Artifact Detective: Lead Figurines

This Artifact Detective post was contributed by Sarah Dieter, Collections Management Intern.

Please help us uncover some of the stories behind our objects. Leave a comment with anything you may know about the featured item. We welcome all information, and we’d appreciate sources and citations when possible. Thanks!

What we know:
Two of the figurines are holding pistols and two are holding Tommy guns.
All four figurines are in excellent condition and were purchased together.

Toys, lead figurines of police officers holding pistol and Tommy gun, man in beige holding pistol, man in gray holding Tommy gun, unknown date. 2006.423.1-4. Collection of the NLEM, Washington, DC.

What we want to know:
When were these toys produced and by whom?
Were the figurines originally sold all together or separately?
Were more figurines originally part of this set?
Are these characters from a movie or television show? If so, which one?
What kinds of lessons do you think someone might learn from playing with these figurines?

If you have any information about this object or own an object similar to this, leave us a comment!