The Search for HSOs

"I don't mind looking for HSOs with you," Lisa told me yesterday as we finished up at the craft shop.

My eyebrows rose in surprise at her use of the acronym, "HSO." But if she was game, then I was, too, so we stashed my walker and the craft supplies into the trunk of the car and headed over to a local antique shop.

She grabbed a cart, I grabbed my walker, and off we went.

There were a fair amount of HSOs to be found. And some had some interesting tags on them.

No bridle? There sure is a bridle on this HSO. It's the reins that are missing.

Brown horse?

I agree, it is an unusual real-horse color, but I'm surprised the seller did not call it red instead of brown.

A Barbie horse. My girls had one or two of these when they were little but I don't collect them.

An interesting set of fighting horses. Made by Continental Studies, it is made from a plaster mixture that is often called chalkware by sellers. 

Including this seller.

I spied that rooster plate and crowed to Lisa, "Metlox Poppytrail!" Wouldn't you know, the gal who can used "HSO" correctly looked confused and had no idea what Metlox Poppytrail meant.

Horses are not the only thing the pottery made and there is a large group of Metlox Poppytrail enthusiasts who collect the plates, cookie jars, and more that were produced. That was a fun find, but I left it behind.

I don't collect metal HSOs for the most part but these were fun to look at.

This is a piece I have only seen once before. Hartland made a set of Roman chariots and horses (which I did not buy when I found the entire set and have regretted ever since.) I am pretty sure it is one of those pieces. I left it behind but I was tempted.

A Betsy Ross decanter with a racehorse stopper.

A Schleich drafter with a nicely braided mane and tail.

A large horse with a haired mane and tail. I am pretty sure this is an American Girl horse - it was huge.

A curio sized Clydesdale that is a copy of Hartland's Clydesdale.

Standing palomino-ish horses in western tack with thick legs are ubiquitous in antique and thrift shops.

A Vintage Andrea by Sadek Collie. I'd never seen anything from this company before but it was nicely done.

And then I spied what I thought were two Mortens Studio dogs. (That yellowed coloring is typical of many of their dogs.)

I picked them up and they were very heavy as Mortens pieces are, and they felt like plaster. Someone had badly covered the bottoms with black felt so I could not check for the Mortens Studio mark or labels.

I did some research at home. This pair was made by Mortens Studio (I was able to do a close up of their labels) and are Staffordshire style.

I haven't found information yet about the dogs that I found that will help identify them as actually being Mortens Studio pieces. I do know that paired dogs, sitting and side by side and facing out was a whimsical, popular style in the early 20th century and possibly the late 19th century, too. 

And those pairs almost always have "Staffordshire" or "Staffordshire Mantle Dogs" in their descriptions.

I cannot find my own Mortens Studio reference materials at the moment and I did not find the pair listed in online searches. At $65 each, I am not going to go back and take a risk and buy them.

But I am curious about them. That color, that heft...  Maybe not the eyes, but who knows. If any of you know anything about them, I'd love to hear from you.

Finally, speaking of curious and curiouser, that Freeman Leidy pair that the seller told me was sold is still listed on eBay as available.

And I am still interested and still thinking about buying. 

Left Behinds

There are a lot of HSOs (horse shaped objects) to be found in Indiana. Antique, thrift, and resale shops are full of them but most of the things that I find don't come home with me. Here are some of the more interesting "left behinds" from some recent antique shop visits.

A painted cast iron Breyer Quarter HorseYearling?

Nope!

Another metal Quarter Horse Yearling, this time as a clock? Nope!

A cheap plastic knock-off of the iconic Alabaster Family Arabian Stallion? Nope!

The bare plastic Hartland Morgan with a broken ear was left behind.

As were all these Breyers and Hartland due to price and damage. (Or, that I already had them.)

I was tempted by the Marx Pancho who was tucked in with some glamour ponies but still left him behind.

This Hartland pair got a second look but price, damage, and missing tack made them nopes, too.

In fact, I leave behind most of the things that I find when I go out to look for HSOs. 

But it is all worth it when you have a big find and all those "nopes" become a great big "YEEESSS!!"

(This boxer clock is one of only three known to exist. And when I found it a few years ago, it was on sale, too!)

 

Poking Around for Ponies

My upcoming surgery is weighing heavily on my mind - I had thought that I was all healed from last August's pancreatectomy and splenectomy and would not need any further treatment. Finding out that I need another round of pretty intense abdominal surgery has been constantly on my mind. In trying to distract myself from what's coming, I have done several things to take my mind off the surgery. My favorite? Going pony poking!

Pony poking is simply doing some leisurely shopping for ponies and other horse shaped objects. It is relaxing, it is fun, and even if I don't buy a single thing, I always enjoy myself. There are no goals as to how many stores and shops I want to stop at, no specific items I am looking for, it is just a time to wander and look.

