The
latest Happy Meal promotion in the UK includes a set of Teenie
Beanie Babies.
The set includes Ronald McDonald the Bear.
The promotion also includes a set of DC Toys featuring Batman,
Robin, Flash and Superman.
For more details visit the McDonalds
web site.
Visit the WCN Beanie Babies
information pages and message board.
Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her Diamond Jubilee in 2012. To mark 60 years of The Queen’s reign the Diamond Jubilee celebrations will centre around an extended weekend in 2012 on 2, 3, 4 and 5 June. Pictured right: A selection of Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Collectables As with many Royal events collectable companies, gift producers and memorabilia makers have been working over time to produce a wide range of collectables for collectors. World Collectors Net takes a look at some gifts on offer. Lilliput Lane Lilliput Lane has taken the opportunity of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee to revitalize their popular Britain’s Heritage™ collection to incorporate Jubilee celebrations. The four Jubilee pieces are: Jubilee Tower Bridge, Jubilee Big Ben, Jubilee Tower of London and Jubilee at Windsor Round Tower. Pictured right: Jubilee at the Crown Inn and Jubilee at the Windsor Round Tower These iconic landmarks have been adorned with bunting, flags, gems and a commemorative plaque. All of these superb miniatures of our finest buildings will only be available during 2012 and are produced in a Limited Edition of 2,012 pieces each. Another special cottage has been produced to celebrate Her Majesty’s sixty-year reign, again only available during 2012. Picked for its name, The Crown Inn — a delightful eighteenth-century pub from St Ewe, Cornwall — has inspired the 2012 Anniversary Cottage, Jubilee at The Crown Inn. Caverswall English Fine Bone China Caverswall China was founded in 1973 and is starting to gain an excellent reputation for its Commemorative Ware. In 2011 they produced a number of pieces for the Royal Wedding of HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Pictured right: A selection of Caverswall China celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee For the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Caverswall China have created a 10″ plate, 8″ coupe, Edinburgh Mug, 3″ round box, 4″ round sweet dish, a lionhead beaker and an excellent Durham Vase. Border Fine Arts Border Fine Arts have introduced three models featuring the Queen. As with all Border Fine Arts models their is great attention to detail and the models show the Queen at various times during her reign including Trooping the Colour in 1952, Newly Crowned in 1953 and the Her Majesty at Balmoral. Pictured left: Trooping the Colour 1952 – Celebrating the Queen’s sixty-year reign, the figurine depicts Her Majesty at the Trooping the Colour parade of 1952, her first as Sovereign. Wearing the scarlet tunic of the Colonel-in-Chief of the Scots Guards and the blue ribbon of the Order of the Garter, Her Majesty is elegantly poised on her chestnut horse, Winston. The black plume on her tricorn hat is in remembrance of her father, His Majesty King George VI, who died four months previously. Pictured right: Her Majesty at Balmoral – This delightful figurine depicts Her Majesty in a relaxed pose at the Balmoral Estate, where she can unwind and enjoy some of her favourite things. Here, her beloved corgis are never far from her side and many have been recorded on what can only be considered some of the most endearing photographs ever taken of the Queen. Tiny is on her knee and Brush is at her feet. Caithness Glass Caithness Glass have produced a number of editions including the fabulous Limited Edition Elizabeth Rose Garland paperweight (Pink and red roses with entwined stems sit alongside sprigs of myrtle in this diamond shaped weight) and Magnum paperweight (Shimmering sand and dichroic shards of glass to form the internal design inside this magnum sized paperweight). Pictured left and right: Elizabeth Rose Garland Limited Edition Paperweight and Magnum – Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Limited Edition Paperweight Also available is the Crown paperweight, Rose paperweight, Elizabeth Rose Garland paperweight, Coat of Arms paperweight, Sand Rose paperweight and Penny Black Sandcast paperweight. Carters Teapots Tony Carter the UK’s leading teapot designer and created two new teapots and two new mugs for the event. The teapots include the Heart Diamond Jubilee Teapot and Diamond Jubilee Flag Teapot. Pictured left and right: Tony Carter’s Diamond Jubilee Flag Teapot and the Heart Diamond Jubilee Teapot The pottery is known as one of England’s leading makers of handmade collectable teapots, supplying shops and stores throughout the UK with over 70% of the pottery/output exported throughout the world. Each collectable teapot is cast and painted by hand, resulting in no two teapots being exactly the same.
