2009 OTSN - Memphis Toy Soldiers (1 Viewer)

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wadepat

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Gentle Friends,

One of my favorite people at OTSN is Norm Rodriguez of Memphis Toy Soldiers. Norm is a dealer who has the uncanny ability of finding and purchasing pre-owned sets by William Hocker. Most times, the figures have never been removed from the box! In that sense, the figures are very much like new! Needless to say, I always make a purchase from Norm. And,...I have always been highly satisfied with the sets I have obtained from Norm. However, I must admit, making choices in Norm's room is most difficult.

In order to provide you with documentation of how difficult it is to make choices in this room, I thought you might like to see the Hocker sets from which to choose that Norm had on his bed.

Enjoy!

Warmest personal regards,

Pat
 

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Gentle Friends,

Memphis Toy Soldiers, Part II.

Warmest personal regards,

Pat
 

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Gentle Friends,

Memphis Toy Soldiers, Part III.

Now, you can see how difficult it is to make choices in Norm's room. Can you guess which set I purchased?

Thanks for viewing my photos of Norm's room. I hope you enjoyed the tour!

Warmest personal regards,

Pat
 

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Thanks very much for your report and photos from Norms' room. He certainly has a great selection. I am not sure which set you would have picked, perhaps something Durbar related :D

I do know however which set I would have picked. :D:D

Scott
 
Thanks Pat for the photos. What a selection to choose from.

Jeff
 
Thanks for the photos Pat. I just love looking at those Hocker sets.

When you get a Hocker set, do you go for a theme, Wild West etc., or do you just go for a set that catches your eye?
 
Hard to choose, I see what you mean, that's how I felt when I visited the Guards Toy Soldier Centre in London, like a child in a candy store:D.


Paulo
 
Pat,
Thanks for posting the pics. My guess is that you bought the coach set which is in the top pic on page 2 of this thread.

The sets do look like new. How are the prices compared to new?

Chuck
 
skeeterbuck said:
Pat,
Thanks for posting the pics. My guess is that you bought the coach set which is in the top pic on page 2 of this thread.

The sets do look like new. How are the prices compared to new?

Chuck
Click to expand...

Hi Chuck,

No, I did not buy the coach although I thought about it. Actually, I thought about buying each set I did not already have! Unfortunately, there were budget constraints. :D

Norm's prices for the boxed sets are usually slightly lower than Mr. Hocker's prices. While you can save some money by purchasing from Norm, you will do so in modest increments. Nevertheless, those modest increments ultimately result in funds for an additional set. In this hobby, every penny saved counts!

Now, I will give you a very, very small hint regarding the set I purchased from Norm. The set did not include mounted figures. That clue should help you greatly! :rolleyes:

Warmest personal regards,

Pat :)
 
Well Pat, not knowing you favorite areas of collecting I would say as a second guess, the "Boston Tea Party" set. :confused:
This is one of those "quirky" sets that Bill makes. These unique figures really set his company apart from other makers and goes along way in setting the theme for the historical area they cover.

Now for myself, I would be leaning more towards, the CIV bicyclist or the band in khaki. :D

I also think that I spied the Lord Cardigan under fire which is also a very interesting play toy.


Chuck
 
skeeterbuck said:
Well Pat, not knowing you favorite areas of collecting I would say as a second guess, the "Boston Tea Party" set. :confused:
This is one of those "quirky" sets that Bill makes. These unique figures really set his company apart from other makers and goes along way in setting the theme for the historical area they cover.

Now for myself, I would be leaning more towards, the CIV bicyclist or the band in khaki. :D

I also think that I spied the Lord Cardigan under fire which is also a very interesting play toy.

Chuck
Click to expand...

Hi Chuck,

Yes, you spotted the Lord Cardigan Under Fire set and I thought long and hard about purchasing it, but, alas, I passed it up for now. However, I did read the instructions on how to assemble it and I reviewed the method for setting the toy into motion. Mr. Hocker constantly amazes me with his creativity and ingenuity.

I was also tempted by the CIV Bicyclists, but my funds were too limited to purchase all the Hocker treasures I desired.

Knowing my primary collecting interests may actually misguide you, so let me give you another clue. Keep an eye out for the color red. :rolleyes:

Warmest personal regards,

Pat :)
 
Well Pat, my last guess is the 7th Pajputs Band. If that's not it I give up! :confused:

Chuck
 
skeeterbuck said:
Well Pat, my last guess is the 7th Pajputs Band. If that's not it I give up! :confused:

Chuck
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Hi Chuck,

Good guesses all, but I do not think anyone would have easily guessed my choice. Look at the 1st photo in Part III of my earlier posts. There you should see Hocker set #162, British Grenadiers Marching at the bottom of the photograph. This was the set I chose.

You might ask why I chose this particular set over all the others. My reasoning was as follows:

1.) It compliments my Hocker set #161, British Infantry Column. A photograph of my set #161 appears below. If you are familiar with the Hocker set numbering system, you might be interested to know that the full number of my British Infantry Column set is: Set #161/2. The slash 2 indicates my set was the second set of the Infantry Column he ever sold.

