toy soldiers from around 1900 (many questions) (2 Viewers)

[Aleš]

I have a few questions regarding vintage toy soldiers made around 1900:

-first of all, are they safe? Because of the lead paint,...they are made from zink....painted,....is it safe to touch them, to have them in the room (breathing the same air,...) or is it better if they are behind glass or what?

-are they worth anything?

I have an opurtunity to buy them in the auction (it is not ebay) i do not know how many it is, i will say around 50, maybe more (or less) because they are all crowded inside wooden box,...but few are displayed and they look great (also horses and carriage, horsemen, infantry, a musician with the drum,....) if i buy them i will show some photos here.

I do not know which company is made them, but it is say they are made around 1900 ( so more than 120 years old), the paint is real good, not much chips, cracks,..as you will expekted (at least the ones i see outside the box).

So, are old vintage toy soldiers worth anything? Is there a market for this? For example stamps and coins are worth more when they are old, how is this in toy soldier busines?

If i buy them maybe someone can help me identified/recognize them?

 

[Wolfgang_UK]

If you like them and if you enjoy to display them, than buy them. That is the only motivation a collector should have.
The age does not really mean anything, to be honest made of zinc does not really sound antique to me. My guess they could be
1970ies home painted soviet Toy Soldiers. But without a picture of the subjetct any research is pure guess work and will lead you nowhere
regards
Wolfgang

 

[Aleš]

If you like them and if you enjoy to display them, than buy them. That is the only motivation a collector should have.
The age does not really mean anything, to be honest made of zinc does not really sound antique to me. My guess they could be
1970ies home painted soviet Toy Soldiers. But without a picture of the subjetct any research is pure guess work and will lead you nowhere
regards
Wolfgang

They are not home made painted soviet from 1970.
They are what i say they are (around 1900, probably austrian or german) because they represent austrian Empire (black and yellow flag) uniforms,....if they are made in austrian empire, than they are from period 1804-1867 but if they are made after (in austro-hungarian empire) than they could be made from 1867-1918.
The auction house have their experts so they write around 1900 and i believe them, because i doubt that they were made before 1867....anyway they are not soviet 1970, anyone can see that.
Like i said i will show some photos if i win the auction.

So, how about the lead paint? Is it dangereus?

 

[Aleš]

here are some photos from the auction website, that is why they are smaller size (at their website it can be zoomed):





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[DMNamiot]

Lead paint is hazardous if you eat it or get it into your body thru breathing in the dust made when scraping or sanding. So if you are not handling the paint or removal of paint properly you can get it in your body. But it was also used in house paint before 1978 in the US. I don’t know how long it was in use in Europe so you will need to look at that by your country. But the bottom line is if you aren’t chewing on the soldiers it’s pretty unlikely that you will be exposed or affected by the paint.

Dave

 

[Aleš]

Lead paint is hazardous if you eat it or get it into your body thru breathing in the dust made when scraping or sanding. So if you are not handling the paint or removal of paint properly you can get it in your body. But it was also used in house paint before 1978 in the US. I don’t know how long it was in use in Europe so you will need to look at that by your country. But the bottom line is if you aren’t chewing on the soldiers it’s pretty unlikely that you will be exposed or affected by the paint.

Dave

well i was thinking in lead or zink in general....if i play with the toy soldiers, touch them, maybe some paint stay in the fingers i touch my face or i breat the same air as the toy soldiers are exposed,...stuff like that, of course i will not chew them...i read that lead is a health hazard,....i just do not know how is this with toy soldiers, is there also dangereous or not. It is not something to joking around

 

[theBaron]

well i was thinking in lead or zink in general....if i play with the toy soldiers, touch them, maybe some paint stay in the fingers i touch my face or i breat the same air as the toy soldiers are exposed,...stuff like that, of course i will not chew them...i read that lead is a health hazard,....i just do not know how is this with toy soldiers, is there also dangereous or not. It is not something to joking around

Yeah, I'd call in a hazmat team for those. Don't even look at them-they'll cause wet macular degeneration.

 

[theBaron]

Sorry, I couldn't resist smarting off. But you put it up on a tee, so I had to take a swing.

Anyway, to your questions about these toy soldiers...

It's a mix of commerically-made figures and some homecasts. In the first picture, for example, the flag-bearer at the left of the photo is from a Schneider mold. Definitely homecast. The 2 figures next to him also look like they are from Schneider molds. The carriage reminds me of Wollner, but it's hard to tell with such a small photo. As far as viewing larger images goes, maybe you could provide the link to the auction page.

Practically impossible to tell in the second photo. A box of a hundred or more flats.

In the third photo, the figures also remind me of the Austrian makers. The dog cart and bass drum belonged to at least one regiment in the K-u-K army, trophy from some battle in the 18th century. That also makes me think of Wollner or a similar maker. The other figures look like similar figures. The turn of the last century is a reasonable date for these.

