured to light, weapons range from bows to spears, swords, war hammer and even a lasso! My favourites amongst them are the seated chief drinking from a human skull and a female warrior hunting with a bird of prey both are marvellous examples of the art of plastic figure making! Theses cry out for a second set of mounted versions But I guess if I want them I may have to make them – watch this space CONTACT Engineer Basevich www.facebook.com/ groups/1858709394344370/ In the UK (and many thanks for the review samples): Weston Toy Soldiers 14 Limburg Road Canvey Island SS8 0QJ Tel: 01268 680117 www.plasticsoldiers.co.uk Auction report James Opie tells us about the recent sale of Pat Campbell’s Delhi Durbar collection at auction T he Mughal term Durbar, translated as a Court, was adopted by the British Empire as an occasion marking the accession of a new British Emperor of India There were only ever three of them under the British Raj, in 1877, 1903 and 1911 The initial occasion was to announce the culmination of the process whereby the British Crown, in the person of Queen Empress Victoria, took power over India from the East India Company after the Indian Mutiny The 1911 Durbar was the only one attended by a reigning British monarch, George V The 1903 Durbar, which it had been hoped that Edward VII would preside over, was instead guested by the king’s brother, the Duke of Connaught It was arranged under the authority of the viceroy Lord Curzon, and was by some way the most spectacular occasion of the Lot 272 – The splendid Britains Viceregal Amphitheatre, decked out with Pat’s figures This lot sadly went missing on the day, only to turn up in the evening, so will appear in the next C & T toy soldier auction on March 27, 2019 48 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR three, hence the favourite for depiction by modelers It could be described as a giant party for the Indian princes, and 1903 lays claim to it being the most bejeweled occasion that has ever taken place Fifty state elephants were scheduled to take part, although only forty-eight were fit to participate on the day of the grand procession The world’s press descended in force, including one journalist intent on using a new process to take photographs in colour Mortimer Menpes took three photographs of each subject through colour filters, processing them into full colour images using Lot 270 – Illustration from the 1903 book colour photographed by Mortimer Menpes The text was written by his wife Sold for £520 inclusive at the auction a pioneering photographic colour printing process that he had co-developed with Carl Hentschel The resulting book, published by A & C Black in 1903 with a hundred full colour photographs, was printed in a deluxe edition of 1,000 copies An example of this book is one of the highlights of the Pat Campbell Replica Durbar Collection, part of C & T Auctions’ recent December 12 2018 sale of toy soldiers and figures As the book shows, there is no better subject for toy soldiers Probably the most comprehensive (and expensive) series of models is by the Argentinian maker Beau Geste Marlborough also was famous for an extensive series in their own distinctive style The models of Bill Cranston and Pat Campbell (Replica) seem much more akin to Britains hollowcast and Toy Soldier Collection, while the fairly limited Durbar selection issued by Britains rather later, while suitably spectacular, does not actually fit in with earlier Britains so well Now that so many collectors are switching to spectacle rather than collecting by set numbers, adding Durbar figures to British Indian Army displays seems more and more the natural thing to Certainly, this was the late Pat Campbell’s favourite, and the impact of his Durbar display on opening the door to his Garden Shed number One was considerable 882 figures massed in front of 22 feet of background buildings and more than 100 spectators made an indelible impression Not since the days of George Palmer’s Durbar Collection, sold at Phillips in 1992 has such a unique extravaganza been on offer, not least because nearly all of them are Pat’s own creations for USA Marine Corp Band Britains ploughs into the swinging sixties and beyond… Keith Nairn-Munro continues his series of articles looking at the history of the most famous toy soldier company of them all, W Britain T he Second World War had finally been won, Britains had done its bit and now everything could get back to normal However for the next decade or