Gollies Through  History

The appearance of Golly badges has changed a lot over the past 80 years. Here are some examples, taken from my own collection, of just how the little chap from Robertson’s has ‘grown up’. This is not every evolution of a design but I'll do more when I can. Listed below are just the ones that have changed frequently ( if you can count 5 or 6 times in 80 years as 'frequent' )

The very early badges were made of Bakelite or Tin and I thought it was very unlikely I’d ever own one of these. But in late 1999 I got one...

AND HERE HE IS !!! A lovely little golly with totally wild hair. Including the wild hair he's only the same height as a normal Robertson's brooch ( about 1.25 inches / 32 mm ) - maybe slightly taller including split ends :-). He is made of tin and the bar across his back is the pin. The whole effect is very crude but very nice. They rarely survive in mint condition , and this one does have some paint flakes missing but , overall, he's in pretty good nick and is now in the cabinet with all his golly mates.

Because the earliest enamel design I have is the ‘Golly Golfer’ I thought I would show the Golfers first.

Left to right : Pre-War Enamel Miller Golfer REG. 729136
Post War Enamel H. W. Miller Golfer
1970’s Enamel R.E.V. Gomm Golfer
1980’s Acrylic Robertson’s Golfer
1990’s Baseball Player. No Golfer

The Pre-War golfer is probably from the early 1930’s. There was no bar between the legs of the late 1920’s ones. The Post-War Golfers al have eyes that look down instead of the ‘pop-eyes’ of the pre-war ones. The 1970’s Golfers had eyes looking to the left for the first time. They were produced by R.E.V. Gomm, Fattorini and some with no name on the back. The 1980’s golfer was acrylic and not enamel. The one shown has a yellow club and a ball. Two other designs exist. One with a white club and one with a metal club. The Baseball Player seems to be a sign of the times. No Golfer had been produced since the 1980’s….. until 1998.

The latest addition to the Golfers is this 1998 one. A return to the 1980’s style of Golly with his blue jacket, yellow waistcoat and red trousers. You may also notice that Golly’s golf swing has improved. I’ll admit he isn’t keeping his head down but his hip action looks pretty good. Well, he’s trying.

Left to right: Pre-War Enamel Graham Cricketer
Post-War Enamel Fattorini Cricketer
1970’s Enamel R.E.V. Gomm Cricketer
1980’s Acrylic Robertson’s Cricketer
1990’s Acrylic Robertson’s Cricketer

The Graham Cricketer is the only Pre-War Cricketer with metal hands. As usual he has ‘pop eyes’. The post-war cricketers came in both ‘eyes down’ and ‘pop eye’ versions as well as differences in hand colours and the bars between their feet. The 1970’s cricketers were only produced by R.E.V. Gomm and Fattorini. As usual the eyes are now looking left. The 1980’s Cricketer shows the trend towards realistic looking Gollies. He still has his red trousers and blue jacket but he is now wearing pads. The 1990’s Cricketer takes this a step further with the addition of a proper cricket kit, which is much more realistic. Whether this is a good or bad thing is up to the individual. My favorite is the 1980’s one.

Left to right : Post-War Enamel J.R. Gaunt Standard Golly
1970’s Enamel R.E.V. Gomm Standard
1980’s Acrylic Robertson’s Standard
1990’s Acrylic Robertson’s Standard
1990’s Acrylic Bubble coated Robertson’s Standard

The first standard enamel Golly appeared after the war. The post war Standard Golly was sent to anyone who applied to Robertson’s without specifying a design. All of them had ‘pop eyes’ and lots of variations exist. The 1970’s standard still had the ‘hands on hips’ pose. The 1980’s Standard is the way most people see the Robertson’s Golly and the 1990’s badges (large and small) were, in my opinion, a bad design move. The smaller eyes just seem to be squinting and the increase in size and the addition of a bubble coating (1993 onwards) did it no favors at all. It all looked bad for the poor old Standard Golly…… until 1998.

This is the ‘Classic Golly’ which became available in late July 1998. A welcome addition to the wonderful range of 9 that were released in June 1998. Another return to the 1980’s style of badge and he’s a beauty. All his clothes are right and, with the new eyes, he’s perfect.

Left to right: Post-War Enamel R.E.V. Gomm Footballer
1970’s Enamel R.E.V. Gomm Footballer
1980’s Acrylic Robertson’s Footballer
1990’s Acrylic Robertson’s Footballer
1990’s Acrylic Bubble coated Robertson’s Footballer

The Footballers followed the same pattern as the Standard Golly. First appearing before the second world war they developed into the very ‘professional’ Footballer that was issued in 1993. Early ones had   bi-coloured ball that could be found in popular team colours. The usual blue jacket and red trousers have been replaced with a proper kit – although I don’t know if it is based on any particular team colours. The football too has developed from the single colour to the recognisable style of modern footballs.

The football has still got the same appearance but now the footballers have a Goalkeeper. The first one produced by Robertson’s. He’s still wearing his jacket and waistcoat (a bit strange) and he is in an action pose. Some Golly badges are posed to look good but this little chap is throwing himself around. I just hope that the grass stains come out of his clothes.