The Rest of the Minis Identified

Two of the remaining three mini horses were easy peasy to identify - they were what I'd been calling the entire batch that Catherine had given me - Breyer Mini Whinnies.

And nice little ones at that - the standing one had been displayed on a shelf in my sewing room because I liked it so much.

I knew these two were not Winner's Circle/Creatas - their body plastic was much harder and not nearly as rubbery as the others were. (Although the legs were more pliable and similar to the Winner's Circles'.) 

The two Mini Whinnies were not too difficult to identify - I simply went to Identify Your Breyer and began scrolling through the Mini Whinnies. I discovered that what I have is the Mini Whinny Cutting Stock Mare (the leopard Appaloosa) and the Standing QH Stallion in Appaloosa. 

Both pieces are from the Happy Appys set #7152 and were produced in 2012-2013. (Which means that Catherine could not have given these to me and that they snuck into my collection in a way that I do not remember.)

The final piece required some digging to figure it out. That and eyes that are FAR better than mine.

He was rubbery like the Winner's Circle pieces, but he was out of scale to them - and this was a foal; the adult horses would be even bigger.

There was some sort of name raised on its underside and that is where I struggled. I simply could not read it. I used a flashlight to improve the lighting, I did a pencil rubbing over it on a piece of paper, I used my glasses, I took my glasses off, and I even took photo after photo of it, trying to enlarge it so I could read that word.

Finally, I was able to catch the first letter, an E. Ertl! It had to be an Ertl! So I began Googling Ertl Foal.

One popped up on eBay that was identical to mine, but I still wanted more evidence that this was an Ertl as well as information on when it had been produced.

Another internet ad that I came across listed a date and number for it, if it could be believed. 

The foal and stallion (a Lady Phase look alike) were in their original box, so I felt confident that I had current information along with a correct identification. And, with the set dated at 1995, I am pretty sure this foal was also from Catherine.

Looking at those Mini Whinnies, both the ones in hand as well as those on IYB, has piqued my interest in them a bit. They are inexpensive and I'd just purchased some for the snow globes I made with the grands at Christmas. Plus, I do need some for a project I am working on (and will share at a later time) so there will be a few more coming here.

But, I do not collect Mini Whinnies.  (Famous last words, right?)

Some Old Minis Identified

Back in the 1990s, a student gifted me with a bag of little horses from her  collection. I hesitated to take them - I didn't collect tiny non-Breyer horses (Hagen Renaker miniatures excepted) and I certainly did not want to take so many pieces from her collection.

I can still see Catherine's face - she was so earnest in wanting me to accept her gift. And so I did. 

They've been kept tucked away every since with other minis that I have acquired over time. 

Once in a while I pull them out for props or something, but generally those minis have been put away for over twenty-five years. 

I assumed they were Creatas, Winner's Circle, or Breyer Mini Winnies, but it wasn't until Corky Visminas posted this sales notice on Facebook that I decided to pull them out and ID what they were. (Screenshots of Corky Visminas' sales notices from Facebook.)

I was pleasantly surprised. Corky had posted pictures of Winner's Circle sets she was selling that were new in box, and I was able to identify some of mine from that.

Winner's Circle, Series 1, 1996, Appaloosa set.

Winner's Circle, Series 1, 1996 American Saddlebred set.

Winner's Circle, Series 1, Thoroughbred set.

That took care of the bulk of the unknown minis, but three were still unknown.

Two mini Appaloosas whose plastic felt much harder than the Winner's Circle pieces,

and a larger, non 1:32 scale foal that felt rubbery and had an unreadable stamp under its belly.

It was time to pull out the reference books and Google and see what I had.

Stay 'tooned!