This section of the site is devoted to any news of interest to our readers. This includes Auctions and other events, new publications and other exciting finds. It also provides a forum for discussing issues of interest to toy soldier collectors.
Shows and Events
This section provides regular updates of Shows and other events.
We have highlighted a few of them here.
Kulmbach 2026
Eurofigurines October 2026
Chicagoland 2026
If you want publicise your own event contact us by emailing: [email protected]
Auctions featuring Toy Soldiers
We will also be reporting on major auctions.
Reconnaissance
This section provides a forum to report interesting and unusual items that have emerged recently.
This includes items found on eBay as well as many other platforms
Again if you have something you want to share email us at: [email protected]
Readers’ Messages
This section provides a Forum to discuss any aspects of the hobby that our readers wish to raise.
We welcome your inputs. Again email us at: [email protected]
Paying Tribute
Unfortunately the news aspect also includes paying tribute to those who have passed on the great toy soldier shop in the sky.
Joe Wallis a Giant in the Hobby
One of the biggest pieces of news at the end of 2025 was the passing of Joe Wallis, who will be well known to most of our readers. One of the founders of the original Old Toy Soldier Show and Newsletter, Joe was probably best known for his splendid series documenting the products of William Britains.
Joseph Thurman Wallis, May 11, 1949 – December 13, 2025
On December 13. 2025 Joe Wallis passed away. He was one of a handful of absolute experts on Britain’s Limited toy soldiers. Fortunately for us, his unrivalled knowledge has been captured in his three reference books (as featured here), as well the many articles he wrote in the OTS Journal.
Joe was a regular attendee at the Chicago Toy Soldiers show in Schaumburg, having been one of its founding members. He also attended many other shows throughout the United States. Always willing to share his knowledge, Joe was a quiet man but with an authoritative mind who did not suffer fools gladly. For many years he produced a quarterly mailing list of both military and civilian Britain’s items which helped many a collector fill that elusive gap in their collections.
He will be sorely missed.
His passing is announced below, but there is actually no formal obituary for him, but you can leave your personal comments at: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/…/joseph-wallis-12665491
Typical comments on that site:
Harry Kemp : I have very fond memories of meeting Joe at the Chicago Toy Soldier show several times and then when he visited England, collecting photo’s for the colour second editions of his trio of fantastic books, which I constantly refer to. Always generous with sharing his deep knowledge of the world of Britains toy soldiers, he will be much missed.
Rob Wilson: A giant in the world of collecting toy soldiers, Joe will be greatly missed by all those who benefitted from his researches. His three volumes on Britains figures stand as a true monument to his tireless work. He will be greatly missed by those who regarded him as a true friend. RIP – Rob Wilson, editor Old Toy Soldier Magazine.
Mark Dahlgren: We have lost the General of the Tin Soldier World. He will be sorely missed. Britains Forever, Mark Dahlgren
JEFF Duncan: Hello, My name is Jeff Duncan and I am a toy soldier collector who’s story about Joe is shared by hundreds of others in our hobby. I meet Joe for the first time not in person but in book form! In the late 1980’s I picked up a used copy of his first Regiments of All Nations toy soldier book. It was excellent on my first trip to the Chicago toy soldier show in the mid 1990’s I meet Joe in person.
After this I saw him every year for almost two decades. I was not a big customer in those early days but Joe always treated me like anyone else. I was one of his relatively fewer Canadian customers. Later we exchanged emails and I would circulate his wonderful toy soldier lists to various Canadian collectors up here and take orders for his later books. Joe had a dry sense of humour and was a wonderful man after you got through his outer professional persona! Joe you will be missed and leave some old Britains figures for the rest of us when we make it to the big cabinet in the sky!