I indulged my Ralph Wood fetish recently with the purchase of this splendid Lost Sheep figure from Roger de Ville.
I just HAD to have it. As you see, BOTH the Ralph Wood name AND the model number, 9, are impressed beneath. You won't find another figure like this--so how could I resist? I am over the moon with this collection addition--and in love with this shepherd. He has a fabulous face, and I should know because I have gazed at it for hours. I have waited for ever to find just THIS Lost Sheep, and it has been worth the wait!
I don't claim to have the best collection in the world, but I do knowI am a picky collector. As a result, my shelves are not overflowing with junk purchases from the early collecting days. Yes, I have owned a few 'mistakes,' but they have moved on. If you collect in haste, you will repent, I promise!! And PLEASE buy with caution. You don't have to pass an exam to be a dealer. You don't need a license. Anyone can hang up a shingle--or start a web site. And despite years of dealing, some in the trade still are remarkably ignorant about restoration. Dishonest or stupid?? I really can't say. But it does bother me no end when dealers profess ignorance and fob off shoddy figures on unsuspecting buyers. Even if inexpensive, these figures are expensive for what they are.
eBay does have a tiny handful of good sellers, but you buy at your peril. I have returned 5 of my last 6 eBay purchases for significant undisclosed restoration. In each instance, a buyer would had to have had some expertise in detecting restoration. Do not expect restoration to always jump out and greet you. A case in point is this small cherub. Can you detect a problem?
eBay does have a tiny handful of good sellers, but you buy at your peril. I have returned 5 of my last 6 eBay purchases for significant undisclosed restoration. In each instance, a buyer would had to have had some expertise in detecting restoration. Do not expect restoration to always jump out and greet you. A case in point is this small cherub. Can you detect a problem?
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Notice that the cherub's legs are pinker than the rest of her body. The reason is that the figure has broken clean in half and it has been reattached and repainted. The slight difference in color gives it away. The color variation is actually easier to tell in a picture than in the flesh, so to speak. If you felt the legs, they would feel slightly plastic-like to the touch, quite different from the rest of the body--but you would have to be looking for it. Same applies to the green area at the back, where the eye can't tell much. The cherub is not an expensive item if in perfect condition. Restored in this way it is, in my opinion, worthless. Buying it would be a mistake. Try and sell it later....well, good luck!
Collectors all have wish lists, and I get emails from them telling me what they want. Now is not the time for that because in this market you take what you can get. Figures seem to be vanishing. Three collectors contacted me last week wanting a Walton Scuffle. I acquired the example in my book in 2005.
Collectors all have wish lists, and I get emails from them telling me what they want. Now is not the time for that because in this market you take what you can get. Figures seem to be vanishing. Three collectors contacted me last week wanting a Walton Scuffle. I acquired the example in my book in 2005.
My friend Nick Burton found it for me, and he thought it just dazzling. When Nick says it is really good, it is, so I took it on his word. It is a glowingly beautiful example, perfect, no repairs or restorations, and with a great full bocage. So here we are, 8 years later, and how many Walton Scuffle's have I seen in that time? Not one! We all think of a Walton Scuffle as a common thing because we all know what it looks like....but in reality, it is very scarce. I have found one Walton Contest (the companion figure) in a collection, but it was mediocre at best. The figure below is the closest I have come to finding another.
This figure does not have the Walton mark and the bocage is totally restored. Would you want it?
From the sublime to the ridiculous, Staffordshire offers it all, so collect with care.
