So I’ve said it a few times already in this blog, but my Dad is pretty awesome.
For a few years, a friend of his, Ruth, owned an antique store in Erie called Time & Time Again. She would eventually start sending my Dad pictures on Messenger whenever she’d get Breyers into her store, which my Dad would then send along to me, asking if I wanted any of them. Sometimes my Dad would just wander up there apropos of nothing to see if he could find anything cool.
And find cool things, he did.
For a few years, a friend of his, Ruth, owned an antique store in Erie called Time & Time Again. She would eventually start sending my Dad pictures on Messenger whenever she’d get Breyers into her store, which my Dad would then send along to me, asking if I wanted any of them. Sometimes my Dad would just wander up there apropos of nothing to see if he could find anything cool.
And find cool things, he did.
These were the first models my Dad liberated from Ruth’s store, a #84 Clydesdale Foal (a regular run from 1969-1989) and a #80 Clydesdale Stallion (a regular run from 1972-1986). I’m guessing that wasn’t too long after the store opened; up til 2014, the building had housed the famous Hill’s Meat Market, which had been in business in the community for 71 years.
The Clydesdale Stallion is in decent shape for his age and has all his bobs intact. The Clydesdale Foal has a B stamp, so she's extra fitting for this B stamp collector. She also has a fun barn name of Kelly Martin. My sister and I intensely disliked the actress of the same name during childhood and my Dad always found it hilarious. When I visited home and picked up the models, I'm pretty sure my Dad said something like, "If you don't like her, just name her Kelly Martin." I love her, of course - my Dad got her for me so that means I automatically love her - but we laughed so hard about the Kelly Martin joke that the name stuck.
March 10, 2017
These three, a #216 Proud Arabian Mare (a regular run produced from 1972-1980) and the two foals from the #3066 Marguerite Henry’s Our First Pony set (a regular run from 1987-1996) were the result of another impromptu trip to the store by my Dad. He had some concerns about the CAF being a Breyer, since it wasn’t stamped (and it’s so cool that he has paid enough attention to my collecting over the years that he knows to look for stamps!)
These three, a #216 Proud Arabian Mare (a regular run produced from 1972-1980) and the two foals from the #3066 Marguerite Henry’s Our First Pony set (a regular run from 1987-1996) were the result of another impromptu trip to the store by my Dad. He had some concerns about the CAF being a Breyer, since it wasn’t stamped (and it’s so cool that he has paid enough attention to my collecting over the years that he knows to look for stamps!)
I had a #216 Proud Arabian Mare already, but the one I had was the typical four-sock version, while my the one my Dad nabbed for me is the harder-to-find two-sock version from early in the run - 1972-1973, according to Nancy Young. Having him find a variation was especially exciting!
Her super dark legs aren't the result of my less-than-ideal lighting situation; she has airbrushed black paint on both sides all the way up to the point where her legs meet her body. I believe this is pretty normal for the run - there are a couple on eBay right now that have the same effect.
May 17, 2017
On a random Wednesday afternoon around lunchtime, I got a text from my Dad with a picture of five horses, including these two - a #3055 Classic Arabian Stallion with a solid face and tan feet, and a #9 Family Arabian Foal Joy. Here’s what he said in the text: “I got the top three (not sorry). Bottom two are Japan so I held off. The two Japan ones that I left there both have ear repairs. They are just so-so, been played with. Ear repairs not the best.”
On a random Wednesday afternoon around lunchtime, I got a text from my Dad with a picture of five horses, including these two - a #3055 Classic Arabian Stallion with a solid face and tan feet, and a #9 Family Arabian Foal Joy. Here’s what he said in the text: “I got the top three (not sorry). Bottom two are Japan so I held off. The two Japan ones that I left there both have ear repairs. They are just so-so, been played with. Ear repairs not the best.”
[Side note: I love that he knows to look for stickers and stamps to distinguish Breyers from everything else. One MIJ was a palomino rearing horse that had E105 and an Inarco sticker on the bottom of its tail; haven’t been able to find much about it with Google. The other was a standing chestnut with four white socks and a blaze. If that one had a sticker or anything else to identify it, my Dad didn’t send a pic.]
I didn’t have an alabaster FAF or the solid-face-tan-feet variation of the #3055 CAS, so both were welcome additions to the collection.
A #84 Clydesdale Foal was the third model referenced in his pictures and texts. I had a whole gaggle of RR Clydesdale Foals for awhile and decided to move on all but the sentimental ones. Sadly, I mistook her for another and accidentally sold her at BreyerFest 2024. I hope she’s out there somewhere making a kid happy.
