My Vintage Chalky, Pearly, and Woodgrain surveys focus on gaining insight into the relative rarity of these older Breyer oddities!
A brief history of chalkies & pearlies...
In the 1950's, nearly all of Breyer's line was offered in glossy only. Since some of the molds that Breyer had available were based upon porcelain molds from other individuals/companies, it made sense for Breyer to mimic the porcelain "look". This was achieved by painting a layer of white on the model before applying the colorway. Due to this, a number of both horse & animal molds can be found in this "chalky" technique. However, this practice wasn't kept up throughout the entire decade - perhaps it was determined that the "look of porcelain" was not a huge factor in sales, production costs needed to be cut, or both.
During the next decade, Breyer experimented more with unintentionally unrealistic colors. Their woodgrain line was pretty popular as "home decor", and so they developed additional colors to sell under this category of items - the four Decorator colors that we know as Copenhagen, Wedgewood, Gold Charm, and Florentine. These colors were offered on 5 molds: the Five Gaiter, Fighting Stallion, Mustang, Running Mare & Running Foal. Despite Breyer's optimism about these new colors, they proved to be poor sellers. As we are very aware now, due to this limited production, they are hard to find and very expensive, much of the time. Breyer ended up with some amount of this stock that didn't sell around the time of the discontinuation. Instead of tossing them into the re-grind bin, they opted to salvage the models by using the same technique from the 1950's of covering with a thick coat of white paint before then painting the models in the more popular Bay (Fighting Stallion & Running Mare/Foal), Buckskin (Mustang), or Sorrel (Five Gaiter). They also used this method to salvage some unsold Woodgrains, as well. 1960's Chalkies can be determined by the lack of a "USA" stamp next to their "Circle C" Breyer stamp on the leg, damage to the model revealing the prior color, and the mold/color combo. For woodgrain, Copenhagen, and Florentine models, shining a strong light behind the model can reveal the pattern underneath.
In 1973, the major international oil crisis shrank the availability of oil-based plastics, leading many companies to seek out alternatives, including the cellulose acetate used by Breyer. The price & availability of plain white CA became less feasible for Breyer to maintain across all of their lines. To save money, they sought out solid color and mixed color CA, and used the chalky technique to cover the "odd" color plastics. This is the era of chalky with the widest range of available models - the majority of vintage chalkies came out of this period, roughly 1973-1975 or so. Based on the models that have been documented in chalky from this time period, I would guess that by some time in 1975 the white plastic was more readily available again, and/or Breyer had used up all of the odd color plastic they had bought in previous years.
Chalky models from the 70's can be found in either "chalky paint", in which there is the white basecoat on the model, or "chalky plastic", in which the plastic itself is the "chalk white" color, with the colorway painted directly on the plastic. For some molds, they can be found in both variations. These two types of chalkies are closer to looking like each other than they do to normal plastic - on first glance, you can't tell them apart. Other than damage to a model, chalky basecoats can be told apart by the loss of fine detail in areas where the paint pools, a pronounced belly drip on some examples, pooling paint on the bottoms of the hooves, or just by discreetly removing a tiny amount of paint off an indiscreet area (usually the bottom on a hoof that's flush with the ground). Even with these differences, it can be hard to tell for sure on some models.
During this time in the 70's, there was another distinct type of plastic that Breyer used called "pearly". This plastic was mainly used on Classic scale and Traditional foals, for some reason. The plastic itself has a strong pearl-like quality and often appears to be off-white rather than bright white. Pearlies can be more difficult to identify than chalkies, especially in photos. It is often very obvious looking in person, but if you've never seen one yourself, it can be hard to determine if you've found one or not when looking at models you think could be pearly. I know of very few examples of Alabaster models in pearly, compared to quite a few that are offered in chalky.
OTHER ODDITIES
There are also "psuedo-chalkies", which are models with unusually colored plastic, but no extra coat of white. Models that are solid bay or black, or are very minimally marked are often those that got this treatment. Brown or gray plastic is commonly seen - colors that would be less noticeable under the coat. These tend to be from the 1970's era.
BEYOND MY SCOPE
In my surveys, I focus on the models from the 1950's-1970's. There have been a few cases of chalky or psuedo chalky models popping up in the late 70's and 80's, likely one-offs or small batches using up old plastic or re-purposing old stock. In the 1990's. Breyer began intentionally using "chalky" as a painting technique to enhance some models, particularly alabasters (such as Pluto and Gem Twist). These examples where the full run was chalky are not considered any more collectible based on finish, since there weren't any non-chalkies of them available. In the mid-late 90's, there are some examples of chalky Stablemates where the full run is not chalky, so those ones may be considered more collectible to some. The hobby in general did not find "chalkies" particularly appealing until sometime in the 2000's - in the 80's and 90's, they were actually considered "undesirable" to many, and so some of them were likely customized. Due to this, we won't ever have a clear picture of just how many of each model were produced in chalky, of course.
