Thrift Finds: Breyer Arabian

[windinthemaples]

Thrift Find: Breyer Model--Sham the Arabian
Found At: Wolff's Flea Market in Rosemont, IL
Price Paid: $5.00
Why I'm So Excited!

In the middle of Chicago's largest outdoor flea market, jumbled into a cardboard box full of battered toys, Sham was waiting. He'd started life with a prohibitively high retail value and somehow ended up discarded and unloved in a box with broken-legged Barbie horses, ratty maned generics, and what was, before all the breaks and paint and glitter glue, a Breyer unicorn. The seller was brusque as I gingerly disentangled the Arabian with the worn muzzle from his companions. "$5 for the big ones, $3 for the small ones", he muttered from under the brim of his NASCAR hat.

I was outraged and insulted. To treat this collectible like crap, to such an extent that any value it had once had was gone, and then to ask for $5? I couldn't believe it. I walked away. Another seller, a few aisles down, had three classic size Breyers for $8 each. They were in great shape, displayed with pride on a table next to antique crystal and sterling flatware. I didn't buy them. Someone would.

I walked every aisle of that parking lot flea market and finally realized that I'd have to go back for Sham. $5 was a small price to pay for a rescue mission. What had I been thinking not to spring for it?

When I first moved to Florida (from Illinois) I was about as isolated and culture-shocked as it was possible to be. A few months into the school year, I turned 11 years old. For the first time I could remember, I was encouraged to have a birthday party. We invited my cousin, a new horse crazy friend I'd made in school, and the daughter of my mom's coworker whom I'd never met. We played Twister, as I recall, and when it was time to open the giant boxes on the coffee table, I unwrapped my Mom's gifts to me--my first Breyer horses. I'd never seen anything like them before. One was a fighting stallion and the other, this prancing Arabian stallion mold, a palomino I named Ivory after his ivory-like carved mane. I was in awe of these horses.

Over the years I collected more and then, as my fortunes fell, was forced to sell them all on eBay. Slowly, I'm collecting some of them back through friendships and thrift stores and other rescue missions like this one.

So why am I so excited? Part wistful memory, part toy-rescue, part serendipity. This little guy has aged with grace, his paint worn from his muzzle, the tips of his ears, his rounded flanks in a charming way. His troubles have only made him more beautiful and certainly more precious to me. :)

What have you felt like you were rescuing from the thrift store, garage sale, flea markets of your life lately? :) I'd love to hear your tale. :)