Irish Dresden Circus Pony

This unusual piece was added to my collection thanks to my friend, Susan Bensema Young. Knowing my love of circus ponies, she keeps an eye out for them and discovered this one on eBay. The price was almost $300, more than I felt it was worth, but after watching it for two months, I contacted the seller and made an offer. She countered, and the piece was mine! (Thanks, Sue!)

 Irish Dresden Circus Pony, $175, eBay, 2/2018, Paige Casey, 15311 Spruson St., Odessa, FL 33556.

 The Irish Dresden Company specializes in using fabrics that they fire onto their pieces. The tack and mane/tail decorations all were fabric at one time.

 The base is stamped with the company's logo and the name of the piece.

A close up of the stamp. Note that it is an "R" in a circle that the stamp from their Facebook page does not have.

 The logo from Facebook.

And, the crown is attached to the line drawn around "MV." (That stands for Muller Volkstedt.)

Another horsey piece of Irish Dresden that I found on the web - there are not many!

Information that I have found on the web:

Irish Dresden began with the late 19th century Germany artist Anton Muller, in the small town of Volkstedt, under the then banner Muller Volkstedt. Muller's skills with fine lace porcelain figures did not go unnoticed and his work quickly gained a reputation. Since his death in 1937 his family has kept up the tradition of pristine porcelain craftsmanship and kept the business alive, despite it having faced a rough history that includes the destruction of their factory during WWII, the deaths of Muller and his son, Herman, as well as the family being forced to leave their homes in what was then East Germany. The family tradition was saved by Johanna Saar, Herman's niece, her husband Oskar, and now daughter Sabina who settled in Ireland in 1962 and continued the business under the name Irish Dresden. Irish Dresden continues the family tradition to this day and its collection porcelain figures are now renown worldwide.

I am loving my most recent circus pony, and send many heartfelt thanks to a dear friend who was looking out for me!

Spanish Flamenco Horse & Rider

Breyer's dolls and horses have begun to appeal to me, so I have been searching them out on eBay. I found this piece for a very fair price and snapped it up.

Spanish Flamenco Horse & Rider, #1338, 2009 LE of 2,500, $65, eBay, 2/2018, QHR Studios/L. Bakhtiari, PO Box 650055, Austin, TX 78765

Warehouse Anadalusian

This Medieval Knight look alike has some differences.

(Photo from Identify Your Breyer.)

Andalusian, Warehouse Find, 430043, $30, 2017, Breyer, 2/2018.

He has no off side brand and his facial markings are darker plus there's a bit of a metallic sheen in his coat.

Warehouse QH Yearling

She's not quite what I was expecting - something along the lines of the earliest pieces in palomino. No, this one, I think is made to match another one. Perhaps 760 American QH Yearling from 1999-2000?

(Photo from Identify Your Breyer.)

QH Yearling, Warehouse Find, 430046, 2017, $30, Breyer, 2/2018.

Personally, the color on mine is a lot like my original Lady Phase!

Fury Paper Saddle

Sande Schneider sent me the eBay link to this reproduction paper saddle for my Fury model.

Fury paper saddle, $7, reproduction, 1/2018, Sandra Perkins, 1119 Pelzer Avenue, The Villages, Florida 32162

I need to cut it out and am not sure how to cinch the girth, but I'll figure it out.

Vintage Club 2018 - Ulysses

The first offering from Breyer's 2018 Vintage Club is here, and he is a doozy! I have never been a fan of Chris Hess' Legionario III mold. Until now. Wow!

 Ulysses, #712239, 500 made, 2018 Vintage Club, $110, Breyer, 1/2018.

These photos taken with my phone do not do him justice. He is much darker than he appears, a true black like Breyer's old blackest charcoals, and his gloss is heavy and even.

 I love that one of his ears is black and speckled with just a hint of pink poking out.

I thought his belly decal was blotched until I looked closely at it. If you look carefully, you can see the Andalusian silhouette outlined on the left.

I was disappointed when the 2018 Vintage Club offerings were announced. (And even considered dropping out, even though I have been a member since the beginning.) I like the Grazing Mare and Foal, the San Domingo is okay, and I'll just tuck the free Stablemate on the shelf. (I'm not much of a Stablemate collector.) But please tell me how on earth Weather Girl is vintage? Even dressed up in vintage colors? (I'll likely be selling mine.) 

Well, if the others are as nice as Ulysses, I will be very happy and glad that I remained in the club. I may even change my mind, like I did with him, and keep my Weather Girl.

Possibly Chalky Running Stallion

While I was watching the auction for my Semi-Rearing Mustang, I saw a black Appaloosa Running Stallion come up for auction. I already have one, but this one looked chalky in its photos. It had no bids, and so I bid the minimum opening bid of $6.95.

Running Stallion, #127, 1968-1981, $6.95, 1/2018, eBay, Glenn Kremer, 636 Jener Place, Plymouth, MI, 48170

I won! He's on the way now - I am 50/50 as to whether or not he is a chalky. If he isn't, he will still be a nice addition and is probably a variation of the one I already have.

Fingers crossed!

Addendum: He is not chalky, he is in worse shape than his pictures make him appear, and someone painted his hooves black. He does have a pretty pink nose that helps to redeem him. I took a risk and I lost, but that's collecting. Plus, I did not spend much money on him.