BreyerFest 2013 Pieces

My childhood penpal, Beth Dickinson, and I are still in touch after forty plus years of writing! She is a model horse collector like me, and is always happy to do BreyerFest pickups for me when I cannot go. Here is this year's loot. I love everything she was able to get me.

Coasters!!

 I have not been able to find a number for them yet. $10

 Twill, #711159, $65, 800 made.

 She has a denim pattern in the blue paint.

 Rock-a-Billy, #711173, $25, 500 made.

Kipper/Vintage Showcase Box

My Breyer Kipper is in his original box. Not only is he rare, but the box is as well. Just as the article says below, I have found his box frustratingly flimsy - glad I've hung onto it all these years!!

From Tina Dils' blog, Darlin' Dils Collectibles

This Family Arabian Mare is in one of the most valuable boxes Breyer made.  She is an example of the Showcase Collection.  Previous to this time the models came in plain cardboard boxes with only the number and name of the model inside.  Retailers had a display in the store showing an example of the models they carried, and consumers would look at the display to choose the model they wanted to buy.  In the early 1970s Breyer wanted a package that showed off the model inside but also protected it from damage from handling.  This box was one of their early efforts.  It is a clamshell clear plastic with indents to keep the model from moving around too much in the box.  A catalog of their offerings for the year was generally included and there was a label somewhere on the box with the model name and number (in this case it is on the bottom of the box under the model).  These plastic boxes were quite flimsy, so after a few restylings Breyer moved to the solid cardboard box with a drawing or picture of the model on the outside instead.  The Showcase boxes are extremely rare, particularly in good condition and are usually far more valuable than the model inside.

Thanks to Christina Dils, I have a copy of an advertisement for the Kipper and the other (never produced) Thelwell models. Notice how different they are.

Brinn-Bradley-Kelvin Circus Ponies

I just bought this pair of circus ponies from Gayle Roller off eBay. She calls them Brimm-Bradley-Kelvin pieces and scanned some pages in from a reference book that showed them.

 Circus Ponies, Brimm-Bradley-Kelvin, $20, 7/2013, Gayle Roller.

 Clearly, they are copies of the Hagen Renaker Circus Ponies, but there were only two of those and I have seen at least six different poses of these.

One of my new ones isn't pictured. The tail-up isn't shown. Below is a picture pulled from eBay of another auction, and the circus pony with the arched neck is not shown in the book either.

The auction has an arched neck prancing horse that is not shown in the book above. (I do not own these pieces.)

 My newly acquired pieces are in the back in this picture. 

And my new walking pony is taller than my older one, although the pose is identical.

That puts the tally at eight different pieces that I know of. Betcha there are more than that out there!!

Denim and Diamonds - Size Discrepancy

As I put my new pair on the shelf, I noticed a significant size discrepancy between the two new ones and my four others.

 They are much larger than their older counterparts.

Are the older ones shrinkies? Maybe. But their size is so uniform, and I am not sure shrinkage would do that. I would think there would be some variation in their sizes.

I put a post on Blab asking if anyone else had a similar experience with their Denim and Diamonds. There has been some who feel that this is a part of the normal Breyer aging process, but others, like me, feel it is too uniform to be attributed to that.

A hobbyist who goes by Weegie (don't know her real name) posted this picture of her Shetland Ponies.

She has some that are different in size, others who are not.

The jury is still out, but I am sticking with my gut feeling that there is more than shrinking going on here.

Denim and Diamonds

Denim and Diamonds, the 3rd release for 2013 in the Vintage Collectors' Club, arrived today.

 Photos from Breyer's web site.

Denim and Diamonds, 7/2013, #712093, $135, Vintage Collectors' Club

I was frustrated with Breyer, an unusual thing for me. I paid for my set the day Breyer began accepting payment (June 25), but did not receive them until today (July 16.) Meanwhile, others who paid well after me, got theirs right away. Members of the club have been unhappy about the situation, too; apparently there were some problems with the shipment from China. I know of one collector who received two Diamonds in her box!

The eartips on mine are a bit rounded off. I considered returning them for replacement, but after reading others' reports about their sets, this seems standard. The color is beautiful, and so I have decided to keep them.

Western Prancing Horse - Large Spots

Breyer History Diva recently wrote a post on some models she'd found at a flea market, and included this picture of Breyer's Western Prancing Horse.

She wrote: 

I already have three or four other Appy WPHs, but unlike the others, this one has gigantic polka dot spots. That’s fairly unusual for that particular release - I should know! I’d been on the lookout for that variation for a while, but most of the ones were either too expensive, or didn’t pass muster.And he's almost mint! With his original saddle and reins!

- Breyer History Diva, July 2, 2013

Here's a picture of mine, named "Dappled Dude" after a fleabit grey horse I rode at Girl Scout camp back in the 1960s.  He, too, has the gigantic polka dot spots. I just didn't know they were a good variation to have.

Mine Again!!

Years ago, I found this piece new in box at a model horse show. It was a sought after piece then, but the seller either did not know that or just wanted to get rid of it. She sold it to me for $30.

I had it for about a decade and then, needing some money for my family, sold several bigger ticket items from my collection. I got considerably more for it than that ($130 - $150 if I remember right.) It's one model I have wished I still had for many years.

I found one on eBay last week with a Buy It Now for $125. That was more than I felt I should spend, so I put in a bid of $95. I figured that if I didn't get it, I would look another time.

Well, I won the piece, and it arrived today. It is in beautiful condition and I am thrilled to have it in my collection again!

Breyer 701, Flocked Saddlebred Weanling Rocking Horse, 1986-1987, $95, June, 2013, eBay

Hartland Knockoff Horse & Rider

I found this set at Leaping leopard Antiques Saturday. The owner told me she had gotten it from another owner of an antique store who "collected horses." According to her, that owner told her it was a Hartland and gave her the name of the set (which she could not remember. I have looked through my reference books but do not find this piece, so I believe it to be a knockoff. (I also have an email out to Gail Faith, Hartland expert, to get her opinion.)

Later: I heard back from Gayle Fitch who asked me to take a picture of this piece, presumably for her next book. She says,

This is a knockoff, but at least it’s in excellent condition. (I have one with the rider’s paint peeling off! Could I maybe use your picture? Or are you selling it?)

The thick plastic reins are original. Mine has those reins, and have seen others with reins like that in antique shops.

There are a couple of different knockoffs of the Hartland Large Champs; three if you count Breyer! I think the manufacturer of this copy is Ohio Plastic (no “s,” just “Plastic”).

Ohio Plastic Hartland Horse and Rider set, $32, June 2013, Leaping Leopard Antiques

On July 2, 2013 Breyer History Diva wrote on her blog that she had just found a huge box of horses at a flea market, and it included many Marx horses and tack, some Hartland Horse and Riders, and a few Breyers and others. One like mine was in the picture and she said she was going to keep it. (She called it Ohio Arts not Ohio Plastics.)

The fact that Gail asked me if I was selling mine, and Breyer History Diva kept one that she found, tells me I may have something I should hang onto, at least until I get more information about it!!

Hartland Knockoff Clydesdale

I found this piece at Leaping Leopard Antiques Saturday. It is a close Hartland knockoff and was a brewery souvenir just as the Hartland Two Point Clydesdale was.

 Hong Kong Toe Touch Clydesdale, $10, Leaping Leopard Antiques, June, 2-13.