Need help identifying these little metal men...

[grafer]

I remember when I was younger, about 35-40 years ago, finding a couple of these around a barn in the neighborhood where I grew up, in a small NY town in the Hudson Valley. I was always told that they were attached to the barn and had fallen off, and that they were put on there for protection or good luck. I don't know how true this was, or if it was accurate. But, I do know that they were on the barn at some point in time. All of them that we ever found were around the barn.

The legs had points for feet and the hands were little circles. Each guy is about 3" tall and weigh approximate 20grams when complete. They have single digit numbers on their body (1, 4, 5, etc..). They appear to be cast bronze or brass but not sure.

Well, I last week I went back to visit my family and took my detector. I found about 11 more of them in the ground on the side of the barn, in various stages of condition. I've searched the web over the years and have not been able to find out anything about these little guys. Has anyone ever seen them? Or seen any information on them?

Thanks in advance for any help ...
Ron

 

[taz42o]

If they were on a barn for luck I would think it would be an ethnic superstition , who built the barn dutch?

 

[grafer]

If they were on a barn for luck I would think it would be an ethnic superstition , who built the barn dutch?

In 1881 John G. Borden (of the Borden, Inc - the Dairy Company family) took over this farm. He bought the farm from a John P. Andrews. This farm in a town called Wallkill in the Hudson Valley of New York. His father, Gail Borden, was the inventor of the condensed milk process. So I believe the barn was built in the mid to late 1800's. I don't have much more information than that. There were a lot of dutch communities in the area. Matter of fact "Dutchess County" is just across the Hudson River from this location.

 

[IronSpike]

Still leaning towards the lords a leaping. If googled you get both 10 and 12 lords. Also, the numbering found on relics could be from 2 or more sets.

 

[pgill]

Great finds.... I dont even have a clue as to what they may be, but will keep an eye on this topic.

God bless
Peter

 

[Silver]

They look like something i remember from the old Ben Franklin stores when i was a kid. It was in the late 60s to mid 70s. I have tried to remember and search the web but I'm lost Somebody help so i can sleep again.

 

[Silver]

lots of good id's lately take a crack at this old one. l have seen them years ago . Now i have had my Valium dosage increased and gone gray trying to remember and gave up on research.

 

[Goodyguy]

Wow, those are cool little Pinocchio's. Maybe they had clothes at one time.

Great ID !

But were they toys?.........or used for something else?


GG~

 

[aka da Prof]

perhaps they were a 'premium' for a Borden product---?

 

[littleneckhalfshell]

Not sure on the little men, though they sort of look like something from the Wizard of OZ, but the horseman I recognize, and have cast many of him. The Calvary horseman is from a lead soldier casting set that came out in-around-after WW-1 . My dad who was born in 1927 was given the set by his father as a gift, and my brother and I with my father cast many of these to have battles when we were young. There is also a machinegunner a guy with a bayonet (very hard to cast sometimes) a guy marching and a guy shooting his rifle if I remember correctly. The set is a 'flat' cast, so they only look good viewed from the side. My brother and I also had a Civil War set of molds that our dad got for us that casts more 3 dimensional soldiers. Anyway, I know you were asking about the little men, but the familiar site of the horsemen prompted me to post.

 

[aka da Prof]

I dug a 'flat cast' this summer very close looking to the one posted, but different-I'll try to post photo-

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Wow, those are cool little Pinocchio's. Maybe they had clothes at one time.

Great ID !

But were they toys?.........or used for something else?


GG~

I have no idea.

 

[Bramblefind]

Maybe they had something to do with decoration for the tin shop on the farm for making cans - I found this blurb in the Poughkeepsie Journal from April 1884-

 

[Breezie]

Since the toy cowboy spur (circa 1950s) and the lead horseman(circa 1940s-50s) are from that era, I think your little men are too. My best thoughts is: They are from the inside of a mechanical Coin Op Penny Arcade game. I've done quite a bit of buying/selling/collecting of vintage coin operated machines, and they look the part, but I have never seen an arcade game with those particular men. I think these men would be on the same principal as the Horse Racing Coin Op games as pictured below.
They could have been in a Trade Stimulator like the horse race game. There were literally hundreds of different coin ops & trade stimulator games; some of which were not as popular or were not adopted by the 'big' companies. The holes in the hands would be perfect for attachment, plus the 3 " size would also be correct, and the numbers (embossed by the factory) would indicate where they should be positioned on the playing field.

The Johnson Act in the early 1950s made gambling illegal, so many trade stimulators were destroyed, which might explain why so many of these little men were in the same area. Very interesting find, Breezie

 

[kenley]

My guess: Whatever they are was manufactured or stored at that location. When interest ceases, they were left alone and later scattered by looters or vandels. Maybe company went bust and the owners just walked off?

 

[IronSpike]

Since the toy cowboy spur (circa 1950s) and the lead horseman(circa 1940s-50s) are from that era, I think your little men are too. My best thoughts is: They are from the inside of a mechanical Coin Op Penny Arcade game. I've done quite a bit of buying/selling/collecting of vintage coin operated machines, and they look the part, but I have never seen an arcade game with those particular men. I think these men would be on the same principal as the Horse Racing Coin Op games as pictured below.
They could have been in a Trade Stimulator like the horse race game. There were literally hundreds of different coin ops & trade stimulator games; some of which were not as popular or were not adopted by the 'big' companies. The holes in the hands would be perfect for attachment, plus the 3 " size would also be correct, and the numbers (embossed by the factory) would indicate where they should be positioned on the playing field.

The Johnson Act in the early 1950s made gambling illegal, so many trade stimulators were destroyed, which might explain why so many of these little men were in the same area. Very interesting find, Breezie

That's a great suggestion Breeze

 

[Bramblefind]

That is a good suggestion Breezie. It doesn't fit with the concept of them being attached to the barn though. But as per the OP there only seems to be talk of that and no hard evidence.

Something I found when I researched the Borden Home Farm is that it was used sort of as a convention location for farmers from all across New York State - there are stories of as many as 6,000 people attending functions there in the late 19th/early 20th century. The stories I read made references to the whole farm being decorated in anticipation for these events.

Maybe later on I can find the stories again and post them .. it's very interesting history.

 

[Kenosha Kid]

My first thought are whirligig's attached to a weather vane, whereby the wind's action would set the little buggers adancing. But they're sure small.

Same thought I had. Though smaller, they have a somewhat similar style to the body/rivets on this one:

http://www.rubylane.com/item/574500-B1965/Spectacular-Early-American-Folk-Art

This article (below) basically states "they became popular in Appalachia in the mid 1800s", "refers to a type of wind lawn ornament or roof fixture that has moving parts typically set in motion by the wind...indicate the wind speed", etc.

http://www.ehow.com/about_6658285_purpose-whirligig_.html


The bracket in the picture you posted resembles (to me, at least) what is today's crib mobile. (?)