Hi everyone!
Welcome back! It's certainly been longer this time. In my defense, it has been a busier than usual fall season, so even when I did have a topic on my mind, I didn't have enough time to sit down and write. Not that writing in multiple sessions is bad, of course, but looking back at two other drafts I still have sitting around from the spring, it's not exactly the best tactic for me personally. (Ironically, I wrote this post as well in more than one session. Guess I just can't kick that habit!)
As usual, there has been a flurry of new releases from Breyer over the fall season so far! However, a significant improvement from last year is having a bunch of the "holiday" themed website specials previewed and made available to order around the same time (even if they don't ship until later), rather than posting 1-2 per week and really burning us out. So far we have:
- Unicorn Mare & Foal pair Ceres & Minerva on the Bluegrass Bandit & Ashley molds - Ashley's first appearance in the Breyer lineup since 2014!
- Pony Gift set Mia on the POA mold, with unicorn themed tack, a rider doll, and a green stocking. This is the debut of a new short swish tail on the POA mold! I am not super attached to the POA, so I am skipping this set, but it's very cute!
- "Pony for Christmas" series (pony & blanket) Kohl on the CWP mold. She is rather cute, but the only CWP I have at the moment is the older black SR with socks & facial marking, so despite the "update" it is too similar for me on a mold I don't conga.
- Classic Decorator Neva on the American Dream Mustang mold. This design features snowmen and pine trees utilizing splash white against a green-blue "sky" background. It's interesting, and I do like the mold, but I don't love this color.
- New series? Classic Holiday Unicorn Altair on the Classic Shire B mold. This guy was the only one out of this group to be previewed during BreyerFest, and he's also my favorite! I love galaxy themed items, especially with blue-purple-pink hues, so he was a must have.
- Holiday themed Stablemate blind bags - this year called "Merry & Bright", featuring 4 different molds (all introduced through the Stablemate Club in the past!) - Django, Mirado, Twist, and Corbin. The colors are deep jewel tones with metallics and interference. All of them have some sort of appaloosa or pinto pattern. Blanket appaloosa, tobiano, splash white, and sabino. A few of these have landed, but most folks are still waiting to receive theirs. I only ended up buying two this year, I want Django for my conga, and either Corbin or Twist otherwise - but I'm leaning towards preferring Twist. Those seem to be the most popular with everyone else, as well.
- Halloween Stablemate Blind Bags featuring mini Samhain on the G3 Belgian, mini Mischief Night on Mirado, and mini Kasper on the G4 Draft. I don't conga 2 of these and I'm more casual about the Belgian, so I chose to sit this one out.
- Halloween Classic Tabitha on the Mariah mold. It's a lovely design, but I don't collect Mariah at all, so I also passed on that one.
- Web Special Kalahari, a Marwari as an African Wild Dog, part of the Wildlife series. I passed on this since I don't collect that series and don't conga the Marwari. I find it interesting that Breyer chose this name, which is so close to Kalahkaari, the Premier Club run on the same mold. Two letters off and (I think?) it's pronounced the same way.
- Chadwick, the fall CC exclusive. A shaded palomino on the Emerson mold. As of publishing on 11/28/22, he is still available to order (I am skipping him personally). 1 per CC account, $75 plus shipping. Unlike last fall's Brunhilde, who sold out very quickly! I hope they have found a good balance where enough people who want him can buy, without having him languish around for months.
- Jewels, the Fall Decorator, a rainbow Fighting Stallion - available from Breyer and from retailers. I saw some in person yesterday, my local dealer got a BUNCH of them in and he's quite nice. I refrained from getting one this time, but I decided I will want one at some point.
- Kendall, the Brick & Mortar SR for this year! She is a glossy shaded chestnut Bobby Jo (Working Cow Horse) and she is lovely! I went to the dealer specifically to pick one out for myself. The store got 12 of them in and I chose between 11 copies (1 was set aside for another customer). It was tough! There is a lot of variation in the depth of shading on this run. Overall, I noted pretty good quality control on the ones I saw (from what I could tell looking into the boxes anyway). Some had small areas of light gloss (didn't get sprayed enough) or typical tiny bits of lint in the gloss here and there. I didn't notice anything too crazy in terms of flaws. Hopefully, I saw a good sample of the run and many of them will be this good!
