To Members of the Forum,
Given the realization of repeating myself, I would, none the less like to reiterate my personal assessment of the state of our hobby:
Update on the State of Toy Soldier Collecting
This author personally believes that a significant evolution has occurred in the collecting of toy soldiers. As has been previously and frequently stated in this blog at least two major factors have been driving the collection of toy soldiers/military miniatures for at least several decades. I personally feel that for the serious collector, regardless of their resources or perspective of interest, there has been an evolution from the classic toy soldier to the military miniature, i.e. from vintage Minot and W. Britains Ltd to King & Country, Tommy Gunn and John Jenkins, just as examples. Strongly illustrative of this trend is the decrease of auctions of vintage toy soldiers (W. Britains) in both the United States and Great Britain, and the overall diminished presence and quality of the sets being offered on e-Bay and at auction. Further corroborating this fact is the significant overall decrease of prices realized at auction in recent years, again with exceptions. If one views recent photographs at the decreasing number of remaining toy soldier shows (West Coaster (on again/off again) and Texas are tenuous and significantly diminished, and in the U.K. the shows also much smaller) the discernible absence of the classic red W. Britains boxes is consistent. The notable exceptions (there are always exceptions) being William Hocker and Imperial (New Zealand). Hocker more so than Imperial, providing a nostalgic bridge to the past. In addition the remaining actual brick and mortar actual toy soldier shops have continued to decrease
My personal opinion is that the increase in scale, 1:32 (54mm) to 1:30 (60mm), and the resultant significant increase in detail, quality of figure sculpture and painting (and in most cases historical accuracy), and the predomination of matte over gloss finish, have been the principal results. Obviously as this has occurred, and with the overall world labour market, prices have sharply increased in recent years. I can clearly recall a previous parallel example. In the late 1950s and early 60s a box/set of W. Britains Ltd. cost between $1.25 to $2.00 USD (sometimes less on sale), but even then, a single Greenwood & Ball figure was priced from $6.50 to $9.50 USD, at the time an exorbitant cost.
The second factor of this evolution being the trend from merely display of mass formations to dioramas, has caused a change in the resultant facets of judgement and appreciation of individual collections. And again Malcom Forbes presentation format formerly at his museum then in Tangiers, Morocco and Anne Brown’s collection at the Brown University Library (see; https://library.brown.edu/collections/askb/ ) being significant exceptions.
Until recently dioramas were predominately the domain of museums. Once again, the exceptions being individual “objects de art” and/or vignettes. Here artists in the Russian Federation would appear to currently predominate the field. Not unlike the media of more classic and conventional art (with the obvious exception of modern abstract art), the elements of composition, historical accuracy, visual effects, and unique subject matter/backgrounds are significant factors. In this author’s opinion this tends to relegate the figures to merely an element, albeit essential, of the artist’s palette.
All that having been said there is absolutely nothing to be taken, inferred, or intended of a negative or derogatory nature by this evolution, it is that, an evolution, which should be both recognized and appreciated. However, there is one disconcerting element in addition to the sharp price increases that is universal, that being the almost absolute absence of younger aged collectors.
Arnhem Jim (aka Arnhemjim)
Arizona Territory
Jim
I agree with you about the Falling prices, and quality of sets overal for sale at Auction, and also on Electronc selling Platforms. And the steady dissappearanceof the traditional Glossy Toy Soldier. I have written about this subject on Social Media for several years previously, and have some observations of my own experience I wish to share with you and any other readers here.
- Dissappearance of newly intereste Hobby customers among the young.
- Class Room Government Policy towards teaching History, and Methods and teaching materials used or NOT used.
- Vanishing Book Shops and Quality reliable reference resources and Printed matter;
- Industry Labour costs and Product pricing (too high by far for young people !!!)
- Widespread resulting ignorance and overall lack of Historical Knowledge amongst the young generations.
