S is for Scandinavia . . . and the Baltic!

Something completely different today; a World War II British/Allied airman's silk escape map.

When my father was setting-up the International Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol School (ILRRP or 'illerp') at the Fallschrimspringer barracks in Neuhausen ob Eck, South-Western Germany, he happened upon a stash of unused silk escape maps (at Ron Silverman's in London - I think?), and bought them to present to successful students (including Bundeswher members) at the ends of the various courses, as little prizes/keepsakes of Escape & Evation (E&E or EE).

I'm not sure how many designs there were, I think I have ended-up with over a dozen different ones (they tended to be presented to my brother and I more frequently! But when you're only twelve and you've just climbed the Zugspitz with the HAC I think you're ready for the odd freebie!), and they come (came!) in three versions, some are almost 'raw' parachute silk, like home-made, war-time knickers, very silky and shiny, then there is an intermediate type which is slightly papery, possibly a cotton-mix (?), the final type, is this type which is a chalky, stiff, coated/treated silk, with a yellowish tinge, yet - as you can see - still thin enough for the two sides to show through.

Some of the maps, particularly these chalky ones have post war dates (a nice Middle-East map including the Gulf of Hormouz is dated to 1949 or the early 1950's), but this one in an earlier one, and clearly meant for aircrews flying north into the cold of the Arctic Circle (which is marked on the map - so, if you survive the loss of your aircraft, you know why you're so fucking cold!), looking to make their way to the western coasts to try and steal a vessel and get back to Blighty?

Now - the perceived wisdom is that these were sewn into jackets or greatcoats, but I can hardly see the RAF having everyone's linings re-sewn for every new mission/geographical destination, so I assume you were issued them prior to missions under certain circumstances (expected high-loss missions?), or that plane's commanders (or navigators?) received one, or something, and that the hiding of them was down to the ingenuity of the holder?

The purpose of the silk is not its sew-able'ness, but to prevent the details being lost if held next to the skin, but that might mean hiding it in boots, underwear or armpits, where a paper map would A) get damp and rub-away to little wormy pieces, or B) be bloody uncomfortable!

I think they were sewn into some clothing supplied to POW's through the Red Cross, but that was a risky thing and you'd need the relevant maps to end up in the right Stalag, you wouldn't want this map ending up with prisoners held in Italy for instance!

We all know how the Soviets and the Nazis split Poland, while those who do the history 'thing' are familiar with the Finish campaign, but the international boundary-adjustments to this map make it clear that Russia helped itself to anything it fancied prior to the 'Great Patriotic War'!

It's funny, but a certain type of less-educated, 'patriotic' type of British, American or Russian citizen (patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel!) struggles to understand why they or their country are hated elsewhere in the world (or the neighbourhood), but a little study of their history; British Imperialism, Soviet Expansion or American Hegemony, would explain all!

One hopes that when we finally come out of Covid-19's shadows (18-months hence?) there may be the 'great levelling' being talked of, or talked-up . . . but I doubt it, I still see war coming, another repeat of history - how boring!

M is for More on WHW's

A few points on Wintershilfswerk figures, either confirming previous observations or not previously covered.

I picked these falschrimjager up at Sandown last Saturday, from Adrian's rummage tray of WHW's and because I couldn't remember which one I had at home, hollow or flat base (upper pair), I selected both, only to find on Sunday that mine was completely different (right hand figure in lower two images) with a 'penny' base!

This confirms what we saw with the grenade thrower - three distinct issues. And the differences are greater here than they were with the grenadier; with my solid being joined (as a moulding) down the shins, while the two half-and-half glued-figures have a gap between the legs.

The one with a hollowed-out base is slightly miss-aligned, so the photo's had to be shot at weird angles to get him to stand up and make them all the correct height which - as you can see - differs too.

Meanwhile, Adrian had found these and put them to one side for me, they are unused factory 'blanks' from a set of bisque service personnel; a set I'm currently unfamiliar with. You can see how they are each numbered under the place where the pin-badge is affixed, while you can also see how they are hollow slip-cast figures.

