New Acquisitions

I have been doing some model horse shopping, both online and in thrift shops, and have three new goodies to add to my collection.

This  Andalusian Foal looked like a possible pearly or chalky, so I bought it. It's not, but it's still cute.

Breyer Andalusian Foal, #3060, 1979-1993, $10, Etsy/Emily Cisco, Byron, Georgia.

Believe it or not, I did not have a matte bay Family Arabian Foal, so I snapped this one up when I found it.

Breyer Family Arabian Foal, #15 Shah, 1967-1974, has USA stamp, 3/9/2020, Etsy/Julie Borg, Bethel, CT

And I love the old Stretch Morgan in black, and found this lovely boy.

 Stretch Morgan, #48, 1965 - 1987, USA stamp, semigloss, $6, Sell It Here.

He has a chipped ear and I am going to see if I can sculpt a new one and fix it.

Family Arabian Foal - Version F

Sell It Here continues to be a gold mine for my collection! Tuesday I stopped by and brought home two pieces that had been there a while. This time I decided they were worth the cost and snagged them.

Family Arabian Foal, Joy, #9, F version, 1961-1966 (and into 70s and 80s), 2/2017, $4.95, Sell It Here, Lafayette.

It was filthy, but a hot water bath with some Dawn dishwashing liquid took care of that. I was very pleased with how this piece cleaned up!

Nancy Falzone

Mention the name "Nancy Falzone" around a bunch of chinaheads, and you get their attention. Who is Nancy Falzone? She probably has the premiere Hagen Renaker collection in the United States if not the world.

She's a friend of mine who I met at an auction probably twenty years ago in Illinois. I had heard there would be models for sale, so I drove up north to it (cannot remember where it was, but it was northern Illinois) and met Nancy and her friend, Michelle Oviatt.

Nancy and Don Falzone

They approached me during the time before the auction where you could go look at the merchandise. I was looking for HSO (horse shaped objects) and did not notice that they were, too. They noticed me, however, and approached me and introduced themselves.

"I knew you were one of 'us,'" Nancy crowed when they discovered I, too, was hoping to pick up a model or two. And we struck up a friendship then and there.

I have no idea if I bought anything, but I do remember thoroughly enjoying the two women. We exchanged contact information, and Michelle sold me my woodgrain FAF dirt cheap when she learned I was looking for one.

Nancy and I have stayed in sporadic contact over the years. About ten years ago, her stepson was injured in a bad automobile accident in the Champaign/Urbana area, and I was able to be a resource to her then. And, we've talked models, etc. online, and touch base every now and then. When I decided to attend this year's BreyerFest, I emailed her, hoping we could meet up there. And we will!

Below is some of our more recent correspondence. She is a classy lady, and I look forward to seeing her in a few short weeks.

Hi Lynn

I had a class reunion this past weekend & was so busy with that and could not find the time to look up a picture of Don & I.  I have one here for you now.  It is 5 years old but should still be alright.   I think we are in the 300's for Breyerfest and hope that you & I can connect up there.  It is coming on fast now & I have most of my sales stuff paced up now.  That is the worst part to get ready. 

Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Nancy

Wow, that is so exciting that I may get to see you once again after so many years.  Please get my attention because I may not recognize you after such a long time, my memory is not at all what it used to me.  I was thinking of you just a couple days ago when I bought a HR off eBay.  The seller lives in Springfield & I would of loved for you to bring it to Breyerfest, but at the time I didn't know that you were going.  The horse is a very fragile head up Arabian with Abu Farwa sticker.  I can't wait to see it in person.  Looking forward to seeing you again too, it will be here before I know it.  I am hoping for a room in the 300's, do you have a reservation? 

Good to hear from you.

Nancy

----- Original Message -----

From: Lynn Isenbarger

To: Nancy Falzone

Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2012 11:40 AM

Subject: BreyerFest

Hi, Nancy!

For the first time in umpteen years, I am going to BreyerFest. I am also showing at Breakables.

Any chance I will see you at either event? Would love to have a chance to say "hello." 

