c.1940 Marx, Soldiers of Fortune in Original Box
I'm proud to offer the first complete set I've found of Marx, tin litho Soldiers of Fortune in near mint to mint condition complete with original tin litho cannon, original Daisy blue-steel Pop-Gun, unopened cannon and pop-gun ammunition, and the American Flag. All unused with the original stone fort box and tiered inserts. It was the largest tin litho soldier set produced by Marx. The set contains 24 lithographed tinplate (Marine) soldiers ranging from 3¼" to 4" tall. Each is made from one piece of tin with a base formed by bending back the lower section of the toy. Uniforms and helmets are pre-WWII style with beige and olive coloration. The base identifies the soldier by their rank and weapon. A point value is also assigned. The total number of soldiers and their specific rank correspond exactly with Greenberg's Guide to Marx Toys Volume I. The breakdown is as follows. 1 - Infantry Private Charging 15 pts. 1 - Infantry First Lieutenant 20 pts. 1 - Infantry Captain 30 pts. 1 - Infantry Private right shoulder arms 5 pts. 1 - Infantry Private with Garand Rifle 10 pts. 2 - U.S. Cavalry 5 pts. 2 - Anti-aircraft gunner 50 pts. 2 - Private Machine Gun Unit 25 pts. 13 - Infantry Private at attention 5 pts. The set includes an 8" long tin cannon lithographed in olive drab with large black tread wheels with red hubs. The diameter of the barrel is 7/16". Declination and altitude instrumentation are lithoed on both sides. It has a spring loaded breech and fires 1" long, wooden, silver painted projectiles. These are included in their original box with die cut cellophane window. They've never been opened. It also includes a 13" long blue-steel barrel, self-cocking carbine pop-gun with original red wooden stock. Barrel diameter is 9/16". It was manufactured by Daisy Manufacturing Co. It shoots ½" long corks which are also unopened in their original box with cellophane window. Not forgetting the most important component is an 8" long, 48 star American Flag. The flag is a canvas material mounted to a wooden dowel. Because of space limitations only 40 stars actually appear. The toys are contained within their original box. The box brings realism to the set because it was lithographed and die cut to resemble a stone fort with barricaded double wooden doors. It was illustrated and shadowed to convey stacked three dimensional colored stones. Double wooden doors are on either side in the center. The inserts are made with four separate heavy cardboard sections that are tiered when assembled. Soldiers fit into slots in the inserts and are staggered so every one can be seen. The three dimensional effect this creates is awesome! The box cover design uses the same stone fort motif to blend in with the base. Seven different scenes of war are depicted. This includes Infantry, Cavalry, Machine Gunners, Tank, Cannon, Sword, Wild West and Pirate scenes. Boldly printed across the top of the cover and outlined in black appears the name of the toy "Soldiers of Fortune". Size: Box 12" x 15" x 3". Sold: May 2006
Price Sold: $ 520
