Metal Bulldog collection 10 years

 

Hi readers I hope your all well, Our Metal Bulldog collection 10 years onwards is an article I thought up after I had misplaced a Mack truck belt Buckle and found it again recently I checked my old pictures to see how long I have had this object when it dawned on me the size of our metal bulldog collection is quite staggering.

 

Because all of this sits snug on the Bendy bookshelf and I do not count the silverware it’s easy to overlook in a sea of ceramics art and books but when taking a step back I realise that our Metal Bulldog collection 10 years onwards is actually quite big both in pieces and the collection as a whole.

 

It would be foolish of me to say I remember where each one came from I do remember many from my past purchases but there’s so many I’m sure if I were to pick up certain pieces even the look touch and feel will not help but I do imagine these pieces are very special (well some of them) anyway.

 

You can find out my story here but as far as mentioning metals I’ll just state my first ever was Brass and I just went from there, oh how I thought I was the bees knees back then as I had a Bergman and one of the best Austrian Bronzes of a bulldog I’d ever seen of course I had no clue but I like looking back to where we once lived and with a much smaller manageable collection metal bulldog pieces as well.

Metal Bulldog collection 10 years onwards

 

Right before we take a look at some pieces I’d like to submit the following “Metal Bulldog collection 10 years onwards” will be seen now and again I was going to make the title more catchy even bring in a different demographic using words like metal Heavy Rock etc but I wanted the Metal Bulldog collection it makes a great keyword that I presume those that surf the Internet might tap in.

 

The website Does come with its own SEO Search Engine optimisation tool and i Utilise it but as I do not see much in the way of traffic these past few days and I do not advertise anywhere so I need to the best content creation I can, my only downfall is the proof reading or lack of it, so far I’ve been excused from any bad grammar and most can understand what I write.

Another way of insuring a great article is the Length Now I’m only just starting these two thousand word articles but experience at my age has taught me either to draft and save until done ✅ or take breaks during, the reason I say this is I’m up most of the night blogging and when it comes to publishing I’m cream cracketed and my wife’s waking up.

 

So hopefully with some good keywording some pictures and home made clips published through YouTube, I can produce an article all about the Metal Bulldog collection 10 years onwards and go through what’s there now, I’ve seen by the pictures I’ve either misplaced or passed on a few but you folk will not notice hey.

From the Mighty fine to the mighty

 

This segment I wish to showcase the amount of bronzes we have here now now we all know the story behind Bronzes “auctions say see them as fake unless otherwise” and I get the point Bronze was used a lot as an artists material with famous names from different ages and with totally different forms.

 

The fact Bronze has been around centuries means that faking them became quite easy “try selling an unsigned yet known Bronze no one would see the provenance and professionals are often bought in by buyers just to make sure their money is buying the real deal, our Metal Bulldog collection has many Bronses from the mighty to the small but mighty fine.

Lots of pieces come to mind straight away but a top five would be the bronze Vesta the Victorian inkwell the two made especially by a friend and a tiny one centimetre Metal Bulldog figurine, I worked hard to get the Vesta so I’m very proud we have that and to have a Victorian gothic looking inkwell well that would be in anyone’s top five.

 

Another of the pieces is made by an artist that patented a form of embossing silver onto metal I always get the name mixed up with the baked bean brand named hienz, I only have one ☝️ of his works but hey if we ever got a pop up museum going or another Exhibition this would be one of the antiques from our Metal Bulldog collection, believe at least half my collection of metal bulldog collectibles to be bronze.

And back again !

A Mighty bronze seated is our largest it’s a modern cast or vintage but I’m sure it’s not antique and there’s two smaller ones the three together look great 👍 too but BIG isn’t everything our most expensive pieces from Austrian artist Bergman are just a few inches tall.

 

One of my favourites here is the puppy in the knapsack once it’s had a wipe you can see all the different plumb browns in the patina the same with a smaller but very detailed limited edition piece, these can be different to bronzes from say the times of the Egyptians this is the alloy mix you’ll sometimes come across bronzes that are so dark in Colour it’s like they were cold 🥶 painted that way yet it’s just the metal, most of this can be seen in figurines of the natural form.

Plucky and very lucky 🍀 is how I’ve managed to obtain most of what I have here many were just a few pounds but a select few had larger obvious price tags 🏷 but I feel I collected a good proportion of different pieces all random and all ranging in different sizes and different alloys making up the luscious colours you often see in bronzes and their Patinas.