I have two from a set I do know - Industrious Germany - which was issued in March 1939 as a set of 20 different professions and trades, of which I have above the fisherman (new acquisition) and the miner (we may have seen before here?). And you can see how the pin-badge is attached with a blob of chemical-fixer which may be an early two-part epoxy type polymer?

These too, seem to have had different issues (one being matt-finished, the other glazed), so take the date with a pinch of salt - look what happened to the accepted date of the Armed Forces plastic series!

B is for Best Toy Ever . . . Again!

Some best-toys win on features or playability (the Tri-Ang Battle Game), others win on sheer quality (The Britains Land Rover), but when I awarded the Britains Land Rover BTE status, I hadn't seen today's entrant, which trumps the Land Rover by a country-mile, making it look all a bit cheap and placky!

It's the gonad-challenged leader of the 4,000-odd-day Reich; Herr Adolf Hitler, in his Mercedes tourer, with straight-backed driver at the controls. Shot two years ago at the then September Sandown Park show, this has been sat in Picasa ever since, but two years is about par for the stuff in the queue! Adrian Little of Mercator (link) is to thank for allowing me to photograph it.

I can't remember if Adrian said if it was Elastolin or Lineol, but it has a porcelain-head Hitler so it could be Elastolin, although other people bought-in the figures for their vehicles; Arnold, Bing and Karl Bub, for instance, so I stand to be corrected.

The detail of the model is on a par with modern, similarly scaled (and unnecessarily expensive) 'executive desk toy' type limited edition things, and compared with my Land Rover, is in a different league.

The main construction is tin-plate, but much use is made of die-cast and white-metal parts, down to the little door-handles! The wheels are almost scale replicas with rubber tyres, steel rims and cast hubs on rod-axles.

If one thing lets it down it's the steering-wheel which is a simple tin-stamping which doesn't look right next to all the other, finer detailing? The Fuhrer also has a moveable arm so he can do his flicky-little Nazi salute, or madly wave at his granny!

I can't remember where this came from; it's cropped out of a larger (but un-watermarked) image, from somewhere - auction catalogue on feeBay? Anyway, you can see the cheaper, rival Märklin model has all-tin wheels/tyres and simpler figures, albeit three of them, probably small O-Gauge/40mm to boot? Whether the main-subject above is also a 1936 model Mercedes or not I don't know, there are differences between the mud-guards of the two vehicles?

A worthy - if temporary - winner of 'Best Toy Ever' I hope you'll agree; despite it's background politics, it's a beautiful thing and many thanks to Adrian for the chance to photograph it.

F is for Follow-up - Wüsolin!

Finishing-off a Nazi day (not words I ever thought I'd put to the record!); this will hold the F is for Follow-up . . . record for time between post and follow-up for some time to come, if not the whole life of the Blog, whatever that may prove be?

We looked at this funny little 40mm composition on styrene-base'd dictator nine years ago and I promised at the time to take better pictures when I got my next camera, but that happened after the figure had gone to storage! I've worn-out at least three cameras (I think I'm on the forth?) since then, but here - as promised - are the follow-up shots!

Best to view these in the context of the original post; XYZ is for Busolin, Fusolin Musoline, or Dusolin! It's all there, especially in the comments; where Bod's Paul solved the ID and found some on-line which I've posted below.

The peskey base mark which caused all the problem last time, still not clear, but a heavy mark especially on the cursive 'W' and umlauted 'ü' have rendered it hard to read in any light!

This group was on feebleBay at the time and you can see the bases are the same clipped-corner lozenges, a bit like old Fisherman's Friends (which I quite like, but being a bit of a wuss; have to consume in quarters! But they definitely warm you up in a snow-hole!).