The Grimwades Royal Winton Chanticleer series first appeared at the British Industries Fair in February 1936. The range of realistically moulded cockerels and hen, in warm colours, were a popular addition to the breakfast table and was produced for many years. Grimwades described the range as ‘distinctive novelties’ on their advertising leaflets. Chanticleer is French for cockerel and items from the Chanticleer series are sometimes marked on base with Chanticleer while others are marked Rooster. A few examples and smaller pieces such as cruets are unmarked. The range included various teapots, hot water jug, sugar and cream, milk jug, marmalade with cover, sugar sifter, cheese cover and stand, 3 and 4 piece cruet and condiment sets, 3 and 5 bar toast racks, jam, covered butter, mint boat and stand, and dessert plate. Except for the toast rack, the Chanticleer items produced were in the shape of the bird set on a grassy green base. They were also available in different colourways, with the hand painting adding variations to the pieces. The teapot, for example, can be found in streaked and speckled shades of a golden brown, with the tail and lower body feathers highlighted in soft green. Alternatively, a rich, dark blue combination was used with bands of scarlet emphasising the tail feathers. These tail feathers curve down to create the handle of the tea pot, with the spout being formed by the open beak of the bird. Sugar shakers were either golden brown or a pale yellow lightly streaked with red, the wings being a light grey and the breast cream. As mentioned the toast racks differed from the rest of the range by not being designed to be on a grassy mound. The toast racks were main in green and yellow and featured a cockerel decorating either end. Two toast racks were produced: a 3 bar toast rack and 4 bar toast rack. The cruet and condiment sets included: a 3 piece set featuring salt and pepper pots on a base and show the cockerel standing with his head held high, while the hen stares into space; whilst the 4 piece condiment set features salt, pepper and covered mustard pot on a base and has the cockerel in the same proud pose, accompanied by two hens, one as before, the other shown head down, pecking for food. The male bird always sports a large scarlet comb and scarlet wattle, while the hen has only the merest suggestion of a comb. The base resembles a grassy field, the carrying handle depicting a fence. The images below show some of the variations in colour. Grimwades Royal Winton Chanticleer Series Price Guide / Value Guide Prices for pieces with no defects and good colour. We have seen great variations in prices especially in online shops. The prices below Chanticleer Teapot £40-£80 / $60-$120 3 Piece cruet set £40-£80 / $60-$120 4 Piece cruet set £50-£80 / $75-$120
Spot-On was a range of die-cast toys produced by British toy factory Tri-ang from 1959 to 1967 (Tri-ang was a division of Lines Brothers, which had been established as a toy maker in 1935). The Spot-On range was created in response to the success of rival toy company’s Dinky and Corgi. Dinky had had great success in the early 1950s with its die-cast range and in 1956 Corgi entered the market. The Spot-On trade mark was registered to Triang based in Merton Surrey, this was in December 1958 and in the following year ‘Spot On Models Ltd was incorporated on the 12th February 1958. The Spot-On range was made at the Lines Bros factory in Northern Ireland. When the folks at Spot-On Models set out to create a new line of die-cast models that would be different to the Dinky and Corgi ranges, and they wanted to ensure that their cars and vehicles would be as realistic and detailed as possible. They began by carefully selecting 1:42 scale as the basis for their new range, taking into account factors like size and weight. The Spot-On range were heavier than the Corgi and Dinky ranges. This meant that all of the tiny parts and components on the models could be accurately scaled and rendered, while still allowing some wiggle room for creativity and flexibility. From the outset in 1959 Spot-On models featured interiors and they were the first company to introduce electric lights in August 1961. On top of that, they infused the range with inspiring themes from real-world automotive history, ranging from classic racers to iconic supercars. In the end, it was this combination of practicality and creativity that led to the creation of a truly exceptional line of model vehicles. The Spot-On range was an immediate success with both children and adults. Its high quality meant that it appealed to collectors, but its cheapness ensured that it remained accessible for ordinary families. In addition, Tri-ang’s clever marketing strategies helped to ensure that the Spot-On range stood out from the crowd. For example, in 1963 Tri-ang launched a series of television advertisements featuring the character Mr Spot, who demonstrated the various features of its toys such as steering and suspension. This was highly unusual at that time, and helped to cement the Spot-On brand in consumers’ minds. To fully emphasize the fixed 1:42 scale, both large and little cars were chosen for inclusion in the range. The Silver Wraith was initially offered as a Rolls Royce, before being replaced by the even bigger Phantom V, which included functioning headlights and