Sandown Park, on the west side of London, right next to Hampton Court Palace, remains one of the highlights of the toy collecting calendar. With 4 shows a year, there are plenty of opportunities to partake of the joys this event regularly provides. The September event was no exception. The doors open at 8.00am but a number of dealers set up temporary displays on the terraces of the stands designed to provide views of the horse racing for which Sandown Park is more generally known by the wider public. Many toy trains, cars, and of course soldiers, change hands well before the public are allowed into the hall. There is then a chaotic few minutes during which most dealers set up their tables, while the early entrants scurry around looking for bargains.
This was the first show I had attended for a while. I was pleased to see that things appeared to be back to normal after the disruption caused by the pandemic, with a huge queue of people lining up for general entry at 10.30. While there was a fair amount of lead on display on the terraces, nothing tempted me to part with my hard-earned cash. Once inside, a quick reconnaissance confirmed that most of the regular dealers specialising in soldiers or other lead figures were present with many nice items on offer, both Civilian and Military.
