Thursday, December 16, 2010

Collecting Civil War Toy Soldiers? It Is Great For Little And Big Boys Alike

By Glen Schmit


For over two millenia, army men and toy soldiers have held a special place in children's hearts. They enjoy making pretend battles of famous wars wherever thay find a place to set them up. Toy soldiers are a source of fascination and excitement with boy of all ages.

People have used small human figures as teaching aids forever. I am sure the first human mothers taught their daughters about raising babies and families with dolls. Males used miniature animals to educate their sons how to stalk and kill beasts in the wild. Using these aids allowed proper techniques to be transferred safely and quickly, with no risk to the hunter, improving the hunting success. The Roman Legionnaires were probably instructed in this same manner all of their lives.

As mankind has evolved with time, so have his educational playthings. The simple carved hunters and warriors of prehistoric history have given way to more evolved toys of a modern era. There has been a special fascination with toy soldiers and miniature armies throughout history. Collecting these military miniatures has never been more popular. These army men are classics and their uniforms and equipment are studied almost as much as the wars in which they fought. This love of collecting and the lore of war, can still have grown men playing around their tabletop battlefields or on their knees leading their tiny troops.

Pair this with the American fascination of the Civil War and you have an amazing field of collecting. There are civil war toy soldiers and items you can buy that are representative of famous battles of that great conflict. Weather you are a American history collector or a battle strategist, nothing can compare with the thrill of collecting civil war toy soldiers.

Of course you know this means war. Pick a fight and stand your ground: Vicksburg, Bull Run, or the most important battle of the civil war, Gettysburg. Find collectible civil war toy soldiers from both sides and fight for your chosen side. Let the South win for a change.

You can collect troops, cavalry, wagons, horses, field hospitals, just about anything a standing army would need, even volunteers. There are collectible toy soldier items from both sides of this bloody conflict, that identify the exact outfit they come from. If you want to collect famous generals, you can choose from either side: Grant, Sherman, Sheridan for the North and Lee, Jackson and Pickett from the South.

There is a strong market for antique civil war toy soldiers since the war was fought during the middle of the next too the last century. These antiques are very dear to collectors and their high prices reflect it. These usually lead antique civil war toy soldiers were painted by hand.

The modern, plastic toy soldier has taken over the collector's market these days. Plastic toy soldiers can be bought with or without being painted. You can paint your army men whatever colors you want to let you choose the side he will fight. Put a grey great coat, grey riding hat and sash and he becomes the leader of the First Virginia unit. Paint your horseman blue, and he could be an officer for the 3rd Ohio Cavalry.

Any way you look at the spirit of collecting them, playing armchair general or creating realistic dioramas, civil war toy soldiers can be a fascinating and educational hobby for boys of all ages. You probably don't want to tell them that they are learning something thought, they hate that.




About the Author:



No comments: