Richter's Anchor® Stone Building Sets

Richters Anker-Steinbaukasten

(Vol. 7, # 7)

In 1894 an exhibition castle was built by the Richter company and shown at an exhibition in Erfurt.  There is more documentation on this castle than any of Richter's other exhibition buildings.  For this reason, among others, this castle has attracted the attention of builders over the years.  In the current CVA journal (MLB) another builder (AV Peter Hartel) has presented his version of the castle.  This month the builder's page contains the version built by AV George Hardy (me).  Along with four pictures of the castle, two of the photographs of the original castle and the two drawings of the castle are shown.

In addition, the buildings of the KaDeWe exhibition in Berlin last December are being shown -- one at a time.  All models were of famous Berlin buildings.  This month the featured building, built by AV Dieter Wellmann of Stromberg-Schindeldorf, Germany, is the Brandenburg Gate.

The set # 18A is a reality!  This set introduces the Gothic arches in three different sizes.  It contains 230 stones.  The price is $200, the same as the # 16A.  There are fewer stones than the #16A, but the Gothic arches justify the price.   

The new CVA booklets of building plans for set GK-NF # 12 available.  It costs $15.00, post paid.  Remember that with a purchase of an Anchor set from # 10A and above, including the new 18A, this set of books costs only $10 extra, if I can pack the books in with the set (that is, not mailed to another address).

The next CVA meeting will be on Saturday, October 26, 2002.  I plan to be there.  See the CVA page for details.

The CVA has published a Stone Catalog.  Again I brought home six copies, in the correct European binder -- $30, ppd.   Only three are left.  Even if you have no other Anchor reference book, you need to buy this one.  This catalog is not, and will not become, available on CD-ROM, and the next update won't be available for many months.  The update is concentrating on the contents of the unusual sets.  The amount of detailed information is very great, and the information keeps coming in.  And it has become clear that e-mails with just numbers will not do; Leo Coffeng must receive a photocopy or scan (in color if at all possible) of the packing plan.

Richter's Anchor Stone Building Sets (Richters Anker Steinbaukasten) were the world's most popular construction toy from the early 1880s through W.W.I.  These building stones were made in Rudolstadt, Thuringia, Germany, (and at the company's branches in Vienna, New York , but not St. Petersburg, Russia).  Starting in 1880, Richter's Anchor building stones were covered by international patents and trademarks.  AV Burkhard Schulz, Ellerau bei Hamburg, has produced a wonderful video entitled Ankerstadt Rudolstadt.  He gave a copy to the CVA Archive, and it is possible he might let you have a copy if you want one.  Americans remember: 1) the video is in German and 2) the German TV system is not compatible with the USA TV system.

Today, there are many collectors and builders using Anchor Stone Building Sets.  These collectors often participate in setting up Anchor displays at various exhibitions.   A number of them are members of the international Club of Anchor Friends (Club van Ankervrienden), a Dutch club with members from the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Great Britain and the USA.  The meetings of the Club of Anchor Friends has been moved to the Hotel Lapershoek in Hilversum.  

Over 600 different Anchor Stone Building Sets were produced in a number of different series.  In addition Richter offered other "stone" products such as puzzles and laying games.  Information on these building set series is provided here, but one can e-mail me on other Richter products.  People who would like to know more about a specific set, including value, or are only interested in additional general information are urged to contact George Hardy.  All e-mail questions will be answered, to the extent of my knowledge.

Sets and puzzles are being produced again!  The quality is high.  I urge people interested in starting Anchor building, and those who want to provide their educational benefits to their children, to consider buying new puzzles and sets.  Also I may have available a limited selection of old sets (including notes on additions to my own collection), including a new set and some special prices.  Anchor Stone Building Sets are great presents, and the supplement sets make wonderful follow up gifts.  These new sets recently won the 1997 Parents' Choice Gold Medal.  In 1999, the Anchor sets won the National Parenting Publications Award.  For an 1880 toy to win in 1997 and 1999 says a lot about the quality of these sets and Anchor in general.  These sets are a perfect supplement to computers.

For those who are really interested in Anchor stones, I have written a book about them.  (I just got tired of either looking up the same information again and again, or trusting my memory on specific details such as dates and names.)  It is expensive, $50 (or 50 Euros, your choice), ppd, because I print it myself on my PC and color ink is expensive.  The book undoubtedly contains far more information about Anchor stones and sets, the Richter company, etc. than you'll ever want to read.  This book is a lot of work to print (I print about a dozen at a time, in either English or German, and it takes a week, full time.), so please don't think I am urging you to buy one.  The book is also available on CD-ROM.  See below.

Web Page Notes:  Most subpages do not change from month to month.  The "builder's page" is revised every month.  A few people have asked me to number the "issues" of the Anchor page.  Well, they started in August, 1996, (with Vol. 1, # 8, to keep the number of the month the same as the issue's number).  The number of this "issue" is shown at the top of this page.  All web pages are found in the CD-ROM Archive, CD-ROM # 3.  See below.