passengers from the Royal Family. Smaller vehicles included the Isetta bubble car, the rare Meadows Frisky, the Fiat 500 and the Goggomobil. The Mini Cooper, which had been added in March of 1960, was joined by other uncommon vehicles such as the Aston Martin DB Mark III, Jensen 541, Daimler Dart SP250, and Bristol 406. The Spot-On Meadow Frisky showing the same model in several colours Early Spot-On models stated “Made in the United Kingdom” on the base, but later models, changed to “Made in Northern Ireland”. The first packaging for Spot-On die-cast vehicles was a box in light blue with draughting compass ‘dividers’ and ‘graph paper’-like grid printed on it, as well as the standard yellow and black lettering. The appearance of the designs suggested that they were not only toys, but also finely engineered components. The second series of boxes was similar, however the ‘dividers’ were considerably reduced and an image of the automobile (which was not featured on the first boxes) was added. The final boxes in the late 1960s were black and blue with cellophane windows, which are thought to be some of the first window boxes available. The Spot-On range has long been popular with collectors and the prices for rarer models and colours have been rising consistently. The ranges were crated in more limited numbers than many Dinky and Corgi ranges and the colour range of models was much wider. The larger size and brittle nature of some pieces has meant that fine and near mint examples are much sort after. Spot-On also created a number of gifts sets and presentation sets which remain some of the rarest editions. Mecanno, which included the highly successful Dinky range, was acquired by Lines Bros in 1964, and this might have hastened the demise of the nascent Spot On model range. The last year of production for the original Spot-On models in the United Kingdom occurred in 1967.
Most Wade collectors know the name of Faust Lang. They know that there were a number of figurines made before the Second World War, which now cost a small fortune, that were modelled by Faust Lang. They know that to discover an authentic Wade Faust Lang figure in perfect condition at a reasonable price would be a great ‘find.’ So just who was Faust Lang and what is so special about his figures? To see a figurine modelled by Faust Lang answers the second question as his models are so full of life and movement and always so very detailed. Unlike any other modeller who worked for Wade, Faust Lang modelled his figurines in wood, sometimes taking many weeks to complete a commission. In fact he never actually worked for Wade but was commissioned by them to produce his masterpieces. Faust Emanuel Lang was a Bavarian, born in Oberammergau in 1887, the son of Andreas Lang, a local wood carver.The beautiful town of Oberammergau is in southern Germany and probably best known for its Passion Play held there every ten years in commemoration of the town being delivered from a plague which decimated Europe in 1632. Both Faust and his father were players in the spectacular at various times but woodcarving was in their blood and it was in this that Faust excelled. In 1911 Faust married an English girl from Brtistol, two years his junior. They had met two years earlier when she was travelling through Europe with her mother and sister in a horse drawn caravan on an adventurous holiday. After their marriage Faust and Una spent the next twenty-two idyllic years together in Oberammergau and it was there that their only child, a son was born in 1925. During the 1st World War which started in 1914, Faust was a medical orderly in the German army and when he came home in 1918 the years were very hard with food shortages and rampant inflation. Faust was a keen sportsman and proficient skier whose relay team won a bronze medal at the first modern Winter Olympics held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1922. In the uncertain times of Germany in the 1930s and probably with the memories of the 1st World War still fresh in their minds, the family decided to move to England in 1934. They initially lived in Mawgan Porth near Newquay in North Cornwall moving to St Ives in 1950. Faust Lang became a British citizen in 1938. In 1938 Faust Lang met a certain Harry Adams, a Scotsman on holiday in Mawgan Porth who had a connection with Wade. Adams recommended Faust to the company who commissioned him to carve a series of what were to become amongst the most beautiful and prestigious figurines ever produced by Wade. The figures were finished in the ‘Copenhagen’ style. With the coming of the Second World War in September 1939, all giftware production was halted at the Wade factories and Faust Lang’s short but productive connection ended. In fact he had already completed a small bust of the thirties actress and singer Gracie Fields which although blocked and samples had been made, never went into production.Faust Lang joined the thriving artist’s colony in St Ives in 1950 and spent the rest of his life in England. He died in 1973 and is buried in St Ives. For more details and images please visit CS Collectables
The glass of Emile Galle is attracting increasing attention among collectors, not only for its inherent beauty and refinement, but also because every piece, so far as we know, has that favourite feature of the collector, a signature.
