Collecting Britains Toy Soldiers

Many hobbyists now collect toy soldiers. Various manufacturers have produced many types of toy soldiers over the last 100 years, depending on the level of technology necessary for production, the expense, and the substances available at the time. There are now plenty of merchants that deal in selling toy soldiers, as well as magazines, and trade shows that feature both old and miniatures. Craftsmen have created small figurines of soldiers and produced them on a small scale since ancient times, but the first toy soldiers seem to have come to Britain via India, during or shortly after the Napoleonic Wars.

The historical periods of Britain's figures goes from the fifteenth century, through both World Wars, to the toy soldiers of today. The company continually produced the metal soldiers, except for time-outs during the two world wars, until 1966 when plastics took over. In 1983, the all-metal figure finally made a re-emergence in the Britain line. Since the advent of W. Britain’s, toy soldier collecting has grown from its modest beginnings into a booming business.With luck, it will endure as will the importance of the history of the military, as this generation of collectors bequeaths their collections to their children.

Some hobbyists focus on a certain kind of figure, or on a particular period in history, and others, more eclectic in their tastes, like to collect different types of miniature soldiers. W. Britain Limited is the most well known manufacturer of toy soldiers. Once marketed as a toy for children, the company has been making the miniature figures for over a century, and has withstood many battles during the last 100 years. First Gear, a U.S. die cast business bought the W. Britain Company in 2005.

Britain's Toy Soldiers are about 2.5 inches in height. Arranged in groups or displayed singly, toy soldiers are for serious collectors who search for the most superior of toy soldiers for their collection. The toy soldiers most favored by collectors are the figures created from cast aluminum, solid metal, and painted plastic. In general, these soldier figures are not toys. However, many classroom teachers are avid collectors of toy soldiers. They display the figures as attention-getters when introducing children to a certain period in history. Whether a person is looking to add to a collection or is introducing children to different countries and periods in history, it is clear that collecting Britain's Toy Soldiers has educational value as well as an historical significance.

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