My laptop broke a few months ago and I have only just got it fixed. As much as I enjoy writing this blog I refuse to attempt it on a smartphone. There lies the route to madness!!!!!!
I am currently checking out where I was up to and I will put up a proper post soon
Saturday, 13 August 2011
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Renewal Shields
Apologies for the delay in getting this entry posted but my shields are hung on the wall and being a bit on the short side Ive had a bit of a job getting them down to photograph them!!!
DW94C - The Assassins Guild Coat of Arms
This was introduced in 1994 and 696 were sold. The RRP was £9.99. For some time the Shields were extremely popular and consequently sold for high prices, the top price for this one was £260 however more recently it has sold for £40-£70. The motto is ‘Nil Mortifi, Sine Lucre’. ‘No Death, Without Payment’. This is one of my favourite shields, I love the black and silver scheme and the cloak and dagger emblem,
DW95C - The Beggars Guild COA
This was made in 1995 and 505 were sold. The RRP was £11.00 and top price recorded is £64. The mottoe is ‘Moneta Supervacanea, Magister’ or ‘Have You Any Spare Cash Guvnor’. The shield features dragons which may at first seem odd but this it he beggars guild after all, this is simply a patched up, recycled shield.
DW96C - The Alchemists Guild COA
Produced in 1996, 789 were sold. The RRP was £11.00 and it has sold for around £50. The motto is ‘Omnis Quis Coruscat Est Or’ or ‘All That Glitters is Gold’. The Guildhouse is regularly blown up so is always new (the Gamblers Guild is situated opposite, a precarious position which people have questioned. When questioned however the Gamblers simply reply ‘Did you read the name above the door when you came in’, Good point!!)
DW97C - The Thieves Guild COA
Produced in 1997 818 of these were sold with an RRP of £13.45 and a top price of £50. It has a stripy background with a cut purse. The motto ‘Acutus Id Verberat’ means ‘Whip it Quick’.
DW98C - The Seamstresses’ Guild COA
Produced in 1998, 1215 of these were produced. there is a typo in the Collectors Guide suggesting that 215 of these were made but logically this doesn't make sense. An RRP of £14.99 may have put some people off. It has sold for in excess of £100 but more usually makes around £30. The Seamstress motto mimics the Assassins Guild Motto. ‘Nil Volupti Sine Lucre’ or ‘No ‘Love’ Without Money’. Although they are referred to as Seamstresses the ladies of the Guild are not noted for their talent with thread. A survey of the AM docks revealed 987 women who gave their profession as ‘seamstress’, and 2 needles!!
DW99C - The Fools Guild COA
1999 brought the Fools Guild and the first year that the Shields were sent free of charge to renewing member of the guild. 1443 of these were produced and the top price has reached £80. This is a very simple piece which works well as a shield. The motto is ‘Dico Dico Dico’, what else but ‘I Say I Say I Say‘!! The Guild is a cheerless place which contrasts sharply with the bright and cheery Assassins Guild building next door.
DW00C - The Musicians Guild COA
Produced in 2000, 1854 were made and have reached a top price of £28. The motto is ‘Id Murmuratis, Id Ludamus’ or ‘If You Hum it, I’ll Play It’. This Guild is very mercenary and its main interest lies in collecting high fees from its members.
DW01C - The Unseen University COA
In 2001, 2038 of these were produced. Top price has stayed relatively low, around £20. The motto is ‘Nunc Id Vides, Nunc Ne Vides’, ‘Now You See It, Now You Don’t’.
DW02C - The Plumbers and Dunnikin Divers Guild COA
1600 of these were made in 2002. Top prices again have remained around the £20 mark. The motto is ‘Non Ante Septem Dies Proxima’ or ‘Not Before Next Week, Squire’.
DW03C - The Conjurors Guild COA
There are no numbers available for this or subsequent Shields due to the closure of Clarecraft. Motto is ‘Nvunc Ille Est Magicus’, ‘Now That’s Magic’.
DW04C - The Embalmers Guild COA
Another simple image which lends itself well to the shields. The motto is ‘Farcimini’ or ‘Stuff It’.
DWO5C - The Ramkin COA
This COA was the last renewal gift produced before Clarecraft closed. Clarecraft announced its closure is August 2005. This meant that some members did not receive their renewal shield. Again numbers produced are unknown but it became a sought after piece for people looking to complete their collection of shields and briefly sold for high prices. Motto ‘Non Sumet Nullus Pro Responso’ or ‘She Won’t Take No For an Answer’.
In addition to the shield of the Gamblers Guild there were 2 further shields produced that were not renewal gifts but were for sale. The first of these was for sale only for collectors and was in fact the COA of the Collectors Guild. DWCG02. In 1999 it was decided that the Guild needed a shield and a competition was held for members to design it. Terry judged to contest and 2 collectors separately came up with similar ideas so these were combined to produce ‘The Ultimate Collector’ (’Collictor Ultima‘). For posterity the 2 members were Ian Treasure and Graham Bate. The RRP was £14.99 and there are no numbers sold. This has reached slightly higher prices than some of the others.
The final COA (didn’t realise there were so many before I started!!!, this piece has turned into a bit of an epic!) is the CMOT Dibbler Shield.