With the World Cup now under way we thought we would have a look at some of the official and unofficial collectables and memorabilia available to collect and buy. The Official FIFA Store There are quite a few interesting items here. The World Cup mascots are always fun and especially nice are the range of Limited Edition prints available. There are about 20 prints available, including prints for each host and of interest to collectors will be the Romero Britto prints. Robert Harrop Designs To celebrate the World Cup in Brazil, Robert Harrop has produced 10 special Bull Terrier footballers. The England and Brazil editions are both timed and feature Red Bull Terriers. The remaining eight are all modelled using White Bull Terriers: Germany, France, Argentina, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, USA and Australia. Coca-Cola World Cup Brazil 2014 The Coca-Cola Company has had a long-standing relationship with FIFA since 1974 and has been an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup™ since 1978. Coca-Cola has had stadium advertising at every FIFA World Cup™ since 1950. Brazil 2014 sees one of their largest campaigns ever. Look out for special bottles, cans, and promotions which will vary from country to country. Betty Boop Something different with these Betty Boop footballer figurines. There are six different posed figures. Header, On My Knee, Striker, Goalie, Free Kick and Star Player. Panini Stickers and Panini Heritage Collection Football stickers form part of every World Cup. When I was first collected you had to lick the backs to stick them in (my first was Argentina 78). Panini have a section called Panini Heritage which includes framed prints and tee-shirts featuring the covers of all the previous World Cup sticker albums. Swarovski Silver Crystal Swarovksi’s latest limited edition Soccer Champion Mo has a World Cup feel. She is very colourful with a yellow head, green body and clear horns and bell. A football hitting the target decorate her body. All very much giving a Brazilian theme.
The George Ohr Pottery is one of the most fascinating ceramic art movements in history. The eccentric artist George Edgar Ohr was its founder, and his unique pottery has become highly sought after by collectors. However, much of George Ohr’s fame, recognition and interest in his work came posthumously. In this feature, we will take a look at the history of the George Ohr Pottery and explore why it is so unique. We will also discuss the life and work of George Edgar Ohr, and see why he is considered to be one of the most important ceramic artists of all time. George Edgar Ohr was born in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1857. He was the second of five children, the son of a German immigrant who ran a successful grocery business. As a young man, Ohr showed an interest in art and began to experiment with clay. He later studied ceramics at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and then apprenticed in 1879 with a local potter and family friend Joseph Fortune Meyer at his factory in New Orleans. After a couple of years of learning to be a potter Ohr travelled throughout America discovering the art-pottery movement. After learning how to “boss a little piece of clay into a gallon jug,” Ohr set out on his own to see what other potters were doing. In the early 1880s, he traveled through 16 states, dropping in on ceramics studios, shows and museums. By the time he got back to Biloxi in 1883, he had absorbed the essence of America’s burgeoning art-pottery movement. In Cincinnati’s Rookwood studio and a few others, potters were decorating their wares based on Japanese or French ceramics, adding animals, birds and bright floral designs. Ohr returned home determined to make art, not pots. (Bruce Watson) On his return Ohr opened his own pottery studio and shop in Biloxi, actually next to his father’s house. He found and used a red clay for the pottery along the banks of the Tchoutacabouffa River. Initially he created utility pieces such as pitchers, planters and chimney flues. He would later experiment with pots in anatomical shapes and eventually with pieces he called his “mud babies”. He did take his experimental pottery which featured unusual shapes glazed with wild colours to exhibitions in New Orleans and Chicago but they were not greatly received and did not sell well. The Mad Potter of Biloxi More eccentric than mad, George Ohr was happy to self proclaim as the “Mad Potter of Biloxi”. This was fuelled by the way he looked and his pottery and shop which was unlike anything that had been seen before. It is also said