Animals
Ballerinas
Horse back - sold for £130
Circus figures - sold for £340
makers also went through a period of remaking historical figures from the Civil and Napoleonic wars, as well as Romans, Vikings and even former members of the royal family.
A 1930s figure of Richard I came with its original Charles Morrell box, with the high end Burlington Arcade toy shop having special lines made exclusively for them by Courtenay – it sold for £130.
collection which includes both,” John says.
At a previous auction in July, the military collectable section of the collection brought in over £5,000 from 56 lots.
While some of the figures were valued at a few pence, other lots were worth hundreds of pounds, with the sheer amount of lots up for sale helping to bring in the grand total.
Before the lots went to auction, John and his team at Sheffield Auction Gallery had the almighty task of deciphering where, when and who by the figures were made to be able to put a value on the collection.
A lot of the figures were indeed from Britains, the company who revolutionised toy soldier production in 1893.
While toy soldiers have been in existence since the Ancient Egyptians, played with by the rich and noble, mass production didn’t start until the end of the 18th century, with early tin soldiers appearing in Germany inspired by the exploits of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia.
However, William Britain thought up the idea of hollow casting, creating cheaper and lighter products than their German counterparts.
With the toy trade relying heavily on Christmas, Britains released their first collection ready for Christmas 1893, with the near lifelike miniatures of the world around us a consistent core of the long standing business.
Focusing heavily on soldiers
Train - sold for £40
In 1966, the government stopped lead figure production due to the health scare of lead poisoning, so many toy manufacturers such as Britains focused solely on plastic toys.
“The problem with plastic is that the paint never really stuck and they could be chewed, bitten and broken more easily. Finding a plastic figure in one piece and fully painted is rare.”
We had some really obscure pieces come to light in the collection, such as Fess Parker as Daniel Boone toy
from different regiments, cavalries and infantries, each of Britains figures was known for its true representation of each distinct uniform and role in the wars.
In the collection, the gentleman had figures from across the world, from Indian and Turkish soldiers to Australian and South African armies. Along with drummers and buglers plus many horse-drawn troops, the collection also saw the Egyptian camel corps ready to trek through the desert.
The oldest item in the collection was a 1907 South African soldier from the Boer War – its oval rather than square base giving away its production date.
While many children favoured relevant soldiers from the Great War and World War Two, toy
Along with one-to-32 scale replicas of regiments and soldiers from across the world, Britains also did special orders and exclusive commissions, such as a WWII khaki drummer which turned up in the lot at Sheffield Auction Gallery.
“Pieces like this are like the holy grail of individual collectors’ items because they’re so rare. How many were produced? Probably very few as they were special orders.” John says.
Whilst you would think that the least popular or fewer produced models make for rare collectors’ items, it is also those which were heavily played with that can bring in the most interest for their rarity.
“When people ask me which toys they should buy now for their potential future value, I always say stand outside of a toy shop and look for those toys where the kids are ripping the boxes open as soon as they step out of the door.
“What sells the best is often what becomes most valuable. Toys that are played with that often can go missing or not be in the best condition, so finding a mint version is few and far between. But that’s not to say they need to be boxed, as most ‘collectables’ are all the same,” John says.
Growing up in the modern age of the 50s, children wanted tanks and soldiers to re-enact the war
years. Yet peaceful figures started to appear in toy figure collections after the war, with the likes of astronauts, circus figures, animals and even ballerinas making up a large proportion of the collection at Sheffield Auction Gallery.
In the 60s and 70s, sci-fi and TV characters became more prevalent as Lone Star launched the first licensed toys such as James Bond, Dick Turpin and Batman and Robin.
“We had some really obscure pieces come to light in the collection, such as Fess Parker as Daniel Boone toy, complete with Indian war canoe. There was also a set of AA men which I’m sure kids would never have gotten excited about. Or a doctor and patient set that wouldn’t have kept them entertained over Christmas, never mind until Easter.”
Attracting a worldwide audience, the sale proved more popular than expected, with buyers flocking into to snap up a collectable figure or two from the thousands on offer. Along with the figures, the sale also brought to light a number of toys that would have found themselves in toy boxes of old once upon a time.
Bringing back childhood
memories, there is no doubt the toy sales at Sheffield Auction Gallery resonate with so many people. And with any luck, the toys we get fed up of tripping over today will be worth more than a stubbed toe in the future.
aroundtownmagazine.co.uk 49
Navy and military
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