- Death of a alrge number of Hobby Industry collectors, Characters and Supporters. resulting shrinking ageing dwindeling marketplace, with Closing Kit and High street model toy soldier shops.
- Internet buying from electronic Platforms falsely inflating prices for often inferior sub standard or even Counterfeit Piracy illegal copy products.
- Weak Consumer law protection for Creative Sculptors and Artists involved in Master figure and or Mould tool making. (Extorionate legal fees make enforcing your copyright a ridiculously wasteful process and encourages thieves to our industry).
- High levels of Single parent families in Uk and France EU. (In france sixty percent of child has ONE Parent only (hence not too much if any Money to spen on toy figures) Last year 1.5 Million french chld no have a single Christmas present.
The lack of detailed History teaching and detail of subject matter taught in School Classrooms has seriously been corroded. This is especially true in France and in the Uk Classrooms. reasons for this appear to be an inherent fear of mentioning certain religious conflicts for fear of upsetting the sometimes highly and dangerously strung sensibilites of the UK and EU foreign immigrant community and there religions. In France there have been for some years now a series of orcestrated violent attacks on School teachers specializing in History. The tragic death of school professor samuel Patty who was actually BEHEADED, Murdered in cold blood !!! by extremists, "informed" on from angry pupils in his very own classroom, is but merely one tragic and serious point.
History is not now taught in UK or (some) EU schools as it once was. or "should" be today i will say it. A climate of curiosity and enquirey in our young peoples minds has been replaced instead by the attitude almost that such Historical questions are "forbidden knowledge" and dangerous material. Instead of being prepared to adjust to Multi Cultural Societies, which are increasingly present EVERYWHERE in the 21st century, fear of mentioning "the wrong thing" has acted as a suffocating restraint to progress in aknowledgeing everybodys palce in Human History. And with this, the comprehension of the shapeing of the world, from Caesar and Vercingetorix of gaul, to other Political conflicts in History.
With the loss of healthy reading to our young peoples minds, comes the loss of access to descriptive detailed accurrate Historical Artwrk, of decent Pictures, maps, descriptions and styles of everything from Ancient buildings and artwork to the battle plan of Thermoplyae or Zama.
Our Young persons spend FAR TOO MUCH time playing profitless games on Smartphones, and reading instead of Quality eruditely written books, they read and believe "Internet Historya rticles" many if not all of which are transitory, frequently ammened edited or altered even deleted. Internet History and study materials are NOT A SUBSTITUTE for decent books and colour Plans, such as the once hugely use and class wall famous co operation Pedagogique series of large airbrushed printed colour pictures which until the mid seventies were a regular feature of a normal classroom wall.
i have a collection of them on my Toy Soldier Business painting room wall, i bought from a vide grenier years ago. beautiful colour pictures, which when used and combined with text and discussion, led to a good understanding among youngpeople. Advent of Computer, Smartphone, Game Console and all day tv service, has been enormously and lethaly corrossive of young persons psychology and ability to develop, grow and matre thinking and perceptive skills of Small and Gross "Motor".
I have to say this has been a counter productive and dangerous policy, which instead of giving greater peace, stability and safety in the school classroom or wider environs of society, instead has merely added and greatly fuelled conflict, Social Division, dis trust, suspicion, dis unity, fear and distrust, the very things a healthy and correct understanding of History absolutely seeks to AVOID doing !!!
Transparency and above all HONESTY is the cure for this malaise. And the Honest IMPARTIAL teaching of History which DOES NOT attack criticize insult or abuse persons from other backgrounds and Minoritys. Hstory belongs TO ALL persons. Supressing Books, Book Shops and creating false and highly missleading Internet articles, and making substitutions for creative hobby past times instead with the Telly, Smartphone Computer Internet or video nasty games, is a retrospective reverse step. it is destroying our Industry, the second hand and book printing industry and attrracting a number of cowboy Toy Soldier operators with a get rich bust it quick copyright piracy product market. E bay is full of them.
