How To Show Model Horse Collectibility Class and Make Documentation

How To Show Model Horse Collectibility Class and Make Documentation

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A Double Judged class at Atomic City 2018

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Daunted by documentation? Confused about classes? Learn how to show Collectibility and make documentation right here!

What Is Collectibility Class?

Most people start out showing their model horses in Breed class. This division treats your model horse as a real horse. The judge looks at which horses on the table best display ‘realism’. Who looks like they would be able to live if they suddenly became real? Who has bone and muscle structure in the correct places? Legs positioned according to how the animal would bare weight? Colors that are genetically possible in the breed?

This ASB Stablemate won a 2nd place in Breed, but did not place in Collectiblity.

Collectibility classes judge your model on it’s qualities as a collectible piece. How rare is it? How desirable is it? How old and well cared for is it? What classes are offered at a show is up to the show holder who writes the class list. This means you will need to examine your class list to decide which horses to bring. There is no set classlist that all show holders use. Each show holder gets to create their own.

This glossy Running foal placed 2nd in Collectibility, but did not place in Breed.

How To Choose Whom To Show

If you are just starting out and only have current release horses in your show string, you can still show Collectibility. Many shows have a class for Regular Run horses, and some have Modern Regular Run, or break the runs up by decade and you can show your current models there.

This is a Regular Run horse who won 2nd place in Collectibility in his class that was for the decade he was made.

If you have models that are very old, they are usually the best to show in Collectibility, but don’t limit yourself to only age when selecting your Collectibility models. Take your collection and look each one up here: Identify Your Breyer. I will show you how to do that in a little bit.

This Clydesdale Stallion won his class for Collectibility, and also got a ribbon for Breed.

Look at your class list and as you learn about each of your models, look at which class it would go in. Look for limited run models, models you could only buy at an event, or through a magazine or catalog, models made in a certain color for a very short time, etc. Make notes of which models you have that aren’t a Regular Run. Regular run means anyone can buy the model out of the Breyer catalog. Any model you have to go to a certain store to get is a Special Run. If you can ONLY buy it from the Breyer Website that is a Web Special Run. If you could only buy the model at a certain show or event then it is a Special Run. All the horses you can buy only at BreyerFest, for example, are Special Runs.

What Is A Double Judged Show?

The term “double judged” can actually mean two things. A host can hire two judges for each division and have any class judged twice. In this case, you would take your QH horse models up for QH class and two different judges would place the class. You could win two first place ribbons for QH Breed, one under each judge. The second meaning is when Breed and Collectibility are judge concurrently. This is what I will talk about today.

This Stablemate won both 1st in Breed and 2nd in Collectibility in his double-judged class.

Show holders can choose to set their show up however they like. They can have Breed Division, Collectibility Division, Custom Division, and Workmanship Division, all running on different tables at the same time. Or they might choose to run them concurrently and have Breed and Custom be double judged. This means you bring your QH up for QH Breed class and it also gets judge as QH Collectibility class. The host might have hired one judge who judges both Breed and Collectibility for each class or there might be two judges, one for Breed and one for Collectibility. In Custom, your QH could be double judged for Breed and Workmanship.

This Custom Appaloosa by Ruth Sheridan won 1st in Workmanship and 2nd in Breed in the double-judged Appaloosa class.

There are pros and cons to both ways of organizing the classes. If you have a Collectiblity Division, you might bring out horses that are old and in good condition but no longer show well in Breed classes. You would choose to bring your most anatomically correct horses for Breed and your Oldies for Collectiblity. If the show is double judged, you have a lot more opportunities to earn NAN cards (Learn about that here) because every single breed class will also hand out Collectibility cards. BUT, instead of bringing a set of Collectiblity horses and a set of Breed horses, you get to bring one set. You will have to choose which horses get those spots. You might have to leave a great Breed horse at home to make room for a great Collectibility horse.

If you get to take a horse up for two classes, and you miss the first class, you can still make that horse’s second class. If the classes run concurrent, you only have one chance to get your horse in it’s class and if you miss the class that horse is just done for the day. It goes both ways though, if you only have to take the horse up once, you can then pack it up and open more space on your table for the rest of the show.

What exactly is “Documentation”?

The big difference as a class in showing Collectibility is that you are required to present documentation with your model when you put it in the ring. You might be used to making breed documentation for showing in Breed class, but documentation for Collectibility is a little different and this can be overwhelming at first.

Documentation for a Regular Run Traditional, a Special Run Classic, a Special Run Stablemate, and hand-written for a Stone Chip. Both the fancy computer documentation and the hand-written note are completely acceptable.