I didn’t have an alabaster FAF or the solid-face-tan-feet variation of the #3055 CAS, so both were welcome additions to the collection.
A #84 Clydesdale Foal was the third model referenced in his pictures and texts. I had a whole gaggle of RR Clydesdale Foals for awhile and decided to move on all but the sentimental ones. Sadly, I mistook her for another and accidentally sold her at BreyerFest 2024. I hope she’s out there somewhere making a kid happy.
May 9, 2018
This acquisition was directly facilitated by Ruth herself when she texted my Dad a picture of this lamp. My Dad texted it to me and said, “Breyer lamp at my friend’s. $40 I think. Don’t know if you have anyone who is interested.” I texted back “YES” (in all caps) and “That’s an original shade!” The lamp, likely a Ranchcraft by Dunning Industries from the 60s or early 70s, was rather dusty and needed some minor mechanical maintenance, but the models and shade are in incredible shape for their age.
This acquisition was directly facilitated by Ruth herself when she texted my Dad a picture of this lamp. My Dad texted it to me and said, “Breyer lamp at my friend’s. $40 I think. Don’t know if you have anyone who is interested.” I texted back “YES” (in all caps) and “That’s an original shade!” The lamp, likely a Ranchcraft by Dunning Industries from the 60s or early 70s, was rather dusty and needed some minor mechanical maintenance, but the models and shade are in incredible shape for their age.
The foal also has an occluded stamp, where something happened with the injection mold and the detail of the wording got lost. The stamp is nothing but a raised round area, lacking the circle C and the words Breyer Molding Co. Only the USA stamp is present.
I’m super psyched to have this lamp in my collection.
October 26-27, 2018
Ruth had a Facebook page for the store that she regularly updated with inventory photos while the store was still in business. I tried to remember to pop on there from time to time to see if I could spot any Breyers in the photos, but there were times when I got too busy. In 2018, happened to catch up at the end of October and almost died when I saw this picture, posted way back in August.
Ruth had a Facebook page for the store that she regularly updated with inventory photos while the store was still in business. I tried to remember to pop on there from time to time to see if I could spot any Breyers in the photos, but there were times when I got too busy. In 2018, happened to catch up at the end of October and almost died when I saw this picture, posted way back in August.
Was that a glossy 1960s #52 Five Gaiter?! If so, was there any chance another collector hadn’t discovered it in the intervening two months?
I panic-texted my Dad. Fortunately he was home and didn’t have anything better to do, so he hurried on up to Ruth’s store to check it out.
The Five Gaiter was still there, and while he didn’t end up being a 60s glossy, he’s heavily semigloss (except for his topline, which is quite matte) and has nice eyewhites, beautiful shading, and an intact tassel tip in his mane. Still a great liberation!
I was so focused on the Five Gaiter that I initially missed seeing these two in the photos my Dad sent of other models at the store that day - #7 Prince (alabaster Family Arabian Stallion) and #9 Joy (alabaster Proud Arabian Foal), both with lipliner! According to Nancy Young, the early FAS models had dark shading in a line across their mouths, hence the term lipliner. The FAS is also lacking the Breyer stamp, which wasn’t added until at least 1960. All signs point to him being one of the earliest FAS models produced, in 1958 or 1959. The PAF never got a Breyer stamp to help date her, but given her lipliner, I suspect she’s as old as the FAS.
My Dad, being awesome, went back up to Ruth’s the next day to pick them up for me.
Sadly, that was his last liberation, as the store closed sometime in 2019 or 2020. From the archived Google Maps photos, it looks like it might still have been open in July 2019, but there’s a Howard Hanna sign in the front window on the photo from November 2020. My Dad said a falling out between the store’s business partners is what led to the closure.
I’m thankful for all the times my Dad went up there, planned or not, and for all these really cool models that I otherwise wouldn’t have without him.
My Dad, being awesome, went back up to Ruth’s the next day to pick them up for me.
Sadly, that was his last liberation, as the store closed sometime in 2019 or 2020. From the archived Google Maps photos, it looks like it might still have been open in July 2019, but there’s a Howard Hanna sign in the front window on the photo from November 2020. My Dad said a falling out between the store’s business partners is what led to the closure.
I’m thankful for all the times my Dad went up there, planned or not, and for all these really cool models that I otherwise wouldn’t have without him.
such sweet memories
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful! Those are all awesome!Every model from a loved one, whether NIB or from the flea market, is treasured here too.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a special post! ❤️
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great Dad!
ReplyDeleteI got my Running Mare/Foal lamp from a relative, with the original shade. But in the 20 years I’ve had it, the shade sadly deteriorated and I had to replace it.