Trophy Special Commissions (2 Viewers)

[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.

 

[boerboy]

The owner of the now-closed The Toy Soldier Gallery, located at 501 Main Street in Highland Falls, NY—just outside the gates of West Point—used to sell a large number of Trophy sets. Len even created special West Point figures for him. However, this large set is now very hard to find.

 

[boerboy]

Another great story is the Citadel Military Academy specials. The Citadel, officially known as The Citadel: The Military College of South Carolina, is a prestigious public senior military college located in Charleston. It has a long-standing tradition of discipline, leadership, and service.


Len, ever the entrepreneur, made a special arrangement with The Citadel to produce exclusive figures for their annual graduation. These figures were not sold to the general public—you could only receive one if you were a Citadel alumnus, or if you made a charitable donation of around $10,000, in which case you would receive a boxed sets of five figures.


Len also created a unique, one-off Citadel set as a gift for a close friend. I actually found that very set in a UK auction—it was a remarkable discovery.


Interestingly, after Ken Jackson acquired the Trophy molds, he continued producing Citadel soldiers. However, the quality noticeably declined compared to the original Trophy figures. The dull maroon boxes used by Jackson also lack the charm and character of the iconic red Trophy packaging. I enclosed its photo for comparison.

 

[Louis Badolato]

The owner of the now-closed The Toy Soldier Gallery, located at 501 Main Street in Highland Falls, NY—just outside the gates of West Point—used to sell a large number of Trophy sets. Len even created special West Point figures for him. However, this large set is now very hard to find.

That was Tony Ciccarello's shop. He and his wife Marilyn were terrific people!

 

[boerboy]

Another rare and unusual special was made in 1981 to commemorate the marriage of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. Only a few sets were produced, and most of them ended up in the U.S., as they were sold by my late friend Mel Aria, who was actually one of the first Trophy distributors in the United States.

 

[boerboy]

Another branch of the annual commemorative specials was the West Coaster surfing figures, which were available exclusively at the West Coast show. These figures were produced from 1990 through 2012. They may not be particularly desirable or expensive, but they are definitely great examples of Len’s entrepreneurship and creativity.

 

[Louis Badolato]

Another rare and unusual special was made in 1981 to commemorate the marriage of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. Only a few sets were produced, and most of them ended up in the U.S., as they were sold by my late friend Mel Aria, who was actually one of the first Trophy distributors in the United States.

Very cool set!