The Kendall I chose, along with a happy ending to my Chasing Rainbows blind bag saga, and Ellington!
The final VC, PC, and SMC models have all been formally announced or soft-revealed through JAH at this point! Still to come for the clubs this year, we have:
- VC - Mare & Foal set: Andalusian Mare & Foal Gambler in 3 colorways. Modern style but "inspired" by vintage Palomino, Bay, and Alabaster. There have been very few attempts to do the combo of modern mold/modern color in the VC, even as an "inspiration", so it will be interesting to see how well they go over. Regardless, there will be some interest in them to those outside the club who conga those molds. So far, I am seeing a lot of "gotta have them all" and "I'm definitely selling mine". I don't think it's been confirmed, but we will likely see the freebie VC SM, Mini Dandy shipping with this set. (The mare and foal are not an immediate must have for me, but Mini Dandy, absolutely yes!) These are shipping now!
- PC - The final sculpt of the year, the Amazigh Stallion, is done in an innovative dapple gray pattern. This appears to be a test for this paint style on large scale production. Some previous dapple gray techniques have not always panned out well for the PC (looking at you Wyatt and Duende), so it will be interesting to see how well they can pull this one off. I'm not particularly interested in the mold, myself. The PC Stablemate, Giorgio will be shipping with the 3rd release. Giorgio will have a similar coat color to the Amazigh stallion, but from the photos of a page in JAH posted so far lead me to believe he won't have the dapples included. I would have preferred Zafirah's color personally, but I look forward to seeing these little guys in hand and deciding if I want to pursue this color or wait for another release.
- SMC - The final model, a new Haflinger sculpt can be seen in JAH as well. It looks like he has a blanket clip of stars as part of his color, which is somewhat controversial so far - some really do not like this concept. Personally, I can't make out a great deal of detail from the photos I've seen, but I'm not yet sure if the mold will live up to my expectations of "Haflinger" in my head. It hasn't helped that we got no preview, even of the blank mold, during BreyerFest this summer. I think a lot of people are going in with high expectations. He is supposedly sculpted by the same artist who did Django, the very first new sculpt introduced by the SMC (and still one of the most popular!) The Optional SMC release should also ship with the Haflinger - they offered this choice last year (and maybe in 2020 as well?) Helios is the SM club horse I've been looking forward to most the entire year! We saw him along with the rest of the reveals at the end of last year, and he was included in the BreyerFest Collector Club tent. He is a beautiful glossy black/deep purple unicorn mini Fireheart with glittery purple pinto pattern, mane, tail, hooves, and horn.
- Collector Club - we will also likely see:
- A Holiday themed Web Special (confirmed to be a silver filigree, mold TBA) - probably late this month or early December
- Other Animal Web Special and/or Micro Run (potentially in the holiday week between Christmas and New Years or close to the holiday beforehand)
- Christmas Morning Gambler's Choice
- Deluxe CC - The freebie model, Ellington is now shipping (see above!)
On to today's topic!
The Rise of the "Rarity Collector" - What Has Changed?
As we have all seen over the past few years, the OF rarities market spiraled, some may say to the point of being out of control. Prices are far beyond what we could have imagined 5-10 years ago, and while some of it is caused by inflation, that isn't the full story. What is it about certain models that some people find so appealing that they'll pay dozens, if not hundreds above where the market later settles?
As I've noticed, especially over the last year, there is a large tendency to the "gotta have it now" factor that didn't feel like it was there as much years ago. If a rare horse came up for sale on the secondary right away, and it was in your budget, cool! If not, you might find yourself sitting back for a few months and riding out the high of the hot new item. You may spend a BreyerFest or two searching for that perfect grail in your price range. But many people don't want to do that anymore, and would prefer to throw as much money as they can at their New Favorite Thing. Is it patience that has changed? People more willing/able to spend large amounts outside of BreyerFest season?