This shows a cut throat razor and there is no motto as such, just the legend ‘Dibbler Enterprises Est’. This has recently reached £200, probably due to the fact that these were available on general sale only so numbers would be low.
Whoo!!! Obviously there are some pictures missing, shields I dont have. I dont feel its right for me to trawl the web for pictures that other people have taken of their pieces so if I dont have it, there wont be a piccie of it. If anyone wants to send me a piccie of shields Ive missed for inclusion just get in touch.
DW94C - The Assassins Guild Coat of Arms
This was introduced in 1994 and 696 were sold. The RRP was £9.99. For some time the Shields were extremely popular and consequently sold for high prices, the top price for this one was £260 however more recently it has sold for £40-£70. The motto is ‘Nil Mortifi, Sine Lucre’. ‘No Death, Without Payment’. This is one of my favourite shields, I love the black and silver scheme and the cloak and dagger emblem,
DW95C - The Beggars Guild COA
This was made in 1995 and 505 were sold. The RRP was £11.00 and top price recorded is £64. The mottoe is ‘Moneta Supervacanea, Magister’ or ‘Have You Any Spare Cash Guvnor’. The shield features dragons which may at first seem odd but this it he beggars guild after all, this is simply a patched up, recycled shield.
DW96C - The Alchemists Guild COA
Produced in 1996, 789 were sold. The RRP was £11.00 and it has sold for around £50. The motto is ‘Omnis Quis Coruscat Est Or’ or ‘All That Glitters is Gold’. The Guildhouse is regularly blown up so is always new (the Gamblers Guild is situated opposite, a precarious position which people have questioned. When questioned however the Gamblers simply reply ‘Did you read the name above the door when you came in’, Good point!!)
DW97C - The Thieves Guild COA
Produced in 1997 818 of these were sold with an RRP of £13.45 and a top price of £50. It has a stripy background with a cut purse. The motto ‘Acutus Id Verberat’ means ‘Whip it Quick’.
DW98C - The Seamstresses’ Guild COA
Produced in 1998, 1215 of these were produced. there is a typo in the Collectors Guide suggesting that 215 of these were made but logically this doesn't make sense. An RRP of £14.99 may have put some people off. It has sold for in excess of £100 but more usually makes around £30. The Seamstress motto mimics the Assassins Guild Motto. ‘Nil Volupti Sine Lucre’ or ‘No ‘Love’ Without Money’. Although they are referred to as Seamstresses the ladies of the Guild are not noted for their talent with thread. A survey of the AM docks revealed 987 women who gave their profession as ‘seamstress’, and 2 needles!!
DW99C - The Fools Guild COA
1999 brought the Fools Guild and the first year that the Shields were sent free of charge to renewing member of the guild. 1443 of these were produced and the top price has reached £80. This is a very simple piece which works well as a shield. The motto is ‘Dico Dico Dico’, what else but ‘I Say I Say I Say‘!! The Guild is a cheerless place which contrasts sharply with the bright and cheery Assassins Guild building next door.
DW00C - The Musicians Guild COA
Produced in 2000, 1854 were made and have reached a top price of £28. The motto is ‘Id Murmuratis, Id Ludamus’ or ‘If You Hum it, I’ll Play It’. This Guild is very mercenary and its main interest lies in collecting high fees from its members.
DW01C - The Unseen University COA
In 2001, 2038 of these were produced. Top price has stayed relatively low, around £20. The motto is ‘Nunc Id Vides, Nunc Ne Vides’, ‘Now You See It, Now You Don’t’.
DW02C - The Plumbers and Dunnikin Divers Guild COA
1600 of these were made in 2002. Top prices again have remained around the £20 mark. The motto is ‘Non Ante Septem Dies Proxima’ or ‘Not Before Next Week, Squire’.
DW03C - The Conjurors Guild COA
There are no numbers available for this or subsequent Shields due to the closure of Clarecraft. Motto is ‘Nvunc Ille Est Magicus’, ‘Now That’s Magic’.
DW04C - The Embalmers Guild COA
Another simple image which lends itself well to the shields. The motto is ‘Farcimini’ or ‘Stuff It’.
DWO5C - The Ramkin COA
This COA was the last renewal gift produced before Clarecraft closed. Clarecraft announced its closure is August 2005. This meant that some members did not receive their renewal shield. Again numbers produced are unknown but it became a sought after piece for people looking to complete their collection of shields and briefly sold for high prices. Motto ‘Non Sumet Nullus Pro Responso’ or ‘She Won’t Take No For an Answer’.
In addition to the shield of the Gamblers Guild there were 2 further shields produced that were not renewal gifts but were for sale. The first of these was for sale only for collectors and was in fact the COA of the Collectors Guild. DWCG02. In 1999 it was decided that the Guild needed a shield and a competition was held for members to design it. Terry judged to contest and 2 collectors separately came up with similar ideas so these were combined to produce ‘The Ultimate Collector’ (’Collictor Ultima‘). For posterity the 2 members were Ian Treasure and Graham Bate. The RRP was £14.99 and there are no numbers sold. This has reached slightly higher prices than some of the others.
The final COA (didn’t realise there were so many before I started!!!, this piece has turned into a bit of an epic!) is the CMOT Dibbler Shield.
This shows a cut throat razor and there is no motto as such, just the legend ‘Dibbler Enterprises Est’. This has recently reached £200, probably due to the fact that these were available on general sale only so numbers would be low.
Whoo!!! Obviously there are some pictures missing, shields I dont have. I dont feel its right for me to trawl the web for pictures that other people have taken of their pieces so if I dont have it, there wont be a piccie of it. If anyone wants to send me a piccie of shields Ive missed for inclusion just get in touch.
Posted with BlogsySunday, 17 April 2011
Shields
The piece above isn’t strictly a shield, it’s the Coat of Arms of Ankh Morpork. It was made by Bernard Pearson and it is HUGE!!!! The little piece that you can just see the side of next to it is the Bridge Over the River Ankh by Clarecraft which is a fairly chunky piece in its own right. I have never seen another one of these anywhere although I believe that several were made. I bought this piece a few years ago and adore it. At the moment it is on a shelf at the top of my stairs (forgive the red string in the photo, I was so frightened it would fall that it is secured around the top to some hooks in the wall and I’m too short to reach up and cut it off!!) but I have visions of hanging it over the open fireplace in my oak panelled library in years to come (house with oak panelled library is yet to be acquired!!).
The actual crest itself is the same as the crest on the Clarecraft Guild Joining Shield. This Shield was given to every member on joining the Collectors Guild (DWSD). It was introduced in 1993 and only retired when Clarecraft closed. These were produced in large numbers so resale value is relatively low. Roderick features on the crest along with an owl (morpork) on an Ankh. In Feet of Clay the College of Heralds reveal that puns play a large part in making the Coats of Arms. The motto running across the top is the same one as on the watch crest. The motto at the bottom, ‘Quanti Canicula Ille In Fenestra’ means ‘How much is the small dog in the window’ and dates back to the reign of King Ludwig the Tree. The Tower of Art, the oldest building in the city, the River Ankh and cabbages (a chief export of the area) also feature.
Variations on this shield were also produced. DWCG was a Shop Promotion Piece. This was exactly the same as the Joining Shield with the addition of a small plaque at the bottom with ‘The Discworld Collectors Guild’ on it. Only a small number of these were produced and top price paid is about £260.
There was a 3rd variation produced. This one was the same as the Joining Shield but was silver in colour and is the Clarecraft Aniversary Edition 1993-2003 (DWSDS). This came about when a member suggested a special gift for members who had been in the Guild since the start in 1993. When the Shield was previewed many members showed an interest in it. The purpose was changed to celebrate 10 years of Clarecraft being owned by the same people and was made available for one year to all members. The plan was that when a Guild member reached their 10th year of membership they would be sent a small pewter scroll to stick on the front of this shield. The Shield was produced in fairly low numbers but as Clarecraft closed in 2005 there would be even fewer members who got the pewter scroll. I have never seen one of these shields with the pewter scroll so have no idea of value!!! Sadly for me Clarecraft would have had to remain open until 2008 for me to get my hands on my pewter scroll!! I have now acquired one of these shields, without the pewter scroll! It's a really nice piece and it is probably the last shield I will buy as I do not like the collectors shield (described in the next post) and if I don't like it I don't buy it!
After the initial Joining Shield members had the opportunity to buy a different Shield each year. As I mentioned previously this was changed in 1998 so that each member received that years shield as a renewal gift. Due to this from the Fools Guild on the numbers made are in the thousands whereas for the 5 previous shields the numbers sold are much lower. The Joining Shield and the first 3 shields (Assassins, Beggars ad Alchemists) were designed by Leigh Pamment however Leigh sadly passed away in November 1996 (the Limited Edition Great A’tuin which he was working on when he died has a plaque dedicating the piece to him) and subsequent Shields were designed by Joe Pattison. There are many shields so I will tackle them in another entry.
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Original Renewal Gifts
The Guild was set up in 1994 and on joining members received the Ankh-Morpork Coat of Arms (Shield). Each year thereafter another Shield was produced. At the beginning these were optional with collectors purchasing them (this means that the first shields sold in low numbers).
On renewal each year members were rewarded with a little renewal gift. For renewing for a second year collectors were given the Pewter Keyring and Key of the Unseen University (DPKY). These have reached up to £60 but between £10 and £30 is more usual. I love the detail on this piece. The bearded old wizard at the top of the key, embracing it, the clarity on the coat of arms shown on the keyring (the motto will be explained in the Shields Section).
On the second renewal, members received Ankh-Morpork Dollars in a Velvet Bag (DPDL). This was 2 small pewter ‘dollars’ featuring the Patrician, packaged up in a velvet pouch.
The gift on third renewal was a Copper Lapel Badge of the City Watch (DPBD). This is 3cm x 2cm and is genuine copper. This badge is not to be confused with the larger badge that was available for a short while in 1995. The larger badge was 4cm x 3cm, made of pewter with a copper finish and was on general sale for £4.99 This item was number DW95V and wasn’t very popular and was difficult to make due to the finish. Therefore it was only available for a short time and the numbers sold are few. (I have put these side by side in a picture so comparison can be made, the badge on the right is the renewal gift). The renewal gift badges have changed hands for up to £50. As noted in the Collectors Guide produced by Clarecraft, one collector got in touch complaining that the badge didn’t seem like a lot for his money!!
