For more than the past 2000 years, toy soldiers have been the prized possessions of little boys the world over. Children love to stage make believe battles and wars on their bedroom floors or kitchen tables. Boys have always had considerable fascination with soldiers and armies alike.
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.
Combine this with the inherent love of the American civil war and you discover a great segment of collecting. Saving civil war toy soldiers is very popular and you can assemble armies of battles from the era. If you are collector or an American history buff and want to study the successes or failures of campaigns, you can't beat the civil war for hours of delight and debate.
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.
Entire military units can be collected, complete with horses, houses, troops, wagons even hospitals with doctors treating the sick and wounded. You can collect toy soldiers that are patterned after real military units form either side of the war. The generals from the North: Grant, Sheridan and Sherman can fight against their great southern counterparts: Lee, Jackson and Pickett.
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.
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.
Combine this with the inherent love of the American civil war and you discover a great segment of collecting. Saving civil war toy soldiers is very popular and you can assemble armies of battles from the era. If you are collector or an American history buff and want to study the successes or failures of campaigns, you can't beat the civil war for hours of delight and debate.
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.
Entire military units can be collected, complete with horses, houses, troops, wagons even hospitals with doctors treating the sick and wounded. You can collect toy soldiers that are patterned after real military units form either side of the war. The generals from the North: Grant, Sheridan and Sherman can fight against their great southern counterparts: Lee, Jackson and Pickett.
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:
Glen Schmit is collecting civil war toy soldiers from a very early age traveling with his parents to his first antique auction. He has a large array of both southern and northern army nem and freely shares his knowledge of this historical period of America. Find out more about rare pieces and even civil war chess sets at his website, http://www.civilwartoysoldiers.net
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