Trophy Special Commissions (1 Viewer)

[boerboy]

It looks like the Elite Edition topic has opened the door to another long-awaited subject: Special Commissions. Len created many special requests over the years, which became a valid and creative part of his business. Most special commissions were one-off items or sets, while others were produced repeatedly due to their popularity.


You're welcome to share what you have— and if there's a story behind how you acquired it, all the better!

 

[boerboy]

Len once told me a story about an interesting American Civil War set he created, based on the story of a woman who had two sons fighting on opposite sides—one for the Union and one for the Confederacy. It appears he made only two of these sets: one was sent to the U.S., and the other remained in a small case of figures he had made for his wife, Valery.


He never had the chance to send me a photo, but based on his description, the piece depicted an elderly Southern woman sitting in an armchair, holding two small flags—one Union, one Dixie. Even though I’ve never seen a picture of it, AI has just created an image showing how it might have looked.

 

[boerboy]

Lucky Find
Trophy Miniatures – Royal Wedding of Prince Charles & Princess Diana, 1981 – Commemorative Chess Set (Partial)


Now comprising the following pieces:
Blue Plinths – Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Archbishop of Canterbury, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London Policeman
Red Plinths – Mounted Guards Officer, Duke, and Duchess


These are reputedly the rarest Trophy Miniatures ever produced, with only two full sets ever commissioned, plus a pre-production set—to which these pieces belong.


Len once told me the story behind this rare project: his neighbor at the time, a Brazilian-born woodworker, came up with the idea for a commemorative chess set. The plan was that he would make the chessboards while Len sculpted the figures. Len was very enthusiastic about the collaboration, and promotional flyers were even printed to advertise the set.


Unfortunately, the project ultimately fell through. Only two complete sets were ever finished—one was taken back to Brazil by the woodworker, and the other was acquired by a Ronald Reagan fan and reportedly sent to Reagan himself, who was known to be a chess enthusiast.


Len mentioned that he still had a stack of those original flyers sitting in the lounge of his home. I never got to see or obtain one because he passed away shortly after our conversation—but they must be out there somewhere.

 

[boerboy]

These are two Trophy Miniatures American Civil War flagbearers, issued specially for the Forbes Toy Soldiers Collection sale at Christie’s in 1997.


Each figure carries a unique flag with the inscription “Forbes Christie’s MCMXCVII”—one side features a blue field, and the other a red field. These pieces were produced as commemorative items for the high-profile auction of Malcolm Forbes' legendary toy soldier collection, held at Christie’s New York in 1997.


The sale was a landmark event in the toy soldier world, featuring thousands of rare and custom-made figures collected by Forbes over decades. These flagbearers were among the limited figures specially made to mark the occasion, making them highly collectible and rarely seen on the market today.

 

[jazzeum]

The flagbearer from the Mexican American War that you know own might have been a special commission.

 

[boerboy]

The flagbearer from the Mexican American War that you know own might have been a special commission.

Thank you, Brad. I will post a photo of it.

 

[TheDurbarMan]

Wow!!!! Thanks for sharing information about these wonderful special commissions! I think I recall reading on this forum that Len may have made or have offered to make special commissions of collectors for them to display in their own collections. Does anyone know more about these special commissions of collectors? Does anyone have one of these special figures of themselves?

 

[Louis Badolato]

I have several WWI special commissions, most of which I obtained from Martyn (GICOP) but other I purchased from another big Trophy WWI Collector. I will post a few photos.
Madras Pioneers (from Martyn):

Special Presentation Versions of WWI Russian Standard Bearers:



Special Commission WWI Indian Army Infantry and Mounted Corps of Guides mounted escorts (thanks to Martyn):

 

[Louis Badolato]

Here is a special commission of Trophy WWI Algerian Tirailleurs:

 

[boerboy]

Here is a special commission of Trophy WWI Algerian Tirailleurs:
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Great sets! Thank you for sharing, Louis. I’m still looking for the Russian flagbearers—they’ve eluded me so far.


Rod Key’s sets would make a great subject for another thread: the "Salvation Army" series. I have quite a few of them, though unfortunately I’m still missing some. Most of the Salvation Army sets were commissioned by Rod Key from Len, and some of them are truly unique and rare.

 

[jazzeum]

Are the Citadel figures considered a special commission?

 

[boerboy]

Are the Citadel figures considered a special commission?

Thank you for mentioning them, Brad. Yes, I believe they are, and I think I have all of them. I’ll post their photos shortly.