I waited a long while to get my hands on the little badge and it is beautifully made. Its a shame that I daren’t take it out of the tin it lives in for fear of losing it :D. I also feel slightly embarrassed to admit that until I went to photograph it a few minutes ago I hadn’t realised I had never even taken it out of the plastic bag. The mad collector in me is refusing to allow me to open the bag as it is the original bag it was sealed in when it was made and, well, collectors just don’t do that sort of thing!! I have folded the bag as best as I can to avoid the light shining off it. I did intend to take it out of the bag, I really did but when it came down to it, I couldn’t do it. Not even for this, sorry!
Again, the detail in the pieces is amazing, the mottos can be clearly read. The motto across the top reads ‘Merust in Pectum et in Aquam’, or ‘Pure in Heart and Water’. The other motto is ‘Fabricati Diem Punc’. I’m sure you can work that one out for yourselves but for the sake of completeness it obviously resembles ‘Make my day, Punk‘ in the ‘not quite latin‘ that can be seen in most of the Guild mottos (Latatian which Terry described as being ‘very doggy Latin‘). That motto appears to be a truncated version of the motto of King Veltrick which was ‘Fabricati Diem, Puncti Agunt Celeriter‘, (Make the Day, the Moments Pass Quickly’).
Carrot also suggested the Watch may have a motto of ‘The Innocent have Nothing to Fear’. Thankfully this was vetoed by Vimes aside from the obvious inaccuracy of this sentiment (noble as it is) there are also the practicalities of finding an innocent person in AM.
At the end of 1996 Elton Murphy joined Clarecraft and took over responsibility for the Guild. He immediately found that having different items for different renewals led to difficulties working out which member was due which gift. He came up with the idea of the renewal gifts changing with the year, not the length of membership. The logical choice therefore was to have the shields (that were being produced every year anyway) as the renewal gift.
I will tackle all the shields in another section. Most shields were produced as renewal gifts however extra ones were made and released for sale. I have already covered the Gamblers Shield but will write about the rest of them together.
On renewal each year members were rewarded with a little renewal gift. For renewing for a second year collectors were given the Pewter Keyring and Key of the Unseen University (DPKY). These have reached up to £60 but between £10 and £30 is more usual. I love the detail on this piece. The bearded old wizard at the top of the key, embracing it, the clarity on the coat of arms shown on the keyring (the motto will be explained in the Shields Section).
On the second renewal, members received Ankh-Morpork Dollars in a Velvet Bag (DPDL). This was 2 small pewter ‘dollars’ featuring the Patrician, packaged up in a velvet pouch.
The gift on third renewal was a Copper Lapel Badge of the City Watch (DPBD). This is 3cm x 2cm and is genuine copper. This badge is not to be confused with the larger badge that was available for a short while in 1995. The larger badge was 4cm x 3cm, made of pewter with a copper finish and was on general sale for £4.99 This item was number DW95V and wasn’t very popular and was difficult to make due to the finish. Therefore it was only available for a short time and the numbers sold are few. (I have put these side by side in a picture so comparison can be made, the badge on the right is the renewal gift). The renewal gift badges have changed hands for up to £50. As noted in the Collectors Guide produced by Clarecraft, one collector got in touch complaining that the badge didn’t seem like a lot for his money!!
I waited a long while to get my hands on the little badge and it is beautifully made. Its a shame that I daren’t take it out of the tin it lives in for fear of losing it :D. I also feel slightly embarrassed to admit that until I went to photograph it a few minutes ago I hadn’t realised I had never even taken it out of the plastic bag. The mad collector in me is refusing to allow me to open the bag as it is the original bag it was sealed in when it was made and, well, collectors just don’t do that sort of thing!! I have folded the bag as best as I can to avoid the light shining off it. I did intend to take it out of the bag, I really did but when it came down to it, I couldn’t do it. Not even for this, sorry!
Again, the detail in the pieces is amazing, the mottos can be clearly read. The motto across the top reads ‘Merust in Pectum et in Aquam’, or ‘Pure in Heart and Water’. The other motto is ‘Fabricati Diem Punc’. I’m sure you can work that one out for yourselves but for the sake of completeness it obviously resembles ‘Make my day, Punk‘ in the ‘not quite latin‘ that can be seen in most of the Guild mottos (Latatian which Terry described as being ‘very doggy Latin‘). That motto appears to be a truncated version of the motto of King Veltrick which was ‘Fabricati Diem, Puncti Agunt Celeriter‘, (Make the Day, the Moments Pass Quickly’).
Carrot also suggested the Watch may have a motto of ‘The Innocent have Nothing to Fear’. Thankfully this was vetoed by Vimes aside from the obvious inaccuracy of this sentiment (noble as it is) there are also the practicalities of finding an innocent person in AM.
At the end of 1996 Elton Murphy joined Clarecraft and took over responsibility for the Guild. He immediately found that having different items for different renewals led to difficulties working out which member was due which gift. He came up with the idea of the renewal gifts changing with the year, not the length of membership. The logical choice therefore was to have the shields (that were being produced every year anyway) as the renewal gift.
I will tackle all the shields in another section. Most shields were produced as renewal gifts however extra ones were made and released for sale. I have already covered the Gamblers Shield but will write about the rest of them together.
