Eight Nostalgia toy zaptieh models by Shamus Wade of London, 5.4 cm.
These zaptieh replaced the old Cyprus Regiment established by Sir Garnet Wolseley in 1878.
Shamus Wade was, from the late Sixties through to the Nineties, one of the world's leading authorities on, and dealers in, lead toy soldiers. Wade was a young advertising copywriter in London when he began collecting toy soldiers — an enthusiasm that led to his renting a tiny Saturday morning stall on the Portobello Road. It proved a magnet for young collectors, including James Opie, the author and Bonhams expert. "Toy soldier dealer, collector, author, military historian ... Shamus Wade was a man of many attributes," Opie said. In 1974, encouraged by this growing interest, Wade created a series of "new old toy soldiers" commissioned from the manufacturers Jan and Frank Scroby. These were made in the style of old toy soldiers — solid-cast and hand-painted — but they were not copies. The "Nostalgia" series re-created in miniature the different regiments of the Empire, including the Indian Princely States, between 1850 and 1910. Wade's Nostalgia soldiers became some of the most renowned collectables on the toy soldier market. Today, they are enjoying a considerable revival in popularity, as collectors discover the challenge of putting together complete sets. The number issued varied considerably. Wade used a limited-edition system of taking orders in advance, and having only that number manufactured — after which the moulds were destroyed.
mmr_00009 > Nostalgia Set N-126. Toy Soldiers - Cyprus Zaptiehs, Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee 1897, Metal, 5.4 cm, 1897
You can see this exhibit up close, along with many others, in the 3rd-floor exhibition room of CVAR.
