Breyer Horse Collecting: 65 Years Of Breyer History

In the past sixty five years Breyer has created thousands of horses and created tens of thousands of collectors, and maybe more! Starting from one horse that shot to popularity, the history of Breyer is as interesting as the horses are beautiful!

In 1950, the Breyer Molding Company out of Chicago Illinois, created a clock with a Western Horse atop it for Woolworths. Before they knew it, demand for the horse had grown and they were on their way to the company we know today! In the 1950’s several molds were introduced along with animals such as cows and dogs. These models along with the original palomino Western Horse would become the foundations of the company.

In the 1960’s Breyer continued to expand from a few horse and animal molds, into a full lineup with dozens of horses and animals. Collectors began to become more defined in the 1960’s and the foundations of the hobby began with shows and customizing starting up. By the 1970’s the hobby had grown immensely along with the Breyer lineup. By this point, hundreds of different models has been produced and new scales were becoming collectors favorites.

In the 1980’s the hobby really started to take root and Breyer began to take notice. Their publication, Just About Horses, regularly featured collector events and articles and new molds sculpted by beloved artists were introduced. In 1990 the first Breyerfest was held and Breyer had relocated to New Jersey a few years earlier. Collectors were as well connected as ever and Breyerfest’s quick growth was proof of that!

Today the hobby is well connected through the internet and expansive series of live shows and the Breyer world is more than anyone could have imagined 65 years later!

Celebrating those 65 years, Breyer and Golden Oak Stables have a model that wraps all of that history into one model, Glitterati! He’s only available through the end of the year though, so don’t delay!

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Breyer Horse History: Scales Through The Years

Breyer collectors all know that there are so many Breyers to choose from, that sometimes it can be hard to do! Picking a new model is always hard with so many choices, but many collectors tend to have a favorite scale of Breyer horses that they collect. Do you know the history of the different Breyer scales?

The first Breyer horse was created in 1950 as an accent to a clock. Western Horse, as he would come to be known, stood approximately 9 inches tall and would be the blueprint for every Breyer horse today. That 9 inch tall height became the standard for the Traditional line of Breyer horses that is still being produced today. During the 1960’s and 1970’s horses standing approximately 6 inches in height started to trickle into the Breyer lineup until in 1973 the Classics line was released. Many of these models were released in family sets, making size a big factor among collectors. Not only were they beautiful, but they were more affordable and took up less shelf room, making them quick favorites!

Next to make it’s way to collectors were the ever popular Stablemates line in 1975. These miniature horses stand between 3 and 4 inches tall and are even more popular today than they were forty years ago! Their elaborate detail and wide range of models makes them an always popular collector favorite. In 1985 the Little Bits, or Paddock Pals as some remember them, came to collectors. This small series of models that stood approximately 5 inches tall were popular for playing and are similar in scale to today’s Wind Dancers.

Lastly, but certainly not least, Mini Whinnies were released in 2005. Standing just about an inch tall, these adorable micro scaled horses took no time finding a fond audience and becoming quick collectors favorites.

So, what scale do you look for most at Golden Oak Stables? Do you stick to one scale, or is the sky the limit?

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Breyer Horse Collecting: What Is A Decorator?

There are many different kinds of horses at Golden Oak Stables, everything from Arabians to Clydesdales and everything in between. Hundreds of breeds of horses have been made by Breyer over the years but there’s one illusive kind of Breyer horse that always gets collectors excited, decorators!

The word decorator may seem like a funny word to describe a Breyer horse but it’s really not that odd at all once you know the history. Over 50 years ago Breyer introduced the first in a long line of decorator horses, the woodgrain. Painted to look like it was carved from wood, the woodgrain horse was sold as a decoration piece for homes, hence the name decorator! The woodgrain horses were popular and were joined by a much brighter set of decorators in the 1960’s. Gold Charm, Florentine, Wedgewood blue and Copenhagen colored horses joined the decorator crew. By the early 1970’s the decorators had come and gone but collectors were still fans and due to their hard to find nature, can be some of the most desirable Breyer horses even today!

In the 1990’s Breyer once again began creating decorators, and now, anything goes! Breyer decorators now can be anything from a golden horse to one with a fairytale scene painted on it and anything in between! Fantasy and creativity run wild with Breyer decorators, which is why so many collectors adore adding them to their collection!

You can go Horse Crazy for a set of decorators all your own! New for 2013 there’s six new, transparent and bright Stablemates in the Horse Crazy set that are sure to have you rarin’ to add something bright and colorful to your collection! These six model are a great way to start a collection of decorators, or add to it!

Always bringing fun and creativity to collectors, Breyer brings a new set of fun decorators to you! What are you waiting for?

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

Breyer Horse Collecting: All About Decorators

Many collectors have heard the term “Decorator”, but do you know what it means?

Decorators have long been a part of Breyer’s history, even as far back to the earliest Breyers but the name came to popularity in the 1960’s when Breyer produced a series of blue and gold horses meant to be used ad home decoration. These colors, Wedgewood; a solid matte powder blue, Copenhagen; a glossy dappled blue, Gold Charm; a glossy solid gold and Florentine; a glossy dappled gold, would go on to become the most recognizable of all the decorators. The word decorator has gone on to mean any horse that is painted in an unrealistic pattern. The first real Decorators by that definition would be the Woodgrains which were produced from the 1950’s until the late 1960’s. Some other colors from that time period also include a glossy dappled black and a charcoal coloration. Both of these are often considered to be decorators but sometimes not.