Sadly, apart from the stuff which Paul turned-up at the time, nothing much else has come to light on these, a few auction lots and a metal (demi-rond) naval band on the same plastic bases? But not much else . . . I don't know if they are in the new book? Dates of availability or a potted history of the company are the main missing pieces of the jigsaw. Although mine is obviously Hitler, in his 1930's-on party uniform, the other two - I think it's fair to say - could pass for late WW I staffers, as could (WW I) most of the other figures I've tracked down?

R is for Return - to Nazi Flats

So we looked at these a while ago and I asked whether they might be post-war, maybe East German or Russian parodies of Nazi's as part of some propaganda exercise, possibly cigarette premiums, but I had shot them hurriedly, at a show, and had not had time to investigate them properly.

Now that I have looked at them closely (they are in the collection!) the only fact remaining from the earlier musing would seem to be . . . they might have been cigarette premiums! Everything else is up for grabs!

The first clue is that they are all marked DRGM (Deutsches Reich Gebrauchs Muster = a minor patent or registered design), which was [one of] the German equivalent[s] (they had dozens) of the English 'Pat.Pend' or French/Italian Depose, and which ran from before the Nazi rule, until after it, so wherever they came from, the evidence says it was within the confines of either 'greater Germany' or the later West Germany?

The next clue is that the flag has a large swastika clearly visible upon it, and if you're wondering why I obliterated the swastikas on the Atlantic set but not here; it's simply that the Atlantic set is a weird modern 'homage' to a vile, murderous, militarised, yet 'civilian' political regime, while these - as we will see - are probably 'historical artifacts' - it's all about context!

Another possible clue is the short arms on the flag's swastikas, which could point to something? Did the SA use short arms; production likely during the NAZI period, or did the artist not know the correct dimensions because it was so new; production likely before the Nazis came to power?

Swastikas are also suggested on several arm-bands, and the reason this is such a clue is that the showing of Nazi iconography was made illegal soon after the end of the war as part of the de-Nazification effort, which means we can probably rule out West Germany, as we have now ruled-out the East.

Which leaves the figures as German-made and set in or just before the Nazi's came to power? Here we see that the helmeted figures have the side-studs for mounting things like face -guards/visors on, and - while the tops have been rendered slightly flatter by removal from the runner - still, the lines of the helmet are the squarer one of WWI Stosstruppen 'Boxheads', rather than the later, rounder/cleaner-lined one which 'soldiered-on' with the West German fire-brigade until quite recently.

Other clues include the grey-green coated figures; the Germans used a very similar coating on their steel training ammunition to prevent surface-rust (arrowed - where the varnish seal was broken extracting the black-powder) in storage, while it is a neutral varnish to the figures green, the thinness, with metal showing through, and the all-over, thin-wash, one-coat nature is the same, it's not conclusive evidence, it's a clue, and it allows me to show you a rare'ish piece of militaria!.

Bit of a departure mid-post, but I'd better explain; The rounds (stained pink for an unknown reason; mould inhibitor, 'live' status designator?) are wooden, they would not have travelled far, or done much damage, but at short ranges (indoor or pipe-ranges) might have marked a target, while on exercise; they would have provided realistic 'kick', noise and smoke/smell, and could launch rifle-grenades without mishap. However, the hollow in the wooden bullet, would have caused drag-turbulence and lost momentum very quickly - they are basically blanks!

The cases are steel (cheaper than brass; by '43 they were losing the war) and compared here with a modern 5.56mm SA80 blank-round (which is brass). They are sitting in the magazine re-loading clip they came with, which is very similar to the ones we used with SLR's in the 1980's (but then the cartridge bases are near identical on both rounds) but this is stainless, or a non-ferrous steel-like alloy , while ours were steel, painted gun-black and would rust in damp pouches!

They were de-activated many years ago by yours truly, who put the black powder to good use, that is; if you consider Tobin and myself nearly blowing our faces off with a home-made chair-leg cannon and then almost drilling a large hole in my brother's head with a tractor-wheel bolt-grenade 'good use', otherwise the black-powder was recklessly used in haste, dangerously, but all three of us had a brilliant afternoon - 41 years ago, summer half-term!

