The Road Roller | Christie's

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Introduction - As is the case with so many collectors "of a certain age" Arnold Rolak has collected soldiers and other toys all his life, but he became very much the pre-eminent collector of Britains models from the 1980s and has since brought together the most comprehensive collections of pre-soldier models, rarities and oddities in the world. Many examples in this unique array are the only ones in existence and represent a wonderful display that may never be seen in one place again. Arnold has always had a problem describing his elected speciality, although it is, to a great extent, an attempt to bring together the full contents of the famous Britains catalogue of 1880 and in that respect he has been more successful than anyone before. As well as his love of the most rare items in Britains military and civilian ranges, novelties and unique factory items. He also has a good eye (or nose ?) for the more recent production of soldiers that are also special in some way, which to most of us usually means very rare and very expensive. He achieved this, by endless travelling to shows, private collections and attendance or representation at auction houses everywhere. He was one of the specialist consultants brought in by Christie's South Kensington to assist in the identification and cataloguing of the Britains Archive Collection in 1994 when his contribution was considerable. He has been, and remains, a wonderful colleague and friend of the writer an association that dates back to our halcyon days together in Bermuda in the 1980s. We instituted and presented the annual Tommy Awards at the Old Toy Soldier Show in Chicago and caused many a headache with our rum-based "Dark and Stormy". Everyone loves Arnold, he is not just one of our more respected collectors he is a special kind of character as big in frame, generosity and spirit as his much loved home of Texas. Many will wonder how he can bring himself to part with his treasures, perhaps the simple reason is that 'he has done it' - there is nothing more that he can reasonably expect to acquire and when a collector can no longer "join the hunt" he is no longer a true collector. The writer truly envies James Opie and Daniel Agnew their task of handling these treasures for the last time as a single entity, because Christie's will disperse it at the speed of light to a hundred new homes. Thank you Arnold. Colonel Donald Pudney The Lord of Hinderclay and Freeman of the City of London. Arnold Rolak, James Opie and Daniel Agnew would like to thank the following for their assistance during the preperation of this auction. Col. Donald Pudney, Sheila & Norman Joplin, Catherine Saunders-Watson, Don Pielin, Dr. Rob Wilson, Jo & Steve Sommers and Dale Kelley. Biography Arnold Rolak can boast a distinguished collecting career in the forefront of the most sociable side of the genre of acquiring and displaying rare toy soldiers. Co-founder of the two member society of the Bermuda Toy Soldier Society, with Colonel Donald Pudney, they instituted the Oscars of the Toy Soldier Collecting world, the annual "Tommy" awards at the Old Toy Soldier Newsletter Chicago Show, which this year celebrated it's 20th anniversary. He is well-known for his services to all the top collectors in negotiating the private sale of many of the most esoteric collectors pieces, as he is for his personal collection of the finest and rarest figures and his unequalled compilation of Britains early toys and subsequent toys, game and novelties. His long friendship with many of the luminaries of Britains itself made him the natural choice to acquire the remaining master figures and Pink Room painting samples from the Britains factory, as well as assisting in the preparation for sale of the Britains Archive collection. He has associated also in private ventures with both Roy Selwyn Smith and Charles Biggs. His collection speaks for itself, but Arnold Rolak's easy geniality and endeavour among his many friend will long continue as the standard for enjoyable collecting. James Opie CONTENTS Section I. Early Toys Part 1. Britains Toys earlier than in the "1880" catalogue - Lots 1 to 3 Part 2. Britains Toys from the "1880" catalogue - Lots 4 to 19 Part 3. Toys not in the "1880" catalogue - Lot 19 and 20 Part 4. The German Connection - Lot 