In recent years Breyer has brought back the love of decorators. In 1991 Breyer brought back the decorator with an Arabian painted in a bronze finish which was wildly popular with collectors. Since then Breyer has produced everything you can think of! Some of the more interesting ones are clear horses of all different colors, horses painted with logos, color changing paint, and more! They have brought back the decorator in a big way for collectors and they are popular as ever! The “original” four decorator colors even make an appearance from time to time and are always met with great popularity!

This year Breyer has two decorators which not only are exciting collectors but also help in a big way! The Traditional and Stablemate Breast Cancer Awareness horses are both created out of clear plastic with a gorgeous pink tone. They each feature the iconic pink ribbon design in a whimsical and beautiful pattern. While they are beautiful as can be, the best part is that Breyer is donating a portion of the profits from each sale to the fight Breast Cancer!

Decorators old and new are exciting and fun to collect, but with Golden Oak Stables you can collect a gorgeous decorator and help fight Breast Cancer too!

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

2010 Breyer Horses’ 60th Anniversary Celebration!

From their humble beginnings as a plastic manufacturer in Chicago Illinois, Breyer has always been one step ahead of the game. This year marks their 60th anniversary creating model horses, which is a worthy celebration for any company, Breyer’s long and sometimes fascinating history makes this celebration even sweeter!

In 1950, Sam Stone was the owner of the Breyer Molding Company, a plastics company that created parts for everything from airplanes to home goods, like clocks. Sam Stone was asked to create a horse for a clock by the company Mastercrafters, a frequent customer of Breyer, and the western horse was born. The Western Horse resembled another popular model horse of the 1950’s: Hartland’s Champ. It is still unclear which came first, something highly debated to this day! Western Horse was mounted over a Mastercrafter’s clock and marketed at Woolworths to a huge success! People began asking for more, and many asking for just the horse!

Breyer began to mold horses on their own, apart from Mastercrafters’ clocks. These became some of the very first Breyer models, from the Western Horse and the Western Pony (its smaller counterpart), to the Proud Arabian Mare and Clydesdale Stallion, these first horses ranged the world with the variety of breeds and spanned beyond horses. Breyer also created dogs which were popular at the time; a poodle and boxer were some of the favorites!

In the 1960’s Breyer expanded into unthinkable heights with dozens of new different molds. Some of the most popular were the Fighting Stallion and the Family Arabians. Breyer was using a glossy paint during this time that gave many of the horses the look of porcelain. These horses are highly collectible today due to their scarcity.

The next decade brought an oil crisis which greatly effected Breyer as well as the growth of the model horse hobby where live showing became popular and clubs and groups began to form.

The 80’s and 90’s were truly the explosion of the model horse hobby and Breyer. During this time, Breyer was purchased by the company “Reeves International” and the offices and production was moved to New Jersey. Breyerfest was born in 1990 and the model horse hobby exploded through events such as this and the wide spread usage of the internet.

Today in the 21st centrury we are lucky to have dozens upon dozens of Breyer’s to choose from, including a special one for 2010, Golden Oak Stables is proud to offer, Diamond Jubilee, a silver filigree American Saddlebred Stallion! This model symbolizes 60 years of innovation and beauty created by Breyer!

So grab Diamond Jubilee today, and celebrate 60 years with America’ favorite model horse creator!

~Stacy

Email Stacy: Stacy@GoldenOakStables.com

All About: Breyer Classic Models

The Breyer Classic Models are some of the easiest to collect and sometimes the easiest to forget about. Breyer classic models are approximately 1:12th scale and about 6 inches tall. They are made of the same plastic as the traditional models and are hand detailed just like all Breyer models are. In recent years there have been new sculptures each year making many new models for collecting.

In 1975 and 1976 Breyer commissioned the use of five Thoroughbred sculptures, three Arabian sculptures, three Quarter horse sculptures, and three Mustang sculptures from the Hagen Renaker company. The Hagen Renaker company was a porcelain figure producer that created mostly animals. They gained popularity in the 1950-60’s for their beauty, their horses were sculpted by Maureen Love Calvert who is often hailed as one of the most talented horse sculptors in Breyer’s line up making her models very collectible. The Arabian, Quarter Horse, and Mustang sculptures were all released as family sets. The Thoroughbreds were released induvidually as famous race horses along with one addition, Ruffian sculpted Chris Hess in 1977.

These models gained in popularity and new molds were introduced in the 80’s including an Andalusian family and famous book series horses including The Black Stallion and Black Beauty. These were sculpted by Chris Hess who sculpted many Breyer models. In 1992 Breyer introduced yet more Classic models. This time is was the Mesteno series. The Mesteno series was sculpted by Rowland Cheney and began a series of famous mustangs. Over the next five years Breyer released a new sculpture each year in the Mesteno series for all to collect. These models are fanciful and very artistic. The last installment for the classic series in the 1990’s was a series of famous western working horses sculpted by Carol Herden.These models are high energy and dynamic sculptures that are popular mounts for performance lover.

The new millennium brought a whole new life for the classic models. 2002 brought a favorite for many, a Shire Sculpture created by the ever popular Kathleen Moody. Breyer then introduced a second set of Kathleen Moody’s sculptures into the line in 2006, the American Quarter Horses. This same year Breyer’s rights to the Hagen Renaker molds expired and we lost some of the most favorite classics. This has created some desirability for the models and they are becoming very popular. Breyer has continuted to release new sculputres into the classics line including a Morgan family and a Warmblood family. In 2008 they created the first series of haired models available through the Breyer line.

Breyer’s classic models have become popular again and easy to collect. With variety and value they are an easy choice. Take a look at all the variety that the classics offer on GoldenOakStables.com. You might just find they not only allow more shelf space but they also are full of life and just a blast to collect!

~Stacy