DavidChristCollection
Private
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2024
- Messages
- 14
Greetings and salutations. I've lurked here for awhile and decided it was time to step out of the shadows. I am relatively new to the toy soldier world. Earlier this year, I came into possession of my father-in-law's collection and commenced upon my journey of learning exactly what it was I was holding. David Christ had been collecting for over 40 years and had more or less become an unofficial part of London Bridge Miniatures in Emmaus, Pa. I guess you could say he "worked" there without really working there. I have a newspaper clipping about the store and he is pictured along with the owner, Ron. I also came across "dealer" badges and other paperwork amongst catalogs for Old Toy Soldier Auctions. My wife and her sister have told me stories from when they were kids about being instructed on how to properly wrap and box figures in that little store just outside of Allentown. As LB grew and began to release their own line of soldiers, David had taken on doing some of the hand painting. That is until the shakes got the better part of his hands, a side effect of huffing Agent Orange during Vietnam. I personally did not know just how in depth he was immersed in this world. I obviously knew some just from the displays he had around the house. But, the girls never really talked about it. It wasn't their interest. And, I spent more time talking with him about music or craft beers than I did toy soldiers. But, now that I am warehousing his collection, I find myself in awe on a daily basis. I have been researching and cataloguing for the better part of 9 months. And, with the help of some wonderful folks at FB groups such as "Trophy of Wales Collectors and Fans" and "William Britain Toy Soldier Collectors", I have been able to identify a good chunk of what has been occupying my family room, living room, music studio, stairwell, and son's bedroom. I often joke that we have to keep some in the vegetable crisper because we've run out of room. There are literally hundreds of sets comprising thousands of soldiers, tanks, planes, scenics, catalogs and other periodicals along with approximately 80 boxes of books covering all aspects of war and military since the dawn of time. The lion's share is Britains and Trophy with impressive amounts of Imperial, Marlborough, Steadfast and probably another dozen or so different makers. However, there are some figures that I have not been able to put a pin in. And, this is where I shift from introducing myself to asking for your collective expertise. I recently was able to ID two castle sets. One was from JG Miniatures and the other from Tri Ang. However, there are a number of figures in this genre of which I know very little or nothing about. Some are labelled as Britains but seem to be much older than the rest of his Britains horde. Some are labelled as JGM, but, I'd like to know more about them so I can accurately catalog what they are. Some are stamped SW on the underside. I have long made the assumption that that stands for Soldiers of the World, but, I am not confident of that. So, without further ado, here are some pictures if anyone can help a brother get just a little bit closer to bringing this project to completion.
