Marx 54mm Pirates
Marx 54mm Pirates were made for a playset I believe it was called Treasure Cove that was never issued. The set was made in Hong Kong and was to include twelve of the thirteen poses that been made previously in soft plastic. Beside the figures a series of accessories were done as well. Why playset was canceled no one knows.
I first ran into the Marx 54mm pirates at a farmers market called Green Dragon located in Amish Country in the early 1970’s. The person had the figures in various bins for you to pick the figures you wanted. I only bought one of each figure at the time as my father looked down on my toys. (That change when he started looking for toys for me a few years later. )
Most people got the figures in their original box. Our very good friend Erwin Sell has provided a photo of the actual box. The box had the twelve figure each individually poly bagged.
Marx 54mm Pirates Poses
Here are the following poses of the Marx 54mm Pirates done in Hong Kong
- Pirate with hand out like showing something is in his hands.
- Pirate looking through spyglass
- Pirate climbing rope
- Pirate with sword and left hooked hand
- Pirate Prisoner bound and blindfolded
- Pirate with crutch pointing has a peg leg
- Pirate lunging with sword
- Pirate advancing with pickaxe and Shovel
- Pirate crouching with knife
- Pirate with a cat o nine tail (whip) in his left hand
- Pirate with pistol and lantern
- Pirate advancing with knife and treasure chest (not shown)
The figures are nice but there should have been more pirates with pistols. Also a pirate with a rifle would have been nice. Likewise a pirate with a ramrod. Even still this is a nice set to collect. Checking Ebay there is only one of the 54mm Pirate figures up for bid from the United Kingdom.
The Thirteenth Pose
The soft plastic set has a thirteenth pose of a pirate walking with two pistols across his chest. It was issued by Glencoe Models who acquired the mold. I will have a picture up soon.
We thank Erwin Sell for the use of his photos.
Ahoy there, Back in the earley 80s I bought a set of the pirates in soft plastic. The set came with the pirat with crossed pistols. A short time latter, I bought a set in hard plastic,along with the pirate with crossed pistols. The Dealer also had the cap tain Kidd figure ,which I bought as well.I.ll post photos along with the tarzan photos. nemosfan
Looking forward to seeing the photos Lester !
The figures were sold loose in the UK in the 1960s for 7d (4 pence) each and because of the type of plastic lasted about 10 mins with the average child
Peter.I bet they last short.
Always wonder why toy companies used such hard stiff plastic x toy soldiers.
French been the most on doing so.
When u try get any french figures is hard to get then complete in many cases.
But now we as collector have to deal with timpo solid and swapped plastic fragile issue too that crack in pieces like nothing.
The one with his hands held out is holding gold doubloons. There is an open treasure chest associated with these figures, and this pirate is weighing in on his good fortune. The walking blindfolded pose is ‘walking the plank’ at the behest of the cat o’ nine tails figure or the swordsman. The photo seems to show only 11 poses, but there should be 12.
The Marx 54mm pirates have sculpting similarities to the 54mm Merry men and the 54mm Rev war figures so were probably designed by the same sculptor. The hard plastic Hong Kong pirates have thinner bodies & limbs than the soft plastic ones, which are more fully 3 dimensional figures. I am suggesting that there were 2 different pirate molds – one that produced the original soft plastic figures in the U.S. and a second pantograph mold used for the Hong Kong production. Any ideas about this ?
I agree TD two definitely distinct sculpting styles between the 60mm and 54mm pirates !
I have two soft rare poses only.They are samples that appearnly were found in a warehouse.They were never mass produced as that I guess.
Only samples both cream white and exact same body volume.The hard plastic copies made after and not from.MARX mold are the one skinners.These copies have an small circle bellow in base and said HK.
ORiginal painted in picture above have a large circle bellow.I also have few copies and also are not 54mm but smaller.
Yes they are 12 figure.One is damage.I did not picture it.
I forgot.As far I had red .Only one mold was ever done around 1962.Accesories over stock of samples and some small quantities figures not painted as same two I have were found years later.Original mold send to HK as ones in pictures are from a non pantoghraf mold but orinal as I compared.
Who ever, downscalled less detail figures of same poses but in less poses(I got those too)
Were done sold in HK in bags later.The bag I got did not bring all poses and clearly not original,but I had seen sellers list then as original MARX.Those are the skinny figures painted you had problay see .
This playset or set was never releases and very soon send produced in HK using american mold made send there in painted version as picture show.
If another mold would had been done of such set either here or in mexico would had been found already.As glencoe did with single pose of two pistols.
But If some body know of any other detail about other second mold not yet ever explained please tell us with facts.
Thanks…
Correcxtion ,afterI went and check.Above painted Marx made in Hong Kong as I check have a circle logo Marx typical logo that said very clear(Marx) , and then “made in Hong Kong”.
pent.. cloned , are a bit smaller made in Hong Kong more skinny, I got few poses from a bag,do not said Marx, but only “Hong Kong” in smaller circle than Marx version circle,bases are reduced too and two have shape base varied versus original.
Unpainted two poses I have are almost white ,but a bitt off white I should said and do not have the Hong Kong circle at all and are exact match in body with MARX painted from box in picture I provide. Material is exact as vintage Viking 54 mm or robin hood, same smell and plastic-vinyl used
Hope this kelp.
Best…