This week have been working on refilling Vintage in gallery and online. I started with a bunch of Barclay army figures and thought I would share a few tidbits!
Barclay Mfg. was the largest manufacturer of toy soldiers in the United States prior to World War II. The company named after Barclay Street in West Hoboken, New Jersey, began in 1924, or late 1923 and was owned by Leon Donze and by Michael Levy. About 1929, Levy took the company and turned it into a major manufacturer. It grew from five people in 1924 to a pre-war peak of 400 workers.
Barclay’s soldiers were made of antimonial lead, consisting of about 13 percent antimony and the rest lead. When slush molding was done, only one mold was made of each figure. The lead would be poured into mold, rocked, and immediately poured out, providing a hollow figure. Later, the diecast molds produced a number of the same figure.
The factory closed down in 1971. Thou I am happy to report that the third generation is once again producing figures in limited quantities. To eliminate confusion and ensure the collectivity of the vintage pieces the new pieces are solid not hollow. (www.barclay.com) I love to see another Made In USA company come back to life!
My favorite are the Winter Sports figures which we often have online as well as vintage soldiers. Keep checking for them!
Barclay