Furthermore, I know the hobby has grown significantly, but it's now to the point that every time new rarities are released, they are suddenly the "new favorite" of dozens of people. Many of whom are willing to spend as much as possible to come out on top. I'm sure this is just part of the territory as the hobby experiences growing pains, but it does sadden me that this endless cycle is making a lot of long-term hobbyists, many of whom are friends, feel burned out trying to keep pace. Even if they are folks who have been collecting rarities for years. The price, both in monetary value and sanity is just too steep.
Some of the "gotta have it now" I'm sure is also affecting the decision making to buy the pretty pony. Sure, you can fall in love with a model when it's released, but taking the time to wait for the market to temper can also ensure that you think for enough time about whether the model is right for your collection. How many times have we seen people jump at the opportunity to buy something secondhand right away only to decide a few months later that it isn't their taste after all? It's one thing if you can get something at original cost, of course, but to throw sometimes hundreds or more into a purchase you'll have buyers remorse down the line on is probably not all that sustainable.
One of the most glaring examples of what I'm talking about with the market is Peregrine! After his drawing, I saw at least several copies sell for around $800, which is a huge markup from his initial sale price. In contrast, I have seen a few posted just recently in the $300-$400 range, and they're not heavily flawed ones. With very few exceptions I can think of (Sand Dollar, Silverado, etc.) most new releases will come down in asking price over time if you are patient - especially for web specials or anything with a higher run count than those.
The "top end" of the market, micro runs, test runs, OOAK, vintage rarities etc. I would still say has not "calmed down"...it may never settle to a place most of us find to be reasonable if things keep going as they are. It is still possible of course to get good deals, such as flea markets or late night eBay BIN's for the older stuff, but the newer it is, the more likely most or all are still in collectors' hands. This means pieces will either be traded around through private sale between individual collectors, or they'll be listed in places that are highly visible to those who are willing to spend whatever it takes to get the model they want.
Jumping off that point, what is it about rarity in particular that appeals to certain people? Not a specific model they fell in love with that they've spent a bit more than normal to obtain, a missing piece of a certain conga, etc. But specifically collecting models BECAUSE they are rare, whether they actually have any attachment to the piece emotionally or find it visually appealing. This is such a foreign concept to how my brain works, but I have a few thoughts trying to see from other perspectives.
I believe there are a couple of categories of people who like to focus on rarities, with likely some overlap between these motivations:
- Those who enjoy the thrill of the hunt/chase and continue finding new targets once they've accomplished each goal
- The idea of owning something that is extremely limited, either to have a sense of pride regarding it, bragging rights/status among peers, or both
- A love of the more intricate/detailed paint work that often comes with very limited runs, above and beyond the "norm"
- I truly hope there are few people who feel this way, but I'm sure there are at least a couple out there: wanting to own something purely so that someone else can't have it
- Those who prefer to have a smaller collection of high quality over collecting a variety of things in higher quantity
- People who couldn't afford to collect a lot in the past, but whose situation has improved to the point that they can now buy things that their younger self could only dream about (keep in mind though this scales and could look different for everyone - one might consider their dream to be an OOAK and someone else could be completely over the moon buying a Connoisseur they saw in JAH as a child but their parents thought was too expensive)
I certainly don't want to dunk on anyone who can and wants to spend their accumulated wealth on Breyers, that is always up to personal choice. I think some justifications certainly make more sense than others (for example, buying something that has very few made just so you're the owner and not someone else when it's not a model you're in love with for any reason, is petty and childish in my opinion). The upward trend is concerning to the hobby as a whole, though. I don't know if it will have a "bubble", where it gets to the point that not enough players at the top can keep it going and things settle lower. Time will tell, but overall, the changes in the market have definitely caused a lot of us to take a step back and re-evaluate how we interact with the hobby, and/or buying habits.
This year I have tried to be more strict about buying/putting on my wish list things I love, but I'm also giving myself time to think about some of them before deciding "for sure" if they'll stay on that list. I do also like to re-evaluate priorities once in a while. Like before last year or the year before I wasn't "serious" about congas of Croi and Bobby Jo. Outside of congas, I have a few specific goals I'm trying to accomplish, such as getting all of the Regular Run Traditionals on my wish list from 2000 onward (currently goes from 2000-2012 as the last 10 years I've had a better ability to get what I want out of those. This period where I'm still missing some spans from the first year I started collecting to a few years into college.)