In the 2000's and 2010's, the painting techniques changed due to technology improvements. Any models that have been painted with the thick, all-over basecoat since then have typically been advertised as such, and are often used on runs that target hobbyists rather than the general public (including Magnus, a web special). The "modern" approach to basecoating involves a thinner spray of white paint under the colorway, but any white markings tend to be left as bare plastic. This technique appears to be used without intention to create advertised variations in most cases. For example, Hwin, Jesse, and several other models in the recent past have been found either with the basecoat, or without (and without seems more common most of the time). These differences can be hard to capture in photos without having a "normal" copy to compare to. Perhaps, these models are the result of a less experienced painter messing up and thus the color needs to be salvaged by a more experienced painter, but unless there is official word on that, we only have theories to wonder about.
In this series of surveys, folks are shown several groupings of models, and are asked to click checkboxes for each model they own an example of. For those who own multiples of one or more models, they are able to submit an additional copy (or copies) of the survey to accurately report those duplicates.
This chart is the 2021 results for the 1970's Traditional Chalkies - I combined the amounts of Basecoat and Chalky Plastic reported for this chart as it was already very large. The least commonly reported are at the top, and most commonly reported at the bottom. Follow the link to enlarge: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1azQzuImt37AVzQF7FgR5cKf1unL7k8g_/view
Quick Facts!
Started in 2016, this survey was a "once every couple of years" event until I decided upon a bi-annual (every other year) schedule. The next survey session will be Fall 2023.
I have sections for Other Animals, 1950's Traditionals, 1970's Traditionals, Classics, and Stablemates
Most recently, the 1960's chalkies aka Painted Over Decorators got an extended section within this survey, to better account for the different colors that are "hidden".
Previously, I have split up the Basecoat and Chalky Plastic options for most of the 1970's Traditionals. I will abstain from this in the future, since that section is already long, and it is not clear how many people are able to tell the difference- which could be causing the lower reported amounts for chalky plastic, potentially.
The Bay Rearing Stallion is one of the most common Pearlies!
Quick Facts!
The Pearly survey was first run in 2020. I used it to test the Microsoft Forms platform, but in the future, it may join the Google Forms family with the others.
It is also meant to be a bi-annual survey - conducted in even numbered years. The next session will be Fall 2024! See 2022 results below!
Here are a couple of my woodgrains, the mare and foal on a lamp and the Brahma Bull.
Quick Facts!
The Woodgrain survey was also first run in 2020, and was well received with 277 responses!
This is another bi-annual survey, run in even years! The next session will be Fall 2024! See below for 2022 results!
Other Animals
Bear
Bear Cub
Bighorn Ram
Black Poodle
Brahma Bull
Buck
Buffalo
Doe
Elephant
Elk
Fawn
Hereford Bull
Holstein Calf
Holstein Cow
Lassie
Longhorn Bull
Moose
Pronghorn Antelope
Rin Tin Tin
Spanish Fighting Bull
Walking Hereford Bull
White Poodle
Stablemates
Bay ASB
Bay Arabian Mare
Bay Arabian Stallion
Bay Morgan Stallion
Bay TB Mare
Black TB Mare
Buckskin QH Mare
Buckskin QH Stallion
Chestnut TB Mare
Seabiscuit
Classics
Bucking Horse - Black
CAF - Black
CAF - Chestnut
CAF - Palomino
CAM - Chestnut
CAS - Chestnut
Kelso
Lippizan Stallion
Mustang Foal - Chestnut
QH Foal - Bay
QH Foal - Black
QH Foal - Chestnut
QH Foal - Palomino
QH Mare - Bay
QH Stallion - Sorrel/Palomino
Rearing Stallion - Alabaster
Rearing Stallion - Bay
Rearing Stallion - Palomino
Swaps
1950's Traditionals
Clydesdale Stallion - Glossy Bay/Gold Bobs/No Muscle
Black Fury Prancer
Palomino Fury Prancer
Honey Bay PAF
Honey Bay PAM
Alabaster Western Horse
Palomino Western Horse (O-link reins, older style snap on saddle, often on clocks, black hooves)
1960's Traditionals - aka Painted Over Decos
Chestnut Belgian (woodgrain)
Clydesdale Stallion - Matte Bay/Gold Bobs (woodgrain)
Bay Fighting Stallion (woodgrain or 4 decos)
Bay Running Mare & Foal (woodgrain or 4 decos)
Buckskin Mustang (woodgrain or 4 decos)
Sorrel Five Gaiter (woodgrain or 4 decos)
1970's Traditionals
Adios
Adios - Yellow Mount
APH
Belgian
Brighty
Clydesdale Foal
Clydesdale Mare
Clydesdale Stallion - Matte Bay/Red & White Bobs
Donkey
El Pastor
FAF - Alabaster
FAF - Bay
FAF - Charcoal
FAF - Palomino
FAM - Alabaster
FAM - Bay
FAM - Charcoal
FAM - Palomino
FAS - Alabaster
FAS - Bay
FAS - Charcoal
FAS - Palomino
Fighting Stallion - Alabaster
Fighting Stallion - Bay
Five Gaiter - Sorrel
Grazing Mare - Bay
Grazing Mare - Palomino
Indian Pony - Brown Pinto
Indian Pony - Bay Appaloosa
Jumping Horse - Bay, Solid
Jumping Horse - Bay, Markings
Justin Morgan
Lady Phase
Man O War
Midnight Sun
Misty
Morgan - Black w/star & socks
Morgan - Black, Solid
Mustang - Buckskin
Old Timer - Alabaster
Old Timer - Dapple Gray
Pacer
PAF - Alabaster
PAF - Dapple Gray
PAF - Mahogany Bay
PAM - Alabaster
PAM - Dapple Gray
PAM - Mahogany Bay
PAS - Alabaster
PAS - Dapple Gray
PAS - Mahogany Bay
QHG - Buckskin
QHG - Chestnut Appaloosa
QHY - Appaloosa
QHY - Liver Chestnut
QHY - Palomino
Running Foal - Bay
Running Mare - Alabaster
Running Mare - Bay
Running Stallion - Bay
Running Stallion - Black Appaloosa
Saddlebred Weanling
Shetland Pony - Bay
Shire Mare - Sorrel
Stormy
TB Mare
TB Foal
Western Horse - Palomino (Regular style reins, slip on tan saddle, gray hooves)
Western Pony - Black Pinto
Western Prancer - Palomino
Western Prancer - Smoke
If you own any models besides those on this list that were made between 1950-1975, please contact me with photos and any other provenance so that I may add them to this list and include them as options in future surveys!
