Lead Farm Collection

Here he is on his own. He is likely to be 100 years old as well.

So what about the horse that actually came with the plough? It was the field horse #648 or #649. Fortunately I had one so made up the set #142F. This was available post war. Pre-war the set was #6F and had two horses

Now I need to find the Timber carriage and complete that set :)

WOW, almost 100 years! It is always impressive how old are some figures. I hope you can find the carriage.

What an amazing lead farm collection you have! I love these vintage figures, they always give an insight into farming in the past!

Beautiful old lead figures. They are so expressive and full of personality. Thank you for the great pictures. Here in Germany, these beautiful lead animal figures are rarely offered.

Thanks everyone, lots more for me to collect from this company. They made so many figures!

The Britains horses with farm equipment are great!

Bonnie wrote:

What an amazing lead farm collection you have! I love these vintage figures, they always give an insight into farming in the past!

That's right, it would be interesting to write a history of farming using the Britains toys. The horse with plough was later replaced with a tractor and plough. Initially, this was a simple plough, but as time passed, it became a more complex plough that could be turned around. Horses pulling a variety of different carts lasted longer in the Britains line-up than the horse with the plough, exactly as in real farming. The first Britains tractors were small, but over the years they became much bigger, reflecting what was happening with tractors on the farm. The farm animals sometimes also reflect an evolution in farming. For example, the earlier Friesian cows had horns whereas the later ones were polled and they were also more muscular.

rogerpgvg wrote:

The Britains horses with farm equipment are great!

Bonnie wrote:

What an amazing lead farm collection you have! I love these vintage figures, they always give an insight into farming in the past!

That's right, it would be interesting to write a history of farming using the Britains toys. The horse with plough was later replaced with a tractor and plough. Initially, this was a simple plough, but as time passed, it became a more complex plough that could be turned around. Horses pulling a variety of different carts lasted longer in the Britains line-up than the horse with the plough, exactly as in real farming. The first Britains tractors were small, but over the years they became much bigger, reflecting what was happening with tractors on the farm. The farm animals sometimes also reflect an evolution in farming. For example, the earlier Friesian cows had horns whereas the later ones were polled and they were also more muscular.

Thanks Roger. Hmmmm perhaps as I get more implements I can devote a topic to this very thing (assuming their is interest) Britains farm is now 100 years old so lots to choose from.

Those little dogs and the 100 year old horse are wonderful, and all those people - such characters! And I love the circus horse, it's very elegant. You really seem to have found some rare pieces for you collection, it's quite a gallery!

Thank you Jill, still lots more to be collected and I have a couple more pieces arriving soon. :)

thebritfarmer wrote:

rogerpgvg wrote:

The Britains horses with farm equipment are great!

Bonnie wrote:

What an amazing lead farm collection you have! I love these vintage figures, they always give an insight into farming in the past!

That's right, it would be interesting to write a history of farming using the Britains toys. The horse with plough was later replaced with a tractor and plough. Initially, this was a simple plough, but as time passed, it became a more complex plough that could be turned around. Horses pulling a variety of different carts lasted longer in the Britains line-up than the horse with the plough, exactly as in real farming. The first Britains tractors were small, but over the years they became much bigger, reflecting what was happening with tractors on the farm. The farm animals sometimes also reflect an evolution in farming. For example, the earlier Friesian cows had horns whereas the later ones were polled and they were also more muscular.

Thanks Roger. Hmmmm perhaps as I get more implements I can devote a topic to this very thing (assuming their is interest) Britains farm is now 100 years old so lots to choose from.

I'd find it very interesting. I don't collect the Britains farm vehicles, but I played with them a lot when I was a child. I suppose I was always more interested in the animals: There were no human farmers on my farm, the tractor drivers were always animals.

Forgot to add these two.

Cygnet - Britains sold these as a set of four with a Swan.



Gosling with beak open. Britains made two goslings (beak open & beak closed) and assigned them the same catalogue number.



The swan and the other gosling can be found earlier in this thread.

thebritfarmer wrote:

rogerpgvg wrote:

The Britains horses with farm equipment are great!

Bonnie wrote:

What an amazing lead farm collection you have! I love these vintage figures, they always give an insight into farming in the past!

That's right, it would be interesting to write a history of farming using the Britains toys. The horse with plough was later replaced with a tractor and plough. Initially, this was a simple plough, but as time passed, it became a more complex plough that could be turned around. Horses pulling a variety of different carts lasted longer in the Britains line-up than the horse with the plough, exactly as in real farming. The first Britains tractors were small, but over the years they became much bigger, reflecting what was happening with tractors on the farm. The farm animals sometimes also reflect an evolution in farming. For example, the earlier Friesian cows had horns whereas the later ones were polled and they were also more muscular.

