Windsong Stables: June 2016

Taken from a Blab post titled "B Stamp Models". This is Sande Schneider's entry to that thread and was written 1/22/16.

I firmly believe that most of us in this hobby revere the research and writings of Nancy Young. She addressed the subject of the B mold marking in her books. The following is what she included in her unfinished 6th edition. Keep in mind as you read it though, that this was her opinion in 2002 when she was working on that edition of her book. Therefore it may not still be her opinion today.

“B” stamp, late 1979 - 1983. This mysterious stamp was used on many and perhaps all
Traditional, Classic, and Stablemate molds that were in production in the period late 1979 - 1983,
except for new molds introduced 1982-83. On some molds, for example the Fighting Stallion,
“Phantom Wings,” Running Stallion, Stock Horse Stallion, Western Horse, and Classic Andalusian
Family Mare, the “B” is upside-down (or backward, however you prefer to think of it). But on other
molds the “B” is right side up.
The evidence that I have collected indicates that the “B” stamp first appeared in 1979, on at
least a couple of molds. The lighter version of the 1979 SR dapple Clydesdale Mare and one
version of the 1979 SR dapple gray Belgian have the “B.” Not all 1979 dapple Belgians and
Clyde Mares have this stamp, however, which suggests that these horses were made in
successive batches (as is also indicated by the fact that both of these SRs come in more than one
version) and that only the batches made later in the year got the stamp.
Of the many molds that got this stamp, most had it removed within a very few years, but not
all molds had it removed at once. On some, such as the Family Arabians and Running Mare and
Foal, it was gone by 1982 (the 1982 SR light chestnut FAS and SR dark chestnut FAM and FAF
do not have a “B,” nor do the 1982 SR Running Mare and Foal in red roan and Running Mare
in palomino). Though the stamp was definitely discontinued as of 1982 in the sense that it was
not put on any new molds introduced in 1982 or later, nonetheless some molds that had received
the stamp hung onto it at least into 1982. For instance, the 1982 SR black Belgian with blue/white
tail ribbon has the “B.” Many molds that had the “B” certainly lost it by 1983—the stamp is not
on the 1983 SR gray appaloosa Stock Stallion, the 1983 SR palomino Foundation Stallion, or
either version of the Penneys SR buckskin “Lady Phase” (1983 and 1984). But some molds kept
their “B” into 1983. For instance, some black-point Proud Arabs have a “B” (Jo Kulwicki, Sande
Schneider, and Chelle Fulk all have black-point PASs like this; Chelle also has a black-point PAF
with the “B”). Since the black-points were, according to Breyer catalog photos, made 1983-84,
the “B” stamp must have been used on this mold at least into 1983. But since not all black-point
Proud Arabs have the “B” (Jo Kulwicki’s mare, for example, does not) the stamp must have been
removed from the mold no later than 1984.
A few molds that got the “B” stamp never had it removed. These molds are the Rearing
Stallion (Classic scale); polled standing Black Angus Bull; Brahma Bull, which had the “B” stamps
on its legs removed but still has tiny “B”s on its horns; Bighorn Ram; and Buffalo, which still has
a tiny “B” stamp on its left horn (the mold used to have a “B” on the right horn too, but that
eventually disappeared—“Tatanka” does not have it).
On most models with a “B” stamp, the stamp lurks on the hind leg opposite the leg with the
copyright stamp. The Stablemates, however, wear their “B” stamps on their undersides. The
Brahma Bull and, as just mentioned, the Buffalo have a tiny “B” on their horns. Oddly, some
molds have their “B” stamp upside-down (or backwards, however you care to think of it)—the
“Phantom Wings” mold, for instance, and the Western Horse, among others.
The “B” stamp was evidently introduced when Breyer stopped using its traditional cellulose
acetate plastic and began using a type of plastic called cellulose propionate. This explanation of
the “B” is given in a hobby publication issued in 1981 or 1982, that is, during the “B” era. The
publication is a handout titled “Mold Markings and Factory Finishes in Date Order,” written by
collector Becky Helm as part of her Model Horse Council information service. Becky states on the
handout: “‘B’ 1980-current / This was added to indicate the change from Acetate to Proprionate
[sic] plastic.” Undoubtedly Becky got this news from the factory. These types of plastic are also
discussed in a 1983 newsletter entitled Insights, published by Eastman Chemical Products, which
supplied Breyer’s plastic for many years and manufactured these plastics under the brand name
Tenite. When I discussed the “B” stamp with Breyer executive Peter Stone in October 1995, he
had no recollection about the stamp per se, but he was certain that Breyer had indeed used
propionate for virtually the whole plastic Breyer line for a couple of years during the oil-crisis era.
Propionate cost less than acetate, which became scarce and expensive in that period (see Breyer
Company History above in this Appendix). Stone could not recall the precise years in which
Breyer used propionate, but it is well known that the oil crisis raged through 1980 and tapered off
over the next two years. This timing coincides with the “B” era.31 Furthermore, according to Stone,
propionate, which is lighter weight than acetate, cannot be mixed with acetate. It has various
chemical properties that make such mixing an absolute “no no.” This means that in regrinding
scraps of molded plastic for reuse—an economy measure that the company has always
practiced—Breyer had to be careful not to mix propionate scraps with any acetate the company
may have used in this period. (Stone’s comments are borne out by a document entitled Tenite
Cellulosic Plastics Injection Molding, published on the web site of Eastman Chemical Company,
www.eastman.com. The publication states: “Tenite acetate is not compatible with Tenite butyrate
or Tenite propionate and must not be mixed with either of them. . . . Scrap from each material
should be kept separate and clean if it is to be processed again or if it is to have any reclamation
value.”) Thus Stone finds it plausible that the company would have added a mark to models
made of propionate to distinguish them clearly from acetate products. Why a “B” (for “Breyer”?)
was chosen rather than a “P” for “propionate” isn’t clear. In any case, propionate caused Breyer
many headaches and so was discontinued after roughly two years. This explains why the “B”
stamp was discontinued so soon after being introduced. It is also interesting to note that the dates
of the “B” stamp era (1979-83) fall within the period during which Breyer catalogs omitted all
mention of plastic, namely 1978-84. Most previous catalogs and all subsequent ones mention
cellulose acetate.