so the word normal probably did not often pass the lips of the senior staff at Britains The firm was to see a revolution in the marketplace, triggering changes in the way it functioned and the items it produced, in all likelihood never envisaged prior to the war Not only would the company’s pre-war dominance in the toy soldier sector be dramatically challenged, but the market environment in which they had previously operated, would be supplant50 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR ed by a domain inhabited by revitalised and new competitors, who were aggressive, cheaper in price and on occasions perceived to be lacking in ethical behaviour In addition, with the emergence of British based die cast vehicle manufacturers, plastic model kit makers and the purveyors of model railways, the customer had never had such an abundant array of contrasting merchandise, from which to choose As a result of that choice, Britains were now dealing with a generation of small boys whose expectations were a great deal more exacting, with regards to the design and function of their prospective purchases, than had occurred with their The Collectors club figure of Dennis Britain antecedents For Britains it really must have come as a shock having so many new competing elements in the marketplace and deciding on a strategy to take the company forward must have been thought-provoking, to say the least The business would also A growing range of late 19th Century 54mm Toy Soldiers available as multi-part castings or assembled and painted Covers British, German and French subjects starting at £2 a casting Please send an SSAE for an illustrated catalogue Black hat Miniatures, Nyetimber, Norfolk Farm Road, Woking, Surrey, GU22 8LF, England LWR500 Little Wars Revisited £5 for a casting, £20 painted 56 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR Tel: 01483 855757, Email: sales@blackhat.co.uk www.blackhat.co.uk Fig 14 Ladies of the Court of Louis XIV Dr Victor Wong’s latest diorama recreates a scene he believes could have happened during the time of Louis XIV F ollowing a recent and memorable trip to Versailles, I was inspired to create a piece relating to the history of Louis XIV, the Sun King (1643-1715) Louis XIV had created an opulent and dazzling Court populated with a captive and fawning audience Looking at the paintings of Louis XIV, the narcissistic king was also a rapacious creature who was surrounded with good-looking women within his court These women would be constantly vying for his attention and, in between, would spend time idling away within the Versailles court or perhaps riding around the considerable estate Joseph Parrocel (1646-1704) was an artist who had been commissioned by Franỗois Michel Le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois, the Secretary of War (1641-1691), to several large battle paintings for the Versailles court Parrocel also did several portrait paintings of the Versailles court women on horseback These paint- Fig Anne de Souvre Fig Marie Anne Mancini ings generally showed the women riding sidesaddle in riding habits with voluminous skirts which completely cov- TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR 57 Father Antony Daniel The Black Robes Robert Welham tells the story of eight catholic priests who braved the ‘Americas’ in the mid 1600s to try and spread the Christian faith… B y the very nature of our hobby, soldiers must make up the bulk of most collections My own preference is the mid-eighteenth century; especially the early history of the Americas, so I was pleased to acquire Tommy Atkins 2006 set FIW40 comprising a French Catholic priest, four Native Americans plus their faithful hound, with a second priest for good measure The set represents events in the French and Indian war of the 1750s but could equally represent events from a hundred years earlier, as the characters and their dress remained the same At this earlier time, the 1640s, over a short seven-year period, eight Catholic priests — Black Robes — gave their lives for their beliefs Being neither a Catholic nor particularly religious, I nevertheless find their story a fascinating one! The ultimate cause of these tragic events was Europe’s insatiable demand for furs, especially beaver pelts for the hat trade 60 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR The potential for the trade was first recognised by Jacques Cartier in 1534 whilst exploring the region of the St Lawrence River At this time, the