I’ve always been an animal lover, and one of my favorite animals has always been horses. For as long as I can remember, I wanted a horse. I must have driven my parents crazy! I’m sure they thought it was a phase for the first five years or so. They satiated me with an endless supply of model horses, until finally I was old enough to get a job and buy a real horse for myself. Eventually I sold my horse, and few of my model horses managed to survive childhood with me and my siblings, but my love for horses has never wavered.
Recently, I was browsing the web when I found a community of Breyer Horse collectors. I’m sure most of you are pretty familiar with Breyer horses, particularly if you value collectibles. Breyer has been making horses since the 1950s and they have produced replicas of pretty much every famous horse you can think of. From Secretariat to Misty of Chincoteague, down to models of every breed you can think of, Breyer has a model for every kind of horse lover out there.
Some Breyer collectors have even started modifying the horses using paint and even reshaping the horses using boiling water. It is an easy way for collectors to have a one of a kind vintage toy of their own. Most collectibles loose value when they are modified but that isn’t always the case with these horses. The more realistic the customization the more the horse can be worth.
Every year, collectors come together for Breyerfest, a three day event where collectors can attend seminars, meet famous horses, see live performances and make their horses available as items for sale or trade. There is even an auction where you can get rare models. Check out this video from Breyerfest 2007, some of these models go for more than I paid for my real horse.
I should also note that Breyer doesn’t only make horse models, there are all kinds of animals now in the line up. One popular non horse item is a white stag from the Harry Potter Series, but there are many others. Money from Breyerfest auctions and raffles go to charity organizations every year, making Breyer collecting not only fun, but fulfilling as well.
By Jamie.
