Collecting Oldhammer in 2026

As any good writer will tell you, it’s important to cite your sources. Unfortunately, I have never been able to recite anything one for one, and so I can’t tell you where I was introduced to the following idea; I can only say that we met and my head hasn’t been the same since.

Oldhammer is a subject that has been near and dear to me for about half a decade now*, developing with my rules anthropology and solidifying with my now-annual participation in the Old World Army Challenge. For the uninitiated, Oldhammer is commonly defined as being Games Workshop and adjacent miniatures from before the 1995 discontinuation of lead use in Games Workshop’s metal minis, and the sculptural styles of miniatures produced in that pre-1995 period. I bring this up because the other day I heard it proposed that someday soon in the next decade or so there may be no Oldhammer left to collect, and that simply blew my mind. Kapow. Kaput.

I have the luxury of leading a life where I can go on eBay every now and again and trawl for old miniatures that cost five-to-twenty bucks apiece (more often ten-to-thirty, but one can hope for bargains.) It’s a hobby I try not to indulge in too frequently, but occasionally I come into some luck, or get something in my head that says “well it won’t be cheaper later,” and in one-to-two weeks I receive a small parcel of goodies that get sorted immediately into a little plastic organizer. With the tariffs the last two years, I’ve recently been quite conservative of where my old lead comes from, and found myself shopping for more secondhand miniatures in country. My most recent fascination has been c10 and c11 halflings, likely in  preparation for OWAC X.

Earlier this year, I bought every halfling being sold for under fifteen dollars** in the United States.

Since then, I haven’t seen halflings for less.

It’s probably easier for a single actor to have an impact like that here in the US, when much of the Oldhammer is still in the Leadbelt and the European Union, but the revelation that I had been the head contributor of the very extinction that I’d heard prophesied… I had never considered my role until that point, nor my responsibility.

My OWAC armies are Oldhammer in the sense that the Alpine Gnomes, Chaos Gnomes, and Skeleton Gnomes are sculpted with the Oldhammer styles and proportions in mind, but they themselves are primarily products of the twenty-teens, with the exception of detours and embellishments here and there. Many of these models are still in production, or are purchasable in some form right now, and if you felt so inclined, you could recreate any of the armies I’ve done up until this point, but if I end up doing halflings… that will no longer be the case. I can’t inspire you to go and find your own, because if you want the specific halflings I’m thinking of using, it’s too late. I drank this milkshake and you’ll need to get yours elsewhere.

So assuming that I now have a decently sized raw collection of c10/c11 halflings in North America, what does that mean? When I say “raw,” its to say that I haven’t painted or based these minis, and they are to the best of my knowledge unconverted at this time, meaning that many of them are (aside from aging) in the condition that they would have been if someone were purchasing them in 1985. Like I said before, there are undoubtably more models from this period kicking around Europe, but given the scarcity of models in this part of the world, does having this collection also make me responsible for its legacy?

I think I’ve talked about Kim’s Talisman before; it’s a YouTube channel that specializes in making Oldhammmer Armies, some of them quite elaborate, and some of them with rare models. The channel’s host is Yong-Duke, a miniaturist of many talents, and one of the talents he features prominently is his sculpting and converting ability. On more than one occasion, his proclivity for chopping and puttying has intersected with his passion for old lead, leading to a great deal of outcry from collectors who have literally watched figures that would be jewels of their collection get sawn in half for the sake of Yong-Duke’s creative vision, (some of the converted figures were pre-damaged, but not all of them.) 

I have developed a thick skin of “play with your toys how you want,” but there’s something in my moral math that I’ve yet to reconcile when it comes to this subject. This lack of decision likely comes from being not a visible enough creator for folks to see the things I’ve done to OOP figs, let alone balk at them, or maybe it’s because the models weren’t Out-Of-Production at the time, or weren’t mainstream enough for folks to know about at all. Either way, I have a pang of guilt to consider, along with several dozen halflings who are now under my stewardship, and would likely appreciate knowing what exactly that stewardship entails.

Is it my responsibility to keep and treat these models as historical artifacts (the ones that aren't broken of course.)

Am I obligated to make them painted and presentable as they would have been in the period in which they were made?

Do I have the right to convert any of these models, even if they are my private property?

I’m probably thinking about this far too hard, but knowing that we’re still in the climb of costs (the models aren’t getting any cheaper,” and the increasing scarcity of oldhammer miniatures, these are choices we as a community will have to reckon with sooner than later. Maybe the choices you face will be easy, or maybe you’ve seen a solution that I haven’t. I’m reminded of another adage I can’t cite, “doubles is good, triples is better;” but are we past the point where we can do what we want, and still have the original flavor left over? In many global situations, no, and in this hobby, probably also no, although I’d be remiss not to cite the efforts being made to preserve this niche culture’s history, or meet the growing interest from the world-community of miniature wargaming hobbyists.