Thanks Roger. Hmmmm perhaps as I get more implements I can devote a topic to this very thing (assuming their is interest) Britains farm is now 100 years old so lots to choose from.

I think this is probably the most interesting aspect of this collection. These figures have a remarkable anthropologic value. Sometimes, old Britains models are used in museums and that's the highest point a toy figure can aspire.

rogerpgvg wrote:

There were no human farmers on my farm, the tractor drivers were always animals.

haha that's very funny Roger!
I too had no humans on my farmscape (I had a huge piece of plywood that I built papier mache hills on for my free roaming animals)

was it the collies driving the tractors ?

thebritfarmer wrote:

Forgot to add these two.

Cygnet - Britains sold these as a set of four with a Swan.



Gosling with beak open. Britains made two goslings (beak open & beak closed) and assigned them the same catalogue number.



The swan and the other gosling can be found earlier in this thread.

these two are very lovely!

sunny wrote:

rogerpgvg wrote:

There were no human farmers on my farm, the tractor drivers were always animals.

haha that's very funny Roger!
I too had no humans on my farmscape (I had a huge piece of plywood that I built papier mache hills on for my free roaming animals)

was it the collies driving the tractors ?

They could all drive tractors, but the baby chimps were the best because they fitted perfectly on the tractor seat.

Couple more additions arrived today.

and now my highland calf has a Mum :) well the Highlands are listed as steers but let's forget about that :)


steers but let's forget about that :)

Roger wrote:

thebritfarmer wrote:

rogerpgvg wrote:

The Britains horses with farm equipment are great!

Bonnie wrote:

What an amazing lead farm collection you have! I love these vintage figures, they always give an insight into farming in the past!

That's right, it would be interesting to write a history of farming using the Britains toys. The horse with plough was later replaced with a tractor and plough. Initially, this was a simple plough, but as time passed, it became a more complex plough that could be turned around. Horses pulling a variety of different carts lasted longer in the Britains line-up than the horse with the plough, exactly as in real farming. The first Britains tractors were small, but over the years they became much bigger, reflecting what was happening with tractors on the farm. The farm animals sometimes also reflect an evolution in farming. For example, the earlier Friesian cows had horns whereas the later ones were polled and they were also more muscular.

Thanks Roger. Hmmmm perhaps as I get more implements I can devote a topic to this very thing (assuming their is interest) Britains farm is now 100 years old so lots to choose from.

I think this is probably the most interesting aspect of this collection. These figures have a remarkable anthropologic value. Sometimes, old Britains models are used in museums and that's the highest point a toy figure can aspire.

I've said before that I love the very dated riding positions of the Britains people on horseback, they sit and handle the reins in such an of-the-era way they're brilliant to see now. Not least because I was taught that way (in the 1990s, but by an old gentleman who trained his own horses to match his teaching), and that's exactly how I sit a horse I had a modern lesson at a posh riding school once, and had to really, really adapt to this horse who didn't understand me and objected greatly to my attempt at riding it - the instructor told me "Riding changes once a generation, and you're two generations behind". Britains riders are the same era.

thebritfarmer wrote:

I am finally putting these on TAW and wondered what horses they are. TAW lists a cob, suffolk mare, cart horse, field horse and wild horse. Do you know which ones they are?

thebritfarmer wrote:

rogerpgvg wrote:

Great to see these, thanks for the photos! I'll slowly put them onto TAW (will take some time). TAW lists a Berkshire pig with piglets, but the pig in the first photo is clearly not a Berkshire.

That is the Britains Berkshire pig with piglets. Another case of Britains getting it wrong. I don't think I have ever seen it in a different colour to be honest.

I just found out that the original Berkshires were sometimes spotted:
https://www.berkshirepigs.org.uk/the-club/history-of-berkshire-pigs/

The brown horse is the wild horse #756, the grey one is the walking cob #550.

Thanks a lot!

thebritfarmer wrote:

Is this the farmhand sowing seeds?

TAW says that the bull with flying tail wasn't made after WWII. Can that be right?

thebritfarmer wrote:

And which bull is this?

The figure is #747 Girl with feeding bucket. The bull is #758 Bullock. The flying tail but was only made prewar after the war the tail was moved down and attached to the leg. The catalogue number stayed the same though.