Grey Appaloosa Family Arabian Stallion

Along with the FAM and FAF, Breyer's Family Arabian Stallion is a vintage mold, but not a very popular one.

Personally, I think it's lovely. 

Mine is the belly band version with mostly small speckling for spots. Its shading is nice, too.

He has just a hint of pink on his nose and in his ears.

This view makes me wonder if the painter held the airbrush up higher on the off side than on the near.

Like the FAM and FAF, my FAS appears to be made from grey plastic.

He's even got spots on the inside of his legs! There is no USA mark, so he is an early piece.

The FAS, FAM, and FAF were the original wearers of Breyer's glossy grey Appaloosa, but there are others who wore it, too. Tomorrow we will look at a couple more of them.

Grey Appaloosa Family Arabian Foal

Since I had my two grey Appaloosa FAMs out for yesterday's post, I also got out my Family Arabian Foal (FAF) in the same color.

 He is the belly band version with heavy splash spotting on the off side

and more minimal spotting on the near.  You can see the extensive bald face on this piece

 and its nice pink nose. There's a little pinking in its ears, too.

The FAF mold went through some permutations, and the ears were changed several times. Nancy Young wrote on page 196 in her book, Breyer Molds and Models, 1950 - 1997, "Version B: first leg stamped foals, ca. 1960-61: These have no belly stamp but instead a normal round Breyer Molding Co. stamp placed high inside the hind left leg..."

"... oriented with its central C symbol facing backward.... These foals also have the same round inward curving eartips..."

 You can see the inward curving eartips in this photo.

 Like the two FAMs in yesterday's post, the hoof bottoms appear to be made of grey plastic.

Just like the FAMs, I am not a big fan of this vintage mold. Having said that, I do think that this particular piece is pretty, and a very well preserved example of the color.

I'll see if I can't dig out my grey Appaloosa Family Arabian Stallion and take a closer look at him, too, in the next post.

Variations: Family Arabian Mare in Grey Appaloosa

Vintage molds are my love when it comes to collecting model horses. And the Family Arabian Mare (FAM) is one of Breyer's matriarchs in their lineup of models.

First released in glossy grey Appaloosa as "Speck" in 1960, early pieces have an extensive bald face reaching well down the sides of the face and grey or charcoal  legs. The earliest pieces also have a large white blanket that extends well up the body and is the hardest version to find. The second version has a white belly band, and the third is a small blanket on the hindquarters.

I have an early belly band version (left) and a later matte small blanket version in my collection.

That belly band extends onto her shoulders on the near side. 

The glossy version's bald face is extensive with a hint of pink on her nose and ears, whereas the matte has a smaller blaze with a very pink nose and ears.

Look at the difference in the spots! I love the big ones and actively seek models like that.

The matte FAM is also significantly taller than the older model. 

The hoof bottoms are interesting as they both appear to be made from grey plastic. 

The belly band mare's hooves.

The matte version's hooves. It is from 1968-1971 according to Liz Cory, its original owner. That's too early for the chalky era. Breyer has reground flawed models and used colored plastic in the past to economize. Perhaps that's the story behind these gals?

No USA stamp on the belly band FAM

while the matte FAM has a USA stamp, confirming its later date of production.

Both are in great shape considering their age, and while the Family Arabian Mare is not one of my favorite vintage molds, I do like them in this color and am  pleased to have them as part of my collection.

Shelving Update

Yesterday I spent most of the day in my office switching out the old shelves for the new IKEA ones.

 I am so pleased with how they look!

The shelves are from IKEA's Billy shelves line and they are taller and wider than what I had so I can get more pieces on each set. And, I think they have a cleaner look than the hodgepodge of shelves that I've been using for the past twelve years.

I still have two to install, one that will replace this large brown set of shelves

and another to replace the two narrow ones that I've put in temporarily there on the far end.

Those last two large sets arrived with damage so I am waiting for IKEA to send their replacements. And as busy as I am with teaching right now, I may not get the new shelves installed until June.

But that's okay; I am in no rush. And in the meantime, I can still enjoy the ones that are already in place.

After the Most-Wanted, What's Next?

When you have finally, finally, finally found your most wanted pieces for your collection (in my case, the Metlox Poppytail medium Circus Ponies), What is next?