Pea-sized is our smallest and then work up there’s the miniature bronzes in our Metal Bulldog collection that you have to keep an eye on as they could quite easy end up in the hoover or a plaything if you’ve got cats 🐈 we have too so had to Cat proof the collection the Whole collection and fingers crossed 🤞 just near misses as the moment where Coo Coos the kitten 🐱 has a mad five minutes and tries climbing 🧗‍♀️ things she shouldn’t be.

Metal Bulldog collection 10 years onwards Mack Trucks!

Mack Trucks have been running since the two brothers created the first ever non horse powered carriage  vehicle that did not go very fast but was the first commercial vehicle to be used for sightseeing and tourists in Manhattan from 1800 it was after this the emerging shape and brand were creating more of these amazing machines.

 

Seated above the Hood Proudly stands the emblem the signature symbol of Mack trucks with one ☝️ of the rarest being from the old fire trucks, nowadays there’s vintage and modern pieces that have little LED lights in, we are yet to find one of them to add to the five hood emblem bulldogs we already have.

Merchandise for this company is booming so it has been quite an easy task to obtain Mack Truck pieces at the moment they even have a catalogue where you can buy all the latest Mack tech but we are more interested in the antique and vintage side, lighters ashtrays beermatts cigar trays lazy Susan’s tie pins, collectors coins there’s so much the list could last a ten thousand word essay lol.

 

A brilliant start for collectors that wish to start out small, do not get me wrong some sellers out there really hike up the prices but if you haggle I’m sure you’ll get some pieces at good prices as the vintage pieces are chrome it’s polished so they can ask for more money but all this type of metal gets pitted after a while no matter how well they are polished.

Metal Bulldog belt Buckles

 

guessing most of these derive from the United States belt buckles are now not as fashionable as the 1960s backwards, I’ve found many Mack Track belt buckles and a few chunky pieces that I’m not sure wether are made in the UK 🇬🇧

 

to keep your trousers up using these would be a test these days our clothing is lighter than before and these buckles weigh a fair bit, the United States Army buckle and the one made from from chalk are our two different pieces otherwise it’s bulldogs with the flag behind them or the Mack truck buckles.

Collected and put in their own display case the Belt Buckles should appeal to many demographics out there I remember them being worn more a few decades back but I’m pretty sure if you find a real modern cowboy A his belt will be customised and B they tend to use these chunky pieces.

 

Taking a running 🏃‍♀️ guess here but I’m sure most will either choose the United States Marine Corp Buckle or one of the more subtle chrome Mack truck metal bulldog belt buckle, if I see others I will grab them but the buckles are not the backbone of the collection it just means we have pieces for everyone to enjoy 😊.

Metal Bulldog collection 10 years onwards Coins and medals 🥇!

 

Proudly now on YouTube I’ve placed most of our coins and medals there as Metal Bulldog collection 10 years onwards meant I had found about fifty of these all dating differently and range in look too, from the traditional coins and medals from the 1800s with beautiful scribing to more modern but still just as reliant as their older counterparts.

 

The Gold medals date around 1900 1915 but all the others are either before or some after, my apologies for our silver coins we have been so busy here with other situations that the collection The whole collection could do with a clean.

theres a couple there you’ll think are dark bronze but these are actually silver but as they tarnished so much the previous sellers thought the metal to be of cheaper value so I got some bargains, I cannot remember whom they came from and I can’t go round expressing to sellers theve under charged me lol.

 

hoping you like the selection put together there are more but due to not officially unpacking I’m sure there’s many more I need to hunt down, please get in touch if you want the details of any of the backs where there’s many details of the ex owner / winner of the medals and or coins.

Brass with some class !

 

Ten years ago I met a troubled lady at an art group we befriended each other and as I just  got Scruffy Louise our first adopted bulldog this lady gifted me a brass Melba ware style brass metal bulldog, we all have our demons and becouse I couldn’t make it to home after art 🖼 one Thursday she demanded to get her brass bulldog back.

 

Warned first “YES” and guilty of being gullible sometimes I did not wish to upset her anymore than she was and gave back the piece, that’s when the idea 💡 first came to mind when I was explaining the ladies actions to Scruffy Louise (lol) at the time.