Weak, ineffective, slip shop and white collar crime ripp off fees charged by lawyers, makes enforecement of creativ artists, sculptors and figure makers un interesting and un attrractive.
the situation of parasite operators making ILLEGAL PIRACY copyright infrignement kits and contraband figures is rife in the Industry, asis blatant copying.
Copying and stealing by greedy dealers and workshops will i swear be the Anihilation of our hobbby industry.
too many Mould tooligs, masters and decades of quality work go "walk abouts" in this industry and are never now able easily if at all to be replaced.
When a school child we regularly looked forward to a History teaching and a quiz on a friday afternoon from our headmaster Peter Abbot. But today, I have personaly encountered former students who do not even know a thing about the American war of Indepednance or that America was once in fact a british tax paying Colony. This leads to a sheer loss of, and fundamental lack of "interest" in all things Historic, be it customs, costums, Ancient battles or the great doings and human issues or struggles of each Historical History period.
This denies our young people OF ALL Religious or social or class denominations, the opportunity to enrich there lives, and add depth to their perception of our times, of the evolving nature of human history, and blocks the discovery of a large number of subjects and visual or text based materials from study. And the declining level of teachers prepared to tolerate the classroom conditions and policy situations which have been "tolerated" have also fuelled a more rpaid, steady decline in knowledge of History and any or all things which might also include matters of a civil, social, custom based or Military nature.
The young people, once present at every toy figure and model kit show, are rare these days. Plastic kits and toy soldiers have become in recent years more expensive,, the very high cost of kits and toy figures has been the veritable kiss of death for young people, whose pay is all too often abusively derisory, and meagre during their early work life years. Our Hobby is after all as my old step father liked to carp, a "Luxury item". it is considered by cash strapped parents (increasingly single parents !!!) as a costly Luxury of little value. And thereis little if NO "disposable Income" which defeats the often heard dealer notion at shows of "we charge what the market will bear".
Well, they are in for a shock. because times are changed,
the market WONT BEAR IT, (or forgive it) and instead the young have all migrated elsewhere taking their precious bank notes credit cards and coin to other markets instead. , leaving the supplyof recruits to our Hobby a dry river bed.
In our Industry, as a key french paris supplier recently told me, "we have a ever increasing number of persons trying to enter this Industry, but eacha nd every one of us is now obliged to pursue our customers from an ever shrinking and getting smaller shallwer well pond of Hobby waters. This well pond hobby resource of our customers will frankly continue to shrink, retrace, dry up and god forbid DISSAPPEAR in a few short years unless the Industry acts together and acceptssome sort of common policy re labour, pricing, materials and finding, nay CREATING new customers.
So, simply, profoundly, Governmental Policy and its surrounding side effects towards education, have instead of helping heal social Division, have merely accellerrated it and greatly encouraged it, along with equaly encouraging a broader, ever widening, ever deepening, rift between each successive generation, and a sense of being "Rootless" amongst our young people.
ths has serious long term social consequences which alas reach far farther than the local toy soldier club room or Hobby Show.
The effects of the loss and serious decline in the printing and buying of quality books by the younger people, and the declining availability of Secondhand affordable book shops on our High streets, is another death blw to our Hobby today.
When visiting the Toy Soldier Museum near Compiegne (Armistice signing railway line site) my wife and i heard a young French boy, around seventeen years of age, admiring and liking the wonderfull large dioramas of toy soldiers on show there. he turned to his parents and said "Thesea re the sorts of things i would like to be able to buy and have at home, IF ONLY we knew how or where to get them or make them".
This says it all, not just for our French boys and girls, but for many nations now adays .
Unless and until the "Grassroots"of the hobby and Industry return, with younger new faces, this hobby will dwindle and become History itself.
Thereis a saying "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away".
Maxime Chevallier is an accomplished Social media writer with over 100 million viewers.
