Postage Stamp Chat Board & Stamp Bulletin Board Forum
 

Up front, I should tell you that I am what Americans call a packrat. I am attracted to, and keep, most everything.

Here is one of my favorites - Knight of the Round Table lead figures. Personally purchased at Hamleys in Hove in the early 1950's. The full set, mounted. King Arthur is the middle:



The three foot knights, Again with the King in the middle:



The three foot knights are hard to find in good condition as the swords broke off. The swords are not added pieces of harder metal but integrally cast of fairly soft lead.

I should ad that these toys were made by Timpo. They also made a shorter set around the movies Ivanhoe and another around the movie Quentin Durward.


From what I gather reading this great forum, there are quite a few of us wrinklies around here and I am sure some of you have some of these or remember them.

Now, an even harder set to find - The Robin Hood set from the 1950's, made by Benbros. Based on the film "Robbin Hood" with Errol Flynn, the Tasmanian born actor.

Here are mine. The Men-at-Arms are the hardest because their long pikes. The trees because few children bought them.

Here are the rest



The Men-at-Arms with the Sheriff, then the Bishop, Maid Marian, Friar Tuck, Little John, Will Scarlet, Mutch the Miller's Son and Robin in the foreground. Missing are two Hart (Deer)* that came in the original boxed set.

Now, as the Bishop said to the Actress, show us yours

Dave

* if you have the Hart(s) or a boxed set, contact me please dolch33 (at) aol.com

As for the Mounted Troops. How do you know its King Arthur in the Middle,,,

Yes I well remember these sort of figures,and had a Humugas collection of Toy Soldiers, inc Cowboys,Indians,Household Cavelry,Soldiers, Knights,Farm animals,as well as the Milk Maid,..

In fact when I moved 18 months ago. I discovered a box full of Knights,(Britons) that I had collected as a Chess set,they would date back to the early 60,s as I had left UK in 1959, Now just need to remember where I put them again.

I remember too having real lead soldiers,that had been home made, (I think) they were very flat,as they had been made by just pouring the molten lead into moulds,then painted, and were very soft,one had to straighten them out everytime they were played with.

Unfortunatly all my Armies were sold or given away when I came to OZ in 1959.

Ah the memories

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Nunawading Stamp Fair
Last Sunday of Every Month - Jaycees Hall Silver Grove - Nunawading.

Mrboggler,

Mine were boxed up when we left the UK for America in 1955 and stored in the attic. That is why they are in good nick. I have more, will post tomorrow.

By the end of the '50's they were switching to plastic because of lower cost and ... health concerns?

Anyhow, a really great area for collecting exists from the first of these lead models to the late 1950's. They are often referred to "hollowcast".

The ones you refer to are called "flats".

I can remember, on the way home from school, looking in Hamleys at the orderly rows of lead figures. Everything from the Britains Farm and garden to their Knights of Agincourt series.

How about a bit of cross-pollination? Here are a few napoleonics on stamps:



I'm sure there must be at least a few more.
Hilaritas!
jno

Mrboggler,

You can tell the Knights by their shields. The King has the lion in red.

Here are the timpo Crusaders made at the same time as the Knights. Same horses.



They once had big feathers on their heads.

Now I am certain that you guys have at least one or two of these, so lets see, then.

Dave

Another hard to find type are the Baronial Series made by Cherilea. A lot (I think) are variations of the same knight differing only in paint and crests.



They had separate components which was unusual.



I only have the one. If anyone has any for sale or trade (for stamps ? ), please let me know.

Dave

The very best during my original collection days ('53-'55) were the Knight of Agincourt made by Britains, who were far and away the most prolific and best maker of the 'hollowcast" lead figures.

All were well made and well painted and not cheap. Ordinary lead soldiers were 6d to 1/-. The Agincourt foot knight were 1/6 - to 2/-





The mounted knights were about 5/-





But the two best were 6/6 and 7/6. That was LOT of cash in 1954/55 for a 12 year old !





These last two are, at least to me, are really great.