that his eccentricity can be seen in his pots. Several striking features were evident his large stature, his amazing 18 inch mustache and his eyes. Bruce Watson mentions “And there was something in Ohr’s eyes—dark, piercing and wild—that suggested, at the very least, advanced eccentricity.” The George Ohr Pottery was a mass of colour and the signs advertising the pottery and on the pottery also provided a great deal of humour including “Pot-Ohr-E”, “Get a Biloxi Souvenir, Before the Potter Dies, or Gets a Reputation”, and “Unequaled unrivaled—undisputed— GREATEST ARTPOTTERON THE EARTH.” He was certainly way ahead of his time. His work really evolved after a great fire in 1894 destroyed a lot of downtown Biloxi including Ohr’s fathers shop and his own pottery. Ohr collected his “killed babies” (the burned pots he had made) and apparently kept them forever. Ohr was able to rebuild his pottery including its pagoda. The fire ignited a new desire in Ohr to make pottery as distinctive as he was. He stopped glazing pots stating “God put no color in souls, and I’ll put no color in my pottery”. The best of Ohr’s pots are formed, thrown paper thin and then manipulated with twists, crinkles, crimping, ruffling, off-centering, twisting folds and dimples using his coil and pinch method. He threw perfectly formed pots and then misshaped them. He was creating Abstract Expressionist objects 50 years before the movement started. There is debate on how he could have created such fine, thin pottery at the time and it is possibly something in the red clay he gathered himself. He was against large scale factory production and thought that only real art could be made by the individual. Ohr’s work is extraordinarily idiosyncratic and he practiced his own mantra of “no two alike.” George Ohr stopped potting in 1909 having claimed he had not sold a pot for years. Articles and features suggest that at the time of his death in 1918 there were some 7,000 (although some articles refer to 10,000 to 20,000) pieces of unsold pieces. One reason that Ohr did not sell many of his pots was the high prices he put on them. “When I am gone, my work will be praised, honored, and cherished. It will come.” George Ohr Surprisingly, it was not until fifty years later that the collection was once again discovered and a few years later started to trickle into the market. In the 1980s his work started to receive critical acclaim and pottery that a hundred years previously struggled to sell were now selling for thousands of dollars. Artists, including Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol, bought Ohr’s pots, as did several collectors, though the curator of ceramics at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History protested Ohr’s inclusion in a show in 1978, calling him “just plain hokey.” Only in 1984, when Ohr pots appeared in paintings by Johns at New York’s Leo Castelli Gallery, did praise and critical esteem begin to flow. After a series of one-man shows of Ohr’s work, collectors such as Steven Spielberg and Jack Nicholson purchased pieces and drove prices up. Today, the same pots scorned a century ago sell from $20,000 to $60,000 each. (Bruce Watson) George Edgar Ohr is considered the most important US ceramic artist for several reasons. First, he was a […]
We thought it would be fun to take a closer look at George Tinworth and his humorous comical mice. For a more detailed account on the life and work of George Tinworth visit George Tinworth – The Greatest Doulton Lambeth Designer. Here we look at some of the Tinworth mice and mice groups and their values. A rare George Tinworth Doulton Lambeth stoneware mouse group ‘Tea Time Scandal’ – modelled as three mice seated at a table drinking tea and gossiping, whilst a young mouse sits underneath the table, glazed in green and highlighted with ochre and treacle glazed detailing, the base inscribed ‘Tea Time Scandal’. Sold for £2,625 at Bonhams, London, 2012. Image Copyright Bonhams. A similar model also sold at Bonhams in April 2014 for £2,750. George Tinworth For Doulton Lambeth a Set of Five Mouse Chess Pieces, circa 1890 – comprising a King/Queen, a Rook and three Pawns in a pale green glaze 8.2cm, 8.8cm and 6.5cm high each with ‘G.T’ monogram, the King/Queen with Doulton Lambeth mark. Sold for £3,125 at Bonhams, London, October 2014. Image Copyright Bonhams. George Tinworth for Doulton Lambeth ‘The Cockneys at Brighton’ a Figural Mouse Group, circa 1880 – with mice modelled in a rowing boat at sea, titled to base 11cm high. Sold for £3,360 at Bonhams, London, Sep 2009. Image Copyright Bonhams. George Tinworth