I really like the Eurofigurines show at Nanterre on the outskirts of Paris. Starting at 8 am on a Sunday morning for the public (7am for traders) and finishing by 1 pm, means it can easily be combined with a long weekend in Paris. There are two hotels within a 30 seconds walk of the venue.
I really like the Eurofigurines show at Nanterre on the outskirts of Paris. Starting at 8 am on a Sunday morning for the public (7am for traders) and finishing by 1 pm, means it can easily be combined with a long weekend in Paris. There are two hotels within a 30 seconds walk of the venue.
Finds of the day were fairly lean this trip; a very nice group of Noris Cuirassiers, some small size CBG
cavalry on springs and a Heyde paper weight trinket of a pointer dog sniffing a lady bird being the highlights.( All these sold at Sandown two weeks later).
As usual my table is randomly positioned and today, I was on the same aisle as several dealers of composition figures, and there were truly more than I have ever seen before in one place. Not my thing, but great to see such a variety, although demand and prices in this category of collecting seem to have
been going down recently.
Unexpectedly, behind me is an English plastic dealer who has driven 700km from his holiday home in the south of France! Great effort.
Of more interest to me were the Paris office figures that I had arranged deals on beforehand.
Kneeling Officer in Khaki with binoculars. This figure in horizon blue is iconic, but this is the first time I have seen it in Khaki, and the two examples I acquired are in excellent condition. Which set did this go with? Belgians or Turcos?. My feeling is the latter. Or possibly sold singly?
I also found some B-size Cameron highlanders, Set 23b, second version. These look like Paris office to me, but very similar to London production. They are dated and marked depose (not that that depose is in anyway conclusive). These are very hard to find even as London made examples in 1sy grade paint finish (not to be confused with the post WW1 second grade version same casting but less paint detail), I am happy either way.
Another good find was a Uhlan lancer in ‘grey’. This is a well-known Paris office figure that will join a growing number of compatriots in my cabinets. Based on the Prussian Hussar set 153. Very nice.
Last, but not least another Paris Office find – a German (or possibly AustroHungarian) Lancer in ‘exotic’ blue uniform again based on set 153. This is a wonderful and enigmatic figure. These turn up from time to time and were undoubtedly sold by the Paris Office, but to my knowledge no one has yet identified the regiment it is meant to depict. I have a quite a few, including the magnificent officer which might just be my all-time favourite figure.
My own stall is a modest affair, as I don’t bring much. But sales of a couple of hundred Euros is fine, considering I spend 90% of my time out on the hunt. This show is friendly, very lovely and highly recommended, next one is March 17th 2024. Maybe I’ll see some of you there.
SANDOWN PARK TOY FAIR, NOVEMBER 2023
I might be guilty of repeating myself, but this is my favourite show in England. Most visits result in a few good finds and today was no exception.
A good selection of soldier dealers were present including Adrian Little, Steve Vicars, Andy Morant, plus many more stalls with either a few or a lot of soldiers The first phase of this show is always about 15 dealers trading on the stands outside (in what is essentially the car park) before we are let into the venue at 8.00am.
In this pre-trading I was lucky enough to find a much sought after figure being a Britains mounted Arab with a rifle rather than jazail (see the Reconnaissance section for photo). This is the first time I have owned this figure and although one hoof is missing it is a fine addition to my collection. Myself and others speculate that this might have originally been a Paris Office variation, but this certainly looks like London production c.1925. Could it be surplus Paris office castings returned to London and were painted there? I suspect we will never know.
It seemed buyers of Britains were not here today, I sold mainly German and French made figures and sales were modest. Andy Morant, next to me, had a large quantity of excellent oval base early Britains but barely sold any. Listed on eBay, I suspect all would have sold well and quickly. Perhaps this explains
why you can make great finds by attending shows.
Other finds on the day were:
- A beautiful Scout Master, the larger square base second version but embossed on the base with an oval
stamp, dated with depose. This mark, and an unusual paint style (colour of hat etc and style of moustache), makes me think this is Paris Office c. 1912). - A New Zealand infantry figure, large head, but in an unusual colour uniform and base . Not my one of my specialist areas, so maybe this is not as unusual as I think. Perusing various reference books, I think this could be a figure from set 1872 or 1888, both of which are from Historical Collectors Series issued in 1940/41. Again see the Reconnaissance section for a photo of this figure.
- A round base Officer of the Black Watch with binoculars, a particular favourite of collectors.
- On guard figure with khaki home service helmet. An often seen oddity presumably sold as single figures over the counter. Another one for my cabinets.
Another great show, I’ll be sure to be back in February 2024!