So, back to the figures; there are several possible scenarios, the first (1) still being that they were piss-taking parodies?

But now of German origin (rather than the Ost Deutsche or Soviet proposed last time) and from someone on the 'Left', satirising the early Nazi's; all that prancing about with Ernst Rohm and his mob of bully-boy, brown-shirt, boy-scout SA, happy-campers! And most of the figures are wearing the little SA kepi?

Being manufactured before they came to power, in which case it's a fair bet everyone involved in these figures may have ended-up in a concentration camp, a - likely - fate which would add a certain poignancy to the set.

But then -  Rohm was a bit of a short-arse? If the 'Hitler' character (third from left?) is a piss-take of Rohm, these could be SS or NSADP-sanctioned (2) piss-takes of the SA, in order to prepare the ground for The Night of the Long Knives? Or even - referring back to the same, in order to explain/excuse [propagandise] it, after the event?

I can only find this and while he was banned by the Nazi's, he wasn't killed, and his style is different?

Or . . . (3) that they were comedy figures - but possibly based on characters that would have been known to the populace at the time, perhaps from a newspaper strip-cartoon?

Taking the Mickey out of one's own military in order to humanise it (especially when it's rightly regarded as the instrument of a totalitarian, fascist dictatorship, busy 'disappearing' people in the middle of the night . . . or broad daylight!) has a rich history . . .

. . . one thinks of Old Bill and Woodbine Willy in WWI, the 'Two Types' in WWII, or Bilko, Beetle Bailey, Dad's Army, It 'Aint Half Hot Mum, ITMAR and The Navy Lark on radio or MASH, and all the great double acts; Abbot & Costello, Bud & Lou, Laurel & Hardy had/did military parodies?

This guy almost looks 'familiar', was he one of the characters in a series of Nazi propaganda posters, or have I just Blogged him too much?!!

Lined-up with a few known-WHW's, were they - indeed - (4) comedy WHW's?

From the left we have a bisque miner from a set of profession/occupation broach-figures (pin rusted to almost nothing), a composition pilot with string-hanger hole in his floatation collar (no Mae West 'boobies' for the Luftwaffe!) possibly from Elastolin or Lineol (?), two of the aluminium figures, one polished, the other coated, an unpainted WHW policeman, a painted 'historical uniform' figure (I seem to recall they were issued as Guard Regiments of Berlin) and one from the set we looked at the other day.

The police set has been tied-in to the Gau of Berlin (as issuer) also, but there are actually several versions, painted, unpainted and heavier-based, so like the commoner 'combat' set, there seems to be a history  of multiple issues and/or multiple issuers behind the set.

Finally (5) they could be 'just' post-war parodies, getting out before the ban on Nazi regalia and iconography took hold? But I think - now - we are looking at something earlier.

Unifying the animal samples for a comparison/completion shot or two I can report that they are all unmarked with the exception of the rhinoceros which is clearly marked 'FOREIGN', suggesting they (some or all?) were imported into the UK at some point, where they would most likely have been Christmas cracker novelties.

The similarities in base are unmistakeable, but the animals - both farm/domestic and zoo/wild are of a slightly poorer finish, so a late use of older moulds perhaps? Hanomag and Fokker are still going strong, Elastolin survived until the 1990's, no reason why a small toy-maker or metal-fabricator from the Nazi-era shouldn't have dug it's old animal moulds out in the 1950's or '60's and run them again?

Mine have come as two, small, mixed lots (farm & zoo together both times), possibly with the Rhino' separate (I've rather lost track of them all by blogging them in the wrong order!), so it's all only conjecture, but I think a common-source is quite likely, especially as flats are often ID'able from the nuances of the bases, not that these - injection-moulded alloy - are exactly 'traditional' zinn flats!