for Doulton Lambeth A stoneware model of a mouse on a bun, circa 1905 – 7.2cm high, impressed factory marks, incised artist monogram (SR). Sold for £1,920 at Bonhams, London, March 2009. Image Copyright Bonhams. George Tinworth for Doulton Lambeth A Stoneware Model of a Mouse on a Bun, circa 1880 – the mouse glazed in a deep blue, the bun in a dark treacle glaze 7cm high, incised artist monogram ‘GT’ (restoration to ears). Sold for £937 at Bonhams, London, April2012. Image Copyright Bonhams. George Tinworth for Doulton Lambeth ‘Waits and Water’ a Good Mouse Group, circa 1885 – modelled with three musicians standing below an open window about to receive an unexpected reward for their playing, in salt glaze with green and blue, on titled base 13.5cm high, artist monogram. Sold for £4,000 at Bonhams, London, April 2013. Image Copyright Bonhams. Books on George Tinworth
GI Joe celebrated his 50th birthday in 2014 having been released in 1964. The GI Joe line action figures, produced by the Hasbro toy company has become one of the best selling and most collected toys of all time, spawning comics, tv series, films, books and a wealth of related merchandise. The Most Expensive Toy Ever (so far) The 1964 Original Hasbro prototype G. I. Joe (pictured right) is the most expensive toy ever sold selling for $200,000 in 2003. Heritage Auctions sold the then 40-year old, handcrafted prototype GI JOE to Baltimore business executive Stephen A. Geppi on behalf of one of the famous toy’s designers, Don Levine. The GI Joe prototype even made it into the Guiness Book of Records: “The most valuable toy soldier in the world is the first handcrafted 1963 G.I. Joe prototype which was sold on August 7, 2003 on behalf of its creator Don Levine to Baltimore businessman Stephen A. Geppi for $200,000 (£124,309) by Heritage Galleries & Auctioneers of Dallas, Texas, USA.” The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier (U.S. Army), Action Sailor (U.S. Navy), Action Pilot (USAF), Action Marine (USMC) and later on, the Action Nurse. The term G.I. stands for Government Issued and became a generic term for U.S. soldiers (predating the action figures), especially ground forces. The development of GI Joe led to the coining of the term “action figure”. GI Joe’s appeal to children have made it somewhat of an American icon among toys. The G.I. Joe trademark has been used by Hasbro to title two different toy lines. The original 12-inch line that began in 1964 centered on realistic action figures. In the United Kingdom, this line was licensed to Palitoy and known as Action Man. In 1982, the line was relaunched in a 3¾-inch scale complete with vehicles, playsets, and a complex background story involving an ongoing struggle between the G.I. Joe Team and the evil Cobra which seeks to take over the Free World through terrorism. As the American line evolved into the Real American Hero series, Action Man also changed, by using the same molds and being renamed as Action Force. Although the members of the GI Joe team are not superheroes, they all had expertise in areas such as martial arts, weapons and explosives. The conventional marketing wisdom of the early 1960s was that boys would not play with dolls, thus the word “doll” was never used by Hasbro or anyone involved in the development or marketing of G.I. Joe. “Action figure” was the only acceptable term, and has since become the generic description for any poseable doll intended for boys. “America’s movable fighting man” is a registered trademark of Hasbro, and was prominently displayed on every boxed figure package. The Hasbro prototypes were originally named “Rocky” (marine/soldier) “Skip” (sailor) and “Ace” (pilot), before the more universal name G.I. Joe was adopted. One of the prototypes would later sell in a Heritage auction in 2003 for $200,001. Aside from the obvious trademarking on the right buttock, other aspects of the figure were copyrighted features that allowed Hasbro to successfully pursue cases against producers of cheap imitations, since the human figure itself cannot be copyrighted or trademarked. The scar on the right cheek was one; another, unintentional at first, was the placement of the right thumbnail on the underside of the thumb. Early trademarking, with “G.I. Joe™”, was used through some point in 1965; the markings changed once G.I. Joe was a registered trademark; “G.I. Joe®” now appears on the first line. Subsequently, the stamped trademarking was altered after the patent was granted (in late 1966), and assigned a number; 3,277,602. Figures with this marking would have entered the retail market during 1967.
