Who made me (and the rest of my band!)

I'm just one of 140 solid lead soldiers from a marching band. We are 2.75" tall and play drums, trumpets, fifes and horns. I'm a horn player

I'm probably quite old but I'd like to know who made me and whether I qualify for a birthday telegram from the Queen

 

They have kits to make these at home. We have a local train club in town and one of the guys who started it also collects and sells lead soldiers from different wars. I've learned a bit about the collectors and many have molds and make their own.

 

Bev is absolutely correct about the molds/moulds. Since c.1940, the molds/moulds have been available to both commercial enterprises and home hobbyists. Over the years, the same molds/moulds have been used for lead, tin, pewter, other metal alloys, and even plastic.

Your collection is probably not homemade, however. From the limited detail in the photos, I'm guessing that it may date to as early as the start of the 20th century, but it could also be as late as between the Wars.

The marching band shown here is somewhat generic, since those late 19th century style German or Prussian band uniforms ultimately were adopted by so many countries (including England, France & the US)

The individual figures look to be 2-sided "semi-flats" - fuller than actual flats, yet not fully articulated. They would have been made in 2-part molds, and the pieces then fused together. Most of the original molds/moulds for flats & semi-flats came from Germany.

Whether these particular figures were purchased "already painted", or whether a buyer painted them to his (most likely NOT her!) preference is not clear. (Check the quality of the paint job, which is not too visible in the photos.)

Painting the figures was often part of the fun of owning them. Of course, some home painters were far more skilled than others.

Kids (and a fair number of adults) actually played with their armies, bands, and all, re-enacting famous battles and/or creating their own. Some folks collected the figures for display. Those are usually the ones found in the best condition today.

Don't ask me how I know this (!), but collecting/painting/playing with miniatures is still a fairly active hobby today. I'm going to post just one website that shows some of what is currently available to make at home, paint at home, etc:

http://shop.princeaugust.ie/