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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… Read more

It was with a very sad heart that I wrote my last Editorial in July 2025. My unfortunate task then was to pass on the news that Ray Haradin, owner and publisher of Old Toy Soldier magazine and of Old Toy Soldier Auctions, had passed away. Ray was a larger than life figure whose energy… Read more

A New Beginning  Following the untimely passing of Ray Haradin in June 2025 the Old Toy Soldier world faced an  uncertain future. Ray had been the driving force behind both the Old Toy Soldier publication and the associated Old Toy Soldier Auction business.   Both of these businesses were brought to a close with his passing. This announcement prompted strong interest in continuing… Read more

RAY HARADIN 11.4.64 – 6.24.25 Ray was the owner of the Old Toy Soldier Magazine from 2000- 2025. He was born on November 4,1964. He had the good fortune to belong to a family that took old toysvery seriously. His father, Dr. Anthony Haradin, was a long-term collector and expert on old American toys and… Read more

Historical Context First Anglo-Boer war, 1880-1881 This was a struggle between the Boer republics and the British who were attempting to annex their territory and bring them into a British ruled confederation. After initial setbacks the British government despatched reinforcements. Their deployment provoked hostility across South Africa. Eventually a negotiated peace resulted, which conceded independence… Read more

Old Toy Soldier Auctions’ consignors will now be served by Morphy’s team of specialists, starting with a Nov. 12-14 toy sale, per the wishes of OTSA’s founder, the late Ray Haradin DENVER, Pa. – With the recent passing of Ray Haradin, the visionary founder of Old Toy Soldier Auctions (OTSA), the antique toy hobby lost… Read more

This article is a slightly revised version of Norman’s earlier article published in Volume 42, Number 2. It is reproduced here for the convenience of readers andin order to complement Bill Anderson’s more general piece on the Boer War. Britains 4.7 Inch Naval Gun (Mounted for Field Operations) was first introduced in 1902. It was… Read more

The Whitney Reed Chair Company was founded in 1893, and primarily manufactured furniture, though it diversified to also produce wooden toys (as apparently was not uncommon for such companies in that era). Its toy production is most commonly associated with a variety of robust wooden rocking horses, but its early catalogs reveal much more, including… Read more

Toy company Azrak-Hamway International, Inc (AHI), doing business as REMCO Toys, took its name from Marvin Azrak and Ezra Hamway, partners in the New York firm which marketed this recently discovered box of 30mm “Miniature Animals.” The AHI company was featured as a chapter in my book The Toy Soldier Artistry of Holger Eriksson –… Read more

During the course of the research for my book, I discovered this short film which contains some very interesting images of toy soldiers, including some rare Paris Office types. To support the war effort, Pierre Bressol, a French actor and filmmaker who was wellknown during the silent film era (but is now completely forgotten), made… Read more