French were more interested in trade than the plough so it was not surprising that it took a further seventy-one years, in 1605, before the first permanent French settlements were founded by the great French The capture of Father Isaac Jorgues explorer, Samuel de Champlain, who in 1615 led, with the support of Huron warriors, attacks on native Onondanga villages; permanently alienating the Iroquois tribes An act that would have devastating consequences! In France the Catholic Church played an integral part in both spiritual and secular, matters and this new world would be a further challenge Keeping their own flock on the straight and narrow, was one thing, the voyageurs and the Coureurs de bois, the free traders who were a rule unto themselves was another, fraternising with, and even marrying amongst the Indian tribes, was beneficial to trade but technically at least, unacceptable to the church There was REVIEWS New Releases Reviews of new metal figures to arrive in the hobby by George Phillips WOW230 Bristol Beaufighter Thomas Gunn Various new releases ‘Awesome aircraft and amazing ancients’ pretty much sums up the offerings from Thomas Gunn Miniatures (TG) that I’ll be reviewing in this issue First up is one of the latest additions to the mahoganycarved Wings of War range, the Bristol Beaufighter I’ve WOW181 Caudron Seaplane 64 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR always had an affection for this bull-nosed beauty having made an Airfix model of it as a child and seen the real thing in the RAF museum in Hendon The Bristol Beaufighter was a multi-role aircraft developed during WW2 and used by the RAF and various Commonwealth air-forces It was well suited to the role of a night fighter due to its size and ability to accommodate airborne radar and heavy weapons The Beaufighter was also used in the anti shipping role by the RAF and Australian Air Force in the Far East The new TG depiction of the Beaufighter has the markings of one of the most famous examples, the blackpainted aircraft flown by John ‘Cats Eyes' Cunningham an RAF pilot who destroyed 20 aircraft and three more probables while flying in the night fighter role The nickname was given to him by the British Press in order to disguise the fact that the British were using radar in their aircraft to track German night raiders By the end of the war Cunningham had achieved the rank of Group Captain At the time of this magazine going to press, TG had two 1/30 scale Beaufighters available priced at £899 each, with an additional charge for postage If you require a more bespoke shipping quote please contact TG directly The model comes with a free concrete style airfield mat as per the photos The second aircraft contained in this review is a truly beautiful rendering of How I sell my toy soldier collection? Andrew Sutton has been buying and selling diecast toy cars and toy soldiers since 2000, here he shares some advice when it comes time to sell some, or all, of your collection C ollectors often ask me for advice on how best to sell their collection There are many reasons why people decide to sell their toy soldier collections Sometimes personal circumstances may force the sale of a cherished collection A simple change of interest, lifestyle or an inheritance or gift can also result in a collection coming to the market Once you have decided to part with your collection, your next step is to explore your options Before making any decisions I would conduct some research and consider the following: If possible have an idea of how much you want for the collection Does the collection need to be sold within a given period of time? How much time if any can you allocate to the sale of your collection? Trophy Miniatures Wales Ltd Napoleonic Wars 1st Grenadiers of the Guard Depending on the number of items within the collection and the amount of time that you have available to allocate to the sale, I would consider selling the collection yourself Attacking Normans A set of three figures from a collection of Conte Collectibles 68 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR This is by far the most time consuming option but is likely to be the most financially rewarding to you You could consider renting a table at a toy fair This is likely to require multiple visits to a number of toys fairs over a long period of time in order to sell most of the collection You need to consider the amount of time involved, travelling costs, table costs and taking into consideration the