What have I got here (again)?

[Terry Bond]

It's a Hershey find. Beyond that, I'm not sure. Hopefully there are some forum folks who know more than I do about the image, the artist and the item. It's a cast metal image with great high relief. I would have thought aluminum but this thing is very heavy. I've photo'd it alongside a pen so you can get some feel for the size of it. It's extremely well done, and on the back is a tag that indicates it was a gift from Richard Feil before he returned to Germany. I did some checking on the internet and Richard Feil was a talented model maker who produced a lot of scratch built models of early vehicles including one of old #16. He was born in 1920 and died 2006. I found some reference to some of his models selling at auction for quite large sums. This piece isn't signed so I can't be certain of it's provenance.

The image itself is not unusual. I've got the same image on early duster buttons, jewelery items, a watch fob and a piece of sheet music. I've been told it's a Gordon Bennett race car but I can't confirm that.

So - does anyone out there know more about Richard Feil, if this is something he produced (one off?), what the image actually represents, or what this item really is? There is no mounting stud on the backside so it didn't come off a plaque of something else. I like it a lot but like everything else in my collection, I'd like to know more about it.

Thanks,

Terry

[Guest Frank Schaeffer]

Hi Terry- I have been searching for information on Richard Feil as well-last year I was able to purchase the model of OLD 16 that he built in 1968-it is of all brass construction and totally scratch built. the model came out of Germany and is absolutely exquisite. I was not expecting engine detail or chassis detail but he covered those also and in very fine detail.there are a hand full of other models in this 1/16 scale that I have managed to save images of -but that is all of the info I have been able to come up with. I build models of early race cars myself and am currently working on a model of ''old 16''. if you are interested in any of the images email me and I will send them.and if you come up with any additional information on Richard please let me know. sincerely Frank Schaeffer