Dispersal of a Legend's Collection

As someone who was around in the hobby's beginning, one of my goals has been to own a horse that belonged to Ellen, Simone, Linda, and Marney. Having something tangible connected to our hobby's founders would have great meaning to me. 

I have a Lady Phase that belonged to Marney. I got her from long-time hobbyist and friend of Marney's, Terry Richard, at the 2012 BreyerFest.

Nothing yet from Ellen, but I'm lucky to have a Beswick Appaloosa from Simone. The Beswick version was the first and is better painted than the the second, Royal Doulton version.

Simone's Beswick version on the left, my Royal Doulton version on the right.

Like so many other collectors, I was inspired by Linda Walter's *Alconbury Hill which she showed in the late 1960s/early 1970s. It became a much wanted piece for many and took me decades to acquire. I got the second version first and was disappointed - its paint job just was not the same quality as the first version.

The first time I saw *Alconbury Hill was in Horse & Rider Magazine, October 1970. That was when I discovered that there were other collectors like me, Bobbie Sue, and Carol out there holding backyard and bedroom shows and it was then that I entered the emerging model horse hobby.

Linda passed away a few months ago. Ed and Sheri Alcorn are working with Linda's brother, David, to sell her collection.

(Photo from Nancy Kelly as is the information about the dispersal of Linda's collection. Thank you, Nancy!)

Linda had six Beswick and Royal Doulton Appaloosas in her collection and David, Ed, and Sheri went through them all, comparing them to photos and trying to determine which one was the famous *Alconbury Hill. Thanks to all the photos of him, they were successful.

After four truck loads from Alabama back to Florida, the Alcorns had Linda's collection at their home and have begun putting the individual pieces on eBay.

I plan to keep watching the auctions as they come up. I don't think I will add a third Appaloosa to my collection, but it's possible. I definitely want something that belonged to Linda - she was a kind friend and we used to correspond - so much so that I still have her home address memorized. (I chatted with her a few years ago at BreyerFest and that really surprised her!)

If you, too, want a piece of hobby history in your own collection, Ed's eBay account is hr-horsenut. Do a search for Linda Walter and her things will pop up. 

Once I get something from her collection, then all I will need is a piece from Ellen Hitchin's collection. I suspect that that will be difficult - she passed away in the 1990s if I remember right, and back then the internet was in its infancy and communication was not nearly what it is now. I don't even know if her collection was saved. But, I am hopeful.

Linda Walter: My Memories of Her

Apparently yesterday when I'd finished putting some notes down for today's blog entry, I accidentally posted it instead of saving it as a draft. I didn't come back to the blog until this morning and was dismayed to see it displayed in all its rough-draft glory.

So, what do I do now?

First of all, the teacher in me who used to tell her students to ALWAYS CHECK YOUR WORK is embarrassed because I didn't follow my own advice! But I can also laugh about it and will go ahead and finish that draft. So, here are a few of my personal recollections about Linda Walter.

For several decades, Linda Walter was the voice of the hobby. In the 1960s and 1970s, early hobbyists connected largely by snail mail. There was no internet, and to phone someone outside of your own town was costly; "long distance" fees were charged for every minute you were speaking with them. So, snail mail it was.

Linda was a prodigious writer, and she and I corresponded so much that I still have her address memorized. But it was her publication, The Model Horse Shower's Journal, that united hobbyists and allowed us to share our voices, knowledge, and friendship through that avenue. Getting your MHSJ in the mail was a very big deal - it was your opportunity to catch up with what was going on in the hobby, shop for new models, and get ideas for your own stable.

Linda not only wrote THE hobby publication; she also participated in showing, both live and photo. Show results were sometimes handwritten and below is an example of a key to the owners' initials that would be included with your results.

Linda's name is just below mine. (Other hobbyists' names on there who you may recognize are D'arry Frank and Cynthia Gardner. They are still active in the hobby.)

But Linda was famous for something else besides MHSJ. She owned the most notable model horse of the time, one that is still remembered today.

*Alconbury Hill.

I first saw him in this article from the October, 1970 Horse and Rider magazine. (Bottom left model.) And I fell in love with him then and there and started looking for one of my own.

It took decades, but finally a few years ago, Simone Smiljanic, another early hobby influencer, sold me hers.

With his connection to Linda and Simone, Worth the Wait is one of my never-sells.

In 2012 I had the chance to visit with Linda at BreyerFest. We'd not corresponded in years, but she remembered me and I think she was surprised that I could still recite her address from memory. She was as kind, unassuming, and gracious as always. Looking back, I wish I had thanked her then for the huge role she'd played in connecting the hobby and in being such an instrumental part of its development.

Here is a link to a 2012 article about Linda and her collection from her hometown newspaper, the Troy Messenger:

https://www.troymessenger.com/2012/09/14/hobby-horses/?mibextid=Zxz2cZ&fbclid=IwAR1HDZR8av_8xJV2-q_uWHcFkX0IcZFBooJc2WNFyCVnrf77ZbhwBxS0XqA

And here is a link to a blog entry I wrote about her in 2019:

https://horsiemama.blogspot.com/2019/02/four-pillars-and-pair-of-wings-linda.html

Thanks, Linda. Your kindness, patience, and generosity will long be remembered. And your influence in the hobby that we love so much is still felt today, more than fifty years after you first started helping us connect.

You will be missed.