Ghosts of Breyerfests Past

Well, I'm actually pretty glad that I jumped on Breyer's Collector Club Grab Bag this year.  They didn't exactly sell out right away, but they were sold out within six days and the bag that I ordered (#3) sold out even earlier than that.

Just as in 2016, I happened to choose the bag that was actually the best for my tastes.  I know, more or less, what was in all the other Grab Bags now, and if I had to choose between them I would still have chosen #3.

Most of the stuff in Grab Bag #3

There were a number of differences between the 2016 offers and the 2020 ones.  In 2016 the bags included Breyer tack, props, and Christmas ornaments.  In 2020 the bag is almost all horses, with the exceptions of the Enchantmints Music Box and the 2020 Breyer Calendar that appeared in each bag (at least one of which I will be giving away).

In fact, five similar items appeared in each of the four bags.  Every bag contained one Breyerfest 2018 "Hands Down" Stablemate, one Series One Mystery Stablemate Blind Bag, one Series Two Mystery Mini Whinny Blind Bag, a 2020 Calendar, and a Music Box (any variety).

The Music Box did surprise me a bit, as I would have thought that Breyer knew its Collector Club audience tends to skew to an older demographic.  But perhaps they were thinking of parents and grandparents who might have a child to regift the box to.  At any rate, with a retail price of approximately $25 to $30 U.S., it does take up a significant chunk of the value in the bag.

The Music Box was, indeed, the only thing that really disappointed me in my box, and that's ironic because I was actually looking forward to getting another one.  I got one in a previous holiday-themed Grab Bag, and I have found it very useful for holding my Mini Whinnies all in one place.  However, my current box is full to overflowing, so I was hoping to get another horse-themed one to add to it -- even the unicorn or the pegasus box would have done.

Unfortunately, I got a Ballet Shoes Music Box.  I had a ballerina music box as a small child when my parents were still hoping to make a dancer out of me.  That never happened, and the sight of a ballerina music box now brings back unhappy memories of me fighting my parents on the subject of dance lessons.  But this Enchantmints box is bigger and deeper than my old one, so I might hang onto it anyway.  I sure would have preferred the similar Butterfly Music Box though.

The most noticeable change between the 2016 Collector Club Grab Bag and the 2020 one is in the number of Breyerfest horses included in the bags.  In 2016, I got one Breyerfest set (technically two horses, but boxed together so they count as one).  In 2020, I got four Breyerfest horses.  In fact, I think most of the other bags got four as well (the possible exception being bag #2, which had at least three).

My ghosts of Breyerfests past included: the 2018 "Hands Down" already mentioned, the 2017 Celebration Horse "Nazruddin," the 2016 Special Run "Namid," and the 2013 Pop-Up Store "Nocona."

My Ghosts of Breyerfests Past

I love all of them, and I think they'll all be keepers.  If I happen to get a glossy "Khalid" as my May Collector Club Appreciation horse, I'll have to decide whether I want to keep both or sell either "Nazruddin" or "Khalid," but that's a decision for another day, if I even have to make it at all.

"Nocona", too, is not generally my sort of decorator, but I suspect he's going to grow on me as I have a real fondness for the little Rearing Horse.

Other horses in my bag included the just-discontinued "Protocol" set, the 2019 Horse of the Year "Malik," the unicorn "Serafina," the Spirit Riding Free "Boomerang and Abigail" small set, and the 2017 Stablemates Collector Club "Zahrat."

In fact, "Zahrat" and the 2020 Calendar are the only two items in my Grab Bag that I already have.  But "Zahrat" is a beautiful glossy Arab, so I don't think I'll have any trouble selling him, and the 2020 Calendar will be given to one of my friends who will appreciate the pretty pictures.

I added up the retail prices of all the items I received in my Grab Bag and it came to approximately $319 U.S.  The Breyerfest Celebration Horse actually has no retail value, but Breyer is putting a value of $50 U.S. on this year's Celebration Horse, so that's the figure I used.

Since the bag itself cost about $150 U.S., I got a slightly greater than 50 per cent discount on all my stuff.  Even if you factor in the two items I might give away (which together retail at approx. $40 U.S.) the value of my goods remains $279 U.S., which is still significantly more than I paid.

So am I happy with my 2020 Collectors Club Grab Bag?  You betcha!  It was a real bargain, a nice surprise, and just the kind of pick-me-up I needed right now.

Now to find the shelf space I need ...