(53) Piece Britains Diecast Metal Set. 

Queen Elizabeth's Coronation coach with king and queen inside. Pulled by eight horses. 

2 royal guards on black horses. 

1 medieval knight on horse wearing armor. 

5 armored knights, one with helmet adornment missing. 

5 soldiers with rifles. 

13 guards in different poses. 5 have moveable arms. 

8 Crusaders, two different poses. 

14 walking guards, one with missing arm. 

4 Yeoman beefeaters. 

Condition: Some missing pieces. Paint chips. 

Size: 21 x 3 x 4 in. 

#2334 . 

Britains, earlier known by the founder’s name W. Britain, is a British toy brand and former manufacturing company known for its die-cast scale models of agricultural machinery and figurines. The company was established in 1893 as a toy soldiers manufacturer. With its factory set in London, Britains then diversified into other associated toys such as die-cast military trucks, commercial vehicles, and toy cars. William Britain Jr., a British toy manufacturer, started the company when he invented the process of hollow casting in lead, revolutionizing the production of toy soldiers. The company quickly became the industry leader, and was imitated by many other companies, such as Hanks Bros. and John Hill and Co. In 1907 the family proprietorship, William Britain & Sons, incorporated as Britains, Ltd. By 1931 the firm employed 450 workers, and the catalog had expanded to 435 sets, with twenty million models a year being produced. In the early 1950s Britains was associated with W. Horton Toys and Games, which made the die-cast Lilliput ranges of small-scale, rather generic, cars and trucks and other vehicles. In 1959 Britains acquired Herald Miniatures which produced plastic figures designed by Roy Selwyn-Smith. The company was also known for its American Revolutionary War soldiers. In 1966 safety regulations in the United Kingdom combined with rising costs halted the production of lead toy soldiers, and most production of Herald plastic was transferred to Hong Kong. In 1971 Britains started Deetail plastic figures with metal bases that were initially manufactured in England but later outsourced to China. In 1973 Britains introduced New Metal models, which were die cast in a durable alloy, and most of their pieces for the next ten years were geared more and more for the adult collector’s market. The Britain family controlled the firm until 1984 when it was sold to a British conglomerate, Dobson Park Industries. They combined the operations with an existing line of toys and renamed the company Britains Petite, Ltd. In 1997 Britains Petite, Ltd was bought by Ertl Company of Iowa, who was subsequently bought by RC2 LLC, another American die-cast miniature and plastic kit maker. In 2011, Japanese-headquartered toy company Tomy acquired RC2, and continues to produce the Britains brand today. The W. Britain brand, an offshoot of the company not originally acquired in the purchase by Ertl, was acquired by First Gear, Inc. in 2016, and continues to produce their specific lines to this day under that name.

Some missing pieces. Paint chips.