 

Im reminiscing all the time as I write this and clearly remember the first metals cabinet it was one of those old vintage record  cupboards with wooden drop-down flap that could Constantina up and down, back then I’d of used anything for shelving as most of my funds went OCD on the collection.

 

Not worth much but does seem to sell sometimes folk that like to convert back to retro days with home decor like brass fittings and fixtures that nots to say they own bulldog memorabilia brass pieces but I have seen brass come and go all the time from car boot sales to the more ornate pieces sold at the auctions, saying that cartercollectibles on twitter always seem to have brass pieces in all the time.

Our brassy bits n bobs !

 

lets get busy with the brass fobs first and the HUGE door knocker you’d need a solid oak door for this metal Bulldog collection piece, some of our brass and bronze came from the United States 🇺🇸 Jennings is a cool name for brass works.

 

I remember doing an article ages ago on some of the brass we have but I felt it was time to update you great people on the growth of these beautiful pieces all part of a subsection, we have many brass bulldogs here designed to look like brass and depending on the content you can get some bronzes mixed up as brass, you also get unscrupulous dealers that will paint 🎨 brass pieces and ask for bronze prices.

 

Brass and pewter plates with a bulldog in have increased over time and when polished look amazing then there’s the  miniature brass bulldog pieces from the Collectibulldogs metal bulldog collection these are usually crudely made depending on age but more modern ones with better molds have created a better model and not what looks like a blob of gold !

 

From the stand alone brass ornament type pieces that depict John Bull or a policeman to the antique yet useful tool like brass metal pieces like the paraphernalia that used to sit around log fires, brass has a high density level and why it’s used on ships so much as it doesn’t spark ⚡️ or create heat,

I’m OCD over our miniatures

 

yes that’s correct and yes it’s partly my own fault, we have a brilliant collection of miniature bulldog pieces yet I display them on the shelf with the others, if one falls and I cannot find it I go through the whole collection till it’s either found or I remember where I placed it.

 

Paying different prices it’s hard to put a valid value on these pieces myself it would need the skill set of a professional appraisal expert some are less than an inch but if found on line can cost over one hundred pounds. These include smaller to medium brass and bronzes but many I did find find at car boot sales so if only a couple of pounds at auction that’s fine as I parted with about fifty pence for some of them.

Theres a famous company I’ll add here I can’t put my keyword in but if you read This article it will lead you to the name of a German manufacturer of metal objects we have about three or four pieces here I’ll show one as an example and the stamp to prove what it is.

 

Loving my little bulldog minions they take up every gap on the shelves so far I do want to create a smaller type shelving unit just for the metal bulldog collection that’s metal based and under three inches but until then they will have to stay put making my shelf’s look very full and heavy indeed.

Special or provanonce pieces

Ideas 💡 bounce around my head to what pieces are either special to us or show age quality and can be seen as the real deal some pieces need provenance to prove their worth (one example  pearly king piece, it’s cold cast bronze but rare so label 🏷 left on, and there’s some you just look at and know they either tell stories of old or are just antiques plain and simples.

 

One example is this tiny bronze Dish I’ve dug out you’ll see it has a faint name and what it’s made from too if not this piece would possibly be seen as more modern or a reproduction where the stamps not allowed so these kinds of pieces fair better with some kind of company branding.

 

I must just say I’m really enjoying not just writing the article but getting all these pieces back out to photograph I feel excited with a sense of self pride, I promise I’m not being brash but when you love 💖 what you do and appreciate what you’ve collected it can all get swept away in a sea of other situations so to sit down and really look at these pieces is great and making me feel great too

 

The best example of provenance on metal sellable objects with out markings is the actual object it’s functional purpose for the time and what it is, this example of a metal bulldog comes from the top of an old steam engine radiator cover, these machines were often built in sheds by the working class and the character of that particular owner could be seen by what kind of radiator cover, a bit like going down the motor way and seeing your car but a little different.

Metal Bulldog collection 10 years just sculptures

Over ten years we have amassed a few hundred bulldog sculptures not in poses except the natural ones there’s many that take the same model I’m sure most we made in Germany 🇩🇪 originally or other European countries and they come in all shapes and sizes.

