Saturday, November 23, 2013

Stablemates Grail #1

Tying up some loose ends today - literally, as in I’m trying to finish tying/tufting a wool comforter project by weekend’s end. It’s not hard, just tedious, but it’s been unfinished far too long. I want it done and gone from my mind, and from the craft closet.

It’s also been colder than heck the past couple of days, and I could really use a "new" comforter that’s less temperamental (and immovable) than the dog.

So anyway, the latest grail arrived today - and here it is, in all its glory:


A #3085 Stablemates & Stable Gift Set: new in box, with the original shrinkwrap! I’ve only been wanting this since it came out in 1976; Santa cheaped out on me that year and only got me the Cardboard Stable, which I still have - fully assembled and now housing my miniscule collection of Stablemates customs.

Alas, a lot of other hobbyists apparently didn’t get one either, so locating an affordable set - until this week - was an impossibility. I had already acquired the horses separately, years ago, before they became too pricey.

The only problem with this set is the fact that it is still shrinkwrapped. While that is a huge boon to its value, it is problematic for me from a research standpoint: if I remove the wrapper to inspect and document the contents, there goes some of the value.

(And yes, that’s an original price sticker on the shrink wrap, too. I’ll spare you a bit of suffering and not let you know what that price is. It even made me wince, and I’m not generally a wincer.)

I’m not usually one who’s big on the "mint in box" thing, but being a vintage Stablemates grail that I’ve only been looking for for most of my life, I’m thinking I’ll have to make an exception here. (BTW, it wasn't super-expensive, either, but if the opportunity presents itself...)

Research problems aside, this fills a big hole in my vintage, pre-Reeves Stablemates collection; I still need the Silverplated Saddlebred, the Poop Paperweight, the holiday mail-order ones in the illustrated shipper boxes, and various assorted Chalkies. All just as, or even more hard-to-come-by as an unopened Stablemates & Stable Gift Set.

However, in my next post, I’ll reveal the other recent Stablemates grail acquisition that is arguably even rarer than any of those.

And when you see it, you’ll understand why.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember that stable ! Santa brought it! I still have three of the four horses, too. (The standing foal ended up with three broken legs and I have no idea where he went.)

ANDREA said...

Nope, not a Pancho. Bought mine years ago, in fact.