An intro of sorts

Most people in the model horse community know me as a customizer, something I've been dabbling in since 1997. I mostly paint, but I do the odd bit of sculpting and restoration here and there, and I blog about my studio work (such as it is) when time permits.

So why am I writing a collectibility blog?

The short answer is that I'm a history geek and always have been. My background is Classical history and archaeology, but I'm also fascinated by horse racing history and memorabilia, Native American art and culture, vintage textiles, needlework, etc. I'm a huge Antiques Roadshow fan, and one of my favorite things to do is "go junking." I think my passion for model horse history and collectibility is therefore a fairly natural extension of these interests.

Like many hobbyists, my collection began with Breyers in the early 1980s. Subscriptions to Just About Horses, The Hobby Horse News, and several other publications helped me learn a great deal about the hobby and its history. And through the classifieds in JAH, I became acquainted with other collectors in my area who taught me a lot about vintage Breyers. My collection has branched out since then to include Hartlands, Stones, OF and CMG chinas, customs, and resins, but my first love is still vintage Breyers.

It's been fascinating to me to see how the hobby has changed in the last 10 to 15 years with widespread access to the internet. Collectors these days can jump right into the hobby and specialize instantly with Stones or resins or performance set-ups, and I'm frequently surprised by hobby history questions that crop up on Blab (and elsewhere). Queries about how to identify chalkies, the differences between Old Mold and New Mold PAMs, and the strange similarities between certain Hagen-Renakers and Breyers are common, and I've always taken the answers for granted because when I got into the hobby, most everyone collected Breyers or HRs and was fairly well-versed in their respective histories, even the customizers. But these days, with the aforementioned ability to instantly specialize, a Stone collector might not realize that Peter Stone actually worked for Breyer for decades before starting his own company, and resin collectors may not be aware that the Rio Rondo QH1 really kicked off the resin trend in the early 1990s.

So with this blog, I plan to focus on the collectibility aspect of a variety of manufacturers and makes, collectibility in the show ring, and include a healthy dose of hobby history to pass along some of the fun information I've learned over the years as well. I think the first topic will be about collectibility and what makes something collectible, a subject I hope to get a start on writing this weekend.