For me, it was to savor the find for a while - to have the Circus Ponies out where I could see them and enjoy the feeling of completing a decades long search.  And while that was wonderful, I am changing out shelves in the horse room and don't want anything to happen to the new pieces as I wrestle with moving furniture and models around.

I have put the Circus Ponies into the curio that houses my "clunky" clinkies - the Melba Ware, Metlox Poppytrail, and Freeman Leidy pieces along with other random chinas such as Lakeshores, Chevals, Lenoxes, and Made in Japans.

 I get happy just looking at them. (Those are a few of my Freeman Leidy circus ponies behind them.)

But now what? Do I find something else to look for? Or am I happy with what I have and stop there?

I'm pretty much in the latter category. Sure, I will keep my eyes open for new pieces, but I am very content with what I have. There is another Metlox Poppytrail Circus Pony, this one with a rider, that I will look for.

Photo from Google Images.

I already have three of the riderless Circus Ponies (all from the late Karen Grimm's collection), and would not mind having the version with a rider. 

Cybis made two pieces in the late 1970s/early 1980s that I would like to find some day.

 One has a rider, like the Metlox Poppytrail piece

while the other is riderless and beginning a bow. (Both photos from Google Images and eBay. Second photo credit to China Finders.)

So, yes, there are still some pieces I would like to find.

 But nothing will ever compare to the long time search and joy in finding my most treasured pieces,

the grey and palomino Metlox Poppytrail Circus Ponies.

I am content.

An Unexpected Breakthrough

Three weeks ago I took over the middle school classroom at my school corporation's alternative school. There are thirteen 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in the class, all of whom have been expelled from their regular schools and are in a program designed to help them return to school next fall. That is, if they can make it through this program - they get three chances, and then they are out permanently and cannot re-enter school again. Two have already been unable to comply with the school's rules and been permanently expelled.

These are the toughest of the tough kids in the area, and it has been rough to say the least. I've had to deal with things that are unimaginable in a general education classroom. I've been called awful names, I've had to call Child Protection Services on behalf of a child, and I've seen the affects of drug abuse. It has been eye opening to say the least.

But in the end, they're still kids. And some of them have begun letting down their guards and are beginning to learn and be civil, to each other and to me.

One of the students designed a mascot for our class and gave me a copy of her drawing.

I won't make much of a difference in their lives in just five short weeks. But my hope has been that they will know that I care about them and am trying to help them. My efforts have not seemed to have had any effect. Until yesterday afternoon.

An 8th grade girl approached me as the dismissal bell rang. "You know," she said offhandedly, "I sort of like you. You're nice."

I have gone home in tears more than once the past three weeks. This time, the tears were tears of happiness. We had a breakthrough.

Another Surprise at Great Lakes Congress

There was a second surprise in store for me at Saturday's Great Lakes Congress show and this one made the tears well up when I saw it.

Heather McCurdy called me over and handed me a bubble wrapped package. What was inside was  a total surprise. It was also very, very familiar.

An old Made in Japan china saddle horse with chain reins.

Heather explained that she had found it at an auction in a box with some other horses, and knowing my story, had snagged it for me. 

So what is the story?

 It can be found in Nancy Kelly's recent book, Exploring the Model Horse Hobby on page 60.

This is Brownie, the very first model horse I ever got, given to me by Santa in 1963 when I was six. I loved Brownie so much, and many childhood memories are wrapped around him. For example, I have a very vivid memory of holding him close while lying in bed while very, very ill with the measles. 

As you can see from the photo, living with me was hard on poor Brownie. My dad faithfully glued him for me every time I broke him. Decades later, I considered having him restored, but I decided that I liked him the way he was because the yellowed glue on the multiple breaks was a visible reminder of how much my father loved me.  I look at Brownie and I see my father's love.

Despite having chased after model horses for decades, never have I found another piece just like Brownie. Heather knew that he was incredibly special to me, so when she spied him in that box at the auction, she snagged him for me.

Brownie always has been and will forever will be a reminder of my dad's love. New Brownie is special, too, and is a reminder of the kindness and thoughtfulness of a dear friend.

Thanks, Heather. There are no words to express my gratitude.