Caught in the Middle: The In-Between Mare

By Jocelyn Cote 

The upper echelon of Breyer collectibility contains many vintage models: original decorators. Scarce woodgrains. Appaloosa Proud Arabian Mares and Foals. However, the ultimate “holy grail” of many serious vintage collectors remains the same: the In-Between Mare. 60+ years since she was first created, this ultimate rarity finally saw her first official release as the 2020 Vintage Club model Zahra.

What exactly makes the In-Between Mare (lovingly referred to as the “IBM” by many) so desirable? Surely it isn’t her looks – we’ll be the first to admit that she’s not a beautiful model. Her big hay belly and long, giraffe-like neck will jump at anyone, not just those who are well-versed in equine anatomy. It’s quite likely that this is the reason why she was never officially released until now – even in the 1950s, she wasn’t up to snuff compared to Breyer’s other equine model offerings.

The “in-between” moniker comes from the fact that the IBM was a transitionary piece between the Proud Arabian Mare and the Family Arabian Mare. When the Proud Arabian Mare needed to be replaced in the late 1950s, master sculptor Chris Hess set to work to create Breyer’s next Arabian mare for the line. Although the IBM did make it as far as having a steel injection mold created, very few models were actually produced from it. It’s been hypothesized that these models were pre-production tests or salesman’s samples that, for obvious reasons, were quite unpopular, and the sculpture was ultimately scrapped. Hess’ second attempt, the much more appealing Family Arabian Mare we all know and love, made her official debut in 1960 and was a staple of the Breyer lineup for many decades.

Proud Arabian Mare (left), In-Between Mare (middle), and Family Arabian Mare (right)

To the untrained eye, it can be difficult to tell the differences between the Proud Arabian Mare, Family Arabian Mare, and In-Between Mare: all three have a light build, a nearly identical stance, and raised heads. The easiest way to tell these three mares apart is by looking at their tails. The Proud Arabian Mare’s tail is quite slender and the tip attaches to her left hock. The In-Between Mare’s tail is much fuller than the PAM’s and has a distinctive “S” shape that is connected to the back of her right thigh area. The Family Arabian Mare’s tail also has a fuller appearance like the IBM’s, but her tail hangs freely from the rest of her body and does not curve.

A tale of three tails: Proud Arabian Mare (left), In-Between Mare (middle), and Family Arabian Mare (right).

Early FAM models are sometimes mistaken as IBMs, which makes sense as the sculpts are particularly close in overall appearance. Although it’s highly unlikely to stumble upon an IBM “in the wild,” anything is possible! With that being said, a quick look at your model’s tail will be the simplest way to identify your find.

The first known IBM surfaced in the early 1970s and was owned by legendary Breyer historian Marney Walerius – a glossy grey appaloosa. (Marney was also the first person to dub her the “In-Between Mare.”) The mare came into her possession after a short series of owners that began with a salesman who acquired the model from the Breyer factory. For many years this was the sole example of an IBM in the hands of a collector. It wouldn’t be until 1994 that another example surfaced, this time a woodgrain found in a California antique shop. The owner brought the model along to a “Breyer Breakfast” event later that year where it was confirmed that the model in her possession was indeed an In-Between Mare, and the first woodgrain example in a collector’s hands. She later recounted her story in a 1997 issue of Just About Horses.  

The IBM gets a brief mention in the Winter 1993
issue of Just About Horses.

As years passed, a few more IBM models popped up here and there, including the first glossy alabaster. Even today there are still only about a dozen in collectors’ hands, with a majority of those examples being woodgrain. A handful of these woodgrains also bear the gold “Tenite” sticker that can be found on other late 1950s woodgrain models.

The first known In-Between Mare: a glossy grey appaloosa owned by Marney Walerius.

There had always been whisperings of the mold’s continued existence – Marney wrote that she saw the mold in tact at the Breyer factory in the 1970s. Behind the scenes at HQ, though, the IBM was shrouded in a little less mystery. “8A,” as she is referred to on inventory lists of molds, had remained in Breyer’s hands since she was set aside in favor of mold #8 – the FAM. However, due to the resources and investment required to bring it back into working condition, her metal tool was set aside.

On a fateful day in April 2018, however, it was decided that it was time to resurrect the IBM after production team members came across the metal tool in storage. This time it was finally feasible to bring this mysterious piece out from the Breyer history books and back into production. An appropriate venue for her release with an enthusiastic audience – the Vintage Club – now existed. It was time to set to work bringing the mold back to usable condition!

What was stored in the warehouse was just the IBM’s "inserts:" the pieces of steel that form the injected plastic into the shape of the horse. There were many bits and pieces that needed to be made to bring the injection mold back into working condition – about 75% of the complete tooling set was missing and had to be recreated. However, no 3D scanning, recasting or retooling was required – Zahra models popped out of the same pieces of steel that the original IBMs did so many years ago.

8A’s steel insert, as found in the warehouse.

In the Vintage Club, models usually fall into one of three categories: vintage color on vintage mold, modern color on vintage mold, or vintage color on modern mold. For Zahra’s release, it was decided that this was our chance to dress her up in something spectacular to celebrate her first official release over 60 years since Chris Hess first brought her to life. These flashy modern colors would also stand distinctly apart from the simple paintjobs on the original IBMs and the later FAMs that were produced for so many years after her. (Plus, there’s no denying that these new colors are a bit more forgiving to her… anatomical eccentricities.)

Two tests for Zahra that didn’t make the final cut: chalky vintage-style buckskin “Stud Spider” appaloosa and glossy silver bay.

Like with all of the models in the 2020 Vintage Club, Zahra’s box is inspired by the colorful 1950s picture boxes that housed early Fury Prancer horse and rider sets, such as the Indian Chief and Canadian Mountie. You might have noticed there’s a typo in the colors checklist – whoops, sorry about that! The three official colors for Zahra are glossy dappled bay, glossy rose grey pinto, and matte dappled palomino. The inspiration for her tag comes from the very scarce hangtags found on Breyer’s 1950s models of the famous German Shepherd film star Rin Tin Tin.

Zahra’s retro 1950s-style packaging.

The distinctive “S” curve of the IBM’s tail – Zahra is the real deal!

To round out the IBM’s grand reintroduction to the Breyer lineup, an extra-special test model was painted up for the 2020 BreyerFest Auction. This was our chance to give her a truly outstanding color – a grand old lady such as herself deserved nothing less! The final offering of the afternoon, Lot #16, was the In-Between Mare in glossy flaxen sandy dapple chestnut sabino. Her final bid price? $9,000!

This In-Between Mare test model sold for $9,000 at the 2020 BreyerFest Auction.

All this fanfare might make you ask, “What is next for the In-Between Mare?” Zahra is the start of her modern production story, but we promise you that it isn’t the end. That’s all we can say for now! What color do you think she’d wear well?

This article originally appeared as part of the September 2020 Breyer Collector Club Newsletter.