Thanks for looking,
Hope you have some to show,

Dave

Some great stuff there Dave. As a matter of interest, what kind of values are we looking at these days?

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Always on the lookout for Australian pre decimal First Day Covers.

That's how they did it in Monty Python and the Holy Grail and how I remember.

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Collecting Mongolia; Thailand; Indo-China; Mourning Covers; OHMS.
My online 'store': http://stampsfromaethelwulf.blogspot.com/

Values are difficult because few show up. I look at dealer sites, but I think if they get anything it is pre-sold. Most of the ones you can find are on eBay.

Robin Hood series: "Mutch the Miller's Son" is cheap and seen often. He is the one with his arm up. several trade boxes have popped up and the figure is one that does not break easily. The rest go for $35-$100+ depending. The highest priced are the Bishop and the men-at-arms as they break easily. The ones never found are the hart (deer). The little boys did not buy them.

Round Table - No idea. The only ones you see are buggered up. $75??

Cherilea - Have never seen a whole one for sale. $100++

Britains - They were very prolific so you can get these cheaper. Under $100 for the mounted ones and less than $50 for the foot knights.

Again, anyone having good examples I lack and wanting GB or Commonwealth stamps please let me know.

Great looking things!

I never really collected lead soldiers, but I did (and still do!) have a whole ice-cream box, stuffed full with those plastic ones. The lid barely fits on.

When I was younger, I used to set them up on the lounge room floor, half at one end and half at the other. Then, with a rubber band, my Dad and I would take turns to try and knock eachother's men down. We added a few trucks and planes in for good measure too

Was great fun, but when there's only a few soldiers left standing, it can be quite tricky trying to knock them down by flicking a rubber band across the room. They're only so small after all!

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My blog, if you're interested: petitmondemoi.blogspot.com

Absolutely marvellous stuff, Britcollector. "Collecting is next to Godliness" I'm sure that was supposed to be a motto! I'd be more than happy to have all those guys on a book shelf or two!

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It's good to shoot the breeze with like-minded people.

I am really surprised that no one here has any of these lead figures. Most members seem to be from Oz, UK, GB&C where these were major plays item in the 1950's.

Maybe toy trains (Hornby OO)?

Dave

Unfortunatly I left Scotland in 1959, and all the childish things were sold or given away.we only brought the essentials.

_________________
Nunawading Stamp Fair
Last Sunday of Every Month - Jaycees Hall Silver Grove - Nunawading.

Crosscrescent, my commiserations. Children, yes well, I blame the parents.
I still have many, but in "used" condition.
Incidently, i once arranged a response to an advertisement in an American magazine. I thought that they seemed cheap....they were. They were flat and a breakable plastic, unlike what I expected as I only had the lead ones up to then.

How about old newspapers ?

















I have the entire newspapers. Getting yellow and brittle, but interesting to read.

Any other hobbies, anyone? Butterflies? Beer mugs? Military stuff?

The Newspapers are a fantastic group. I'd love to sit down and read those articles.

By the way, we no longer call people pack Rats as that's been replaced by Hoarders.

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"Life is a tough Teacher, it gives you the test first and the lesson later"
Anonymous

First reading of that, I was thinking, "how much would a 3-foot-tall lead statue weigh?"

I remember visiting the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto (Canada) years ago and in the ground-floor atrium area (maybe for lack of somewhere else to put them?) were display cases of hundreds of lead figures, IIRC all army batallions.

One of my 'other' collecting interests is anything connected to the 1939 Royal Visit to Canada. Philatelic material of course makes up the biggest portion of my collection, but there's also plates and cups, ribbons, pins, booklets. I was in a bidding war last year for the shell from a ceremonial cannon firing.

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Collecting Mongolia; Thailand; Indo-China; Mourning Covers; OHMS.
My online 'store': http://stampsfromaethelwulf.blogspot.com/

Britcollector - have a look at these! http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13962&view=next

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My blog, if you're interested: petitmondemoi.blogspot.com