Thursday, 24 March 2011
Shop Open Day Pieces
I will try and give an idea of numbers sold for as many pieces as I can but it might prove tricky. When Clarecraft closed all the pieces were automatically ‘retired’. If a piece retired prior to this then there is a good chance I will have the final number sold. Unfortunately with the closure of Clarecraft so many pieces retired that the number sold figures were not released.
Shop Open Day pieces came about as a way to say thank you to fans who managed to attend, a piece that could only be bought at Open Days. The first of these was DW35S Dibbler with Dragon Detectors. It was felt that this wasn’t the right Dibbler piece for general sale so it was taken along to an open day in 1994. This became a tradition and whenever Clarecraft attended an open day there was always something that could be bought elsewhere. DW35S was introduced in 1994 and retired in August 1998. 350 were sold at an RRP of £25. Top price since has hit £180.
In 1998 Elton Murphy who was in charge of the Collectors Guild at the time came up with the idea of making a ‘Death’s Head’ to be given away to the first 100 guild members that attended. These heads were whites for the purposes of PYO however most people preferred to wait in a queue and offer it up for the visiting Clarecraft painter to do it for them. There ended up being 4 different heads. Death (DWE8), Rincewind (DWE9) and Granny Weatherwax (DWE10) (introduced in 1999) and Twoflower (introduced in 2001). The heads RRP was £3.50.
When DW35S retired DW88 was brought in to replace it. DW88 is Death as Beau Nidle and shows Deaths head (skull??!!) poking out of the sand. This was introduced in July 1998 and was retired in December 2000. 261 of the original version were sold at an RRP of £9.99, top price since, £43. I say original version (with Clarecraft there is always something J), the usual pieces were painted to have white hats with a blue band across it (as pictured). However for an event in February 2002, 100 pieces were painted with a black hat. These were a one off, not all of them sold on the day and were still available some time later. One of these has sold recently for around £60.
In March 2002 DWE18, Susan and the Death of Rats was produced. This piece cost £20. At around the time Clarecraft closed, this piece and DWE19 Dr Whiteface went through a period of being extremely popular and as a result sold for some ridiculous prices. Both pieces reached £150. It is more reasonable to expect anywhere between £10 and £50 though. These figures were only retired on the closure of Clarecraft so although I know they only sold in low numbers I’m not sure of the exact figure.
As well as shop visits it was possible for fans to visit the factory to see how things were done. PYO proved popular for these too. DWE7 was the Shield of the Gamblers Guild. It was introduced in February 2000 and was available until the closure of Clarecraft. The shield cost £25 if bought painted and could only be bought direct through Clarecraft. This was expensive for a shield due to the amount of painting involved. It sold for £15 as a white for PYO and proved popular. This piece again was only retired on the closure of Clarecraft so exact sales figures are not available. I love this particular piece simply for the motto on the bottom. I will do a piece on the Shields soon but all the shields have a motto on them. The motto for the gamblers guild is ‘Excretus ex Fortuna’ which can be (very loosely) translated as ‘Shit out of Luck’.
Shop Open Day pieces came about as a way to say thank you to fans who managed to attend, a piece that could only be bought at Open Days. The first of these was DW35S Dibbler with Dragon Detectors. It was felt that this wasn’t the right Dibbler piece for general sale so it was taken along to an open day in 1994. This became a tradition and whenever Clarecraft attended an open day there was always something that could be bought elsewhere. DW35S was introduced in 1994 and retired in August 1998. 350 were sold at an RRP of £25. Top price since has hit £180.
In 1998 Elton Murphy who was in charge of the Collectors Guild at the time came up with the idea of making a ‘Death’s Head’ to be given away to the first 100 guild members that attended. These heads were whites for the purposes of PYO however most people preferred to wait in a queue and offer it up for the visiting Clarecraft painter to do it for them. There ended up being 4 different heads. Death (DWE8), Rincewind (DWE9) and Granny Weatherwax (DWE10) (introduced in 1999) and Twoflower (introduced in 2001). The heads RRP was £3.50.
When DW35S retired DW88 was brought in to replace it. DW88 is Death as Beau Nidle and shows Deaths head (skull??!!) poking out of the sand. This was introduced in July 1998 and was retired in December 2000. 261 of the original version were sold at an RRP of £9.99, top price since, £43. I say original version (with Clarecraft there is always something J), the usual pieces were painted to have white hats with a blue band across it (as pictured). However for an event in February 2002, 100 pieces were painted with a black hat. These were a one off, not all of them sold on the day and were still available some time later. One of these has sold recently for around £60.
In March 2002 DWE18, Susan and the Death of Rats was produced. This piece cost £20. At around the time Clarecraft closed, this piece and DWE19 Dr Whiteface went through a period of being extremely popular and as a result sold for some ridiculous prices. Both pieces reached £150. It is more reasonable to expect anywhere between £10 and £50 though. These figures were only retired on the closure of Clarecraft so although I know they only sold in low numbers I’m not sure of the exact figure. 