Hard to say what a price might be. If I were bidding, I'd want to get them as cheaply as I could. So would a dealer looking to buy them and resell them. If this were an auction here, I'd go no higher than thirty bucks for the lot. But remember that pricing on the secondary market always boils down to whatever amount the seller and buyer can agree on at the time. Every buyer has a different tolerance for maximum, every dealer has a different tolerance for minimum.

Prost!
Brad

 

[theBaron]

Oh, as far as the alloys go, apart from the homecasts, the flats are very likely a typical alloy of tin, 80% or more, with lead, antimony, or bismuth added. The homecasts could be an alloy of tin and lead, or they could be all lead. Still, as Dave points out, unless you eat them, or use a file on them and ingest the filings, you'll be fine. Even handling them.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Aleš]

Oh, as far as the alloys go, apart from the homecasts, the flats are very likely a typical alloy of tin, 80% or more, with lead, antimony, or bismuth added. The homecasts could be an alloy of tin and lead, or they could be all lead. Still, as Dave points out, unless you eat them, or use a file on them and ingest the filings, you'll be fine. Even handling them.

Prost!
Brad

Thank you for your informations, but you are wrong in one thing:

-there is no flats in the wooden box.

ALL of the figures are the same as the ones you see (cavalrymen,...) they are just a few pieces taken outside from the wooden box, the rest are the same (no flats) only staying in th ewooden box,....because of the smaller photo it look like flats, but they are not, maybe they are narrower or thiner than todays figurines, but they are not flats.

If i buy them i will photo them and show them here.

For me it is kind of a mistery box, who knows what else is hidding inside there.

 

[theBaron]

Thank you for your informations, but you are wrong in one thing:

-there is no flats in the wooden box...

Then provide a better photo, or the link the auction so we can see it ourselves. From that tiny photo, all I see is a jumble of gray.

 

[theBaron]

A tip, as far as getting photos off a website goes.

If there is no functionality to download the image itself, and it's a relatively small image or thumbnail, try these steps:

1. Rightclick on the image
2. In the menu that opens, select, "Open image in new tab" (or window)
3. The image will open in a new tab/window
4. If the image is larger than it appeared on the page, you're seeing its actual or native dimensions. Sometimes the expand/reduce function is available. It depends on the file.
5. You should be able to download the file in those dimensions

This works on the Windows operating system. I don't know if it works on Mac or any mobile device's operating system. But that helps, if you want to share an image that you have found, and what you see on the page is reduced in size.

 

[Aleš]

Then provide a better photo, or the link the auction so we can see it ourselves. From that tiny photo, all I see is a jumble of gray.

hello here is the link from the auction:

https://www.dorotheum.com/en/l/8682718/

As you can see this is an serious auction house, one of the oldest in the world, they start with auction more than 300 years ago, they have many experst working for them,....anyway i do not even know what i buy because it is kind of an treasure chest for me, waiting that i open her. I can show some photos after so you can see what was inside that treasure chest, how many figurines,...i think i will get it around 21 days,....because first they send invoice i must wait for the letter (they send invoice by post) than also i must wait for the package to arrive,...

 

[Aleš]

is anyone collect those figurines? I can sale some of them to you or trade for others if not i will probably put them on Ebay or some other website or to a local museum. So if anyone is interested contact me before is to late.

 

[Aleš]

today i receive this figurines:

 

[Aleš]

here is more photos

 

[Aleš]

more photos:

 

[Aleš]

even more photos

 

[Aleš]

i receive an answer from USA, from a man who owned an auction house where he have montly auctions, he say:

Hello Ales, Your figures are made by a company called Wollner. German circa 1910. The carriage is good but is in need of repair. There is a group of Staff Officer with the Kaiser that is also pretty good. I would estimate the entire grouping to be worth $1800-2500.

The problem is shipping from Europe (Slovenia) to USA....

Does anyone know an auction house in Europe (Austria, Germany, Italy, France,...)?

Also one from UK is interested to put them in his auction, but also i must fly to UK,....maybe it will be easyer to sale them piece by piece, but there is 156 pieces + carriage

Or i will keep them....i start to like them. There is something in this old figurines it is hard to describe, but when you look at them in person, when you hold them,....you fall in love. + they will only get older, more rare, more expensive,...

Any advice what should i do?

 

[paxtoysoldier]

Oh, as far as the alloys go, apart from the homecasts, the flats are very likely a typical alloy of tin, 80% or more, with lead, antimony, or bismuth added. The homecasts could be an alloy of tin and lead, or they could be all lead. Still, as Dave points out, unless you eat them, or use a file on them and ingest the filings, you'll be fine. Even handling them.

Prost!
Brad

I've handled lead soldiers since I was young and my pink elephant & me are perfectly fine.
No, seriously, there should not be a problem with lead if you wash your hands.
Lovely old figures by the way! Good luck with the figures Ales. I think you should keep them.
Paddy