Buying Old Toy Soldiers: Know What Your Getting! by R.K. Berry

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Buying Britains Swoppets

Swoppets first came out in the 1960's and with the advent of child safety laws and concerns had disappeared by 1971. Many companies made them but the two most popular are those made by Timpo and Britains. There are excellent books available on swoppets by both companies, 'The A to Z of Timpo' by Michael Maughan and 'Suspended Animation 'by Peter Cole both cover the complete histories of each company and serve as excellent reference material. Anyone who is collecting these figures should have a copy of these books. The nature of swoppets is that...they can be swapped . You should be careful when buying swoppets because although they may look nice, if they have been changed or swapped the value is not anywhere near that of a complete original factory issued one. The only way to know for sure is experience and to consult the above mentioned books which show the original issues. The next thing to look out for is missing items such as weapons. The following photographs show the most common items to look for. (Click on the link)

What To Look For When Buying Britains Swoppet Knights

What To Look For When Buying Britains Swoppet Cowboys

What To Look For When Buying Britains Swoppet American Civil War

Britain American Revolutionary War: These figures were issued twice. Originally in the 1960's and again in 1976 for the American Bicentennial . The 1960's issues have all the trim on the uniforms were the 1976 issues have none.

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