Junk box finds at Sandown Park Toy Fair

 The joy of junk boxes is that you never know what you'll find, it might all look like rubbish but you can't help having a rummage anyway, maybe there will be something rare in there?  Sometimes there is but mostly not, it doesn't matter, it's the search that drives us collectors on, the hope of finding something, anything!

It might be something damaged or even something you don't really want, it doesn't matter, because it's cheap, so if you get something wrong or you change your mind there's no great harm done.  I didn't go looking for any of these figures or need any of them, the plastic were about 30p apiece and the leads £1, I bought them because they were there, and so was I.

PLASTIC

Top row: Three figures from the Cherilea Elizabethan series, the two in red are originals from the 1960's and the grey one is a reissue made in the original moulds by Giles Brown of Dorset Toy Soldiers, who sold them as British Battle Set under the name Icarus Toys.   Next a Cherilea Chinese/Korean Officer with pistol from the Korean War set and a REAMSA cowboy falling wounded.

Bottom row: Crescent WW1 Britsh cavalry, Britains Deetail French Foreign Legion cavalry, Timpo Duke of Wellington, Timpo Cossack and two Louis Marx Vikings.  

All are imperfect and destined to be repaired or converted but not necessarily by me.

LEAD

Top row: Street Gas Lamp Cleaner and Inn Keeper by Johillco (John Hill and Co.) the former is quite a rare piece, his narrow base extends pointedly at the front so that it fits into the steps of the ladder which he grips in his hands as it leans against the gas lampost.  Next a female customer which came in both the "Butchers Shop" and "Fish Shop" box sets from Crescent.  The two lads selling newspapers and waving are modern solid white metal figures (unmarked and unknown to me) possibly to go with model train layouts.  The Height Finder is very similar to the one in the Crescent " A.R.P Range Finder Unit" set, with a leg missing I have no qualms about a repair and repaint in grey to go on my Gunboat.

Bottom row: The whimsical Postman being chased by a dog is marked GB telling us it was made by Giles Brown of Dorset Toy Soldiers and is a typical example of Giles' humour.  The 1:43 scale gentleman in bowler hat, waiting for a train to take him on the daily commute into the City, is marked Dinky Toys on the upper side of his base.  The Bishop of Hereford is from the Benbros Robin Hood set and finally the motorbike goes with the Charbens GI rider.

All useful stuff which will find a home somewhere, be restored, repaired, repainted, converted or given away, the important thing is that they've been rescued from obscurity and entered the realm of the collector.