Hello, and welcome to the personal website of James Opie. Last update 1 Aug 2010

If you have toy soldiers, and have questions about them, want to know what they are worth, or how to sell them, I am glad to help. Please feel free to email me at jamesopie@yahoo.co.uk or alternatively phone me on +44 (0)20 7794 7447. You can leave a message if necessary.

I am Toy Soldier Consultant to Bonhams, the auctioneers. For 2010, there are two Toy Soldier sales remaining into which toy soldiers can be entered, a special prestige sale on 17th November at the Knightsbridge salerooms, London, England (opposite Harrods) and the regular toy sale on  21st December at Knowle, near Birmingham. Both sales will be catalogued and photographed for the internet by myself. Closing date for November is mid-September, for December, mid-October. If you have figures you would like to enter, please contact me now.

The very interesting 2009 18 November sale had over 500 lots, and over £100,000 worth of toy soldiers were sold. These included Early, Mid-war and Post-war Britains, with several almost unknown variations and three new discoveries. There were Lucottes and CBG Mignot, top class French models by Fouille and Des Fontaines, a Heyde mounted Prince of Wales, Fry Prisoners of War and Minikin. The sale featured part I of the Terry Hanly Display Collection of over 16,000 figures, including magnificent groups of Britains and compatible figures, and probably the world's largest collection of Nostalgia.

We are currently entering up all sorts of soldiers for 2010. If you have a large collection, ask me for details of how we could sell it with the best possible and enjoyable outcome for you - a special personal individual catalogue - see next paragraph for an example

The lifetime Britains collection of Dr William C. McDade will be auctioned by Bonhams in their Knightsbridge salerooms, London, England, on Tuesday 31st March 2009. Just to view this magnificent collection is a story and an education in itself. The whole sale is now available to see on the Bonhams website, nearly 400 lots covering the entire Seven Ages of Britains.

For catalogues, ring +44 (0) 1666 502 200.

Middlesex Yeomanry, first version, in my opinion some of the prettiest toy soldiers ever made. Britains first made them in 1898, and they are worth about £100 each.   

I have been a toy soldier collector from a very young age, and have tried out many different facets of collecting and related hobbies. The expertise I have acquired has enabled me to write about toy soldiers and catalogue them for auction, which I have now been doing for over thirty years. 

If you would like to meet me in person, or buy one of my books, I will be at the next Toy Soldier Experience Show Saturday 27th March 2010 at the Royal National Hotel off Russell Square in London. You should be able to get catalogues for the 13th April sale then. I hope to see you there.

Details of the Toy Soldier Experience are on the website of King and Country, and Toy Soldier Collector magazine who are the sponsors. These shows, of which there are three in 2010 are splendid, with lots of extra activities and over a hundred tables, and to all those people I meet on those occasions, hello again.

My E-mail address is jamesopie@yahoo.co.uk

I can also be contacted (particularly with large picture files) through l.gotch@bonhams.com who can take in items for me to catalogue for sale at their Knightsbridge or Knowle salerooms.

For a flavour of the sort of things sold in past auctions, look at the pages for previous sales.

Go to Bonhams website for full details and results from the last sales on 18th November and 16th December 2009, and once on the site, click on Results.

I am intent on the latest figure to come under scrutiny

The website is divided into three parts, all of which I hope will prove useful to you.

Firstly, an overview of some of the past auctions I have prepared. These pages will tell you what has been for sale at Bonhams, and give you an idea of prices and values, useful both as a buyer and as a seller of toy soldiers.

Secondly, I hope I can answer queries you may have - about toy soldiers or similar items in your own possession, or about collecting, buying or selling.

Finally, I include some of my own experiences and collecting over the highly enjoyable years I have spent in this field, plus information about the books I have written.