As well as shop visits it was possible for fans to visit the factory to see how things were done. PYO proved popular for these too. DWE7 was the Shield of the Gamblers Guild. It was introduced in February 2000 and was available until the closure of Clarecraft. The shield cost £25 if bought painted and could only be bought direct through Clarecraft. This was expensive for a shield due to the amount of painting involved. It sold for £15 as a white for PYO and proved popular. This piece again was only retired on the closure of Clarecraft so exact sales figures are not available. I love this particular piece simply for the motto on the bottom. I will do a piece on the Shields soon but all the shields have a motto on them. The motto for the gamblers guild is ‘Excretus ex Fortuna’ which can be (very loosely) translated as ‘Shit out of Luck’.
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Event Pieces
I have pictures of a few of these and will put them in. Some of the others I either don’t have or the pieces are buried too far back in the cupboard for me to reach (I may have started collecting again but I still don’t have a big enough house to display them all :D). If there is a piece you are desperate to see then let me know and I will endeavour to get a picture.
The first Event in 1995 didn’t have a theme exactly, so the pieces were a motley collection of what could be made in time. Leigh Pamment, a Clarecraft sculptor, made Roderick the Hippo (to be found on the COA of Ankh Morpork, Bernard made a piece of Dwarf Bread and a Plaque with the crest of the City Watch was produced.
DWE1 Dwarf Bread was a Ltd Edition of 200 which sold out on the day. They originally cost a bargain £2.50 and the current top price is in the region of £50.
DWE2 Roderick was a Ltd Edition of 500 and despite his low price of £4.50 was still on sale several years later. They finally sold out however and can now fetch up to £60.
DWE3 the City Watch Plaque was a Ltd Edition of 500. It sold out quickly at £10 and at its peak sold for £110.
Of these 3 I must admit to being a big fan of Roderick. He is smooth and quite chunky so he is nice to touch (I am aware I sound like a loony but bear with me). I bought my Roderick off eBay after being desperate to get a collection of these 3. I finally got him and was checking him (as I do with all pieces) when I saw silver writing on the bottom. I checked and he has been signed ‘Best wishes Leigh Pamment’. Having never seen another Roderick I’m not sure if they all came with this but I have never heard mention that Leigh signed them all. The seller hadn’t noticed it and hadn’t bought him at the event personally so could shed no light. Just another thing I love about collecting these figures. They are all so individual with individual stories. I of course love to think he is special and not all of them were signed I this way, but I would, wouldn’t I.
DWE4 was a piece produced for the 1996 Discworld convention. I do not have one so am unable to post a picture. The piece shows the Librarian lying in a hammock with ‘The First Discworld Convention 1996’ written underneath. It is a flat back style piece and 450 were produced at a price of £20. This has sold for as much as £170 but generally gets between £40 and £60.
DWE5 is Death as Bill Door, another flat back piece. This was for the 1997 event which had the theme Reaper Man. The piece shows Death looking through a barn door. This piece wasn’t Ltd Edition as such. Attendees to the event were given a voucher entitling them to £15 off the piece if bought that weekend. The pieces bought at the event included a special plaque at the bottom saying ‘The Reaper Man Event Clarecraft 1997’. The pieces were released for general sale after the event at the price of £30. 784 pieces were sold in total. Pieces with the plaque on have sold for up to £60, pieces without have made around £40.
DWE6 was from the 1999 Event whose theme was Carpe Jugulum. A Nac Mac Feegle was produced as the Event Piece. The Event NMF is about 4 inches tall putting him out of scale with the rest of the collection (Clarecraft produced another range of NMF a few years later which are considerably smaller and in scale with a Tiffany figure produced at the same time). He has a thimble in one hand raised in toast and a sword in the other. This was the first piece to feature a pewter sword and Clarecraft were keen to try out their new pewter machine. Many future pieces have small pewter touches to them. The NMF sold 750 at a price of £15 and has reached £45 since.
In 2000 the Discworld convention was cancelled at the last minute. Clarecraft stepped in and organised an Event, basing it on Lords and Ladies. There were 3 pieces produced (1 stand alone and 1 pair of bookends).
DWE11 (fear not, pieces DWE7 etc will be explained shortly) was Granny Weatherwax on a Bridge and DWE12 was Wizard on a Bridge. Each bookend depicted half a stone bridge with a figure stood on it so when the pieces were displayed together you had the whole bridge. For the first time 2 different sculptors worked on the same piece. Bernard made the bridges from plaster and Joe Pattinson sculpted the figures from resin. Unfortunately resin and plaster do not stick together effectively making the heads of the figures prone to falling off. I coveted these for years as they are particularly lovely looking pieces. I finally won a pair on eBay for a very reasonable sum, unfortunately Royal Mail treated them rather roughly and when they arrived the heads had fallen off both figures. They were returned and my hunt continued. Only 100 painted sets of these were produced however unlimited numbers of whites were made available for PYO. Each bookend sold for £30 and an intact pair has sold for up to £700, however they more regularly make around the £300 to £500 mark.
The final piece for this event was DWE13, Magrat in Armour. Magrat is shown wearing chain mail, her wedding dress and carrying a pewter crossbow. This piece was a Ltd Edition of 500 and sold out rapidly. A retail price of £32.50 has translated into a top price of £150. Clarecraft themselves were surprised at how well she was received and she is a sought after piece for many collectors.
In 2001 the scheduled Event was held and again 1 stand alone figure and 1 pair of bookends were produced. The theme was Moving Pictures.