It doesn’t have to be hard! Did your model come with anything? If it came with a halter or doll or wreath of roses or a hang tag on it’s neck, you want to put that on the table with the horse. Some special run models come with a COA which stands for Certificate Of Authenticity. Not all special run models come with that, but if it does, keep it to show with it.

Inside of the card that came with the Premier Club ‘Bobby Jo’ model
Laminated UPC from the box a Glossy Donkey came in from a Breyer Website Gambler’s Choice promotion. The sticker proves that the donkey was the special glossy version.
Hang-tag from a web special run classic Appaloosa.

The documentation you create needs to include this basic information: Brand, Model number, Mold name, Year it was released/produced, how it could be purchased, how many were made. You can also include the scale the horse is, the sculptor who originally sculpted the model, the artist who designed the paint work, and a description of the color on the model, but these are not required. If you have any other facts about the model include them also. DO NOT include information about pricing. This includes the original sale price and current value. The monetary value of a model is not taken into consideration and the judge will ask you to cover the price if you include it in your documentation.

There is no set rule about making documentation. Some people cut the UPC label off the packaging and include that with their model on the table. Some people use the COA that might come with a model and use only that for documentation. You can hand-write the required information on a piece of paper. You can laminate a printed document you created. There is no set size or layout that is considered standard. Generally nothing larger than an 8.5 x 11 piece of printer paper, but beyond that, you get to design something that works for you.

A Documentation Walk-Through

I am now going to walk you through how I personally make my documentation. This walk-through will show you how to document a Regular Run horse, Special Run horse, and a Stablemate.

I use Word to create my documentation. I do mine in 12 pt Times New Roman font. I list the info like this:

G (if this is a Stablemate, put the Generation) “” (name the production company gave the model)

Make/Item Number: (ie, Breyer #105)

Mold: (ie, Clydesdale Mare)

Color: (ie, dapple grey)

Year Produced: (ie, 2000-2003)

Other Info: (List anything that came with the model, where you had to go to get it if it was a Special Run, the number of models in the run if it’s known, and anything else special about it.)

Before I fill this in, I copy and paste it several times to fill the page. Next, I go to IdentifyYourBreyer.com and find all the info to fill in for each model.

From the front page, you select the SCALE your are searching. Traditional, Classic, Paddock Pal, Stablemate, or Mini Whinny.
I selected Traditional. Now I see all the molds that are Traditional Scale.
I selected the first horse on the list for this exercise, ‘Action Stock Horse Foal’. Now I see all the releases on the mold.
I chose #725 to use in my example, and clicked the photo to make it larger. Now I can copy and paste the photo into my documentation. Because this is an educational use, I am allowed to use the photo.

The last part of the creation step is to create a ‘text box’ and put it next to the model information.

Click ‘Text Box’ and select the first option; a basic box.
The text box will appear in your document. Mine appeared at the top of the page and I had to drag it to where I needed it.

Then, insert a photo of the model into the box. You can copy and paste the photo from IdentifyYourBreyer because this is for an educational use, or you can take your own photo of your model.

I moved the text box next to my words and then copy and pasted the photo into the box. You can resize the photo inside the box, then resize the box so all of the photo is visible.

Double click the text box once you have your photo a size you like and select Line Color and then choose No Color and the line around the photo will disappear.

Double click the LINE around the photo (text box line) and the menu at the top of the page changes to be about the text box.
Select ‘Shape Outline’ and then choose ‘No Outline’.
The line around the photo will disappear. The text box is still there, so if you need to move it again, move the mouse slowly until you see it change to indicate you’re on the box.

This font and size fits neatly on a 3 x 5 index card. If you have your display of the page at 100%, you can hold a card up and check that it will fit.

My text and image will fit neatly on this index card.

After I have made up the text and photos for all the cards I need to make, I print them out in color. I cut them out around the text and photo and glue each strip onto a 3 x 5 index card. After it dries completely, I can laminate it!

This is the laminator I have. You can buy it here on Amazon: Scotch Thermal Laminator. It comes with a few laminating pouches, and you can buy packs of just pouches.

Handy at-home laminator!

This is what the pouches look like. I with 5 cards in each when I laminate. I do three down like shown, then two more sideways at the top. After they are laminated and cooled, I cut them out and they are done!

Index card inside a laminating pouch before laminating.

When you have all your neat and tidy cards made, they will fit nicely into a recipe or card box. This box was originally for organizing greeting cards. It holds all of my documentation cards and all my Breed and color reference cards. You can buy one on Amazon here: greeting card box.

Greeting card or recipe card boxes are great for holding your documentation!

You can do your documentation however works best for you. What do you do? Let me know in the comments!


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