Toy Lead Figures

From an earlier age when children played with lead toys and parents were none the wiser! I have been selling some lead figures on my Etsy shop recently, which involves having a look at what else is for sale, in essence determining the market. I was surprised to find just how many and the variety of lead figures out there? Given the lead content, these figures are deemed no longer suitable for children to play with. So who is buying them? Big kids, collectors, traders and those with the imagination to find a wee spot in their vintage home decor for these wonderful old treasures me thinks!

There are several makers of vintage lead figures and always a bit of a bonus if the makers name, for example ‘Britains’ is present. Otherwise it is a troll through the internet and great satisfaction if it yields a result. Several examples have an ‘England’ mark so I just tend to list these as an english lead figure, maker unknown.

These wild west American cowboys were produced between 1950 to 1956 by the Timpo Toy Company, an english company established in 1938. They were titled from left to right: Bandit Right, Timpo Tim and U.S. Mail.

These figures are hollow cast, meaning the molten lead (still hot and liquid) is poured out of the cast figure through a hole, in this case the hole is at the top of the figures