BESWICK ANIMALS: A CHARLTON STAN

Beswick Animals, 6th edition, published only 15 months after the release of the 5th edition, underlines the collectors demand for Beswick Collectables from the John Beswick Studios, which was situated in Longton, Staffordshire, England. It is ironic that as the demand for these collectables has soared, the factory, under pressure from the low cost manufacturing facilities of Asia, closed. An era beginning in 1894 has passed into history.

The most dramatic difference between the 5th and 6th editions is the price changes. Basically, across the board prices rose, with the cattle leading the way. Calves based on models 1249, 1406 and 1827 all increased in price from 10 to 100%. The Limousin Calf, a special colourway produced for the Beswick Collectors Club rose from £75. to £200.

The two colourway models of the Galloway Bull, Belted and Silver Dunn, reached new catalogue highs of £3,000 (U.S. $4,800.) and £3,500. (U.S. $5,500.) respectively. It is hard to find a cattle model that has not increased in value.

A new discovery colourway of calf model number 1249 is now included in the listings. This Aberdeen Angus Calf (model 1249F) lists for £1,500. (U.S. $2,500.). Other farm animals in general are 10% higher across the range.

Horse prices rose but not as dramatically as cattle. There is one exception and that is the mounted riders which recorded an increase of 20 to 75%. A new colourway for the Canadian Mountie surfaced, A Canadian Mountie riding a brown horse.

To sum up, new price levels have been established throughout. The 6th edition is a must buy for this reason alone. Collection values must be updated for numerous reasons, insurance being a major one.

The 6th edition carries all the features of previous editions which include:  model number, designer, size, colour, issued and discontinued dates, all known colourways of the model, and now includes new colourway additions, and updated pricing.

This 386-page guide contains 354 pages of listings and 32 pages of four-colour plates, offering the collector a full-colour view of the many items that comprise the Beswick animal line.

This guide is the most comprehensive and informative of its kind on the market today. The only guide to offer the collector a clear insight in to the happenings of the Beswick Animal market. The 6th edition of Beswick Animals is available from dealers, bookstores, large chain stores, collectable stores, and Internet bookstores such as Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Barnes and Noble.com. The Beswick, Animal, 6th edition, is also available from the publisher at the cover prices listed to the left, plus postage.