Today, after my physical therapy appointment on the other side of town, I did a little pony poking.

The first HSO I spied was a Midnight Bronco made in 1996 - 1997 and still sealed in its box. I may go back and get it since it's a vintage mold, although the price is higher than I want to pay.

There was also an early Henry Fjord in that booth, also still sealed in its box. I wasn't tempted by it at all - in my opinion it's not a vintage mold.

 An interesting plastic stagecoach and horses, but at $39, I left that behind.

 Same with this flocked horse. It was only $3, but I left it for someone else to enjoy.

I've looked at this pair before, but the seller wants $29 for each one. The FAM has a lot of rubs. The Stock Horse Stallion is a B stamp, but I don't like the mold. If the seller came down on price or put everything in his or her booth on sale, I might reconsider.

I've left this White Horse Scotch behind many times. I think it's a Hartland, although the horse looks like a Hagen Renaker knock-off. (I've looked it up in the past and just don't remember.)

The two Classics models were here last time I wandered this particular shop, but the Stretch Morgan wasn't! At $6, this nice, semigloss, vintage beauty came home with me!

Nope! Not a pearl among swine. Not even close.

Kind of a cute old toy pony. Maybe Fisher Price or Hasbro?

A china horse with western tack and an odd ceramic horse. I may go back and check out the dog in the basket.

This print was lovely, big, and only $30, but I don't have a place for it in my home.

Can you guess how much this bronze stagecoach was? Almost $900!

A resin horse bust. Honestly, I don't much care for busts - to me, it looks like the horse violently lost its head.

This Stablemate sized pony looks like it is made of cheap plastic in the photo, but it actually had a very weighty feel.

An old Mesteno set for $40. I've never cared for any of the Mesteno series pieces.

A walking Japan piece on a base for only $3.

I found a surprising number of HSOs as I walked up and down the aisles, and I did buy that black Stretch Morgan. I also came home feeling less stressed about my surgery and feeling more able to move forward and get it done.

The benefits of retail/horse therapy!

Post Christmas Shopping

Post holiday shopping at the mall or Target is not something I like to do - I don't care for the crowds or trying to find a parking space when it seems that everyone else and their brother is out shopping, too. But, I don't mind hitting up my favorite antique and thrift shops after Christmas!

I found goodies in the very first booth I checked out.

A Marx Thunderbolt with partial tack and wagon. Good prices on both, but I have Thunderbolt and his tack already and I don't want the wagon.(Too big to store.)

A mix of Breyer, Hartland, and Japan chinas. I have the two black chinas on the end. I considered the Hartland dog (I think it's Bullet, but I haven't checked my books yet) but he was in very poor shape. 

 Out of this lot, I did buy the Breyer bear cub on the lower shelf. I think he may be chalky. (All my purchases are still wrapped up and in bags - I haven't had time to get them out and inspect them.)

The china Hereford cow came home with me, too. It is a gift for my sister who just lost her favorite cow, Tulip.

This copy of Hagen Renaker's Scamper caught my eye, but I already have this same piece and left it behind for someone else to enjoy.

 I found not one

but two kids' pony saddles.

 A rocking horse cookie jar. 

 A nice Brahma Bull (but way overpriced.)

These two Poppytrail vehicles almost came home with me. They have been in this particular shop for a long time and they are now on sale for a really good price. I may go back and get them.

 A Canadian Mounty salt shaker and bowl.

 Hartland knockoff and another plastic horse.

I have a Kentucky Derby glass for the year that each one of my kids were born but these were still fun to find. (Since we are so close to Louisville, I find a lot of these glasses when I am out antiquing.)

I had a very similar barn to this one when I was six or seven. I cut my fingers more than once on those metal tabs that were used to hold the pieces together! (You can see them on the roof of the barn.)

This Breyer deer family had beautiful coloring and was in excellent shape, but at $42, I left them on the shelf.

 A modern looking decorative plate.

 An odd (and broken) metal merry go round.

 Resin horse clock.

A shelf of assorted model horses included a cherry woodcut Hartland Tennessee Walker in mint condition and with footpads. I have the walnut and ebony woodcuts, but not the cherry so it came home with me. (I already had taken the horse off the shelf when I took the photo - I'll post a picture of the piece in a future blog entry.)

 Oh, how I drooled over this gorgeous green sleigh!

 The bells had a beautiful sound but were $70 each strand so I left them behind.

 I see this piece in shop after shop.

 If one of the Pony Pals had been along with me, one or two of these might have come home with us!

A non chalky Midnight Sun and and a very beat up 2002 Ideal American Quarter Horse, both left behind.

I may have only bought the Hartland, bear cub, and cow, but I still had fun. It was also really nice to have so many things to choose from and look at.

In the next couple of days I will post photos of my purchases.