Unidentified Napoleonic Band (1 Viewer)
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theBaron
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Sorry, Blaster, no goal!
Michel, that is the Napoleon Line Infantry band sold by Reeves Intl, made in Hong Kong by King-White Co. This is the gloss version; figures were produced in either gloss or matte. I have a set in matte.
They were made from around 1974 until about 1994, and besides Reeves, there were other stores or agents that sold King-White figures, as well as national parks and museums here in the US.
Hope that helps, prosit!
Brad
Michel, that is the Napoleon Line Infantry band sold by Reeves Intl, made in Hong Kong by King-White Co. This is the gloss version; figures were produced in either gloss or matte. I have a set in matte.
They were made from around 1974 until about 1994, and besides Reeves, there were other stores or agents that sold King-White figures, as well as national parks and museums here in the US.
Hope that helps, prosit!
Brad
theBaron
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Mardasson
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Thanks Brad and Tom,
No that you gave me the answer, I browsed the site for other Reeves figures and I found a post with other napoleonic figures that I found with this band.
Surprising how easy you see the problem could have been solved when someone else has given you the solution
I've never heard of these figures before. Are they common in the US ? Where they also distributed in Europe ?
Thanks again,
Michel
No that you gave me the answer, I browsed the site for other Reeves figures and I found a post with other napoleonic figures that I found with this band.
Surprising how easy you see the problem could have been solved when someone else has given you the solution
I've never heard of these figures before. Are they common in the US ? Where they also distributed in Europe ?
Thanks again,
Michel
theBaron
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Hi, Michel,
Not sure if there was a specific seller on the Continent; there was a store in Britain that sold them, but their name escapes me. I can check my references tonight when I get home. There is an article in John Garratt's Encyclopedia that names that store.
I think Reeves distributed around the world, though, too.
Here in the US, there was a store in Florida called The Treasure Chest, which also sold the figures. If you come across those figures, their boxes are labeled, with a label that reads something like, "Made in Hong Kong for The Treasure Chest". I think one of the stores in New York City, like The Soldier Shop, may have had their own label, too.
They were even sold in Russia at some point; I have a figure of a Russian dragoon officer from the Napoleonic Wars, packaged in a blister pack for the Russian market.
The figures were also sold at some national historic sites here in the US. For example, at Mount Vernon, George Washington's home, figures from the Revolutionary War series were available in the gift shop.
Reeves marketed a catalog of these figures, covering periods from Ancient Greece, through medieval times (with an Agincourt series of knights), to the Revolutionary War, Napoleonic Wars, the American Civil War, the Zulu War, the Boxer Rebellion, and WWII. They also had a line of samurai figures.
In the style of sculpting and painting, King-White figures were the grandfather of what has been called the Chinese style, and you can see a transition from their figures to the early King & Country and Frontline figures, as inheritors of that style.
Prost!
Brad
Not sure if there was a specific seller on the Continent; there was a store in Britain that sold them, but their name escapes me. I can check my references tonight when I get home. There is an article in John Garratt's Encyclopedia that names that store.
I think Reeves distributed around the world, though, too.
Here in the US, there was a store in Florida called The Treasure Chest, which also sold the figures. If you come across those figures, their boxes are labeled, with a label that reads something like, "Made in Hong Kong for The Treasure Chest". I think one of the stores in New York City, like The Soldier Shop, may have had their own label, too.
They were even sold in Russia at some point; I have a figure of a Russian dragoon officer from the Napoleonic Wars, packaged in a blister pack for the Russian market.
The figures were also sold at some national historic sites here in the US. For example, at Mount Vernon, George Washington's home, figures from the Revolutionary War series were available in the gift shop.
Reeves marketed a catalog of these figures, covering periods from Ancient Greece, through medieval times (with an Agincourt series of knights), to the Revolutionary War, Napoleonic Wars, the American Civil War, the Zulu War, the Boxer Rebellion, and WWII. They also had a line of samurai figures.
In the style of sculpting and painting, King-White figures were the grandfather of what has been called the Chinese style, and you can see a transition from their figures to the early King & Country and Frontline figures, as inheritors of that style.
Prost!
Brad
theBaron
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Hi Brad, What I noted in one of your posts here are the following words,
I am pressuring Santa to get you a digital camera.
LOL, thanks for the good wishes, mon ami, I think "Mother Christmas" is going to fulfil that wish. I wish you the same, may Christmas be full of wonderful surprises for you, too.
And of course, the joy, love, and blessing that is at the heart of our celebration!
We already have a white Christmas, don't we? It's off to a grand start.
Prosit!
Brad
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Hi, Michel, you are more than welcome!
BTW, I checked in Garratt, the British seller I was thinking of was A. A. Hales.
Garratt also noted that he thought King-White's original figures were copies of figures by Mini-Models from Britain. But I don't know if there is any weight to that.
I do think that King-White figures were themselves copied, by an American manufacturer of casting molds made for homecasters, REB Toys, which later renamed as Castings, Inc. They have a website, http://www.miniaturemolds.com/, where you can see some of the figures pictured. I had bought some of the molds, but later traded them away.