Lynn Isenbarger

Hi Lynne

I was so glad to hear from you.  Nice to reunite with old friends.  I have thought of you often over the years & wondered where you were.

I am going to Breyerfest as of now.  I am having some back issues & I have a month to get that fixed, so that I can go & have a good time.   I didn't have a way, but now looks like my husband will take me.  I knew of this collector friend named Bonnie Ellis that I was hoping to find & we could go together, but I had no luck there.  I tried every angle I could think of but never located her.   Next year maybe you & I could go together.  That would be nice. :-)

I don't know the maker of your horse either.  It is nice & resembles a Albany, but I don't think it is.  Maybe someone out there will step forward & will know who made it.  There are so many wonderful models out there I think & lots of people with so much knowledge.  I still collect mostly Hagen Renaker, but can't find much there to buy anymore.

Well, Lynn, it was so nice to chat with you.  Like I said, it is so nice to know you are still invoved in our hobby.  I hope your surgery goes well. You have a great day.

Nancy 

----- Original Message -----

From: Lynn Isenbarger

To: Nancy Falzone

Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 5:43 AM

Subject: Re: ID Help, Please?

Remember you?? Of course! And fondly, too. :)

I would love to go to BreyerFest, but I am having my second knee replacement in June and just won't be able to handle the walking. The following year maybe?

Attached are some pictures. I am not sure why they did not come through on breakables. I don't post much (although I read daily) so maybe I just don't know how to do it. The horse I have reminds me of one that Tom Bainbridge listed for sale and posted on Breakables a month or so ago. I saved his picture and have attached it, too. (The horse on the base.) His is Mill Reef by Albany Fine China. I have done some searching online but been unable to find out more. My horse does resemble his.

I hope you and yours are doing well. It is truly good to hear from you and has made me smile. :)

Lynn

  ~o

_'/<,_

(*)/ (*) I'd rather be biking!

---

From: Nancy Falzone <hrlady1@comcast.net>
To: lisenbarger8@yahoo.com
Sent: Mon, May 23, 2011 9:12:12 PM
Subject: Re: ID Help, Please?

Hi Lynn

I hope you will remember me because the minute I saw your name I remembered you so well.  I am Nancy Falzone & I just wanted to drop by & say Hi.

Any chance you will be at Breyerfest this year?

I could not retrieve any pictures of the horse you wanted id'd, so I am not much help there.

Nice to know you are still involved in the hobby!!

Nancy Falzone

Eartips - FAF

(Breyer Diva History, 2009.)


This is an illustration of what the Family Arabian Foal's curled eartips look like. The curly-eared foal is on your left, and a later version on the right.


There are other eartip versions - the Family Arabian Foal has gone through an insane amount of minor mold changes - but this one illustrates the difference quite nicely, I think.

The curled eartips disappeared rather quickly, and while I wouldn't call them rare, they're not terribly common, either. They were probably gone by late 1961 or early 1962, sometime around or before the introduction of the Palomino and Charcoals. I haven't seen an example of either the Palomino or the Charcoal with the curled eartips, which means they're either very rare, or nonexistent.

I'm not sure why the eartips were changed. My guess would be that they may have created a slight undercut, and caused the molded pieces to snag in the mold. You can just see, in the picture, that the mold lines on the ear don't follow the edge of the ear exactly, but are on the inside of the tips.

Many, but not all of the curly eartipped Foals have the C. Hess signature on the inside right hind leg - I have examples with, and without. Like I said, this mold had a crazy amount of mold changes: the signature probably got buffed out during some mold maintenance and tweaking. (Sorry, no pic of the signature today - my photography skills are just not up to it.)

I have no idea why the Family Arabian Foal - of all molds - went through so many different mold tweaks and alterations. Was there something just inherently wrong with the mold - a consequence of the rush to put it in production because of the Old Mold lawsuit? Or was it just such a popular or high production mold that it required a lot of maintenance - and the routine maintenance is to blame for all the bewildering changes?

I'm thinking more the latter than the former. It is a bit of a headache to keep track of all the subtle changes, but also neat in a way that we may be able to someday (theoretically) date any given Family Foal, to the year.