Gift of a Ucago Belgian (and More!)

Shannon Rodgers (Sterling, IL) gifted me with they lovely Ucago Belgian at Happy Trails.

 Usage Belgian, numer unknown, date unknown, gift from Shannon Rodgers, Sterling, IL, 6/2019.

 She is absolutely mint - someone has cared for her over the past forty or fifty years!

She has some crazing that shows her age, too.

I love her (she even has the old "arrowhead" blaze as Leslie and I used to call it) and she's going into my china hutch.

Shannon also brought little gift boxes for everyone. Such a thoughtful thing to do!

Gift of a Red Mill Arabian

This beautiful piece was a gift from Liz Cory at Happy Trails 2.

The model is resin (early Red Mills are made from pecan shells), has a neck ribbon, and its original box. Liz found it an an antique shop and decided to gift me with it.

 Monte Cristo, Arabian Horse, #700, Red Mill, gift from Liz Cory, 6/2019.

I didn't even know that Red Mill made horses this big! But I sure am glad to have him. Liz is such a thoughtful friend!

Vintage Club #3, Bernadette

My third offering of the Vintage Club has arrived and she is gorgeous!

 Bernadette, #712282, Vintage Club #3, June, 2019, $110.00

She was offered in all four decorator colors, and I got copenhagen - I wanted that or wedgewood.

She also came in an old touchability box - score for Breyer, that's for sure!

Sergeant Reckless Blanket

I did not like the model that Breyer used for it's model of Sergeant Reckless, but I do collect blankets, so when I saw this on eBay, I purchased it.

 SSgt Reckless blanket. $10.00, 5/30/19, eBay seller JBIncorporated.

The New Brownie

There was a surprise in store for me at last Saturday's Great Lakes Congress show and this one made the tears well up when I saw it.

Heather McCurdy called me over and handed me a bubble wrapped package. What was inside was  a total surprise. It was also very, very familiar.

An old Made in Japan china saddle horse with chain reins.

Heather explained that she had found it at an auction in a box with some other horses, and knowing my story, had snagged it for me. 

So what is the story?

 It can be found in Nancy Kelly's recent book, Exploring the Model Horse Hobby on page 60.

This is Brownie, the very first model horse I ever got, given to me by Santa in 1963 when I was six. I loved Brownie so much, and many childhood memories are wrapped around him. For example, I have a very vivid memory of holding him close while lying in bed while very, very ill with the measles. 

As you can see from the photo, living with me was hard on poor Brownie. My dad faithfully glued him for me every time I broke him. Decades later, I considered having him restored, but I decided that I liked him the way he was because the yellowed glue on the multiple breaks was a visible reminder of how much my father loved me.  I look at Brownie and I see my father's love.

Despite having chased after model horses for decades, never have I found another piece just like Brownie. Heather knew that he was incredibly special to me, so when she spied him in that box at the auction, she snagged him for me.

Brownie always has been and will forever will be a reminder of my dad's love. New Brownie is special, too, and is a reminder of the kindness and thoughtfulness of a dear friend.

Thanks, Heather. There are no words to express my gratitude.

The Palomino Metlox Poppytrail Circus Pony

For years I drooled over the one, single photo I had found of the white Metlox Poppytrail Circus Pony.

Photo taken from Google Images, owner unknown.

It was so charming and saucy, and due to my own personal love of circus ponies, I wanted to add it to my collection.

I did numerous online searches, scoured antique and thrift shops, and kept my eyes peeled for years with no success. Susan Bensema Young even tried her own quiet search without my knowledge, wanting to find one for me as a surprise gift.

But no luck. At least, not until last May when Heather Wells and friends held Clinky Mania in California, selling the late Karen Grimm's collection. As I looked over the photos before the sale, there was a white circus pony! And to my great surprise, a palomino one, too! (Go here to see photos of the Black Horse Ranch Metlox Poppytrail pieces.) Someone had once mentioned that they thought that there was a palomino, but never in all my online and other searches, had I seen any photos to confirm that rumor. Now I knew that the palomino version did indeed exist.

Unfortunately for me, the BHR circus ponies were not available and my search was still on. Only now I was looking for both the white and the palomino.

As I wrote yesterday, I found and bought both pieces recently. Here is the beautiful palomino.

Palomino Metlox Poppytrail medium Circus Pony, $500, #684, eBay, 4/2019, Rich Matthews, 3005 Wedge Ct., Matthews, NC 28104.

Under its belly it has the Metlox seal, but it does not have the Metlox Poppytrail sticker on its shoulder that its counterpart does.  I love the contrast of the cream colored mane with its dark palomino coat!

I still cannot believe that I have finally, after decades of looking, found these two pieces. I'll put them in the china cabinet that houses my other Metlox pieces, but in the meantime, they are here in my office where I can see them and enjoy them. 

Grey Metlox Poppytrail Circus Pony - At Last!

The search has come to an end! After years and years of looking, I finally found the two horses that I have wanted more than any others. They are very difficult to find, and it is only the second time that I have even seen them come up for sale. In fact, I wasn't sure that one of them actually existed - I'd heard rumors, but never could find pictures to prove its existence.

In 2016 I began saving up my money in the hopes that I would come across one or the other. (I never expected to find both, especially at the same time.) I knew that they would most likely be expensive so I wanted to be prepared.

Even with the money saved up and earmarked for these two pieces, I thought long and hard before I purchased them. My decision was helped along by the fact that I was offered an emergency vacancy in the alternative school and went back to teaching. Because of that, I had an extra financial cushion and I would not have to touch my savings.

So I took the plunge and at last, the small Metlox Poppytrail Circus Pony is in my collection.

Metlox Poppytrail Medium Circus Pony, $500, #684, eBay, 4/2019, Rick Widman, 3005 Wedge Ct., Matthews, NC 28104

When the box arrived, I let it sit for a day - I just could not believe that I had finally found my most wanted pieces.

While both pieces stand very well, I have them temporarily lying on bubble wrap. I'll put them in the upstairs china cabinet soon, but in the meantime, I like having them in my office where I can look at them.

The white piece has two stickers - one on its flank and the other under its belly. The stickers are in terrific condition, especially considering their age.

I am still pinching myself that my dream has come true. Tomorrow I will talk about the other one, the one I only just discovered really did exist.