The first Breyerfest post of the year

 Breyer has released most of the SRs and LEs for this year's Breyerfest.  And this year, the two SRs at the top of my list are both in-person only - the red deer (Elk mold) and mule (Winnifred mold).  

 So, I've looked at past prices, added a bit for inflation, and getting Chelsea's Model Horses to pick them up for me will only cost me about $20 extra per horse. That's an estimate, since Breyer hasn't released prices yet.  But, a $115 ticket is approximately $60 per horse.  Last year the SRs ranged from $75 to $90 I believe.  So, go on the high end just for safety, and that's $150 per horse.  Pickup pre-orders are $170 each.  I'm okay with that.  

 Still gonna get my online ticket, though.  Gotta do the workshops and buy LEs and such.  And yeah, there's the second-chance sale with leftover SRs, but the non-horse molds usually sell out, and the mule is a new mold so people may want them to repaint.   

Thrift store score of the year

 I walked into one of my favorite thrift stores over Breyerfest weekend, and walked out with what I later discovered is probably my thrift store find of the year. 

 

 

I picked it up because I'm on a bit of a collie kick, but mostly because it's a lovely ceramic dog, in mint condition other than crazing, and it was only $1.  Came home and posted a pic on the Clinky Connection, asking about an ID.  Turns out, this is a vintage Hagen-Renaker Marmion, from the San Dimas factory.  And worth in the vicinity of $200.  

"Shocked" was an understatement.  He (she?) is absolutely beautiful.  Some crazing, no big deal.  Eartips are even intact.   

So, not the last new ponies

 Because I managed to get a Spice Drop on Christmas morning, and it was already delivered. 

I was kind of hoping for purple, but green and gold is fine. 

And then, on the other account, I was (shock!) drawn to buy the black and gold ram, Montana.  

Totally unrealistic color, but I must have been a magpie in a former life, because the glittery flashing things appeal to me.  

And now that Breyer has revealed the horses for the Stablemates Club next year, I'm very tempted to get a second membership again.  The gambler's choice is the Fjord, and mini Fireheart is the bonus model. 

Overall, my luck is running great on the Breyer side of life.  Well, except that I can't find anyone who wants to swap a silver Christmas Clydesdale for my second cranberry one.  

New not-horses

 Won an auction last night for a group of Hagen-Renakers.  No horses, but there are a Mama and Papa Penguin, three Eskimos (Inuit, now, I think), and a trio of Polar Bears.

They're in pretty good shape overall.  Some crazing, Mama Penguin has a chip out of her beak, and one of the Cubs has a tiny chip on his nose.  

$44 for the whole lot, so $4.50 average each. 

My lucky day at Goodwill

After a decade or more of regular visits to the local Goodwill, and finding nothing but knock-off My Little Ponies at best (and one Marx horse, but that wasn't the local GW), I finally found Breyers yesterday!

Two, to be precise, and only one was a horse. 

But first, go chronologically. 

I started off at Orschelns Farm & Home, because it occurred to me that even though they usually only have Breyers during the winter holidays, they might be stocking the blind bag unicorns all year, like they do the Schleich and now CollectA animals (they seem to have dropped Schleich, sadly).   I was right, surprise surprise. A whole bin of the unicorns, and oddly enough, all sorted out - first 7 drafters, then a few Magnolias, then a dozen or so that were either Mag or the Arabian (I didn't get specific on those), and then 4 mini Alborozos.  I bought all 4 Albys, since I've already got 7 pink and green drafters. 

In the next bin were Spirit SM bags, so I felt those, hoping for the chase horse.  No luck, but I bought 2 - the brown reiner, and what I thought was the bay Appy Warmblood, since those would both camoflage the eyebrow issue.  And on the way out, I found a nice chestnut CollectA foal. 

Turned out that none of the Albys were blue, darn it, and I was way off on that Warmblood, because it was really a cremello Lusitano with obvious eyebrows. 

 

 

Then I went to Goodwill.  Found the clear glassware I needed, and then on the next aisle (not in the toy section even), I saw a dog's head sticking out.  Thought it might be worth buying for a Blab PIF, even if it was cheap plastic.  Got a little closer and realized it was a Breyer Boxer - which is a mold I don't have yet.   A little closer, and saw the original vinyl collar, and a bay Family Arabian Mare laying on the shelf behind him.

 Knock me over with a feather.  The Boxer was $3, with a few rubs here and there, and odd bumpy texture on both shoulders.  The FAM was only $2, in played-with condition, but I couldn't leave the old gal behind.  She'll probably clean up decent, especially at t hat price.  I think she's a vintage matte Sheba, but haven't looked really closely at her yet. 

Moose!

Finally, last month, after lots of eBay searching - I found a Moose at last.  Yay!!

New guy - the original Longhorn

Just bought this guy in an online auction. 

He's a good deal, I think.  My first (and only, so far) with an original blue ribbon sticker!  He's in pretty good condition; there is a scratch/rub on his other side, right over the ribs, in a really obvious place, but otherwise, not bad for his age.  Someone at the factory did get carried away a bit when cleaning mold lines, though.  Poor guy has a weird grind mark on his scrotum. ;)