21 to 24 Section II - Early Toy Soldiers 1893-1916 Part 1. The first three sets - Lots 26 to 28 Part 2. The Anglo-Boer Wars - Lots 29 to 35 Part 3. Military 1896 to 1915 - Lots 36 to 40 Part 4. Charterhouse Series - Lots 41 and 42 Part 5. Paris Office - Lots 43 to 45 Section III - Small 'B' Size - Lots 46 to 64 Secton IV - Between the Wars - Lots 65 to 89 Section V - Novelties and Souvenirs Part 1. Early Novelties - Lots 90 to 92 Part 2. Royal Souvenirs - Lots 93 to 107 Part 3. Historical Figures - Lots 108 to 111 Part 4. Games and Game Pieces - Lots 112 to 119 Part 5. Characters and Commercial Novelties - Lots 120 to 133 Part 6. Other Novelties - Lots 134 to 141 Section VI - Vehicles Part 1. Military Vehicles - Lots 152 to 167 Part 2. Civilian Vehicles - Lots 168 to 197 Section VII - Civilians - Lots 198 to 248 Section VIII - Post-World War II Production Part 1. Post-war Hollowcast - Lots 249 to 263 Part 2. Plastic and Diecast - Lots 264 to 272 Section IX - The Arnold Rolak Collection of Britains Production and Marketing Memorabilia Part 1. Catalogues - Lots 273 to 283 Part 2. - Britains Factory Wax and Metal Masters and The Pink Room - Lots 284 to 303. Part 3. - The Knights of Agincourt Story - Lots 304 to 319 Part 4. - Metal Models - Lots 328 to 332 Part 5. - The Scepter Range - Lot 333 Part 6.- Plastic and other items - Lots 334 to 342 Part 7. -Items from the Britains Factory - Lots 343 to 348 Part 8. - From the Britains Archive Sale 27th June 1994 - Lots 349 to 362 Arnold Rolak, James Opie and Daniel Agnew would like to thank the following for their assistance during the preperation of this auction. Col. Donald Pudney, Sheila & Norman Joplin, Catherine Saunders-Watson, Don Pielin, Dr. Rob Wilson, Jo & Steve Sommers and Dale Kelley. Introduction for Section I - Very few of the toys made by William Britain and his family before they started to make toy soldiers still exist. In all probability, this is simply because these items were hand assembled in one room of their family home, perhaps even as a side-line to other employment. By contrast to some of the emerging major toy manufacturers in Germany and France, the Britains were very much a cottage industry. For those who have decided to collect these early toys, therefore, every discovery is special and each purchase a treasure. William Britain moved to London around 1850 and probably, only some considerable time after he married and started a family, did he become engaged in the toy trade. Being of a mechanical bent, his products reflected this and by the late 19th century, his toys were well known for their quality and ingenuity. The only surviving catalogue of these early toys was dated by Dennis Britain at 1880. Since so little is known about exact date of issue, and bearing in that Dennis dated the 1915 catallogue as 1905, all we can do is to believe that the so-called 1880 catalogue was issued befoe 1893 when the first toy soldiers were made. For want of a better-confirmed date, the early toy catalogue will be referred to as the '1880' catalogue hereafter, although it must have been issued at a later date. Given the energy with which the Britains family developed their toy soldiers, there is no reason to suppose that they were any less energetic in improving their toys. This accounts for the many different versions of toys that appear, which have either been assembled from parts supplied by different sub-contractors, have had improvements made, or have simply changed with the times, as one would copy in a toy the rapidly changing shape of machines in the real world. SECTION I EARLY TOYS Part 1. Britains Toys Earlier Than The "1880" Catalogue

The Road Roller

Details

The Road Roller
extremely rare fly-wheel drive painted tinplate and cast metal, three wheel roller, boiler with chimney and canopy --57/8in. (15cm.) long x 4¼in. (11cm.) high (F, paint loss, canopy loose, three spokes of one rolling wheel missing)

Provenance

Purchased from Sotheby's London, 19th May 1988, Lot 370.

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium.

Lot Essay

This could well be the earliest Britains toy ever attributed. The relatively primitive design of the machine is reminiscent of real Steam Rollers from the 1850s onwards, but the rolling wheels are identical to those used in the London Road Roller, lot 7.

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