Hello,
Today I'll try to give a brief introduction to "Spiel-Soldaten zum Aufstellen".
These are figures that were quite widespread in Europe. They were available in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and France, and presumably in other countries as well.
The figures themselves were printed as glossy images (known as "Oblaten," "Glanzbilder," "scraps," or "chromos"), embossed, and die-cut. Typically, five of these figures were glued onto rectangular paper frames. This allowed them to be folded flat and, when unfolded, placed directly onto the paper frames, creating upright figures. A simple yet ingenious solution!
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| The Schuler figurines have the company name printed on the paper strips. (picture shows some damaged figures) |
The figures became so widespread because they were used as promotional items by well-known companies of the time (late 19th and early 20th centuries). For example, by the German sewing supplies company "Schürer" and the Swiss detergent manufacturer "Schuler." Some department stores and pharmacies also used these figures, but unlike the two companies mentioned earlier, they did not have their company names printed on the back.
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| Schürer figurines have the company name printed directly on the back of the figurines. |
These figures were given away individually (meaning a paper frame with five figures each) and also in various denominations in small cardboard boxes.
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| This box is only described "neutrally" as "Schürer soldier figures." However, there are also Schürer boxes with other labels that describe their respective contents. |
Presumably, the existing larger cardboard boxes containing approximately 15 groups of figures were also available for purchase.
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| The larger boxes contain two rows of soldiers (usually 15 sets) and have the contents etc. printed on them. |
To date, I am aware of ten different series of these figures. Nine of them depict the troops of various nations at the turn of the century. A tenth series is dedicated to the soldiers of Frederick the Great (Frederick II of Prussia).
I am familiar with the following:
-Army of Frederick II
-Germany (series comprises 4 boxes)
-England (series comprises 3 boxes)
-France (series comprises 3 boxes)
-Italy
-Japan (series comprises 3 boxes)
-Russia (series comprises 3 boxes)
-Switzerland (series comprises 3 boxes)
-Spain
-Turkey
The name of the nation and the respective branch of service or regiment is printed on the bottom of the base – and as far as I know, always in German language. So far, I have only come across a few Swiss figures with completely unprinted bases.
Who produced these figures? No manufacturer's name appears on the figures themselves or on the cardboard boxes they come in. If anything, there are stickers or names of the companies that used them as advertising items. I got the manufacturer's name, "Luxuspapierfabrik Berlin" (Luxury Paper Factory Berlin), from another collector. In Berlin, there was a paper figure manufacturer called "Hohenstein & Lange," which changed its name to "Berliner Luxuspapierfabrik A.G." in 1898. However, at that time, there were several "luxury paper factories" in Berlin that weren't necessarily connected. Whether there's any connection between these folding figures and Hohenstein & Lange is unknown, so I'm treating them as a separate manufacturer.
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| Papeterie M.Hostettler in Geneva was one of probably many shops that sold these soldiers. |
The figures are always 8.5 cm tall. The cavalry and artillery teams are therefore slightly smaller in scale than the foot figures.
My intention here is simply to provide a brief introduction to these figures. I will present the corresponding figures from my collection gradually in separate posts.
Best regards,
Andreas
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