Basic Information About
Breyers
Here is some good-to-know information as well as some in depth guide
How big are Breyers?
Breyers come in 3 main Sizes:
However, Breyer sometimes releases special models in different sizes than the normal 3. For example, Foalzilla who is 1:6 scale, meaning she is bigger than many Traditional Breyers!
What does 1:32 mean?
1:32 means that the model is 32x smaller than the real horse. So 1:12 is only 12x smaller and 1:9 is only 9 times smaller.
The bigger the number after the 1:, the smaller the model will be!
This also means that a 1:12 scale Shire will look bigger than a 1:12 scale Shetland, because the Shire is bigger in real life.
How Expensive are Breyers and why?
Unfortunately this is a complicated question due to how the model horse market works. But fear not, here is a handy dandy general guide to help you understand why some models are affordable and some are not.
Regular Runs
Regular Runs are models that have been released by Breyer, are in active production and anyone can purchase. Production usually lasts 1-3 years.
These come in a lot of molds and sizes. Usually they will have less detailed paint jobs, come in a matte finish and mighthave a few minor flaws / bleeding in paint. They will almost always come with the signature yellow box.
Regular Runs can cost anywhere between a few pounds for Stablemates and £80 for Traditional scale horses.
Retired Regular Runs
Retired Regular Runs are horses that were once available to purchase, but have since gone out of production.
The only way to buy a retired model is to get it second hand, or to get it from a distributer who still has some in stock. If the model is very old, has been played with, or is out of box, you may have to take it's condition into consideration for the price. The model may have increased in value if it is in good quality because it has become rare to find, or it may have decreased in value if parts are broken or scratched.
Prices can vary greatly between £10 to a few hundred depending on the model.
Limited Edition
Limited Edition models usually have a set number of them made. This can range anywhere between 30-3000 models created.
The fewer copies of a model that exists, the higher the price. The price will increase if the model is older as well, because it is assumed that more models become damaged / lost / repainted. To find how many models were created, I recommend visiting Identify Your Breyer as they will usually list the number made in the notes section.
Club Exclusive Models
On the official Breyer Website you can find 4 clubs: Collector, Vintage, Stablemate and Premier.
You have to pay to be in these clubs each year and the requirements are different for each club. But if you are a member of any of these clubs, you will get access to exclusive new models at an additional cost. Almost all of the model created for these clubs have a limited number (and usually time frame) so these models are usually quite high in price, especially from resellers or second hand.
Models can cost between £40 - £300 direct from Breyer. Resale depends on condition but some can go for £500+
Variations, Raffles and Live Auction Models
Sometimes Breyer create really rare horses that you can get randomly (variation), get picked to buy (raffle) or are auctioned on Ebay or Breyerfest
Variations are when Breyer makes a set number of exclusive horses, and a very small number of those horses have a different colour or pattern. Take for example Pollock on the Valegro mold. Only 1,600 of him were made and 200 of those were the gold dominant variant. If you bought him, there was a small chance he would be the gold variant, which is very very rare.
Pollock
Gold Variant
Raffles are usually run for Collector Club Members. If you are a member you can choose to enter the raffle for a very limited edition model. If you get chosen, you can then purchase that model. If you don't get chosen, you will not be given the option to purchase it and you must find one second hand or via a reseller.
Live Auctions almost always consist of a one-of-a-kind model. Literally only one of this model has been hand made so these are usually purchased at thousands or even tens of thousands of pounds.
How do I find a model I like?
There are hundreds of Breyer molds and even more colours / patterns on each mold. You might find that collecting whatever model you like the look of works for you, or you might want to be picky and only collect a certain colour or mold.
The best sight to use to browse all models is certainly Identify Your Breyer.
First find a scale you like. For example, I only collect Traditional scale horses and I don't want any Stablemates.
Then browse Identify Your Breyer. You might see a mold you already have, or one you want to get. Then you can see all the different colours that mold comes in. Having the name of a model is really helpful when looking to buy online.
