Chalkies and Decorators

From Breyer History Diva, March, 2013 (She is commenting on a Blab thread about the discovery that some chalkies originally were decorators.)

Chalky prices have been crazy for a while now, but with the recent discussion on Blab about the Decorator overpaints, the market for some of them - the molds used for Decorators, specifically - has really gone through the roof. 

(For those of you who are not familiar with them, they would be: the Five-Gaiter, the Running Mare, the Running Foal, the Fighting Stallion, and the Mustang.)

As more collectors hold their Chalkies up to a strong light (literally), more are being revealed. I’m now comfortable with saying that it appears that a significant chunk of the unsold warehouse stock of Decorators was probably "chalked" into other, better-selling colors. 

Not all Chalky Gaiters, Running Mares and Foals et al should automatically be assumed to be overpainted Decorators: only the ones without the USA mark have that potential. And the solid colors (Golden Charm, Wedgewood Blue) will be harder to discern in the light than the dappled ones (Florentine, Copenhagen). 

I have always wondered why the vintage Decorators were so gosh-darned-it rare, especially when other models from the 1960s with similarly short production runs aren’t quite as hard to find. A nice #191 Gray Bucking Bronco, for instance, can be tough, but not on the same level as almost any given Decorator. 

I just assumed that the rarity was a consequence of just how badly the sales did tank. Not entirely: it now appears that Breyer made aconcerted effort to make their first dismal foray into the home decorating market disappear, almost completely.

Breyer Elephant

Tuesday as I was driving to Sarah's I stopped at the Galesburg Antique Mall and found this elephant for $12. I suspect he may be a chalky.

 He certainly has nice shading.

 I compared him to the one I'd gotten years ago (at Gordyville?)  I am pretty sure the Gordyville one is a chalky but I am not sure about the new one.

He has the drainboard pattern on his feet, too.

Glossy Brahma Bull

I don't collect Breyer cattle, but who can resist a vintage glossy Brahma bull, especially when it is in this shape??

 I got him for $35 at the Galesburg, Illinois antique mall. He is distinctly "pinky", much like the one in this photo from Blab:

 Left to right from back: chalky, warm gray, black point, pink shading, cool gray with blue ribbon sticker. (Photo by Makoshika, 2/13/2011.)

It was that pink color that made me grab him.

You can see the pink much more clearly here along with a drainboard pattern on one foot.

Ghost - Breyer Surprise Special Moose

Didn't get a shot at this guy. Surprise web special and only 40 made. While it would be a great piece for my collection, the cost is awfully steep, especially considering I am not a fan of the moose mold.

Shockwave Variations

(Photos from Blab.)

Apparently the darker variation is the most desired.

Semi-Rearing Mustang Variations

(Photos from Blab.)

Some pictures of Semi-Rearing Mustang variations.

 Ruby

Vintage Glossy Grey Appaloosa

Giltedge Variations

(Photos from Blab.)

I remember when Giltedge came out, many were in an unroar over the fact that the piece, supposed to be florentine, was not necessarily so. Mine was, and so I did not pay too much attention to the griping at the time.

There are 3-5 variations of the piece:

 Florentine (white spots on a gold base)

Gold lace (the truck was an optional purchase, if I recall.)

Gold spots on a white base.

And more from Blab:

According to Nancy Young's book, there were 5 variations of this model--gold with white dapples, gold with yellow dapples (due to a problem with the dappling grease), gold leopard appy (aka white with gold spots), gold lace, and gold plated (almost solid gold with a few white spots).

There were leftovers and those were painted over in solid black. They were used as a SR named Excalibur at BreyerFest 1997.

They also had a sort of recall on them, when a lot of folks got ones that were real greasy and the white had turned very yellow. Excaliber was painted white and then painted black to cover the gold paint over the white body. So some of those have a really neat chalky appearence with a lot of steel gray hightlights. Some are just a thick boring black.