I have seen several vintage moulds that have either NRA or N.R.A. stamped on the back of them. I have also seen numerous different explanations of what exactly it means. Some folks are explaining it as a distinct mould manufacturer. Others identify it as a special mould for certain shows or events. The truth is actually a little more interesting than that!
In the 1930s NRA did not mean National Rifle Association like it does today. It referred to the National Recovery Administration, which was a major New Deal program created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. The New Deal was meant to help the U.S. recover from the Great Deperssion. The NRA set industry codes for:
- Fair Wages
- Reasonable working hours
- Limits on child labor
- Fair competition between businesses
If a business agreed to follow these rules as they were set up then they could call themselves NRA Members. Businesses that followed the rules could also display the Blue Eagle logo. This logo was an eagle with spread wings. One talon was holding a "gear" which symbolized Industry and Labor. The other talon holds a group of lightning bolts which symbolized Power, Energy, and Modern Progress. Businesses proudly displayed this logo in store windows, on products (hence moulds with NRA or N.R.A.), and in ads.
It was not to last however. In 1935, the Supreme Court struck down the NRA in Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States (1935) mainly for two reasons:
- Unconstitutional delegation of power: Congress had given the president too much law-making authority by allowing him to approve “codes of fair competition,” which the Court said violated the separation of powers.
- Exceeded the Commerce Clause: The NRA regulated many local, intrastate (within the same state) businesses, which the Court ruled were not part of interstate (state to state) commerce and therefore beyond Congress’s constitutional authority.
Because of these issues, the NRA was declared unconstitutional. The agency was then shut down. However, good did come from it as many of the labor protections set up for the NRA were continued under later laws.
So what does this mean for Vintage Toy Soldier Moulds?
I have seen NRA in moulds from several different manufacturers including Home Foundry. Since the law was not signed until June 16, 1933 and was declared unconstitutional on May 27, 1935, technically moulds with NRA on them would only have been produced during that approximately 2 year window. However, I doubt moulds were immediately modified to include NRA on them. I REALLY doubt the moulds had NRA removed from them in May of 1935! I do believe however if you are a collector of moulds, the ones that have NRA on them would be slightly more rare and therefore perhaps a little more valuable than the same mould from the same manufacturer without NRA? It does however date the mould in so far as it cannot be older than 1933. If you have moulds that have NRA on them, leave a comment below identifying the mould and manufacturer!
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