Saturday, June 29, 2013

Lost and Found

Nothing is ever truly lost, only misplaced.

I’m going to show you something today that I’ve been looking for for a couple years now. I only found it yesterday because I was looking for something else entirely, and it just happened to be filed away with that something else.

I will apologize ahead of time: it is probably going to make some of you cry. The rest of you will either get angry, or wish for the invention of a working time machine. I had all of these reactions when I first saw it in a small archive I acquired a few years back. I’m grateful to have it - because it’s a wonderful documentary tool - but you’ll see why:


(Click to enlarge.)

This is a partial scan from the "Test Color" section of Marney Walerius’s Spring 1984 Saleslist. In addition to the portion I didn’t scan she also, for some strange reason, listed several Tests in the "OF Discontinued" section of the list. (Chalky Classic Lipizzan? Glossy Adios? Sandy Bay Appaloosa QH Gelding? Argh!)

The numbers in parentheses are the quantities she claims were made of each model. I would take these numbers with a grain of salt. This is not to cast aspersions on her accuracy, but is more a reflection of the resources she was working with. While she may have had access to resources we don’t have now, we also have access to information today that she did not that directly contradicts some of her claims. 

History is a consensus, constantly revised.

Aside from the Appaloosa Proud Arabian Stallion and the Bay San Domingo Test for the Stock Horse Stallion, Item #41 is worth noting: it was likely one of the early Tests for the "Mississippi Valley Live" Special Run Chestnut Proud Arabian Stallions. That show wasn’t for several months in the future at the time of this saleslist was issued, so her claim of only 2 existing was likely valid - at that moment.

As she states in another part of this list, these Tests "…will NOT be mass produced but no promise can be made to that affect [sic]…"  And as you can see from the scan, some of them were. Eventually. (I wouldn't mind owning a few of them, myself. Actually, I do, but that's another story.)

7 comments:

LostInAn80sFog said...

Tears? Check.

Anger? Check.

Overwhelming urge for a TARDIS? Check!

What an incredible document. Even though I bought a couple of horses that were listed on that saleslist, I don't believe I ever saw it. I have vague recollections of an earlier one that was mostly or exclusively PAs with price tags of $90-100, one per customer, that was probably earlier, but this one rings no bells.

Is it safe to assume that the bay Black Beauties on this list were the handful with star faces that are running around the hobby?

Any chance there was a bright red Sham with four socks and pink hooves listed? I sorta kinda think I bought mine about that same time from Marney but for some reason my memory of his acquisition is especially foggy.

LostInAn80sFog said...

One other question: any particular reason to believe the chalky classic Lipizzan was a test? I have one that I'm reasonably sure I bought at a flea market back in the day. Emphasis on "reasonably/"

ANDREA said...

There were several Shams with socks floating around. I can recall a few of them selling at Congress. (And some being left over, because of the one-per-hobbyist rule).

I have not seen a Chalky Lipizzan before, so I am assuming that either it was a test of some sort, or of a rarity on the scale of the Chalky Black Bucking Bronco.

LostInAn80sFog said...

Are the Shams with socks bay, or chestnut? This one looks like the Mississippi Valley PAS with pink hooves. Just curious as to how many of them are floating around.

Sure wish I could remember with certainty where my chalky Lipizzan came from. Strange how I can remember the acquisition of certain models with absolute clarity, and others I look at and have not the slightest clue how they joined the herd.

ANDREA said...

I remember both. Both were just regular Shams in various states of "undress".

They show up with some small frequency on the market, so I'm figuring there were a decent (6-10?) amount of them.

Anonymous said...

I purchased two of the horses from this list I believe. Marney had said when I called her about them that the number after each was what SHE had for sale at that time.

Bella said...

I know this post was from a while ago, but I was wondering if you could either post more parts of it or reply if there was a classic bay arabian foal listed. I have a model that I'm trying to figure out if it is a test color. Thanks!