I do still try to err on the side of "I could show it if I wanted to" just due to space reasons. I don't mind a few here and there being shelf sitters or going on the list of "I'm going to get it fixed up someday", but I do prefer that I can "do something" with most of them (aka shows).
While I am trying to remain frugal whenever possible, I have to remind myself that even though I am still paying off loans, and I have some responsibilities (my BF is so wonderful for supporting me as much as he does while I'm paying the loans off!) collecting is also one of my greatest joys in life, and it's ok to buy stuff once in a while, even if it's a bit more than I used to afford in college/grad school. I definitely get anxiety surrounding money if I feel like I shouldn't be spending so much. I'm still looking for that balance that will allow me to be happy with how much I can devote to my hobby without giving myself a lot of guilt and anxiety. Hopefully that will come in the future when my loans are finished - if I can keep going with how much I pay off per month now, I should be done in 2023 or 2024 (and the loan forgiveness will help if those applications are allowed to go through - I don't mind paying what I owe, especially with no interest, but the forgiveness I'm approved for would get me paid off a few months faster, which is nice.)
That all being said, I am fairly pleased with my progress on this year's wish list...
RR: I'm honestly doing very well on the new introductions for 2022! I still have the black Welsh Mare & Foal on my list, I may end up pursuing them after the holidays if I don't get a set as a gift. I did put the new El Pastor, Vivaldi on my Amazon list, but despite being a pretty bay, I'm not sure if he'll go on my "actual" wish list next year if no one buys him for me.
Holiday: I'd still like the Unicorn Ashquar and Santa Bobby Jo ornaments and will seek those out if I don't get them as gifts (I refrain from buying anything on my list that can be bought at TSC or Amazon during the holiday season). Mom got me Snowbird and the stirrup ornament for my birthday!
TSC: Oddly enough what I want the most at this point is the Blue ornament, and there are a TON of those at local stores so I shouldn't have an issue finding one on clearance if I don't get one as a gift. I do also have Zeke, Ashton, and Traditional scale Blue on my wish list. I might grab those on clearance if they're not gifted but otherwise, I'm not sure if I'll pursue them. I did get Jolene, who was my favorite this year.
BreyerFest: I did quite well in getting what I was interested in this year, but there's usually a couple I don't get to. I am still considering adding a Landler and/or Elbe & Spree in the future. As far as the mare and foal, I may wait until there are a few more colors available. If I like those colors better than what else comes out, I'll come back to them. Landler I want to hand pick for the dapples if I get one. I'm also interested in Zeitgeist, the volunteer model someday and potentially the glossy palomino Orren Mixer. While I am grateful I didn't have to scramble for a glossy Marc of Charm this time, I'm also a bit salty that they used the Mixer horse for the Open Show instead of the CC Appreciation like they did with the first two. It HAD to be my favorite color right? 😅
Clubs: Out of the Web Specials this year, I do like Cardinal, and thought Robin & Nestling are cute though I decided to sit out their drawing. I'd also like Cooper and Woodstock from the VC, maybe the palomino pair of Andalusians too. I'll be on the lookout for Mini Dandy, for sure. The PC was quite "meh" for me this year, though I'm looking forward to seeing Constantia in other colors, and mini Georg. If I'm not picked for the upcoming Silver Filigree, it will go on my Buy Someday list, unless it is a Hamilton. He's the only one I'd go out of my way to buy now (not falling for any ridiculous prices though, of course. If it is THAT insane I will wait.)
Others: I like Salvino from the Palm Trees & Ponies event, so he'll go on my "long term" wish list, possibly adding Greenacres as well. I'm also meaning to go back to Dollar General and see if I can find one of those black pinto G2 Saddlebreds without the socks. I got the original set a year ago and since these are G2's, I want the variations. There's also the "chestnut" Morgan and leopard Warmblood with added shading from the previous set. Those are more subtle to me, if I get them that's great, but the socks vs. lack of socks is a bigger difference. I'll also go back for Jewels at some point, but he might be more of a gift and not one I buy myself.
Thank you all for your patience again with my scattered motivation to work on blog posts!
To keep up with my other hobby projects, please visit https://sites.google.com/view/amanda-breyer-horse-survey-hub/home
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