When embarking on the task of writing this publication it became important for me to identify the genesis of dinosaur collecting via models and toys. It was readily obvious this was a task easier said than done.
Throughout the 20th Century, dinosaur toys were produced, sold, went out of production and like their real life brethren, became extinct. To the children of each era the models they grew up with hold a distinct meaning. The toys are a direct nexus to the past; to the things in life which made each of us our own unique selves. The challenges and fascination of collecting comes from the fact that many of these figures are hard to re-locate and like real dinosaur fossils, the passage of time renders them damaged, or simply lost in history. As humans, we generally want what we can’t have so the passion for collecting grows with age. Although most collectors have not chosen paleontology as a profession, the interest and fascination with prehistoric animals has never waned and is manifested in re-finding toys and collectibles of the past.
Determining the difference between toys and collectibles is often times difficult and can be simply a matter of opinion so I make no judgments as to toy versus collectible. Naturally, the older an item is the more likely it will be referred to as a collectible. Likewise, productions connected to museums and higher end retail also seem to be more likely considered collectibles. This does not, however, lead to a conclusion that dinosaur items more commonly known as toys are less desired or valuable, nor does it mean that some collectibles are even as desirable. On the contrary, it’s often just the opposite. The base line when it comes to collecting is strictly individual desire. Some people collect things in sets while others have a fascination with a certain species or a single certain item and its genre; like King Kong for instance. But for me, and most others, it seems the passion is all consuming in attempting to find everything and all that existed.
When I embarked on re-creating or re-finding my childhood Marx playset in the late 1980’s and became a true collector, I opened up an entire realm that thrives in me even today. Not only Marx but things I recalled from childhood such as MPC, Millers, SRG and Alva became a collecting passion and from there the drive to have it all expanded to each new set of things I found that were dinosaur related.
This is the most comprehensive publication you will find on dinosaur collectibles anywhere. This eBook contains editorial reviews on over 500 sets and brands (over 830 total from AAA to Zee Toys), indexed and cross-referenced in a timeline. Over 650 genera of prehistoric animals are represented, and indexed to aid in identification and research. Additionally, significant highlights in the annals of model and toys dinosaurs are put into full context in a 40 page history.
This Guide was created by myself and is based on the writings of myself, Mike Fredericks, Larry Blincoe and Robert Telleria with the editorial input of Dean Walker and the late Jack Arata. There is no stone unturned in this Guide. Many of the photographs were professionally done by Dean Walker and show not only the dinosaur models themselves but the advertising brochures and ephemera attached to them.
Each set is vividly outlined with company information, production history, stock numbers and intricate set details and a list of exact scale estimates for the more popular lines. This Guide contains close to 9000 photographs (Yes, 9000) of many of the great dinosaur sets from the classics like Linde, Marx, Alva, SRG, Abbeon, Mignot, NF, Miller, Chialu, to the mid line classics from Starlux, Invicta, Bullyland, Battat, Safari and Schleich to the more mundane everyday sets like Ajax, Tim-mee and TootsieToy. Whether it was ceramic, brass, pewter, plastic, an inflatable, a coin bank, or a dog toy, if it was a figural dinosaur commercially sold from the 1900-Present then it is covered. Unknown pieces and sets are documented too in their own section.
Also now available in package form with Robert Telleria’s table top masterpiece “The Visual Guide to Scale Model Dinosaurs.” The companion to Dinosauriana. The first comprehensive guide to non-toys – the collectible, high end resin, bronze, vinyl model dinosaurs. As it is the only book of its kind, it is sure to be a collectible itself when the print run is done.
Featuring –
- 300 pages
- History of commercial dinosaur models
- Full catalog of works by 200 artists and producers (showing scale, size, edition and year produced)
- Over 1000 color photos
- Over 200 genera represented
- Special feature on sculpting dinosaurs (by Sean Cooper) and making dioramas (by Martin Garratt)
- Artist roundtable Q & A
- Index by genus
- Collector commentary
- Contact directory
- Kaiyodo, Favorite Co. Ltd., Ants, Paleocraft, Saurian Studios, Sideshow, Wiccart, Trcic Studio, David Krentz, Cretaceous Creations, Dinosaur Studio, Dinosaur Foundry, Menagerie Productions, Griffon, various Japanese artists and many more.
“Wow; you have certainly put together an excellent, informative and invaluable book for dinosaur model collectors. I must say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading it, I couldn’t put it down all day – Christmas Day, and yes, I keep going back time and time again to look at it. Really well done.” – Martin Garratt (Collector/sculptor/model painter)
“Absolutely fantastic…You found a lot of models I was not aware of and pretty much covered all the models I could think of.” – Mike Fredericks, Prehistoric Times
“This book is amazing, I can’t believe how much information you summarized here. I thought I knew nearly every fine sculpture but here I found a lot of artwork I’ve never seen before. I think this is the most exciting book for someone like me, and every other dinosaur enthusiast. Thank you for this work.” – Horst Bruckmann, super collector.
If interested in the combo package please contact me personally at jdemarco13@comcast.net for full details on how to check out and reserve your copy of the long out of print “Visual Guide” combined with Dinosauriana.