Prost!
Brad
BTW, I checked in Garratt, the British seller I was thinking of was A. A. Hales.
Garratt also noted that he thought King-White's original figures were copies of figures by Mini-Models from Britain. But I don't know if there is any weight to that.
I do think that King-White figures were themselves copied, by an American manufacturer of casting molds made for homecasters, REB Toys, which later renamed as Castings, Inc. They have a website, http://www.miniaturemolds.com/, where you can see some of the figures pictured. I had bought some of the molds, but later traded them away.
Prost!
Brad
King & Country
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Hi Guys,
As already stated this little band was made in Hong Kong by a company called “King White” sometime during the 70’s up until the mid 1980’s.
King White plays no small part in the early days of K&C. When we were looking for a factory to produce our figures the Hong Kong Trade Development Council put us in touch with the last surviving HK factory that could and would produce all-metal, hand-painted soldiers… King White.
The company was owned and operated by a delightful old Chinese gentleman MR. CHUNG. He must have already been in his 80’s when I met him in 1983. For several years we worked together until he passed away and we moved into China.
I know he produced many thousands of figures for REEVES INTERNATIONAL who were also the U.S. distributor for Britains.
Mr. Chung’s factory was in Chai Wan, an industrial area of Hong Kong and pretty “Dickensian” in its layout and operation… Oliver Twist would’ve felt right at home!
After Mr. Chung died the factory closed down (neither of his 2 sons wanted it) and that was the end of that. However, he and his factory were very helpful to K&C when we were first starting out on this odyssey. R.I.P.
Hope this helps… best wishes and Merry Christmas to one and all!
Andy C.
As already stated this little band was made in Hong Kong by a company called “King White” sometime during the 70’s up until the mid 1980’s.
King White plays no small part in the early days of K&C. When we were looking for a factory to produce our figures the Hong Kong Trade Development Council put us in touch with the last surviving HK factory that could and would produce all-metal, hand-painted soldiers… King White.
The company was owned and operated by a delightful old Chinese gentleman MR. CHUNG. He must have already been in his 80’s when I met him in 1983. For several years we worked together until he passed away and we moved into China.
I know he produced many thousands of figures for REEVES INTERNATIONAL who were also the U.S. distributor for Britains.
Mr. Chung’s factory was in Chai Wan, an industrial area of Hong Kong and pretty “Dickensian” in its layout and operation… Oliver Twist would’ve felt right at home!
After Mr. Chung died the factory closed down (neither of his 2 sons wanted it) and that was the end of that. However, he and his factory were very helpful to K&C when we were first starting out on this odyssey. R.I.P.
Hope this helps… best wishes and Merry Christmas to one and all!
Andy C.
Mardasson
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Hi Brad,
Thanks for the additionnal information !
Had Reeves' original ones a mark under the base ?
If this can help differenciate them from the castings you mentionned.
Prost Neujahr !
Michel
Mardasson
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Hi Andy,
Thanks for the information. It definitely helps !
Funnily enough I found this Napoleonic band in an old King & Country box, blue with creme label (piece of it can be be seen on the pictures).
Joyeux Noël à tous et Bonne Année,
Michel
theBaron
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Thank you very much, Andy, for that info about King White and your early days! I've always wondered what sort of connection there may have been between that generation of figures, and yours, and Gerard's (Frontline), too. I've always thought that you've taken the "Chinese style" to new levels and directions. I've also been trying to find as much info about King White as I could, ever since I got my first Reeves figure. It's now a little subset of my collection.
Thanks again and a happy Christmas to you!
Brad
theBaron
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Ciao, Michel! Again, you're more than welcome! I have a collection of Reeves figures, and I've tried to collect as much info as I can about them, and I am happy to share it, it's what the hobby is all about.
As to markings, I have never seen a figure that had any kind of engraved or cast markings, as some other manufacturers use.
Some figures have a marking, that looks like it was made with a felt-tip marker. Some of the markings looked like catalog numbers, or maybe a mold number, but some look like they might be a Chinese character, a chop, if you will.
Some figures have the Reeves or Treasure Chest stickers under their bases.
I do have at least one figure that has a small, oval sticker that reads, "Made in Hong Kong", but with no other identifying marks. I have another figure that has a kind of felt glued to the base, but I don't think it came from the factory that way, because no other figure I've seen has that.
All of the bases, though, look like they were cleaned of mold part lines or flash by grinding on a grinding disk. They all have marks on them consisting of arc lines from concentric circles, like a piece held against a grinder.
After you've seen enough of them, you get to where you can spot one in a group with reasonable chance of being right.
If you have a piece with the orignal packaging, of course, that makes identifying the figure that much easier.
And so, Michel, joyeux Noel et une bonne année nouvelle, or een zalig Kerstfeest en gelukkig nieuw jaar, for whichever part of Belgium you live in, und ein frohes Fest, prosit!
Brad