Me & Annie Oakley

What girl from my generation didn't know who Annie Oakley was?

Back in the 1960s, I had a cowgirl outfit my mother made (complete with a felt hat) and a "pearl" handled cap gun. My sister, Leslie, had the same, and we spent hours together cantering around the yard on our pretend cowponies doing our cowgirl duties and shooting 'em up, just like Annie did.

So, when I was asked to loan some of my horse collection for a display with Annie Oakley's things, I wasn't going to decline!

They are currently included in an exhibit at the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association's annual get together and competitive shoot along with artifacts loaned by the Annie Oakley Foundation and the Tippecanoe Historical Association.

(The common denominator? My sister, and fellow cowgirl, Leslie, who else?)

I have to admit, I am really excited that some of my horses are being included with an exhibit of Annie Oakley's things!

 One of the two glass display cases of my collection. (I am trying to get Leslie to take a photo of the second one.)

 Antique sidesaddles and rifles.

 Some of Annie Oakley's personal items.

 Literature on display.

Leslie and Rick walking through the display while a visitor examines rifles.

Not sure who these folks are, but you can see the second glass case with my horses in the background.

I also loaned Leslie some horses that I keep for my grandchildren to play with - pieces that are okay to be "loved hard" and can handle being galloped across the carpet. There is an area in the exhibit for children to do some hands on things, and they are being used in there. She called last night and said the display has been a big hit, and that the children especially are enjoying the horses.

Yep, me and Annie Oakley, together at last. And riding into the sunset after we've done our cowgirl duties.

Glossy Palomino Old Timer

I am not quite sure what the origin of this piece is. Is it a special run? A mid-year offering? I do know that it could be found in the "Ninja Pit" at BreyerFest, a place where Breyer puts out extras, unusuals, samples, etc.

It was marketed with no hat, no blinders, and is a glossy.

 Old Timer, 430002, $29, 9/2013, glossy palomino.

Mortens Studio Models

I got these two from Arline Wulfekotter in Cincinatti, Ohio. She listed them on eBay. It is VERY hard to find Mortens Studio pieces, let alone in such good of shape as these two.

 Black Walking Horse, $19.99, eBay, 9/2013.

The black piece is in excellent shape - just that small white spot on his side and some missing paint on his eartips.

 Bay Saddlebred/Gaited Horse, $25.87, eBay, 9/2013.

 Sadly, his ears are missing significant paint and there's some crazing or cracking on his neck.

Needless to say, both of these pieces will be treated very, very gently.

HR Circus Dogs

Lynn Lindgren has proven to be a valuable resource for HRs. After my purchase of the camels and elephants, I asked her if she had any other HR circus animals for sale. She did - these two dogs.

Begging Circus Dog, A-279, 1955-1956, $31, Lynn Lindgren, 8/2013.

Seated Circus Dog, A-268, 1955-1956, $28, Lynn Lindgren, 8/2013.

They were in MUCH better condition than she described - I was quite surprised at the state they were in, especially for pieces older than me.

Here is a picture pulled from Ed Alcorn's Hagen-Renaker online museum for reference:

Apparently, dogs came with and without the base; seems to have been at the whim of the manufacturer.

HR Circus Animals

Lynn Lindgren, a seller on MH$P, frequently has Hagen Renakers for sale at a good price, and often she will come down in price. This time, she even threw in a free piece.

 HR Head Down Elephant, 1987 - 1989, $9, Lynn Lindgren, 8/2013.

HR Seated Elephant, 1987 - ?, free (has chip on trunk), Lynn Lindgren, 8/2013

HR Standing Elephant, 1987 - 1997, $9, Lynn Lindgren.

HR Camel Mama with Fez, 1956, 1968, $18, Lynn Lindgren, 8/2013.

HR Camel Baby with Fez, 1956, 1968, $14, Lynn Lindgren, 8/2013.

VIN Numbers Explained

From Golden Oaks Stable Blog, August 22, 2011

Breyer Horse Collecting: Cracking the Code

About two years ago a mystery fell upon Breyer collectors. As they opened their new Breyer horses many noticed something a bit different. Upon close inspection the hoof of their new horse had a series of numbers and letters on it. Many questions have come up concerning these letters and numbers but now that the code has be deciphered it can be an important collecting tool to help collectors learn more about their horses.
In spring of 2009 Breyer horses first began entering collectors hands with a few little black numbers and letters hiding under one hoof. There are two types of these combinations, one that begins with the letters VIN and one that begins with the letters A. Each of these combinations, while cryptic, can tell us a great deal of information.
In 2008 the United States Government implemented the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act in response to recalls stemming from imports. One of the stipulations in this new act was that all imports need to bear an identification number that can be traced to a factory in case of a recall. On traditional horses, this number can be found on one of the horse’s hooves. On the smaller scale models, this number has been found on the actual packaging of the model.
The series of numbers and letters beginning with VIN or A then tell us which factory the models came from, but there’s another key piece of information that is very valuable for collectors. On horses marked with a VIN the three letters that follow will be the month the model is produced, example SEP or MAY.  Two digits will then follow the month which will be the year the model was produced. on models marked with A four digit number will follow, example 0311, the first two numbers indicate the month the model was produced and the second two will indicate the year.

A Model Made in March of 2011

A Model Made in September of 2010

A Model Made in May of 2011

A Model Made in May 2009

This cryptic information can be especially helpful for collectors as variations happen with certain runs and horses are reintroduced all the time. Breyer has finally created an easy to follow system for collectors to date their models with and all with a few tiny numbers and letters! 

Arnart Japan China

Also at Countryside Antiques in Lebanon was this sweet Arnart Japan foal for $5.

 Below is one that is very similar that I found on Jane Chapman's web site.

(Photo from  Eagle Ridge Collectibles.)

And some other reference photos (also from Eagle Ridge Collectibles.)