H is for Hitler - He Only Heffted One Heir-Henge

Stones? Oh never mind! Apparently there may have been some truth to the rumour (which might have let Pike of the hook, (pike, hook - I'm on a roll here!)) but I doubt it. Anyway, he may have had an un-descended testicle; there is a scientific term but I can't remember it!

Why didn't they use vacuum-cleaners? Apply the nozzle to the scrotum, switch-on, when the patient screams, switch-off, bingo - two descended testicles! Might have saved the world a whole heap of trouble...?

Atlantic, closer to 60mm than 54, and looking like he's about 21-and-three-quarters, it is the devil incarnate, Adolf Hitler, and, not half as rare as its price at toy shows would suggest! They've got the hair right though and the little 'tash is present, so he could be painted-up quite adequately by someone more skilled than me.

We have actually seen the whole set in1:76/72nd scale here so this is a real box-ticker, and there is no difference between any of these other than the rear-axle of the Volksdunekubelbuggyvargen which plugs-on (like the front one) in small-scale but slides through holders in the large-scale one.

Also there are various extra holes (in the larger scale), which I think may have been for seats which were replaced by clamps before final tooling, these are to hold Der Fuhrer when he's standing in the back ranting some racist bollocks at gullible, stupid people.

The rest of the mob, don't they look happy! Nothing like a bit of genocide to put a smile on your face; ask the Burmese, ask Bolsanaro! Note these are in a completely different colour, a sort of purple-brown to the previous chocolate of the Hitler and vehicles, I've also seen them in a ginger-brown; so they must have had at least three runs of the tool and can't be rare, just hidden!

To be fair I've seen toy-show dealers with multiples of the Hitler and Mussolini/Carabinieri band sets, the hard ones to find (in both scales) are the Mao and Stalin set, but only because they sold better, however they do turn-up in dribs and drabs in lots of colours, so again plenty made.

Yer'man again! Maybe it had descended, and got pushed back up again by the wearing of all those tight jodhpurs and tailored cavalry twills? No wonder he had a temper! They should have adopted battle-dress earlier - baggy as a sack, but at least your own sack hung free!

We wish! But to be fair - I don't think it would have solved anything? As you can see; the figure is well over the line for 1:32nd scale.

News, Views Etc . . . Forthcoming Events; Saturday 31st August - Friday 6th September 2019

Apologies to those overseas readers who

don't know the tune to the Hokey-Cokey!

What an odd week, we have the Italians (who produced the above man-child sculpt) turning away from fascism, with a delightful irony as the other chap was positive he was going to be picking-up El Douche's crown; a crown left rather tarnished and fishy-smelling by Berlusconi, while over here our meat-faced, walking heart-attack has gone for a putsch on parliament, with Queeny's help!

It's also Ironic that in America, underage-sex fans who might prove embarrassing to the establishment die suddenly (and not that clearly), in their cell before they come to trial, in Italy they get re-elected three times . . . Bunga-Bunga anyone? And where's that Andrew? We put ours in number ten . . . what? Oh . . . sorry; apparently she's not under-age, must be just a masochistic power-groupie!

They're all rotten, none of them like democracy, they're not keen on obeying the rules that govern the rest of us and we should stop voting for them, but that's an idle fantasy, some people think they are all brilliant and are happy to believe their lies! Meanwhile, the world keeps burning.

You could drown your sorrows in a toy fair . . . Saturday's gone a bit pear-shaped but Sunday's busy . . .

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Show Dates

Saturday 31st August 2019

Oxford - Richard Atkins Fairs - Toy and Train Collectors Fair

Exeter Hall, Oxford Road, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1AB

Web - www.toytraincollectorsfairs.com

Tel. - 01869 347 489

10:30 - 15:00hrs

Admission unknown

Refreshments

Free Parking

Plymouth - Events Frontier - 'Collect-a-Happy' Toy & Train Fair

Methodist Central Hall, Town Centre, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 1BAJ

Web. - www.eventsfrontier.com

eMail - eventsfrontier@hotmail.com

Mob. - 07508 548 938

Hours unknown

Admission 'From' £3

[Note: 2nd new venue address - that's the third venue in less than 14-months?]

