“Resolved, That two battalions of Marines be raised..."

...and with those words on November 10, 1775 was born the United States Marine Corps. This stunning miniature of a CONTINENTAL MRAINE, circa 1779; is typical of the uniform and equipment issued to the sea-going riflemen of the time. 

This piece (and the 30-or-so other figures we currently have)  was produced by the apparently now-defunct American Military Historical Society, possibly in tandem with the Franklin Mint for their "American Fighting Men" series in the 1970's and 80's.The included photos gives you an idea of the tedious, painstaking quality and attention-to-detail found here...virtues that are rare in any manufacturing endeavor today. Focus is as small as facial expressions, color of eyes, lips, insignia and decorations-note the detail in the Riflemans' uniform buttons, and the musket's lock.

These pieces are all at least 25 years old, and are showing small signs of the ravages of time in spots of flaking paint. There is no real damage to any piece, beyond slight misshape of thinner sections (particularly swords, musket & rifle barrels...the metal is inherently soft, so they can be gently returned to their original state using nothing more than body heat and VERY GENTLE pressure ).

WHEN CONSIDERING THE PRICE: Originally retailing for around $40 each, please remember the current paltry sum includes shipping, and these pieces are made of LEAD! Also, they are relatively fragile and require some "heroic" efforts at packaging to get them to you safely. We've just included 4 new photos of the packaging process so you can get a better idea of the 5-piece "shipping system" we've developed (normally the figure is placed in a polybag first to avoid paint scuffing-that was omitted here for the sake of clarity).

There is no "re-ordering" these...when they're gone-THAT's IT! So...if you were considering one, my advice is to jump on it before it's too late.