Mixed lot

 Since I've been avoiding estate-sale crowds, I've been spending a good bit of time going through the online listings for the local consignment auction place.  That's where I got the alabaster trio a few weeks back, and a mixed lot of ceramic horses and other animals in the summer.  Today I drove out to pick up the latest batch.  For $4.40, I got an assortment of tiny dishes, and 4 horses.  One is wood, with a Sweden sticker, one is metal, one ceramic, and the fourth one is made of a mystery substance that I can't identify.  Might be celluloid, might be plastic, it's hard to tell.  

Also today, thanks to eBay's daily search emails, I scored a Sam Savitt racing hall of fame puzzle for less than $40 shipped.  Granted, the seller makes no claim about whether it's complete or not, but the next cheapest one is $50 for a claimed-incomplete puzzle, and complete ones are listed now for over $100.  The box of the one I bought looks almost new, so hopefully the last owner was as careful with the pieces as they were with the box.  

Breyer, Breyer, Breyer

 Are you trying to drive us all mad?  First, I ended up with two Valerio unicorns, and apparently they're the least popular of the four.  I've been trying for a week to swap one for the Appy, but no luck so far.  One trade fell through over a tiny flaw, the other one because I didn't see the post soon enough.  I'm still looking, and may have to just settle for a rose grey or the palomino pinto, since the Appy seems to be the hottest of the four. 

And, Breyer, what's with this one new release popping up every day routine?  After Bennington and Honeybunch last week, the next day came Christoff.  Being a mini St Moritz, and Frozen-themed (kind-of), and blue, yeah, I bought one.  

And then yesterday or today, they add a new Classic unicorn, Nova.  On my favorite of the newer Classic molds, the Frolic stallion, but good grief. 

Good grief, Reeves, slow down!

 

Another flood month of Breyers.  Late last month was the Halloween horses, where I got a trio of Mini Poltergeists and one Mini Nightmare, plus Ratsputin and the plushy.

 

Then I stopped at Becky's Breyers for Yuletide and a couple of Anniversary SMs that weren't the chase pieces.  I messed up really badly with the Smart Chic, thinking it was an Indian Pony. 

 Traded one of the Mini Poltergeists for Mini Twilight Terror.  

Then the 5th SM club horse, times 2.  And today they released the optional Vintage Club horse, Barrington, the new jumper in classic Cantering Welsh Pony chestnut, and a non-black Carltonlima Emma as a Christmas pony in palomino with a cute blanket.  

 

 

 Sigh.  I hate to think what that all adds up to.  I thought about the Yuletide enamel pin, but changed my mind.  

 

One of the Stablemate Club horses arrived today, the other will be here tomorrow.  First one is the blue and purple pinto unicorn, which was third on my ranking.  Depending on which one I get tomorrow, I may try and trade for the pinto or Appaloosa.  Or maybe not.  

 

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. 

Good grief, Breyer

 Again with "when it rains, it pours" Breyer style.  On Tuesday, the last horse for the Vintage Club this year was available.  So, $140 out the door for Zahra and a SM ride-along. I'm hoping for the glossy bay.  I'd want the palomino, but those dapples look way too obvious.

 

 

And then, in good Breyer fashion, yesterday they put the Halloween horses up.   

I've already got Apparition, but had to get the glow-in-the-dark Classic Ratsputin, and the blind bag SMs, and the free Halloween plushie.  And then today, went back for 2 more SMs so I can have a chance at the whole set.  But with today's order, the Club discount worked, so $4.99 off.  

So, I must avoid eBay for a while.  And any other temptation to buy more horses.  

The planned purchases for the rest of the year: 

• Holiday Horse - when TSC puts out stock and sends my birthday discount
• SMC Valerio x2 (the Alby gambler's choice)
• SMC #6 x2 - the new stock mare mold
• SMC bonus horse - the dapple grey mini Clydesdale Stallion
  
• Anniversary SMs - if TSC has some out so I can feel them
• maybe Barrington, the bonus VC horse
• maybe whatever surprise horse they come up with for Christmas

And I think that's it.   I hope that's it.  Quicken told me what I'd spent on Breyers for the year so far, a few weeks ago, and it was a scary and depressing and surprising number.