potential number of unsold models Alternatively you could try selling the toy soldiers on an online auction Once again this is likely to be very time consuming and expensive Selling costs when averaged out can be in the region of 15% to 20% of your sales totals Consideration needs to be given to packing materials, shipping, insurance, damages, claims, returns, unpaid invoices and unsold items Markets, car boot sales, classifieds and alternative online platforms are all worth considering These options can be very time consuming and will incur costs with no guarantee of a successful sale With numerous TV programmes exploring the antiques and collectibles market, auction houses are a popular option Online bidding has allowed auction houses to become much more accessible, DORSET MODEL For a wide range of traditional 54mm scale toy soldiers and equipment E J S THE ErrolJohn Studios Indian Army c1900 Native Officer Q.V.O Corps of Guides Spare parts for a large number of figures Lists sent post free Catalogue £10 post free (UK only) All Overseas £15 post free Cheque/IMO payments in £ Sterling payable to E.J.Pace Contact us by phone on 01305 561325 SOLDIER COMPANY or by email at sales@dorsetmodelsoldiers.com or by snail mail to:- units 111-112 South Way, Southwell Park, Portland, Dorset, DT5 2NJ Field Avenue, Tydd St Giles, Wisbech, Cambs PE13 5LJ Tel: 01945 870719 Email: errolpace123@outlook.com Asset 54mm Military & Civilian Figures YMCA mobile canteen with figures Painted £110 casting £60 For a full list send an A5 SAE to: Phone: 0208 8945925 12 Norwood Drive, North Harrow, Middlesex, HA2 7PE Tel: 0208 8680422 www.assetminiatures.co.uk MAGPIE (MANCHESTER HOUSE) LTD We carry a large stock of soldiers from W Britain, King & Country, and Thomas Gunn Also stockists of: Corgi/Airfix/Britains Farm & Steiff We also sell: Militaria/ Antiques/Collectibles/Jewellery & Toys Mail Order Worldwide Opening Times – 9.00am to 5.30pm Closed Wednesday and Sunday High Street, Evesham Worcestershire, WR11 4DA England UK Tel/Fax: 01386 41631 eBay shop: Manchester House Collectables Email: magpie2500@aol.com www.magpieantiques.co.uk TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR 71 Subscribe: issues only £27.00 FREE P&P UK only £36.50 Europe & £40.00 Rest of the World M IC H IG A N TO Y S OL D IE R CO M PAN Decem ber/Jan uary 20 www.to 19 • £4 ysoldi 75 ercolle ctor.co m • Iss ue 85 W ’re ass We serious u about collectingg as you y are Y INTE N EW R RVIEW EVIEW S 12 7726 31 30 7858 Subscribe to TSC, save money and get your favourite magazine delivered directly to your door as soon as it is published TSC is written for collectors by collectors, you can’t afford to miss an issue Knigh t-t Holger Eriks New bo ok rev iewed To subscribe simply call us or if you have internet access then why not it online via our secure website or just email us ime First L egions new son Crusad ers arrive Canva s Town Comple ting th e Aust www.toysoldiercollector.com 76 PAG E S OF TO Y SOLD IERS | M Call +44(0) 1582 668411 or email kim@guidelinepublications.co.uk ETAL | PL ASTICS ralian dioram a | CASTIN GS TSC Subscriptions, Guideline Publications, Kensworth Gate, 200-204 High Street South, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 3HS M AD E IN GR TB EA RI IN TA ZULU WAR 17th LANCER £39.75 inc P+P UK M Norris, 7, Albert Road, Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, CF64 1BX Wales, U.K Tel: (029) 20704331 www.littlelegion.co.uk Any unwanted or duplicated soldiers & figures Any scale 1.32, 1.72 etc, Britains, Trophy, Timpo, Airfix, Hinchcliffe etc Unmade & made kits White metal, plastic, lead, war game figures and accessories, vehicles, dioramas, tanks etc Farm and Civilian items Military uniform books, catalogues Large and small amounts welcome Tel: 0118 9792306 Peter Harris, Berks Email: peterharris29@hotmail.co.uk Remember the Soldier Shop in Lambeth near the IWM? The stock, after 30 years in Italy, now in Rugby, Warks Soldiers, medals, prints, 25mm /30mmwargame, books, Britains, papers, militaria, stamps, Bayko postcards & magazines, -soldierssoldiers.comjon@technet.it 72 TOY SOLDIER COLLECTOR GLEBE MINIATURES (Email: pfturner7@talktalk.net) 54mm Toy Soldiers - New and Used Alymer-Britains-Dorset Ensign-Glebe Imperial-Mignot Large SAE for Lists PFTURNER - Retreat House Dorchester Road - Broadwey Weymouth - Dorset - DT3 5LN Tel: 01305 815300 If you like our figures then why not join our Club? 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