Felt--feels--to me like time for a blue army! And I love the scale and delicacy of these hand-painted lead soldiers, produced by Ernst Heinrichsen, Nürnberg (Nuremberg) in 1882. 29 figures total here, from what I believe was a complete set of 30, with one cavalry officer, one flag bearer, one trumpeter, two drummers, and the rest marching along carrying rifles with bayonets. (Those rifles, and indeed the figures themself, are pretty pliable, so can be manipulated as needed to stretch them straight.) I find the details on these pretty amazing and really wonderful, from the golden trumpet and drums to the red sashes to the pink cheeks, etc. etc. And I must say it is very pleasing to arrange them in various configuration, with all standing squarely (and quite stable-y) on their green bases. Though the box was long ago lost, happily the lid, with 1882 label, was preserved, included.
A family-run business, Ernst Heinrichsen was founded in 1839, and produced lead figures until December 1938, encompassing some 16,000 designs. Heinrichsen is credited with popularizing the "Nuremberg scale" for flat lead figures, which was about ~28mm from ground to eye level, also known as the "3cm scale".
Soliders with rifles are 1 1/4" from base to top of heads, not including their rifles/bayonets. All pictured included, and all in good antique condition, with paint loss here and there as there should be. As noted, these are soft lead so can be straightened as needed. I've placed them in a lightweight bentwood box for safe keeping and will send them along that way.
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