Classics
CAF - Black
CAF - Chestnut
CAF - Palomino
QH Foal - Black
QH Foal - Chestnut
Rearing Stallion - Bay
Rearing Stallion - Palomino
Traditionals
FAM - Bay
Grazing Foal - Bay
Lying Down Foal - Black Appaloosa
QHY - Appaloosa
QHY - Liver Chestnut
Rough Coat Stock Foal - Black Appaloosa
Running Stallion - Alabaster
Scratching Foal - Black Appaloosa
TB Foal - Chestnut/Bay
If you own any models besides those on this list that were made between 1950-1975, please contact me with photos and any other provenance so that I may add them to this list and include them as options in future surveys!
This list is much more well established, but in case you are looking for a reference, here it is!
Belgian
Brahma Bull
Boxer
Buffalo
Clydesdale Stallion
Donkey
Elephant
FAF
FAM
FAS
Fighting Stallion
Five Gaiter
Fury Prancer
In-Between Mare
Longhorn Bull
Morgan (Stretch)
Mustang
PAF
PAM
Poodle
Polled Hereford Bull
QHG
Racehorse
Running Foal
Running Mare
Shetland Pony
Walking Black Angus (Has horns)
Walking Hereford (similar pose, but no horns)
Western Pony
Visit the links below to review results from older surveys!
Hi folks! Sorry I've been a bit behind, but here are the chalky survey results! We had 70 responses this time, compared to 96 from the 2021 cycle. As always, take these results with a bit of salt given the small sample size, but it's good to do this survey periodically to help support our current notions of what is "rare" vs. what is "common". We do know that all these chalkies exist, so even if some of them had none reported this year, there are copies out in the world - just that none of the owners participated. I do my best, but it is difficult to reach a wide audience given how spread out hobby communities can be even in the digital age.
New this year, I eliminated the basecoat vs. chalky plastic splits from the 1970's section...while it is interesting information, that group is huge without the split, and in general I feel it is tough to tell which type of chalky some models are which could skew the data. I also added the painted over decos back in but gave them their own question with 5 options for each of the "4 decos" molds (one for each color if known and an Unsure if unknown). Caveat with this category comes from the Belgian. I realized after I published the survey that he never got the USA mark, so looking for the lack of one is not a positive indicator of a painted over woodgrain. However, he does not seem to be over-reported in the 60's category, so that is good.
Thank you to everyone who participated! Next fall's Vintage surveys will be Pearly & Woodgrain, Chalky will return in 2025.
2023 - 1970's Chalkies
2023 - 1950's Chalkies
2023 - 1960's Painted Over Decos/Woodgrain
2023 - Chalky Animals
2023 - Chalky Stablemates
2023 - Chalky Classics
Woodgrain Rarity Results 2022!
These results, while a sample and not necessarily a full indication of the trends in the overall population, lines up well with previously understood rarity levels. The Family Arabians and Fighting Stallion are far and away the most common, while a few of the Animals and the IBM are among the most difficult to obtain. I have split the molds into relative rarity "zones" on the left (these are not the same colors used by the chart). A total of 168 responses were submitted during this session.
The 2022 Vintage Pearly Survey had a total of 43 responses! The most commonly reported Classic scale pearly is the Bay Rearing Stallion, by quite a lot.
Out of the 43 responses, the Chestnut/Bay TB Foal and the Black Blanket Lying Foal are the most common Traditional scale pearlies.
Since this one was new, I was able to screenshot the Google summary page!
Question 1 of 2 - also a new survey, where I could just take screenshots.
Question 2 of 2