Sticker Shock

I'm not a big fan of stickers on fruit but I do like stickers on my model horses.

This, too, is a conclusion I've come to over time.  When I first started showing I wasn't interested in having any stickers on my horses as I felt they took away from realism in the show ring.  I even went so far as to transfer the little California stickers from Hagen-Renaker (HR) miniatures from the tops of their bases to the underside of them just to prevent them from being seen.

 An older HR with a well-preserved sticker intact

Had I a been a Breyer collector back in the day when many Breyer models had blue ribbon stickers on them, I probably would have pulled those stickers off.  Fortunately, by the time I got my first stickered model I had come to appreciate the historical value of the little blue ribbons, and now my few vintage be-ribboned Breyers proudly wear their stickers in full view.

A vintage Breyer Shetland with his blue ribbon sticker 

 

I don't even remember if my first Beswicks came with stickers, but I think they probably didn't.   However, I have recently acquired a stickered pair, and their stickers aren't going anywhere.

                                    A pair of Beswick ponies with oval stickers

Nowadays, when looking for older models to add to my collection, I actively search for stickers.  There are still some stickers I'd like have -- like the Tenite sticker that appeared on some older Breyers and Hartlands.  I'm also drawn to models that have had aftermarket stickers added to them of the "Souvenir of Tourist Trap" variety.  It all adds to the model's story in my view, and gives it an added layer of historic interest.

Model horses with stickers on them are real survivors -- I daresay I was not the only one removed them upon receipt before I knew any better.  These days, instead of wanting to hide them I see the presence of stickers as a "value added" marker.

So take those stickers off my apples, but leave them on my appaloosas please!