Vintage auction score

 I usually find some luck once a year at the estate sales here, but I haven't been to an estate sales since March, thanks to COVID.  But, there are other options.  Yesterday, the local consignment auction had a sale ending, and I remembered to look through the online catalog.  And, bingo, Breyers.  Listed as Breyers, of course, so there were multiple bidders.  I didn't bid on many of them, just 3 lots with Breyers and one lot of random animals that was mostly bone china horses, but a wood horse and a Hagen-Renaker Lying Foal in the mix.  

Big score, and the one I spent the most on, is a glossy alabaster Semi-Rearing Mustang, with red eyes.  He's gorgeous.  There are some rubs on his mane and nose, but the black marks came off, and he's great. 

Next is the alabaster Running Stallion, who is older than I am.  Lots of times you'll see something online that looks like an alabaster Running Stallion, but it's just a Unicorn that's lost the horn and beard somewhere.  This one, I'm pretty sure, is the real deal. 

Third is a glossy alabaster Pround Arabian Foal, who was peeking out of a box surrounded by a doll and some kind of stuffed animal, and a lot of odds and ends.  

Then, on a whim, I bid on the group of small animals, because the bay foal looked familiar.  Turns out he's a Hagen Renaker.  Of course, he's also the only one that was broken, but the piece was with him and it should be an easy fix. 

Took a nice drive out this morning to pick them up, and spent a little time cleaning them when I got home.  Managed, with work, to get most of the black marks off the Mustang, so they're all gorgeous now. 

Zahra is here

 UPS delivered a day earlier than their first estimate - although really, leaving the box 10 feet from the porch, in full view of the street, is not optimal.  

But, Zahra is better than I expected.  I got the matte palomino - the other two possibilities in the gamblers' choice were glossy bay and glossy grey pinto.  I'm a sucker for a palomino, but the dapples in the promo pic were way too obvious.  Luckily, Breyer again has horses that look better than the promo pics.  The dapples are more subtle, and importantly, not perfect circles.  

The body is smooth, but the lower legs have some roughness that I'm curious about. And the chestnuts are really tall.  

She looks pretty good. 

An unpleasant discovery

 Made an unpleasant discovery over the weekend.  Not a surprising one, but still unpleasant.  

Happened to peek into a box with a few old Trads in it - Midnight Sun, a pair of 5-Gaiters, and a Pacer.  One of the 5-Gaiters is Project Universe, and I noticed at first that he was horribly yellowed, more than I remembered him being (wood heat and Dad smoked, so yellowing happened).  Took him out, looked at him, and put him back.  

Later on, I took him out again to show DH how yellow he was, and noticed an oily patch on his neck. 

Yep, I've got a shrinky.  Damn it.  And there will be more, since I bought quite a few horses during the late 80s and early 90s when shrinkies were being made.  There are four that I really hope aren't shrinking when I find them - the Sears Appy SR set (palomino Running Stallion, black Performance Horse, and a blue-grey leopard Stud Spider), and Precipitado Sin Par.  But I'm pretty sure I'll find more, and I'm dreading the discovery. 

Minstrel

No photo yet, but Tractor Supply restocked (although it didn't show up online), and I got the Holiday horse for this year, Minstrel.  And got to use my birthday coupon that didn't get used last time, although the registery realized it had been scanned already.  Cashier was helpful and gave me the $10 off anyway. 

A trip to the Antique Mall

I went to an estate sale this morning, where I found nothing much (some cheap art supples - total $6), but I drove past the Midway antique mall on the way.  So I stopped in on the way home.

There were some perennial inhabitants there - that $98 Grey Appy Rearing Mustang is still there, and still hidden in a corner, for example.  The $30 Poodle is also there, but I didn't find that Fitz & Floyd bird again. :( 

I did come home with this - same dealer as the Poodle.

The box has a little staining and damage, but other than an eartip rub and a few little hoof rubs, this gal is practically mint. 

New Horses!!

I'm apparently on a vintage kick lately.  "New-new" horses are hard to find in person locally, so I seem to be getting more "new-old" horses on eBay.

The first three came from a semi-annual kids' consignment sale that sets up  in one of the convention centers twice a year.  The two Appys together were $5, and I paid $6 for the bay WB with his yellow barn (but no accessories).  I'm a sucker for that bay, I think I've got three of them now.  So pretty.  The two WBs have rubs on the near shoulder, but nothing else.

This guy is pretty yellowed, but my only glossy grey splatter appy so far (not counting the Running Mare and Foal in a totally different Glossy Grey Appy).  I was watching him on eBay, when I got an email saying the price was discounted 50%.  There was a Buy It Now option, so I did.  $40 plus postage.  Now to sun him outside without risking squirrel nibblings.

This is the QVC SR Jade that I've been wanting forever.  Kept finding them on eBay for $100 or up.  I was just about to bid on one of those when I thought to check the past sales on eBay.  Which is when I remembered bidding on one a few days earlier, and I'd won.  !!  And at about 2/3rds of the price. 

This one had me worried for a bit.  Felt a bit off somehow when I unpacked him, and the hangtag - still on his neck - was blistered and discolored.  I was worried that he might be an odd shrinkie, even though he's about 10 years too late for that.  But a quick wash with Dawn fixed it and didn't take off any of the decorations, so we're good.

And this one, another oldie.  Glossy palomino, in a lovely shade.  Still has the cork/foam pads on his tail and hind feet.  He came in a very under-padded box, I was a little worried opening it, but he made it fine.  It's the gloss, I think.  Nice thick gloss that cushions some of the travel bumps.