Rhyl - 'Rails in Wales'

Rhyl Town Hall, Wellington Road, Rhyl, Wales

10:00-16:00hrs

Admission £2.00, children under-12 free

Refreshments

Exhibition layouts, toy sales

Cancelled

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Sunday 1st September 2019

Chester-le-Street - Jim Corr Fairs

Lord Lawson Academy, Birtly Lane, Birtly, DH3 2LF

eMail - jim_corr73@hotmail.co.uk

Mob. - 07504 035 955

10:00 - 15:00hrs

Admission £3, children/senior citizens £2, 'Early Bird' £5

Falkirk, Scotland - McLaren Models

Tel. - 01324 624 102

(All other details here)

Malvern - Bulldog Fairs

The Seven Hall, Three Counties Showground, Worcestershire, WR13 6NW

Web. - www.bulldogfairs.com

eMail - bulldogfairs@aol.com

Tel. - 01373 452 857

Mob. - 07917 125 641

10:30 - 14:30hrs

Adults £4, under 16's free if accompanied, early-bird (from 08:30hrs) £10.

Spalding - J&J Fairs (J&J Webb)

Springfields Events & Conference Centre, Camelgate, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE12 6ET

Web. - www.j-jwebbtoyfairs.com

eMail - jandjfairs@virginmedia.com

Tel. - 01522 880 383

10:00 - 14:30hrs

Admission - Adult £2.50p, seniors £2, 1st child £1.50p

Walsall - Transtar Promotions (Geoff & Linda Price)

Oak Park Active Living Centre, Coppice Road, Walsall Wood, Walsall, West Midlands, WS9 9BH

Web. - www.transtarpromotions.com

Tel.- 01922 643 385 (Geoff or Linda)

10:30 - 15:00hrs

Admission £1.80p, seniors £1.50p, child £1.00

Refreshments

[Note: not Tristar as advertised elsewhere; that's a old 'plane]

Worthing  - SRP Toyfairs

Charmandean Centre, Forest Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 9HS

Web. - http://srptoyfairs1.co.uk/

eMail: srptoys1@hotmail.co.uk

Tel. - 07739 998 012 (Paula or Gerry)

10:00 - 14:00hrs

Admission charge unknown

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Friday 6th September 2019

Alfreton - Toy and Train Fairs (Malcolm Townsend) - Evening Fair

The Leisure Centre, Church Street, Alfreton, DE55 7BD

Web. - www.tttf.co.uk

Mob. - 07951 072 790

19:00 - 21:00hrs

Admission charge unknown

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Auctions

Monday 2nd

Lewis - Wallis and Wallis

West Street Galleries, Lewis, Sussex, BN7 2NJ

Web. - wallisandwallis.co.uk

eMail - toys@wallisandwallis.co.uk

Tel. - 01273 480 208

Fax. - 01273 476 562

Rayleigh - Staceys Auctioneers

Essex Auction Rooms, 37 Webster's Way, Rayleigh, Essex, SS6 8JQ

Web. - www.staceyauction.com

eMail - info@staceyauction.com

Tel. - 01268 777 122

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Tuesday 3rd

Stockton-on-Tees - Vectis Auctions (1st day of a three day auction)

Fleck Way, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 9JZ

Web. - www.vectis.co.uk

eMail - admin@vectis.co.uk

Tel. - 01642 750 616

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Wednesday 4th

Stockton-on-Tees - Vectis Auctions (2nd day of a three day auction)

Fleck Way, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 9JZ

Web. - www.vectis.co.uk

eMail - admin@vectis.co.uk

Tel. - 01642 750 616

Warrington - Warrington & Northwich Auctioneers & Valuers

551 Europa Boulevard, Westbrook, Warrington WA5 7TP

Web. - www.warringtonauctions.co.uk

eMail - enquiries@warringtonauctions.co.uk

Tel. - 01925 658 833

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Thursday 5th

Stockton-on-Tees - Vectis Auctions (3rd day of a three day auction)

