Norman Joplin attributes this set as being an import from Germany for or by Hill/Johilco as set number 735 in 1935, and he also states that Charbens imported it as well, and I have no reason to doubt one of the great experts on these matters...were it not for the additional plastic ones that keep turning up in a very 'British' chocolate brown, and the label on my box stating 'Made In England'?Could it be that the German Imports are in fact the broken ones (bottom left) which have a lot of the characteristics of 'Cold Cast' bronzes, not least the matt finish. While the more common set is in fact a UK produced piece?
The box is very Charbens or Taylor & Barrett while the plastic IS Hill 'ish
5 comments:
Hello. Thing is you've mentioned the date. Once the "tiff" with Germany started no British company was going to continue selling German toys. Parents would not buy them -the same thing happened with train sets because of WW I -NO ONE would buy German even after the war so British manufacturers stepped in. Get rid of a popular toy or make British version?
Thing is - I don't know if Joplin has the box, I'll have to email him but I'm out of time today!!!!
Hi Terry
Sorry; I was literaly watching the last 30 secounds tick away as I replied the other day.
Totally agree with your point, it's not that I have a problem with there being a British set, or a German one for that matter, just that I think the set in both Joplins big book and the ealier B&W one from Arms & Armour is the/a British one and not German as Norman states, due to both the 'Made in...' on my box and the type of plastic used on the later versions, compared to the very 'German Bronze'-like finish on the others with the moulded-on reins.
Incedently, there is another set with the riders at full gallop which I have permission to copy from Adrians webshop (Mercator Trading) but I may never get round to it, so if you visit his site now - it should be there as he showed me them on Sunday just gone...
H
PS vis-a-vis the 'tiff' with Germany; I'll be posting a facinating piece of ephemeral history in a day or a few, but I don't know whether to put it here or over on the 'Other Collectables' blog or even PPE rant, anyway it puts the 'Special Relationship' circa 1941 into some sort of perspective!
Look forward to the posting!
I did post it the following month!
http://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2011/10/s-is-for-special-relationshipbloody.html
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