 

I will of course place a picture but part of the idea 💡 of an article is that viewers using the search bar provided and translation if the new host has implemented into the website, this way you can read an article and if of interest type in keywords on our websites search bar and all relevant subjects for that keyword will appear, over three hundred and sixty articles await any reader willing to go and enjoy an hour on the site.

 

Back to the metal bulldog collection hey lol, we also have this gang I’ve photographed for you we have about twenty in total with one on a square bottom but know nothing about them, as they are of a Mass production look and supply I’m taking a guess they where  souvenirs or prices of some kind years ago.

Its Funny seeing the whole lot together the face looks menacing and with a lot of them they kind of look 👀 weirdly intimidating in a funny way, I chose four to show you but times it by five and you’ll get a notion of what I mean, unstamped and no information ℹ️ I just have to run with my guess till properly looked into.

Those pieces you just would not expect

 

The Spit bucket would be a fantastic start here once used for America’s tobacco chewers to spit out their discarded tobacco, keeping floors clean way back then was a Labourious task so bars and other places of social congregations would of had these especially after discovering carpet and rugs from Asia that were to  Beautiful and intricate to spit on.

 

Theres a chestnut warmer here I never thought I’d have a bulldog chestnut 🌰 cooker here but again it’s earthier victorian or Edwardia in age and used at domestic fire places. There’s a copper children’s crib / bed warmer here I’d love to have provenance on this just to prove it’s  authentic and not just a reproductive ornament of the real thing.

In one of the pictures you will see that the piece looks just a walking cane yet it’s a foot long, I wonder if someone tried making a cosh type weapon if not it’s a very small cane and definitely not for those with height issues so my best guess is it was made using two parts but for what I’m not sure 🤔.

The Fishermans priest was another piece that looked just like this but in better condition and the handle looked like it came from a ships wooden steering wheel,Hopefully you can find more on the fisherman’s priest here if not please use search bar !  Or you can browse through our metals galleries yet they are a little muddled up until the new host or at least someone helps me re craft the website.

Not usable now but still stunning

Pictures do not do a lot of pieces justice it’s a shame I’m cooped up with this amazing collection and nowhere to display it at the moment as getting up close even touching the pieces is much better than a half decent two D image I’m not sure how as the colour is very limited but even though the collection does not even take up a fifth of what we have some of the pieces are still seen as stunning.

One example is this copper pipe holder I love the way the light shines off it I do not know where it comes from either but I picked it out as it displays well in a picture, many other pieces from the metal Bulldog collection is either stunning or amazing but that’s me.

 

Porcelain may of taken over these past couple of centuries but I understand my dad now when he used to say old is better this is for the better but I’ll mention this ongoing phenomenon in my last part, as the other pieces I wished to show are just as amazing too just like the door 🚪 knocker here.

 

AND LASTLY PLEASE TAKE NOTE !

Ok 👍 the serious part to the collecting of metal pieces, if you look at an object you see the finished form (yes that’s obvious) but many would not think what raw materials were used where they come from etc, Older vintage pieces were made by fair trade between countries or the swapping of raw materials before the single market started.

 

These days you can find a beautiful bronze bulldog most say rare till you see others and all the raw materials these days are being mined by the richest countries of our planet that are buying up land in other countries and mining ⛏ their materials, I’ve seen enough scrap metal (China’s dumped pedal bikes, the airplane ✈️ graveyard, resurface old pre abandoned war ships again they used the same metal to send into space.

 

Instead of enterprising ideas countries like Africa are seeing their natural resources mined and sold out of the country and this will continue until we have to learn to synthesise our materials and / or wait for technology to reach under the oceans, the black smokies that let gases out into the water 💦 and have metal snails 🐌 living on them indicate the wealth beneath the sea.

 

So as The planet gets depleted of its natural resources wasted by a consumer Society it’s no wonder our brains are coming up with ideas like 3D printing, cloning, food resource manipulation, renewable energies like wind and solar power but do not be fooled it still takes raw materials to make everyday goods I just hope as a human race we venture further on our quest to destroy everything before wars are started over a gas pit in an unoccupied area of the earth with each nation fighting for this.

Continued

Well I hope you enjoyed the article I’ve left you with some food for thought 💭 and as this is my longest article to date I’m hoping you’ve enjoyed it, that I can get it posted on autopost post now and I am wishing that I see Twitter come up on my analytics once published, happy collecting and stay safe everyone.