Hagen Renaker Collectors Club Survey

Kristina Lucas Francis, head of the Hagen Renaker Collectors Club, just sent out a survey to club members. As I recorded my responses, I thought It would be a good idea to put my survey here as it documents some of my own history within the model horse hobby.

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1. What year did you begin collecting Hagen-Renaker? If you don't know the
year, which factory era was in production when you began collecting?

1973 or 1974. My father saw an ad in the newspaper for a collection of horses for sale and offered to drive me to look at it. I already had some MIJs and Breyers and was participating in Ellen Hitchens' club (IMPHSA, if I remember the letters right)  and Simi Smiljanic's companion club for foals (IMPFSA) so I was aware of HRs. I just had not had access to them until this collection was offered for sale.

2. When you started collecting, were you a minor?

Yes. I was six years old and in 1963 Santa brought me a MIJ saddle pony (which I still have) for Christmas. Little did Santa know what he had just started. :D

3. How much later did you start "serious" collecting, if not serious from
the start?

Serious from the beginning - I  added pieces from then on. Mostly MIJs because they were cheap for every birthday and Christmas. And, most were broken and reglued multiple times. In the late 1960s my parents began buying Breyers, probably to stop the breakage problem! In 1970 I saw the article in Horse & Rider magazine where Don Burt judged Ellen Hitchen's year-end show. Her address was included, and so I wrote to her and joined her club. (I still have the magazine. There is a Zilla that won the foal class, and that was the first time I'd even heard of HRs.)

While I would say I was a serious collector from the get-go, my collecting purposes have changed over time. My first pieces were for the love of horses, and I played with my "herd of wild horses" with a black MIJ stallion as herd leader. Hence all that breakage. :D Then I began photo showing, and live showing after that, so my collecting focus shifted to pieces that might show well. Finally, I changed to simply collecting for the love of the old vintage pieces. Their beauty and history brings me great joy.
4. Did you naturally progress to serious collector, or did an abrupt change
of circumstance facilitate your transition to serious collecting? If
circumstance, mark or select/Bold all that apply: 
a. met another HR collector
b. income increase
c. new dealer/distributor in area
d. internet
e. model horse showing or other conventions (Disneyana)  
f. other (explain?)________________

E. Ellen Hitchen's club was when I found "people like me" - those who collected model horses. We were small back then, and spread apart with no internet (the days of the old SASEs and mimeographed lists of sales models!) but it was still fun.

5. Does your acquisition rate of HR have a steady influx, as in gifts for
holiday or birthday, or do you get new-to-you pieces in a serendipitous or
unscheduled manner?

I buy my own pieces as I find them. I regularly check antique shops etc. for them. Just found a DW Glitter last weekend for $3.50!

6. Do you actively pursue all HRs? If the answer is "No", do you
specialize in certain product lines, or by other criteria (sculptor,
factory era, color)?

No, I buy what I like. I do prefer the DW pieces of any era, though, but have a mishmash of product lines, factory eras, etc. Maureen Love is my favorite sculptor of any model company or independent sculptor/artist.

7. Do you collect reissues? If "Yes", which molds? If "No", why not? Is
there a particular mold you are waiting to buy as a reissue?

I have gotten a few (Zilla, Sherif, Comella, Modern Horse, Fersyn, Lippizaner), but the detail does not seem as nice and the prices are very high for what I see as a lesser quality paint job. I prefer to save my money for the old DW pieces and keep hunting for them. 

8. Does condition matter to you, when faced with an excellent model you
have been seeking? Do you wait for a mint example?

I would love for them all to be mint, but there is a certain charm in those who have had a rougher past. Maybe it's because I still have all my beaten up MIJs. Having said that, when buying, I pass over broken, non-restored ones for the most part. I have a few that have been restored, but prefer them mint when purchasing and paying top dollar. (An antique find of a broken one for under $50 or so? Would buy. Otherwise, I am not paying a high price for a broken piece.)

9. Where/who was your all-time favorite dealer or retailer of HR, even if
they still do not retail the brand?

I have never had a retailer. Mine come from those antique shops, flea markets, eBay, and other sources.

10. Do you actively participate in the model horse hobby with your HRs,
beyond collecting at home? Select/Bold all that apply: 
a. exhibitor 
b. judge
c. seller
d. custom on HRs/leased designs
e. restoration artist
f. accessory supplier (sell cases/pony pouches)
g. other (explain?)

a. exhibitor

11. Would you be interested in participating in online HR photo shows at
the club web site? Would you volunteer to judge one?

More likely to judge than actually show - I don't have the set ups and camera equipment to be competitive.

12. So far, you have seen two newsletter issues of the online HRCC.
Compared with the past printed paper club newsletter, does it compare
favorably in legibility, content, and punctuality?

I am loving it! I have learned so much and filled in gaps of my own HR knowledge. Thank you for taking the reins on this! It is better than before.

13. How can the HRCC improve?

 I would love it if the articles were dated. I find it a little difficult/confusing to find the articles that I have not yet read; dating them would help me with that. Other than that suggestion, no. I am really loving the club and am so glad I joined.

Hope that helps you out!

Lynn Isenbarger