DWE15 Detritus Bookend and DWE16 Ruby Bookend. These feature the trolls in full evening dress. 100 painted pairs were produced but again unlimited whites for PYO were available. The 100 pieces sold at the event have a broken plate next to the characters foot with ‘Event 2001’ on it. The pieces were made available after the event on general sale without these plates. The general sale pieces were the first ones to have the pewter hallmarks on them and had numbers DW131 and DW132. There was another variation on these pieces but that will be explained in the Oddities and Cock Ups section that will be coming soon. The original Event versions had a price of £49.50 each and a pair has made around £200.
DWE16 Laddie and Gaspode was made for the 2001 Event and features the beautiful pure breed Laddie along with the unfortunate Gaspode. This was a Ltd Edition of 500 and sold for £34.99. Top price on this so far appears to be between £50 and £60 but they don’t seem to come up too often.
The 2003 Event was based on Pyramids and the Event piece was DWE20 Tortoise and Arrow. This piece features a small tortoise with an arrow in the sand next to him. This piece was relatively inexpensive at £12.50 (after the more expensive pieces of the last few events) but didn’t sell particularly well. They were a Limited Edition of 500 but were still available from Clarecraft 2 years later. They have sold for up to £30.
Also available at the 2003 Event were 2 pewter badges. They were only sold at the event and the remainder were melted down.
The 2005 Event was the final event however no-one apart from Clarecraft knew this at the time. The theme was Monstrous Regiment and the Event piece was not a piece exactly but a small collection of items. The main part was the Shako Badge, similar in style to the original City Watch Plaque in 1995, this was DWE24. DWE25 was a pewter Shako Keyring, DWE26 a pewter Flaming Cheese Pin Badge and DWE27 a pewter Flaming Cheese Keyring. These were sold as a pack for £30 but were still being sold when Clarecraft shut down a couple of months later (at a discounted price of £20).
At the 2003 and 2005 Events there were pewter medals awarded as prizes in the various competitions. These could only be won at the events and rarely come up on eBay so are definitely something to look out for.
The first Event in 1995 didn’t have a theme exactly, so the pieces were a motley collection of what could be made in time. Leigh Pamment, a Clarecraft sculptor, made Roderick the Hippo (to be found on the COA of Ankh Morpork, Bernard made a piece of Dwarf Bread and a Plaque with the crest of the City Watch was produced.
DWE1 Dwarf Bread was a Ltd Edition of 200 which sold out on the day. They originally cost a bargain £2.50 and the current top price is in the region of £50.
DWE2 Roderick was a Ltd Edition of 500 and despite his low price of £4.50 was still on sale several years later. They finally sold out however and can now fetch up to £60.
DWE3 the City Watch Plaque was a Ltd Edition of 500. It sold out quickly at £10 and at its peak sold for £110.
Of these 3 I must admit to being a big fan of Roderick. He is smooth and quite chunky so he is nice to touch (I am aware I sound like a loony but bear with me). I bought my Roderick off eBay after being desperate to get a collection of these 3. I finally got him and was checking him (as I do with all pieces) when I saw silver writing on the bottom. I checked and he has been signed ‘Best wishes Leigh Pamment’. Having never seen another Roderick I’m not sure if they all came with this but I have never heard mention that Leigh signed them all. The seller hadn’t noticed it and hadn’t bought him at the event personally so could shed no light. Just another thing I love about collecting these figures. They are all so individual with individual stories. I of course love to think he is special and not all of them were signed I this way, but I would, wouldn’t I.DWE4 was a piece produced for the 1996 Discworld convention. I do not have one so am unable to post a picture. The piece shows the Librarian lying in a hammock with ‘The First Discworld Convention 1996’ written underneath. It is a flat back style piece and 450 were produced at a price of £20. This has sold for as much as £170 but generally gets between £40 and £60.
DWE5 is Death as Bill Door, another flat back piece. This was for the 1997 event which had the theme Reaper Man. The piece shows Death looking through a barn door. This piece wasn’t Ltd Edition as such. Attendees to the event were given a voucher entitling them to £15 off the piece if bought that weekend. The pieces bought at the event included a special plaque at the bottom saying ‘The Reaper Man Event Clarecraft 1997’. The pieces were released for general sale after the event at the price of £30. 784 pieces were sold in total. Pieces with the plaque on have sold for up to £60, pieces without have made around £40.
DWE6 was from the 1999 Event whose theme was Carpe Jugulum. A Nac Mac Feegle was produced as the Event Piece. The Event NMF is about 4 inches tall putting him out of scale with the rest of the collection (Clarecraft produced another range of NMF a few years later which are considerably smaller and in scale with a Tiffany figure produced at the same time). He has a thimble in one hand raised in toast and a sword in the other. This was the first piece to feature a pewter sword and Clarecraft were keen to try out their new pewter machine. Many future pieces have small pewter touches to them. The NMF sold 750 at a price of £15 and has reached £45 since.
In 2000 the Discworld convention was cancelled at the last minute. Clarecraft stepped in and organised an Event, basing it on Lords and Ladies. There were 3 pieces produced (1 stand alone and 1 pair of bookends).
