Found! A Most Wanted

I don't haunt eBay like some collectors do, but every now and then I check it out and do searches for some of my favorite models. Last weekend I found my most wanted Breyer of all - the Semi-Rearing Mustang in woodgrain.

Recently he has been going to $500 and more - more money than I can justify. But this one was at $230 with 22 bids and was still within what I was willing to pay. So, I went to eSnipe and put in a bid. I won the auction, for $280, less than what I was willing to pay!

 Diablo, Woodgrain Semi-Rearing Mustang, #985, 1963-1966, $280, eBay/Patrick Cacciapaglia, 1740 Portland Rd., Arundel, ME 04046, 1/2018.

He has some tiny rubs, but is in wonderful condition. I am thrilled! (Photo credit to eBay seller.)

Semi Rearing Mustang with Box

Another piece from Krystle. She'd posted a sales picture on Model Horse Blab, and I'd noticed this piece had a box in the background, so I emailed her and asked her about it. When she learned of my interest in vintage boxes, she shared that she also had a PAS for sale which I also purchased.

Diablo with box and USA stamp, #87, 1961-1986, $25, Krystle Conroy, Fortuna, CA, 2/2014.

TSC SR Dillon

 Dillon, #301150, $50, TSC SR, 9/2013

Love the shading on his shoulders!

Semi-Rearing Mustang - Nuances

Breyer History Diva wrote a bit about how to tell the age of a buckskin Semi-Rearing Mustang, one of my most favoritemolds.

From Breyer History Diva, June, 2013

I was just thinking about that myself - there's a lot of variation in the Buckskin Mustang, which isn't surprising, since it was made for almost forever (by today's standards!)

I haven't codified all of the nuances, but here are a few:

The easiest way to tell is to check for a USA mark. No USA = prior to 1970. Nubbed/trimmed front hooves are also an indication of age, though I'm not sure when that practice was discontinued.

The very earliest ones have painted eyewhites. Those are pretty hard to come by, though. (And if you find one, snag it!)

Earlier Mustangs tended to have more greyish legs than later ones, contrasted by their black hooves. It wasn't until near the end of the run that the legs were painted true black.

Dorsal stripes are another indicator of age; again, I'm not entirely sure when they stopped putting them on - early 1970s, I believe.

Earlier Mustangs also have either neatly airbrushed or masked manes; again, it's hard to date precisely. My super-early one with eyewhites has a neatly-airbrushed mane, but a mid-1970s one I just picked up recently was masked.

Semi-Rearing Mustang Variations

(Photos from Blab.)

Some pictures of Semi-Rearing Mustang variations.

 Ruby

Vintage Glossy Grey Appaloosa

Charcoal Palomino

(From Breyer History Diva, 2009.)

Charcoal Palomino?

I was reviewing some of my earlier material the other day - the stuff from that nebulous, lightly documented period of 1961/2 - and again found myself wondering about the origins and history of the color Charcoal.

The color Charcoal didn’t make its debut on a Breyer model until ca. 1961, when it first appears on the Mustang. On the duotone insert sheet, he’s simply listed as "Charcoal." (Interestingly, Charcoal is not listed as an available color for the Fighting Stallion, which means he might have been a later, or last-minute addition to the lineup.) Charcoal is the term used to describe this color in all known Breyer catalogs and price lists (except in the rare instances where an exceptionally dark Smoke model that could pass for Charcoal was represented. Those were still called "Smoke.")

However, in a couple of early mail-order fliers - both from Red Bird Sales, and Mission Supply House - the term used to describe the same color is "Charcoal Palomino." The fact that both of these mail order companies used this rather idiosyncratic way to describe this color suggests that they took it from the same source: presumably, from a still-missing wholesale price list from that era (1961, I'm guessing.)

Here’s a little snippet from the ca. 1961 Mission Supply House flier. I was going to include clips from the ca. 1961 Red Bird Sales flier, but they’re really poor quality multigenerational copies and rather unsightly. This is straight from an original.


That Breyer used one term to describe a color in the catalog, and quite another on their wholesale price lists, is something we covered briefly just a couple days ago. It’s not a surprise. Or a really big deal, to be honest, though it does suggest an interesting research topic.

What if Charcoals were actually based on an actual photograph of an especially Dark Palomino? Or maybe it was a photograph that labeled this color "Charcoal Palomino"? If so, it could be possible to track down the photograph that actually inspired the color.

Were other oddball colors - like the Gray Appaloosas, and "Honey Sorrel" also taken from similar photographic inspirations? Hmm.

Semi-Rearing Mustang - Hoof and Multiple Posing

(From Breyer Diva History, 2009)


“Multiple Posability?” Huh? Just a fancy term I coined for unjointed, unarticulated models that can be posed in more than one position (usually just two.) The Nokota Horse can either rest on three feet, or his hind legs and tail, for that extra added oomph. The other models that share this trait include:

• Robin Hood Rider
• Traditional Rearing Mustang
• Bucking Bronco

Many nonhobbyist eBay sellers seem to think that the Fighting Stallion and Rearing Stallion have multiple posability: one wonders what they think the footpads and flat-bottomed tails were for. I sometimes try to rationalize - optimistically, I know - that maybe it's just easier for them to photograph it that way.

Here's a pic of the Robin Hood Rider from a mid-1950s sales flier:


I've always thought it took some clever and creative thinking to design a rider figurine that also works as a standing figurine, without the benefits of joints.

A few years later, in the ca. 1961 insert sheets, we had Breyer touting the Mustang's posing options:


Note the fact that his front hoof is intact. In spite of their apparent awareness of his multiple options, they seem to have abandoned the notion of multiple posability with the Mustang early on: the front hoof of most early Mustangs still had their hooves trimmed, including my beautiful and extremely early Buckskin Mustang with eyewhites.