Hello,
As promised, here is a comparison between an old Lucotte figure and a new one. First let me say that I do not own any of the newest Lucottes being turned out by Mignot in the South of France. You can buy the new ones from Le Petit Soldat, Tradition of London, and Au Plat d"Etain. They are matt finished, and clearly do not have any age on them. I think the going price is about 100 Euros per mounted figure, and 750 Euros for a set of 6 cavalry, or 10 infantry and one mounted officer.
The figures I am comparing are a pre-WWI Grenadier a Cheval enlisted, and a circa 1970 officer of the Grenadier a Cheval. The older piece is clearly showing its age. The paint has faded some, he has all the requisite nicks and chips. The painting in many ways is very simple. Notice that Lucottes all have stirrups, unlike most Mignot. Though early Mignot do have removable saddles with stirrups, these tend to be simpler than the Lucotte versions. The painting on the more modern figure is more sophisticated and brighter.
Next we have two Napoleons. The first is pre-WWI and the second is from the 50's, when Mignot owned the Lucotte molds and was painting all their figures bright glossy. The differences are profound. Notice the saddles. The earlier saddle is three pieces, with the holster mountings soldered on. The later one is one piece, and is a classic Mignot style.
The basic rule of thumb is, if the figure looks old and the painting is somewhat unsophisticated, its probably an old Lucotte. Old Lucotte mounted figures tend to go for around 200-300 Euros. New ones are around 100 Euros.
Best wishes and Happy Collecting.
As promised, here is a comparison between an old Lucotte figure and a new one. First let me say that I do not own any of the newest Lucottes being turned out by Mignot in the South of France. You can buy the new ones from Le Petit Soldat, Tradition of London, and Au Plat d"Etain. They are matt finished, and clearly do not have any age on them. I think the going price is about 100 Euros per mounted figure, and 750 Euros for a set of 6 cavalry, or 10 infantry and one mounted officer.
The figures I am comparing are a pre-WWI Grenadier a Cheval enlisted, and a circa 1970 officer of the Grenadier a Cheval. The older piece is clearly showing its age. The paint has faded some, he has all the requisite nicks and chips. The painting in many ways is very simple. Notice that Lucottes all have stirrups, unlike most Mignot. Though early Mignot do have removable saddles with stirrups, these tend to be simpler than the Lucotte versions. The painting on the more modern figure is more sophisticated and brighter.
Next we have two Napoleons. The first is pre-WWI and the second is from the 50's, when Mignot owned the Lucotte molds and was painting all their figures bright glossy. The differences are profound. Notice the saddles. The earlier saddle is three pieces, with the holster mountings soldered on. The later one is one piece, and is a classic Mignot style.
The basic rule of thumb is, if the figure looks old and the painting is somewhat unsophisticated, its probably an old Lucotte. Old Lucotte mounted figures tend to go for around 200-300 Euros. New ones are around 100 Euros.
Best wishes and Happy Collecting.
