James Opie - Britains Toy Soldiers: The History and Handbook, 1893–2013

Picture 2 Trooping the Colour

Displayed with a Horseguards Parade scenic background. Nothing stirs the blood more than a mass of Britains, well set out in a display cabinet. There are one or two figures other than Britains here, but hardly noticeable in the serried ranks of the Guards. The parade is not intended to be totally accurate, just a splendid array of beautiful toys at their best. Such parades are probably the highest expression of the joy of toy soldiers. Boyes collection

Acknowledgements at end of captions:

B = Bonhams

C = Anonymous collectors

C & T = C & T Auctioneers

O = Author

All other acknowledgements are given in full

DEDICATION

I would not be able to try and put all my gatherings about Britains down on paper without the assistance of my beautiful wife Mary, who brings eternal joy to my life. This is for her, as is all my love and admiration

Picture 3B: Mary presents

Two highly significant figures in my collection that came as presents from my wife Mary left, the French (Paris Office) General on swayback horse that visits my regular swayback general as the French military attach, right, the American Toy Company Beiser US Infantry officer in (correct) redcoat uniform as the American military attach. O

First published in Great Britain in 2016 by
Pen & Sword Military
An imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS

Copyright James Opie, 2016

ISBN: 978 1 84884 444 5
PDF ISBN: 978 1 47388 516 5
EPUB ISBN: 978 1 47388 515 8
PRC ISBN: 978 1 47388 514 1

The right of James Opie to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Photography by James Opie except where otherwise credited.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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Cover Picture 1: The Life Guards, made by Britains 1893 to 2013

Britains first set of Life Guards in 1893 is shown to the left, opposite the figures on the right that are still in production (though currently provided with bases), now for sale mostly to tourists of London. The first set is fully discussed in pictures 19 and 19A. Between the two first and present rows are a few of the intervening models, left to right, the standard hollowcast Life Guard, not much changed from 1897 through to 1966, the officer included from 1953, a second version of the plastic Herald Life Guard, introduced in 1955 and the plastic Eyes Right Life Guard introduced in 1968. The Herald figure is one of two variations. Here, the front right leg of the horse is lifted, whereas in the other the leg is almost touching the ground. Centre back is the least common of the various Rearing horse officers provided for set 1 from 1894 to 1953. This second version made in 1907 is perhaps the prettiest, a conversion of the first version with a rectangular base to fit the Beiser clips (see page 69) and a movable arm instead of the original tin sword. Two years later, a completely new model of the rearing horse officer was introduced, dated 19.10.1909, which, in its undated version, lasted in set 1 right through to 1953. O

Title Page Picture 3: The Britains family

Three generations as depicted by William Hocker and Britains themselves. The Hocker figure of William Britain Senior shows set 1 to Queen Victoria, and William Britain Junior presents the Diamond Jubilee Souvenir set. Back left is Bill Hockers highly ingenious working model of a Britains workman casting hollowcast figures. Queen Victoria is a converted Britains nurse. To the right is the Britains model of Dennis Britain, sets 3074 and 3075, modelled from a photograph taken of him at the Britains Centenary Dinner in 1993 by Dr William C. McDade. O

CONTENTS

Why yet another book on Britains? Short summary of Britains history to date.
What this book offers collectors.

The Toy Industry in Britain in the 1890s. The Britain family before 1893.
Germany leads the world in toymaking. How it all began. Hollowcasting. Test models.
Breaking into the market. The first Souvenirs. Queen Victorias Diamond Jubilee.
Heroes of Omdurman. Defining Versions and Variations. Collecting Ancient Britains.
The first hundred sets.

Boer War to First World War. Copyright and fighting the competition.
Cheap lines and small sizes. Incorporation, France and Beiser. Salvation Army, Boy
Scouts, Railways and Floor Games. The Paris Office. Cowboys and Indians, and Arabs.

The effect of Peace. Home Farm. Zoo. Gardening. Export. Depression. Coronation.
Disney. Re-armament Special Paintings.

Export drive. Coronation again. New Technologies. Lead poisoning.
Britains hollowcast become collectable.

Herald. Hong Kong. Tractors. Demise of the British Toy Industry.

Nostalgia and Re-living the Dream. The Britains Collectors Club.

Historical Realism. Lord of the Rings. Peter Rabbit.

Terminology. Nicknames. Care. Condition and Values.

Picture 3D: Britains from 1897

Superb family collections dating back to the first days of Britains are still emerging quite literally from the attic. The house dated back to Tudor times these well played with but perfectly collectable Royal Horse Guards, 5th Dragoon Guards and examples of every infantry set with valise packs issued in 1897 are relative newcomers, and went under the hammer at C & T, the auctioneers I now work with. C & T

FOREWORD

Auctioneering

B efore I started working for auctioneers, I had already been on the rostrum three times with auctions for John Tunstills Soldiers Soldiers shop. We took a room at a nearby pub in Lambeth, and sold off stuff we accumulated in the shop.

Since then, starting in 1980, I have worked, and still work, as Toy Soldier consultant, successively for Phillips, Christies, Bonhams and now C & T Auctioneers. In todays hands-on world, this involves answering queries on the telephone and internet, giving valuations, attending toy soldier shows, going out to see, pack and transport collections both here and overseas, sorting and assessing everything, setting up and taking photographs for the internet, putting everything into appropriate sales and lots, reporting back to the owners, arranging and writing the catalogue descriptions, entering up and tracking on the computer system all of the foregoing, publicising the sale and highlights, packing everything up to go to the auction, currently in Tunbridge Wells, putting it all out on display and then finally giving it out to its new owners and making sure that nothing awful happened to it while in my care. The only bits that I do not do are going on the rostrum and accounting.