Stumped? Solid Civil, & Revolutionary War Figures (1 Viewer)

[Eric]

Hello, It was suggested at the toy collector forum to come here, I am new a collecting.
I Recently found some Metal solid Revolutionary, & Civil War Soldiers, They have no markings, On the left looks like Washington, & Black Union Soldiers, Grant (on the right horse)?.They are from an estate sale my friend is having

,

& would like to purchase some of them, but not sure what to offer, or worth. I measured one infantry soldier from the bottom of the base, to the to of his hat, it measured 64mm, I have been searching for over a week now. I have been looking around for some other also now, I going to collect them now. I am excited about collecting older ones, these seem newer? I didn't magnet test them, but a few of the weapons are warped like lead. my wife rolls her eyes, but I believe she like them also, since shes been eager to help. Any Info. would be fantastic, Thank you, Eric

 

[Jackaroo]

Eric,

Just wanted to welcome you to the forum, my apologies though I can’t help you with your inquiry. There are lots of wise folks here though who will be very willing to assist. Good Luck. Cheers, Alby

 

[Eric]

Thank You, I have always been interested in miniature soldiers, I started my research about a week ago, & now have more questions than answers, I've been bidding on ebay. I keep losing, by one bid, I bid on some Britains. There are a few WW1 soldiers also.

 

[Eric]

 

[theBaron]

Hi, Eric, and welcome to the forum!

The two mounted figures look like figures manufactured by the firm King-White in Hong Kong, from around 1970 up through the mid-90's. Their figures were sold by several different agents, but the majority were sold by Reeves, Intl. The Washington figure was also sold at Mount Vernon, as was a foot figure of the General.

The foot figures in the box look like King-White/Reeves figures, too. Do the bases have a series of concentric arcs etched across the bottom, as if the piece was held against a grinder of some kind? And, you did say that they are solid?

If you search on "Reeves" in the forum, you'll find a good number of threads that discuss these figures. There is a small but dedicated following of this maker. This will tick off Andy, but I consider these figures to be the first example of what is called the "Chinese style" of toy soldier, because they're similar to lines of figures that came later, such as early King & Country, and early Frontline, and they all show similar style in the sculpt and the painting.

Personally, I consider $5 for a foot figure and $15 for a mounted figure to be good prices, as a collector. Dealers will have a different opinion, but then, they have a different perspective on the transaction.

There are a couple other Reeves fans in the forum, so I imagine some of them will soon find your thread, and we can see what the community thinks.

Thanks for sharing your find, prosit!
Brad

 

[Gideon]

Brad is right on - I think they're King White/Reeves too.

Price? Un-boxed figures should be up to $5 in decent shape.

I used to sell mint/boxed figures from $8 to $10 for foot and $15-$25 for mounted. If not boxed, mounted figures should be $10-$12

 

[Eric]

Hi, Eric, and welcome to the forum!

The two mounted figures look like figures manufactured by the firm King-White in Hong Kong, from around 1970 up through the mid-90's. Their figures were sold by several different agents, but the majority were sold by Reeves, Intl. The Washington figure was also sold at Mount Vernon, as was a foot figure of the General.

The foot figures in the box look like King-White/Reeves figures, too. Do the bases have a series of concentric arcs etched across the bottom, as if the piece was held against a grinder of some kind? And, you did say that they are solid?

If you search on "Reeves" in the forum, you'll find a good number of threads that discuss these figures. There is a small but dedicated following of this maker. This will tick off Andy, but I consider these figures to be the first example of what is called the "Chinese style" of toy soldier, because they're similar to lines of figures that came later, such as early King & Country, and early Frontline, and they all show similar style in the sculpt and the painting.

Personally, I consider $5 for a foot figure and $15 for a mounted figure to be good prices, as a collector. Dealers will have a different opinion, but then, they have a different perspective on the transaction.

There are a couple other Reeves fans in the forum, so I imagine some of them will soon find your thread, and we can see what the community thinks.

Thanks for sharing your find, prosit!
Brad

Your right King-White, Reeve import, early 80's I believe? I went through this site, & read about the G.F. of, "Matte. She's asking $6 foot $20, theres about 400. maybe I may catch a deal at the end? I'm collecting nice pre- 70's sets now, Britains, johilllc0. & other's so far. Thank You So much, I'm Busy, but I will be back here when I can!~

 

[Gideon]

in my opinion, thats a bit much to ask. condition looks ok but not mint out of box.

 

[kilted vampire]

Eric there is a good chance those are home cast. I have seen some of these before. I own some of them perhaps. Anyway with no markings to go by it is hard to say. Can you post a smaller group and closer up? As I said some of those Rebs look mighty familiar.

 

[theBaron]

Eric there is a good chance those are home cast. I have seen some of these before. I own some of them perhaps. Anyway with no markings to go by it is hard to say. Can you post a smaller group and closer up? As I said some of those Rebs look mighty familiar.

That's a good point, KV, and yet, the connection to KW is still there. You've probably seen the molds, I think they're a zinc alloy, and they cast copies of King White figures. I got a couple of them through Castings/REB Co back in the 90's, but I've since given them away, because I didn't like the detail, it was a little soft.

They included the standing figure of the Life Guards, an officer who, I think, was supposed to represent Wellington, as well as some of the French. There was also a mold to cast the rearing horse, but the master was modified. Where the KW horse had a solid back, and is a solid chunk of lead, the one used for the mold had a cutout under the saddle, I suspect to make it a little lighter. There was a mounted carabineer figure, left arm raised, to go with it. I remember, too, seeing the mold for the KW "Spirit of '76" trio, in Castings' catalog. They're still available, too, from their website.

The factory figures are easily distinguished from homecast copies by looking at the underside of the base. The factory figures often show a pattern of concentric arcs, as if the base was held against a grinding wheel. Often there is also a mark on the base, sometimes our Arabic numerals, sometimes a mark that looks like a Chinese character. And the painting, though generally simple in style, is often immediately identifiable compared to most homecast, homepainted figures, unless you find a homecast that's been painted carefully, like something you or John O'Brien (Obee) would do.

Prost!
Brad