Jump to content
News Ticker
  • I am now accepting the following payment methods: Card Payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal
  • Latest News

    China Tank


    Recommended Posts

    It looks like an ornament - something to sit on a side table and catch dust! The Borough of Putney is a district in south-west London, so presumably this is a souvenit of that place, although I'm not sure why. Perhaps that is where the first tanks were manufactured?

    Peter

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I've seen these before and often though that they were a odd topic for an item to be made out of china. I can't help with the history of the item but it is interesting to look at a WW I tank and think that when this piece was manufactured such tanks were the leading edge of military technology. Compaired with today's tanks they were lumbering targets for the German gunners. I think the Germans called them "Tommy Roasters". But still they were the Stealth Bombers of their day.

    Cheers

    Brian

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    These were sold as souvenirs, produced during WWI by firms such as "Goss" & "Arcadia".

    Prior to WWI these ornaments had been produced in a multitude of non-military subjects, they were the sort of thing that you'd buy as a souvenir of a holiday, with the city or town coat of arms on.

    During the Anglo-Boer War representations of cannon shells etc were produced.

    Amongst the many other military items produced were machine gunners, busts of Lord Kitchener, & I think grenades.

    Tanks are amongst the most popular subjects nowadays, but as with all of these souvenir ceramics condition is paramount, & value & desirability to a collector also depends on the manufacturer & the coat of arms displayed on the piece.

    I have a book on these somewhere, I have'nt seen it for years, I think it's called "Take Me Back To Blighty". If I can find it we can find out more about this specific tank.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    • 2 weeks later...

    Looks like a British MkIV "Tadpole" c. mid-1917, so named for it's extended rear end designed to improve trench-crossing capabilities.

    See lot no. 295 in this auction list from 2005, reserve price ?17.50; sounds like your Tank- is yours about 114mm long?

    http://www.gosscollectorsclub.org/auctions/september06.htm

    Edited by Ken MacLean
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now
    ×
    ×
    • Create New...

    Important Information

    We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.