On the left is a standard issue #64 Rin Tin Tin from the 1950s or 1960s. On the right is the re-release #327 “German Shepherd” from the early 1970s. But who’s the mostly-brown guy in the middle?
Normally I’d just chalk him up as a later variation of the original Rin Tin Tin, with looser, less defined markings. The #64 Rin Tin Tin ran for about ten years (from ca. 1956 through 1965), and variations are not unusual in production runs that long.
My fellow on the left is the most common variant – dark saddle and tail, white chest, face and tail tip – but I’ve seen him lighter and darker, with more shading and less, with pink tongues and red. I’ve even seen a Chalky one!
The thing is that this brown one was being sold as a part of a collection that was obviously from a collector active in the Chicago area during the Chicago era (pre-1985).
Whenever something a little unusual is found under those circumstances, it makes you wonder if there’s more than meets the eye. Test Color? Oddity? Employee Take-Home?
I know there’s at least one Matte Brown German Shepherd floating around; the 1972 and 1973 Collector’s Manuals show a photograph of a light brown one, and one was listed in Marney’s estate sale in 1992 (though the list doesn’t specify if it was Matte or Gloss).
In spite of the fact that Breyer was phasing out Gloss finishes by then, they still continued to experiment with them on Test Colors in the early 1970s.
So it’s possible that there’s something more than meets the eye with my newest Rin Tin Tin.
Most likely not, though; too many of us automatically assume that whenever we run across something we haven’t seen before, it must automatically be something rare, or unusual. Sometimes it’s just something we haven’t run across before – nothing more, nothing less.
He does make a nice trio with my other two though, doesn’t he?
4 comments:
Was Rin Tin Tin one of the lost molds, or could we see him used again?
Is it possible that the brown was just the first coat of paint used beyond white (that is, what you'd see if the black or dark-brown layer was absent)?
Interesting, I never knew that Rin Tin Tin had such variations. Now I want the pink tongue version!
Your middle guy looks similar to my mother's Rin Tin Tin, purchased from Sears in Southern California in the early 1960's.
Picture here:
[url]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1754/28502850258_7900430cf2_z.jpg[/url]
My mom recently passed away & I discovered a brown one in her collection. This one is glossy.
Post a Comment