• There have been a number of initiatives to make 3D scans and 3D printables of many Oldhammer models or models that stand a fair chance at being lost to time.
• There are many contemporary sculptors who make a living working in the style of, and producing models that are reminiscent if not compatible with Oldhammer miniatures. In fact, some of these artists are the same artists from back in the day, who are able to make their living working with companies that want to produce minis that harken back to that time.
• While many of the old molds are dead and gone, there are some companies who’s business it is to make new molds of ancient figs, keeping many old model lines in production well into their twilight, (some of them are recasters sure, but that’s another thing to have opinions on, and this article is already getting quite long***.)

While none of these factors fully bandage the wound, (the wound is time and wear and tear and arguably is unfixable,) they do stem some of the bleeding, and provide welcome alternatives for many Oldhammer hobbyists. After all of that, I don’t really know where I stand, but as we roll into the new 30’s it’s hard to imagine the scarcity getting filled in, or the prices coming down anytime soon. That said, there are a few further factors that will reintroduce models to the market that I haven’t covered here.

• Collections can recenter the market when their owners pass away.
• Collections can recenter the market when their owners are in dire straits
• Sellers can have to lower prices if their prices are incompatible with their audience’s means.

It’s at this point where I take a beat to reflect; am I crying wolf, alongside that original argument I’ve failed to cite? Is there a problem if a luxury good becomes a more of a luxury good, or if a rarity levels up into super rare?

It reminds me of the Magic problem; where you’re split into camps of game pieces and investment portfolios, and the longer important cards are out of print the more it hurts the former and helps the latter. While there are other aspects to collecting Oldhammer than just playing, I think the parallel stands due to how prevalent buying, selling, and trading are in this community, and how important “brand name Lego” is in the whole equation. People who are looking for the old minis are going to want the old minis, not the knockoff/homage/bootleg recast version, unless that’s within their parameters for cool and/or acceptable.

So where does that leave us? At time-of-writing, EBay has less than 200 listings for Oldhammer halflings, two of which are selling halflings for less than $15 a pop (s&h included.)

Scratch that; there’s only one now. Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.

It’s possible that there are halflings I’m not aware of, since not everyone likes to share where their minis come from, lest too many swear the well and drink it dry. I could also have a bias because its a fun anecdote to say that I single handedly changed the market for small furry footed folk, making it in my best interest to cover my tracks and only present points that support my thought. It is possible that even though the price of halflings has shifted, there isn’t enough interest in these figures that this is a significant problem for members of the Oldhammer community, and so who really (besides me) is inconvenienced by this change? 

Any of these counterpoints could be true, and because I am where I am (or where I’m not) in these communities, it would be foolish of me to argue any of them away. At the end of the day, I’m one nerd with only so much perspective, and I’m sharing it with you for free. 

It wont buy you a halfling, but maybe you can add it to a pile of data and use it to make cents of this weird little world of collecting Oldhammer.

XXXXX

*Actually, I’ve been aware and have had an affinity for Oldhammer since I started playing in 2004. Even though my rules sensibilities are solidly in the Middlehammer period (2000-2015 or so) on account of everyone I saw playing Warhammer was playing with their older models, which were largely from that Oldhammer period. Additionally, some of the army books and the Big Red Book were full to brimming with the old models, and the Range Catalog was even more so. Oldhammer was around and present in my generation, even if it was being strategically phased out to cut costs and slim ranges.

**Obviously, I am only human, and only know so many places where I can buy Oldhammer halflings. My original statement was “I have decimated the available stock of Oldhammer Halflings in the United States,” and that was perhaps a stretch and such was pointed out to me. I definitely turned around after I was done and was like “oh, that’s not so many left,” and that’s what I based my initial statement on, but in the hopes of avoiding allegations of hyperbole, I’ve refined my claim.

That said, look out halflings, I’m coming for you.

***Actually I lied; here’s a quick opinion on recasters. I want everyone to be able to eat. In a perfect world, recasters and 3D printing guys don’t make things that the original company is still trying to sell to keep its employees alive (we know publicly traded companies are another ball of hair, but remember: ideal world) and that they have their own network of people who make things for these folks to cast/print. I think making copies of things that are no longer in production should be fair game, but should also be acknowledge as such. I have skin in the game as someone who works in wargaming retail, and as someone who makes rules and art and books and shit. As long as everybody eats (you, me, and the guys who make our toys,) do what you want and play with what you want. Personally I don’t use recasters (that I’m aware of) but I try not to hold judgement over anyone who does. While we’re at it, proxies are cool too, so long as you’re not using proxies to confuse your opponent, and it’s a choice made either for self expression or self preservation. Also, buy toys from my shop cuz I’m cool and you’re cool and we’re booth cool, cool?

PS: when investigating how realistic my observation and conclusions were, I got embarrassed pretty thoroughly on Reddit. Don't look it up, but lss, even if my collection, of which I've shared some photos of here (what I had handy in my squalor + dice) isn't actually representative of a diminishment of the raw supply, other people came forward with similar stories and claims, and other accounts verified them. Actually, go for it. Look up my embarrassing Reddit post. You have my blessing.

P.S.S. if you have any halflings you wanna sell for under $15 a pop, lmk ;)

P.S.S.S. You're terrific. Thanks so much for reading and have a great number 4!