If you compare the photo below to the photo of this set presently found on Mr. Hocker's website, you will note that my set has four Pioneers whereas, Mr. Hocker's photo presents two Pioneers and two Drummers. Very early in the production of this set, Mr. Hocker reduced the number of Pioneers and added the two drummers. My set is the more rare set.

2.) The British Grenadiers Marching set is Set #612/6 - another very low sale number. Given the very low sale number, I could not resist adding this set to my collection and complimenting my Infantry Column set.

Thanks for guessing! It has been fun!

Warmest personal regards,

Pat :)
 

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wadepat said:
Hi Chuck,

Good guesses all, but I do not think anyone would have easily guessed my choice. Look at the 1st photo in Part III of my earlier posts. There you should see Hocker set #162, British Grenadiers Marching at the bottom of the photograph. This was the set I chose.

You might ask why I chose this particular set over all the others. My reasoning was as follows:

1.) It compliments my Hocker set #161, British Infantry Column. A photograph of my set #161 appears below. If you are familiar with the Hocker set numbering system, you might be interested to know that the full number of my British Infantry Column set is: Set #161/2. The slash 2 indicates my set was the second set of the Infantry Column he ever sold.

If you compare the photo below to the photo of this set presently found on Mr. Hocker's website, you will note that my set has four Pioneers whereas, Mr. Hocker's photo presents two Pioneers and two Drummers. Very early in the production of this set, Mr. Hocker reduced the number of Pioneers and added the two drummers. My set is the more rare set.

2.) The British Grenadiers Marching set is Set #612/6 - another very low sale number. Given the very low sale number, I could not resist adding this set to my collection and complimenting my Infantry Column set.

Thanks for guessing! It has been fun!

Warmest personal regards,

Pat :)
Click to expand...
You mean your favorite wasn't the Italian beef?
 
eborris said:
You mean your favorite wasn't the Italian beef?
Click to expand...

Hi Ed,

:D:D:D Without a doubt, my favorite meal was the Italian beef! And,...the company was outstanding! Next time, the treat is on me!

Also, remember when you come to Kansas, I will show you the oldest continually functioning court house west of the Mississippi! :eek:

Warmest personal regards,

Pat ;)
 
wadepat said:
Hi Ed,

:D:D:D Without a doubt, my favorite meal was the Italian beef! And,...the company was outstanding! Next time, the treat is on me!

Also, remember when you come to Kansas, I will show you the oldest continually functioning court house west of the Mississippi! :eek:

Warmest personal regards,

Pat ;)
Click to expand...
Pat,

You bet count me in.

Ed
 
Very nice set Pat and I enjoyed the story about Bill changing some of the figures at one point.
Now the question is, will you take them out of the box :rolleyes:?
 
Now, I will give you a very, very small hint regarding the set I purchased from Norm. The set did not include mounted figures. That clue should help you greatly! :rolleyes:

Warmest personal regards,

Pat :)[/QUOTE]

No fair Pat, :mad:

You said the set didn't include MOUNTED figures. Well what's that figure on a hores... a statue. :p

I still would have had a hard time picking the set. Even though it's not my "cup of tea", it looks to be a very nice set. Congrats!

Chuck
 
skeeterbuck said:
Now, I will give you a very, very small hint regarding the set I purchased from Norm. The set did not include mounted figures. That clue should help you greatly! :rolleyes:

Warmest personal regards,

Pat :)
Click to expand...

No fair Pat, :mad:

You said the set didn't include MOUNTED figures. Well what's that figure on a hores... a statue. :p

I still would have had a hard time picking the set. Even though it's not my "cup of tea", it looks to be a very nice set. Congrats!

Chuck[/QUOTE]

Hi Chuck,

:D Ha! The photo of British Infantry Column, Set #161, I posted is a set I already owned. The set I purchased from Norm in Chicago is Set #162 - British Grenadiers Marching, which has no mounted figures. The Marching Grenadiers set can be viewed in the first photo of Part III of my earlier posts. Had this set not been available from Norm, I would have probably chosen the set of Lord Cardigan dodging the cannon balls. Or, maybe I would have chosen the Bicyclists. Or, maybe I would have chosen the.......:confused:

Warmest personal regards,

Pat ;)
 
Russell said:
Very nice set Pat and I enjoyed the story about Bill changing some of the figures at one point.
Now the question is, will you take them out of the box :rolleyes:?
Click to expand...

Hi Russell,

No, I will not remove the figures from either set (The British Infantry Column nor the British Grenadiers Marching) because of their very low sales numbers. I fear that if I remove the figures from their boxes, I may reduce their value. Consequently, I will leave them tied in the box in order to document their numbers.

I have several other Hocker sets with very low sales numbers and they, too, remain tied in their respective boxes. The Hocker sets I own that have higher sales numbers are proudly displayed out of their boxes and in my curio cabinets!

Warmest personal regards,

Pat :)
 
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