DWE11 (fear not, pieces DWE7 etc will be explained shortly) was Granny Weatherwax on a Bridge and DWE12 was Wizard on a Bridge. Each bookend depicted half a stone bridge with a figure stood on it so when the pieces were displayed together you had the whole bridge. For the first time 2 different sculptors worked on the same piece. Bernard made the bridges from plaster and Joe Pattinson sculpted the figures from resin. Unfortunately resin and plaster do not stick together effectively making the heads of the figures prone to falling off. I coveted these for years as they are particularly lovely looking pieces. I finally won a pair on eBay for a very reasonable sum, unfortunately Royal Mail treated them rather roughly and when they arrived the heads had fallen off both figures. They were returned and my hunt continued. Only 100 painted sets of these were produced however unlimited numbers of whites were made available for PYO. Each bookend sold for £30 and an intact pair has sold for up to £700, however they more regularly make around the £300 to £500 mark.
The final piece for this event was DWE13, Magrat in Armour. Magrat is shown wearing chain mail, her wedding dress and carrying a pewter crossbow. This piece was a Ltd Edition of 500 and sold out rapidly. A retail price of £32.50 has translated into a top price of £150. Clarecraft themselves were surprised at how well she was received and she is a sought after piece for many collectors.
In 2001 the scheduled Event was held and again 1 stand alone figure and 1 pair of bookends were produced. The theme was Moving Pictures.
DWE15 Detritus Bookend and DWE16 Ruby Bookend. These feature the trolls in full evening dress. 100 painted pairs were produced but again unlimited whites for PYO were available. The 100 pieces sold at the event have a broken plate next to the characters foot with ‘Event 2001’ on it. The pieces were made available after the event on general sale without these plates. The general sale pieces were the first ones to have the pewter hallmarks on them and had numbers DW131 and DW132. There was another variation on these pieces but that will be explained in the Oddities and Cock Ups section that will be coming soon. The original Event versions had a price of £49.50 each and a pair has made around £200.
DWE16 Laddie and Gaspode was made for the 2001 Event and features the beautiful pure breed Laddie along with the unfortunate Gaspode. This was a Ltd Edition of 500 and sold for £34.99. Top price on this so far appears to be between £50 and £60 but they don’t seem to come up too often.
The 2003 Event was based on Pyramids and the Event piece was DWE20 Tortoise and Arrow. This piece features a small tortoise with an arrow in the sand next to him. This piece was relatively inexpensive at £12.50 (after the more expensive pieces of the last few events) but didn’t sell particularly well. They were a Limited Edition of 500 but were still available from Clarecraft 2 years later. They have sold for up to £30.
Also available at the 2003 Event were 2 pewter badges. They were only sold at the event and the remainder were melted down.
The 2005 Event was the final event however no-one apart from Clarecraft knew this at the time. The theme was Monstrous Regiment and the Event piece was not a piece exactly but a small collection of items. The main part was the Shako Badge, similar in style to the original City Watch Plaque in 1995, this was DWE24. DWE25 was a pewter Shako Keyring, DWE26 a pewter Flaming Cheese Pin Badge and DWE27 a pewter Flaming Cheese Keyring. These were sold as a pack for £30 but were still being sold when Clarecraft shut down a couple of months later (at a discounted price of £20).At the 2003 and 2005 Events there were pewter medals awarded as prizes in the various competitions. These could only be won at the events and rarely come up on eBay so are definitely something to look out for.
The Events
The Event Pieces were designed for the Discworld Events held once every 2 years (generally) starting in 1995. The Events were timed to alternate with the Discworld Convention. Each Event was based loosely around one of the books and took place over a weekend in the summer. The first event was held at the factory in Woolpit but as word spread and the event grew they were held on a nearby farm. People attending had the option to camp on site and there were various barns selling Discworld merchandise, food, drink and of course the infamous Paint Your Own section. At Paint Your Own you bought ‘whites’ of various pieces. Then you went and sat around a table with lots of other people where there were paints and painting guides. The actual Clarecraft painters were generally wandering around and were generous with help and advice. Once you had painted your piece you could go and have a small, PYO pewter trademark added to it to complete it. The whole thing was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon and then you emerged, blinking in the sunlight, to go and find the bar (I have a feeling that PYO and the bar are the most memorable parts of the events for many people :D).
Terry would do book signing sessions. There would be times posted but again, Terry was very generous with his time and would often spend double the allotted amount of time signing and talking. Everyone was happy and friendly and the whole thing was very relaxed. If you had a penchant for dressing up you could indulge yourself and there was even a prize for the best decorated tent.
Event Pieces are easily spotted as they have an E in their number, however not all pieces with E in their number are strictly Event pieces. As well as the actual Event there were ‘shop open days’ throughout the year when Clarecraft would visit a stockist for a day. Special pieces were made that were only sold at these open days, as a thank you for people who went along (more on these later).
I will try and give the top price that the pieces have gone for however there was a peak time a few years ago when pieces sold for substantially more than they are likely to achieve again anytime soon. The prices are an example of the top price paid and are not the value of the pieces. Value is subjective. To me, some of my pieces are priceless, I would never part with them and the top price paid in no way reflects their value to me. All it takes is for someone to get carried away on eBay and a piece gets given a top price that distorts it’s general sale price. I don’t really like mentioning prices as they change all the time and it’s hard to put a value on things. The best way to get a feel for how much a particular piece is worth is by watching eBay. However I understand that some people may be curious so have included top prices where I have them.
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