Rescued Kieler Zinnfiguren + a dozen or so unknowns

[BobLeighton]

Sorry I should have added that the Ochel Catalogues are on the web together with all the catalogues of the figures that Ochel sell from other manufactures that they bought out.
They are all illustrated and you should be able to match the figures to the designs,

[BobLeighton]

The British Horse Artillery that you show are without doubt one of the Ochel/Kilia sets, they are still available from the manufacturer and of course from time to time on E bay, from where I got my figures.


The model railway figures look like the type produced in the 1930's and possibly into the early 50's by various German makers as accessories for the model train market which after the war were
produced in large numbers for the export  market, enquiries made to the German model train collectors clubs should provide you with the manufacturers dates etc.
All the figures that Ochel/Kilia produced was usually marked with the catalogue number and the letter "K"it may be possible that the owner has removed the marks. it does happen.


Old figures yes perhaps a loft find or some child's prized possessions hidden away to keep them safe and due to circumstance never recovered? Sad really
Enjoy them
Kindest regards
 Bob

[aureliemedien]

Thank you, Charles! I appreciate your reply. Despite not wishing to sell them, I was curious about their estimated value nonetheless. However, the main thing I wondered was their age and I'm very intrigued by the signatures of the different engravers.


Something I failed to mention in the original post is that the cigar box they were found in was filled with a quirky assortment of other odds and ends from the 1930s-1970s, mostly kid's toys. Nothing inside the box, nor the box itself, was newer than that. It was like a time capsule with something from every decade.


...And now, I'm still left wondering about the round and demi-round figures!


Anyway, I appreciate your response very much and I look forward to reading anyone else's input as well. - Izzy

[Charles]

I will hazard a reply to some of these questions based on limited knowledge, hopefully it will be useful and I will be corrected if I say something erroneous.
Briefly
The condition of these figures is poor, the paint is badly chipped is some places, sets may be incomplete or just amalgamated groups of figures. My guess is that they have a low value to collectors.
Bear in mind these figures are more than likely still available to buy brand new, but unpainted from Kieler who are still casting from the original moulds.
I don't know enough about Kieler to say whether this is original factory painting, I am dubious because of the different coloured bases of some figures.
There are collectors of Keiler sets, my advice is to go on Ebay.de and watch for a while to see what prices these sets reach.
I am not aware some are rarer than others and in any event these don't seem rare subjects and I would imagine they were sold in their thousands. Again their age is hard to define, they were produced over a number of decades so it would be hard to pin down.
Being blunt, I would forget about their monetary value and regard them as an opportune introduction to the flat figure world and all the lovely things you can find there.
Charles

[aureliemedien]

I am very new to flat figure collecting and recently happened upon several sets of Kieler Zinnfiguren in an old cigar box that were going to otherwise be thrown away. I knew absolutely nothing about tin soldiers at that point. So after much research in the couple of months since, I believe I've determined exactly which sets and pieces I have — with immense thanks to this site and the (In)Compleat Kieler as my most invaluable source of information. It's been a wild ride into the world of flat figures! I'm really taken by the art form and excited to learn more...and perhaps even collect more over time. Thank you in advance to anyone in this forum that can help fill in some of these blanks for me.

Lingering questions:
- How do I determine exactly how old these pieces are? (Is there even a way to know that?)
- What is the difference between the various engravers? And are certain engravers considered more collectible or desirable than others?

I'm not interested in selling these, but just for curiosity's sake:
- Are any of my figures more collectible or desirable than the others? And what might be a  rough estimate of value of each group?
- In case I would like to sell them one day, is it recommended to have the restorations made to these (broken bits, worn paint) or should I leave them just as they are? I have documented all the various broken off gun tips, missing heads, missing bases, etc, for every group.


Please see coordinating photos...I have lots more!

Napoleonic Wars:
French Line Infantry Grenadiers/Voltigeurs — Qty: 15
- Hf34b x1, Hf34c x 1, Hf39a x4, Hf39b x 4, Hf39c x 5
- I could not find a set in the (In)Compleat Kieler or elsewhere that these particular pieces all could have come from
- As far as I can tell, these are all unsigned figures

British Royal Horse Artillery (Set #2530?) — Qty: 14*
- Jh89a, Jh90b, Jh90c, Jh91a x 2, Jh91b x 2, Jh91c, Jh92a, Jh92b, Jh92c, Hf19 x 2
- All pieces are signed WS for engraver William Sambeth
- *If this is set #2530, then I am missing Jh90a

Franco-Prussian War
French Infantry (Set #620a?) — Qty: 13*
- 601a, 602a, 602b, 602c, 655a x 3, 655b, 655c x 5
- All pieces are signed SM for engraver Sixtus Maier
- *If this is in fact set #620a, then I am missing two 655a pieces and four 655b pieces, making me 6 pieces short.

Prussian Infantry (Set #1633?) — Qty: 13*
- 624b, 608a, 608b, 698a x 2, 698b x 5, 698c x 3
- 10 of these pieces are signed WS for engraver William Sambeth and the other 3 pieces are signed SM for engraver Sixtus Maier
- *If this is in fact Set #1633, then I am missing piece 608c, 3/5 of the 698a pieces and 2/5 of the 698c pieces, making me 6 pieces short.

Prussian Riflemen — Qty: 10
- 652a x 4, 652c x 6
- I could not find a set in the (In)Compleat Kieler or elsewhere that these particular pieces all could have come from
- All pieces are signed WS for engraver William Sambeth

Colonial Era
German South West Africa (GSWA) Defense Officers — Qty: 16
- Pd6a, Pd7c x 9, Pd6a x 6
- It is extremely difficult to read the numbers on the base of these pieces, therefore I cannot tell if these are signed
- I have yet to find a set that is an exact match for the pieces I have, but that is partly because it is such a challenge to read their individual piece numbers

Lastly, there were 11 Demi/full (?) round railway figures/townspeople mixed in with the KZs. These types of figures are completely unknown to me... I know this is a flats forum, but I thought I’d include them just in case anyone has any knowledge to share!
- No distinguishable marks
- Very small, around 20-25mm
- 9 are metal, 2 are composite material (Elastolin? Lineol? ...?)

Thanks so much for any expertise that you can spare on any of the above! -Izzy