A Couple of eBay Finds

I used to peruse eBay almost daily and I found some good things back when I did. Now, I only check it when I am actively looking for something. And sometimes, that leads me right down the eBay rabbit hole.

Look at this wonderful Preiser Liberty Horse set I found!

Preiser is a German company that creates 1/87 (HO Scale) and  1/160 (N Scale) pieces for the railroad hobby. 

Mighty Mouse, on the right and one of my favorite pieces in my collection, is HO scale while the Mini Mighty Mouses (Mice?? LOL) on the left are N scale. 

I don't know how old this set is, but I am guessing it is probably 30 years at least. 

The clear plastic of the box has yellowed and feels a bit fragile just as old Breyer boxes do.

But not only did I find this cool Liberty Horse set to add to my circus horse collection within a collection, I found something else I have been looking for. A random check of bridle rosettes brought up this beauty!

My initial! It has been very hard to find. I started looking years ago when I bought Tim bridle rosettes with his initials as a Christmas gift from Abby and me.

As you can see, bridle rosettes come in different sizes. These two, like my new one, were being sold singly which is very common. Pairs get separated and only one survives.

I have O'Boy's bridle from 1936 (my father's circus pony), but there is only one bridle rosette remaining on it.

That brief look at eBay brought me two things I am thrilled to have. Hmmm, maybe I should check it more frequently? 

I'd better wait until after I have finished my holiday shopping to think about that!

Circus Time: Some More Finds

Ever notice how finding things for your collection can seem to ebb and flow? You have a drought where you don't find much of anything, and then all of a sudden you come across some really good things. I've had several good finds recently.

This sweet little horse was listed on eBay as a circus pony. The seller said she thought it was from the 1950s and made of oil cloth.

To me, it seems to have a Scandinavian or Russian flair to it.

The eyes remind me of Rudolph's eyes...

... and so of course the new pony's name is Rudolph.

I also found another pair of circus themed bridle rosettes from Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey.

I have come across several sets of these before. But either the price was too high, or the rosettes were in poor condition, so I passed on them all until I found this pair.

Speaking of bridle rosettes on circus horses, look at this Preiser HO scale circus wagon and team.

They have bridle rosettes!

The horses are in different poses and there is a driver atop the wagon. Inside the wagon is a lioness that is painted nicely, too. 

The wagon wheels turn and the hitch is articulated. The more Preiser pieces I acquire, the more impressed I am with the attention to detail they put into their pieces.

Believe it or not, I still have some circus things that I haven't shown yet that are queued up and ready to share. My collection of circus ponies and things was bigger than I'd realized.

Prepare to be amazed!

Circus Time: HO Scale Liberty Horse

One day while searching online for circus horses, I discovered that Preiser, a German company that makes items for the model railroad hobby, had a set of liberty horses.

Naturally I bought myself a set.

They're HO scale (1:87) and come in a pack of six horses.

I absolutely love them, and keep one, named Mighty Mouse after the old cartoon character, out on display at all times.

As you might imagine, Mighty Mouse is Circus Girl's favorite model horse in her collection.

A quick check of eBay turned up five or six sets currently available. Even better, I found (and bought) the set in N scale. (1:160 scale.) To get an idea of just how tiny that will be, take a look at this photo of my smallest models.

The top row are Breyer Minnie Whinnies (1:64)  the next size smaller horses are HO scale (1:87), and the teeny tiny horses on the bottom are 1:160.

We will be staying in Germany for the next blog post.

Prepare to be amazed!