Jolly Cholly Insurance Dog

Yesterday, Lisa and I trekked down to Lebanon to the Countryside Antique Mall on 52.  They had several Breyers, including one I had heard about but never seen - the Jolly Cholly Insurance Promo. I brought it home with me.

 Breyer Jolly Cholly, #326, 1968/69--1985, Countryside Antique Mall, Lebanon, Indiana, $14

It's an interesting piece - one that has made many hobbyists scratch their heads as they tried to document him. Currently, it is not considered an OF Breyer in this state. Most seem to believe the chain and sign were added by a company using the pieces as a promotional.

Nancy Atkinson Young writes in her book, Breyer Molds and Models 1995, 4th Edition 1997, p. 266:

"A number of collectors have found #326s with an unusual feature: a chain entwined through four holes drilled into the neck, with a brown plastic card hanging from the chain. The cards have white lettering, which most commonly says "American Interinsurance Exchange." However, collector Sande Schneider found one that says "American Interstate Insurance Corporation of Wisconsin," and collector Mary Margaret Fox has one that says, "American Underwriters Group." The chain is of a different type from that used for Breyer horse reins or the Boxer's collar, and evidently Breyer did not supply it or the plastic cards. Collector Thea Ryan, who found one of the the "American Interinsurance Exchange" models at a flea market, notes that the reverse side of the card is printed with the name and address of Hoosier Badge and Trophies, Inc. in Indianapolis. Thea wrote to the trophy company and received a reply in June, 1992. The trophy company said they had made the cards for the insurance company at least nine years before - that would be 1983, which is consistent with the fact that these dogs have "U.S.A." stamps, dating them to no earlier than 1970. The trophy company did not have details but thought the insurance company had used the dogs as promotional items. In any case, the fact that the insurance company had the cards made indicates that Breyer had nothing to do with the creation of these insurance Chollys beyond manufacturing the basic models from which they are made."

Note: my piece does NOT have the name and address of Hoosier Badge and Trophies, Inc. printed on it. It is blank.

Lucy - Vintage Collectors' Club

Lucy is an offer to Vintage Collectors' Club members only, not one of the four models you receive when you sign up for the club. She arrived today, and I am thrilled!

 Lucy, #712078, $69, Vintage Collectors' Club members special offer, 2013

I love my membership in the Vintage Collectors' Club - the models have been old favorites in vintage colors.

Craig Listens Well

Craig and I spent yesterday and today in Shipshewana, Indiana for some CES meetings. We were out shopping this morning and Craig spied this sign:

He said, "That reminds me of your collection. Oozies, and shrinkies, and chalkies, and pearlies, oh my!"

I had to laugh - this summer I have been dusting and cataloging my collection. Obviously he has been listening to me chatter about what I have on my shelves!

I knew I had one shrinky, but discovered a few more. I have a fair number of chalkies, and just a couple of pearlies. I have only one possible oozie (thank goodness for that!) and it is safely away from the herd and in a box in the closet. That way, if it begins leaking, it won't damage the other pieces or my shelves.

Good to know he listens to me, even when he would probably prefer not to!

Woodgrain Family Arab Foal

Craig and I were in Shipshewana, Indiana (home of the Peter Stone factory and the third largest Amish population in the country) so I was hopeful I would find some HSOs as we shopped. We did! I found this Family Arab Foal in woodgrain:

 Family Arab Foal, woodgrain, #909, 1961-1963 (?), Shipshewana antique mall, $19, June, 2013.

I left behind what was probably a chalky Foundation Stallion but I have trouble identifying the basecoat chalkys. However,  Craig commented  that the piece looked odd, so you know it most likely was a chalky it if it was so obvious to someone who does not even know what a chalky is!

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.

Brenda Breyer Gift Set

Another piece she had came with the original 1980s box!

Brenda Breyer Gift Set, #3095, 1980 - 1985, $25, Kim Myers, Decatur, Indiana

Cream of Tartar

Tina Dils, a fellow hobbyist, just started a collecting blog. There are a LOT of artists' blogs for remaking, sculpting, and painting, but not too many for those of us who simply like to collect. It's a new blog, but her third post helped me add two nice vintage pieces to my collection!

Tina suggested that collectors look on Craigslist as well as some other places for pieces. I had looked there before without success, but thought I would give it a whirl again. And this time, I found a woman, Kim Myer, in Decatur, Indiana, who was selling her entire collection.

Better yet, she was a collector, so her pieces were good ones. Even better? Her prices were reasonable and in-line with today's market (Breyer values have been low since the economy tanked in 2009.)

I contacted Kim and bought two pieces form her. The first is one I have wanted for years: Cream of Tartar.

 Cream of Tartar, #700196, SR 1996, Breyer Show Special, $25, Kim Myers, Dectaur, Indiana