CD-ROM Archive: I can  supply the CD-ROMs of the CVA's CD-Archive.  More scans are being added all of the time, and the "holes" in the documentation are being filled.  Of course, more scans means more CDs, and as scans are added some files are moved to other CD.  As of today, there are ten CD-ROMs in the Archive, plus, for CVA members only, 6 additional CD-ROMs of the old MLBs.  (Do not try to buy these MLB CD-ROMs unless you are a CVA member.  I check the membership list.)  All of the scans are JPG files.  # 1 contains the GK-NF building and layer plans, excluding # 34, the Anchor book in PDF format in English, plus odd things like box covers, figures, insets, rulers, etc.; # 2 contains the DS and # 34 building and layer plans; # 3 contains all packing plans, the Anchor book in PDF format in German and the web site with index; # 4 contains the building and layer plans for the second series of GK-Br and Imperator, the VE series; # 5 contains the KK building and layer plans, plus Comet, Erste Folge, Eagle, Imperator (all metal) and mosaic plans; # 6 contains documentation including my book in both English and German and various magazines (like the Anker Zeitung) and magazine articles, plus information on other Anchor products (like Lebkuchen, medicines and mechanical music instruments) ; # 7 contains the building and layer plans for the series 100 (Neue Reihe), 200 (Modern [American] House Series), 300 (Landhaus [Country House] sets), 400 (Festungs- und Burgen-Baukasten [fortress and castle sets]), NS, Capital, Täfelchenlegen, games, VEB, LaVelle, Orion, KMBK (Art Model Building Sets), Eisenbrücken, A-B (American Bridges); # 8 contains the building and layer plans for the series GK-AF, the first series of GK-Br, Exhibition models, Richter (includes his will and other documents regarding his estate), Rudolstadt; # 9 Catalogs, Special Sets, pictures of the original factory (perhaps I will add pictures of the new factory, assuming permission is granted); # 10 Personal Designs, plus advertisements and Im (1st series), and # 11 an overview using PDF and other more modern PC programs and formats.  Only the members of the Club of Anchor Friends are permitted to purchase the six CD-ROMs containing all of the MLBs (up through Fall, 2001), including both the English and the German language translations.  If you want to buy one or more of these CD-ROMs, please send $2  (or euros, your choice) for the first CD-ROM and $1 each for the rest -- postage included, no matter where they are going.  CDs are inexpensive, so I do not see a problem if, at this stage of the Archive, some CDs may become obsolete due to relocation of files.

Please note that this home page is revised monthly.  Most of the graphics are JPEG, which improves quality and reduces file size.  The URL name -- ankerstein.org -- indicates that this site is the official web site of the Club of Anchor Friends.

My e-mail address is georgeh@ankerstein.org.  That address is an alias for my 'real' e-mail address, which is georgeh@ankerstein.org.  If I ever change the ISP for the web site -- www.ankerstein.org -- my 'rlc' e-mail address would change, but my 'ankerstein' e-mail address is (more or less) permanent.  

Many new graphics, and additional text, are uploaded once a month, as close to the first as possible.  I do not change the full set of graphics, as most people never read beyond the first page.  If you only have a little time, I urge you to take a look at the "builders" page.  And please plan to drop by monthly to see the new pictures.  In the restricted space of my home page, I can provide only a limited view of the wonderful world of Richter's Anchor stones.

Other web sites with Anchor pictures and information:
         new Anchor factory in Rudolstadt, Germany, (in German and English);
         a German retailer of Anchor sets, (in German);
         the USA importer and distributor;
         the best retailer of construction toys in America, includes Anchor sets, of course;
         an English retailer of Anchor sets;
         German Museum in München, (in German);
         Stephen Wessel's Anker page, (in German);
         Kunst-Auktionshaus Martin Wendl, (in German);
         Construction Toys;
         Lego on Long Island;
         Architectural Toys;
         the puzzle web page is a must for all puzzle collectors, although not much on Anchor puzzles.

         If you feel that your web site should be included in this list, please let me know.  I would love to be able to
         add a Dutch mail order retailer.

For the month of July, 2002.  



Anker-Steinbaukasten, auf deutsch.  


Anker-Steenbouwdozen, in nederlands  (und auf Deutsch).  


Anchor Stone Building sets, in English.  (You found it.)

"Anchor" and "Anker" are registered trademarks of the Rudolstädter Anker-Steinbaukasten-Fabrik GmbH & Co. KG.

Thank you for visiting the CVA "Anchor" web site.

georgeh@ankerstein.org

or you can write to:

George Hardy
1670 Hawkwood Ct.
Charlottesville, VA 22901

Tel: (434) 295 4863
Fax: (434) 295 4898

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No Java.  No music.  No moving icons.  No garbage.  Ever.  Just Anchor.