A collection of ornamental scarf pins provides a very interesting subject for collectors in which examples are not too difficult to obtain. The scarf-pin was fashionable from the days of cravats to the early part of our own century, but perhaps the most interesting period from the collector’s point of view is that of the nineteenth century. Pictured right: William Essex Scarf pin c 1850 – Mounted portraits of the young Queen Victoria made popular jewels. In 1841 Victoria herself gave a bracelet with her portrait to Princess Marie d’Orléans on her marriage to the Queen’s cousin Prince Alexander of Württemberg. Image Copyright V&A Collections. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London Although the word scarf-pin usually conjures up a vision of a vertical long pin with an ornamental head, yet for the purposes of collecting, the seventeenth century cravat brooches can also be included. Some of these are long, oval-shaped brooches of gold and contain a topaz or other stone. And because they were so widely used, they are not difficult to obtain. This type of brooch persisted, especially in more remote places, until the end of the eighteenth century. Yet even at that time and earlier, sporting gentlemen used a vertical long pin to fasten their neckwear. These silver pins were of various types, though the most popular displayed a small head of a fox, dog or horse. Pictured left: Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Scarf pin c 1795 – Scarf pin mounted with an oval blue jasper plaque with a white relief of two young princes of Russia, Alexander and Constantine. Mounted in a gold hoop. Image Copyright V&A Collections. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London The scarf-pin had its place in more fashionable attire too. Josiah Wedgwood, the famous potter of the eighteenth century, made many cameos. And some of the smaller of these were gold mounted as scarf-pins. The Wedgwood cameos were beautifully cut and the designs were taken from classic art. It has been said that : ” The love of detailed miniature work led Wedgwood to devote much time to the production of fine cameos, so many of which represent classic subjects, and in the excellence of their workmanship rivalled almost the ancient cutters of gems and cameos from which they were taken.” Wedgwood’s cameo scarf-pins are difficult to obtain now and the collector has to be careful not to confuse them with the Victorian cameos which were of a later. date and inferior quality. In Victorian times, scarf-pins had heads made in almost every conceivable way including glass, cameos, solid metal heads in the shape of an animal or figure. But the best were undoubtedly the animal miniatures which achieved so much well-deserved popularity. Even before 1860, Edwards was decorating jewellery with portraits of dogs painted from life. Pictured right: William Essex (British, 1784-1869) – A white Bulldog signed and dated ‘W.ESSEX/1862’ (on reverse) enamel diameter 5/8in. (1.5cm.) mounted as a scarf pin, with Head of a brown and white Bulldog; A white Terrier, after ‘Impudence’ by Landseer, by the same hand, both signed and dated on the reverse, both mounted as scarf pins. Sold at Bonhams, New York Feb 2014 for US$ 1,625 (£947). Image Copyright Bonhams. But the artists most famous for scarf-pin miniatures were William Essex and his former pupil, William Bishop Ford. In 1839, Essex, already an exhibitor at the Royal Academy, became miniature painter to Queen Victoria. A scarf-pin with an oval head bearing a miniature of the Queen is in the Victoria and Albert Museum (pictured above right). For the Great Exhibition of 1851, Essex prepared a series of animal paintings and these were so acclaimed that he decided to specialise in this type of work. Jewellers became anxious for him to make miniatures of the animals, especially dogs, for them. And because he worked from real dogs his portraits and miniatures were always so life-like. The art of enamelling on metal -dates from early times. The process of covering metal with .enamel has been known for many years, but the basis of all enamels is the application of fusible colour less silicote or gloss in pattern, mixed with metallic oxides. The prepared surface has to be fired until the enamel adheres firmly to the metal. The processes vary, but the firing or fusing is the same. Pictured left: William Essex (British, 1784-1869) – A Fox’s mask signed and dated ‘W Essex 1861’ (on the reverse) enamel mounted as a scarf pin with Head of Terrier, after ‘Impudence’ by Landseer, by the same hand, signed and dated; Head of a white Bulldog by another hand, both mounted as scarf pins. Sold at Bonhams, New York Feb 2014 for US$ 1,500 (£874). Image Copyright Bonhams. Essex was responsible for improving the art of enamelling. He wrote a guide on the subject which is still used for reference purposes. The enamels of scarfpins are only of a quarter of an inch to an inch in thickness and are best when painted on a white background covering a thin layer of gold. William Essex carried out most of his work in this way. After the death of his son, he passed on his methods to his former pupil, William Bishop Ford. And for a time the two were both engaged on miniatures of animals. But each signed his own work, and as the back of the scarf-pins are not enclosed, the name and date on any pin head can usually be seen. The beautifully enamelled dog miniatures were generally fixed in a plain circular 18-carat gold mount, though some scarf-pins have a narrow beaded edge. Essex died in 1869, but his portraits of dogs and his methods survived. And William B. Ford continued to carry out the making of miniature scarf-pins. William Bishop Ford was born in 1832 in Whitfield Road, of Tottenham Court Road, London. He attended the Somerset House of Design and won several prizes. Then just over a hundred years ago, in 1855, he was commissioned to do some paintings on porcelain at Minton works for the Paris Industrial Exhibition. Not very long afterwards […]