Fleck Way, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 9JZ

Web. - www.vectis.co.uk

eMail - admin@vectis.co.uk

Tel. - 01642 750 616

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Friday 6th

Taunton - Greenslade Taylor Hunt (GTH)

The Octogon Saleroom, 113a East Reach, Taunton, Devon, TA1 3HL

Web. - www.gth.net

eMail - antiques.saleroom@gth.net

Tel. - 01823 332 525

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Friday 6th/Saturday 7th September 2019

Elstree - Excalibur Auctions (2 day sale)

The Village Hotel, Elstree, Hertfordshire, WD6 3SB (venue)

Chiltern Business Centre, Woodside Road, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP6 6AA (office)

Web. - www.excaliburauctions.com

eMail - enquiries@excaliburauctions.com

Tel. - 02036 330 913

Free Tea or Coffee

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Other Events

Sunday 1st September 2019

Stafford - MGM Fairs - Stafford Dolls House Show

(Formally; the Doreen Jeffries Doll's House Fair)

Members Pavilion, Stafford County Showground,, Weston Road, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 0BD (venue)

Linnet Lodge, The Village, Wembworthy, Devon, EX18 7RX (promotor)

Web. 1 - www.mgmfairs.co.uk (general)

Web. 2 - https://mgmfairs.co.uk/stafford.html (show)

eMail - enquiries@mgmfairs.co.uk

Tel. - 07818 462448

10:00-16:00hrs

Admission £3.50p, children (age?) 50p

Free parking, refereshments, prize-draws

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Overseas Events

Saturday 31st August 2019

Brummen (Netherlands) - Bouwmen & Bouwmen - Auction

Tel. - ++0575 650 393 (E. Bouwman)

General toy and model railway sale

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Saturday 31st August - Sunday 1st September 2019

Worlds biggest Jumble-sale?

Web. - https://www.braderie-de-lille.fr/

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Sunday 1st September 2019

Cologne (Germany) - Jurgan Hörner - Toy Fair

Stadthalle, Köln-Mülheim, Köln, Germany

Tel. - ++0210 351 133

Vintage toys, dolls, bears, railway and die-cast

Sevenum (Netherlands) - 'Ronald' - Toy Fair

Partycentrum de Schatberg, Sevenum, Holland

Tel. - ++0651 545 129

Die-cast, tin-plate and model railways

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Friday/Saturday 6th/7th September 2019

Bornheim (Germany) - Antico Mondo (World Antiques) - Auction

Königstrasse 109, Bornheim, Köln, Germany

Web. - www.anticomondo.de

Tel. - ++0223 6961 894

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

If you are an event promoter/show curator/auctioneer and you want your toy, model, collectable or popular-/youth-culture type sale/exhibition/event listed here -  FOR FREE  - or linked to; please eMail me -

maverickatlarge[at]hotmail[dot]com

- stating the date/s of the event, address of event, contact details, opening/viewing times, admission pricing and any other relevant facts/details or features - parking, travel notes, disability access, availability of refreshments, event subject matter &etc.

And please mention any flyer-art or poster-/leaflet-scans but send by separate eMail, in case they go to the 'junk' folder, from where they can be recovered and marked safe, but only if I know they're there!

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Other News

The local toy shop have sacked their policeman (see Blog passim) and replaced him with an Amazon, or should that be knightess (I suspect in the correct Playmobil sets she's a Princess!).

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H is for How They Come In

A quiet week compared to last week, only two little bags for 75p and £1.25 for a whole two quid! A few Phidal's (I think), some Blue Box 'Singapore' animals, a couple of horses and a fish & turtle - for the next marine round-up! Smaller, upper piles of larger items will go back to charity.

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Links

Looking for something on the last weekendof the summer?

Dare to touch my toy soldiers Ratty?

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