October 2006
Transcription
October 2006
ISSN 1445-6435 BreyerFestÒ Vintage GSD Books Irish Collected Ultimate Adventure Dances with Butterflies 7.5 inch retired Papillon figurine by Nancy Pinke of Studio L’image October 2006 issue 31 courtesy Mike Foster Dog-Net Photos for Print Magazines Jan E Irving This is simply a quick introduction to let you know the basics of getting a photo to reproduce well in a print magazine. Traditional negatives & prints are fast going out of fashion with digital cameras becoming so affordable so new techniques must be considered. And the most misleading thing with digital images is that even a very small file will look stunning on your computer screen, but it just won’t reproduce on paper in decent quality unless it is a tiny/thumbnail size. Check the samples here, this file of the Phalene is just 17KB so 2 about the maximum size I can get the image up to in a print magazine is 3.5 inches or 90mm before we get the ‘pixelated’ - square blotchy effect, yet it is fine for smaller or thumbnail style reproduction. The other details on the file are 468 x 480 pixels and 150dpi. TIP 1: So, for print reproduction you need a big file - even the little cameras store big files, so CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER Concluded on page 23 www.erinrac.com October 2006 Welcome to the October issue! We have a lovely cross section of stories, from Deirdre Ashdown’s Papillon Collectibles and finishing up with Gail Parker’s Ultimate Adventure which drew tears of delight from me, and a wad of great stuff in between! While, as editor, I got a little frustrated with low grade image files for several articles, it did also mean I could squeeze in another one or two articles. As this is a magazine about collectibles I think it important to be able to give many of the illustrations in large format, so always remember to send big files with your articles which will give me the option to produce some full page images. This is an issue with just about each publication I am involved with, so I’ve put together a quick article to explain why some digital camera files just don’t make the grade. In the evolution front, it has been suggested I take Canine Collectibles Courier into internet format - I would of course continue to offer the print version simply because I prefer to read my magazines at my convenience and not tied to a computer, but then again I am in front of the computer a lot during the day. So over the last month or two I have been investigating the easiest and best way to achieve a quick loading web page that mimics the printed version. Watch the magazine and website for the release date. Of course with your renewal notices, once the web version is available, you will get the option to subscribe online alone (at a cheaper cost as printing and postal charges will not be incurred) or online and the print version combined. Probably the best advantage of publishing online is the ‘free’ incorporation of the images in colour throughout the magazine. On the internet front, the Canine Collectibles Bazaar had a radical review as when I changed website hosts I couldn’t convince the software to transfer, so have had to rebuild from scratch the database and have employed new software. This software and I are at logger heads quite often so the format may change again yet, but this time the data should be safe, so if you know of any great sites, do add them! I must offer readers and author Jody D. Weinberg a big apology for managing to amputate the last part of her article last issue, I was caught out squeezing in Ginger Snaps and missed seeing the software had chopped off Jody’s article - the last part of the article is included in this issue. Happy Collecting and Healthy Dogs! Jan Jan E Irving October 2006 Canine Collectables Courier Subscriber Only Website Site: www.erinrac.com/info Password to 15th January happydays CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com 3 IMPORTANT NOTICES Copyrights and trademarks: no attempt is made to supersede any held copyrights or registered trademarks. Content: The opinions expressed in Canine Collectables Courier are not necessarily those of Erinrac Enterprises, the editor, other contributors or the distributors. Erinrac Enterprises and the editor do not represent or warrant that the information, statements or representations contained in any material including but not limited to statements as to the condition of item are correct and is not to be held liable or responsible in any way whatsoever for any mis-statement or error in the information, statements or representations contained in any material. Advertisements: Advertisers and their agents upon and by lodging material with us indemnify the publisher and agents against all liability claims or proceedings whatsoever arising from the publication and warrant that all material submitted complies with all relevant laws and regulations. DISPLAY ADVERTISING RATES B&W, colour on application Rates per 1 insertion for 1 issue prices are AUSTRALIAN $ discount standard Full page (A4) Half page Quart er page Business card / eighth page $200 $130 $65 $35 Introductory special 50% $100 $65 $32 $17 Internet submission 40% $60 $39 $19 $10 Camera ready 20% $80 $52 $25 $13 Full discount schedule at www.erinrac.com/collect/courier/displayadvrates.htm or ask us for the media pack! AUTHORS WANTED! We are always looking to introduce new authors - it ensures variety and depth to Courier HARD COPY SUBMISSIONS our postal address is Erinrac Enterprises, PO Box 313, Upper Beaconsfield, 3808, Australia - please either supply the text in a basic word processor format (without formatting eg no bold, etc) on an IBM 3.5 inch disk or CD-ROM or in quality typewriter format (avoid old ribbon machines and dot matrix printers) to allow us to use OCR for uploading. We cannot use polaroid prints: prints should be at least 3x5 inches, and not more than 8x10 inches. Digital cameras Most digital cameras work in 72dpi, which is insufficient for paper reproduction, however, I can spruce up the dpi, so send the picture unaltered Ensure the item to be featured is FULL frame, avoid clutter and landscapes as I cannot get the picture up to full page size if needed Provided the image size is in the order of 768 x 576 pixels send it at 100% ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION details are online at www.erinrac.com/collect/courier/author.htm Sample Author Bonuses/Rates 4 Story type # pages Picts used Entitlement (Ads can be transferred to clubs/friends) short <1 <=2 1 issue standard 1-2 3-4 3 issues or 3 copies or combination long 3+ 3+ 4 issues or 4 copies or combination CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com October 2006 Contents COLLECTOR’S ATTIC MEET THE COLLECTOR-WE GO VISITING CAROL EVANETZ Gail C. Parker PHOTOS FOR PRINT MAGAZINES Jan E Irving The power of the digital image is immense but as with traditional negative and print cameras, the camera can goof up on colour recording. Tucked away in your photo editing software you will find an ‘autoequalize’ function (in Corel Photo-Paint it is under the Image menu, under the Adjust flyout.) Nine times out of ten, it does a magnificent job and will bring up the details of the photo beautifully by improving contrast and tones, sometimes it is unless, so ctrl-Z to revert to the original format. 2 HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION Sallie Crowder George After I gave Kathleen my answer “yes” to conduct the seminar, I started collecting model dogs and model cats to give away at Breyerfest®. Several people even donated some of their custom models: Karla Zdroik (ebay I.d. “zkroik”), Tami Bradford (ebay i.d. “**cosmic**”) and Jodi Godfrey (ebay i.d. “majoi717"). (See Picture #1, Picture #2 & Picture #3) 7 I thought it might be fun to introduce you to some of my collector friends and their collections from time to time. Today, I’d like you to meet Carol Evanetz. Carol lives in Warminster Pennsylvania(USA), has three real Irish Setters and has been collecting the statue variety of the breed since around 1960 or so. She has many lovely pieces in her collection. 20 THE VINTAGE BOOKCASE GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG BOOKS Diana Hefti German Shepherds, or Alsatians have been a popular and much loved breed for a long time. They have been used to herd sheep (their original purpose), along with seeing eye dogs, Police work, Dogs for Defense and family pets. Rin Tin Tin and Bullet from (Roy Rogers) are two famous GSDs from movies and TV. Both those famous dogs also appear in books, though I don’t have any titles from their adventures. I guess I go for the unknowns instead! Below are a few of the books I have featuring German Sshepherds. DOG-NET Jan E Irving and others! COLLECTING PAPILLON AND PHALENE MODELS A quick look at some of the dog delights of the internet 30 Deirdre Ashdown Collecting Papillon and Phalene models is a very rewarding hobby, not only for the obvious reasons – that it will enhance your knowledge of the history of the breed, and give you great pleasure – but because if you restrict yourself to models of the breed, you will not find yourself shelling out huge sums of money on a regular basis. 12 MY ULTIMATE ADVENTURE Gail C Parker TK Graphics once had a saying available on their labels and other items that I liked a lot. It was “You are never too old to have a happy childhood”. I try to live by that motto. (Smiling!) 33 CONCLUDING OLD DOGS, NEW TRICKS: SELLING VINTAGE DOG COLLECTABLES Jody D. Weinberg Finishing off last issue’s Ebay Advisor’s article October 2006 19 CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com 5 How I Spent My Summer Vacation (At the 2006 BreyerFest® in Lexington, Kentucky) Sallie Crowder George First let me state that I had every intention of taking at least two rolls of film while I was attending BreyerFest®. I had not been to this event since 2001 and I wanted to record every wonderful minute. What made this trip even sweeter was that I was a conducting a seminar about the model dog and model cat hobbies. I was going to use the 6 CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com October 2006 pictures to help me write an article for the “Canine Collectibles Courier.” When Kathleen Fallon from Breyer® first emailed me last year and asked if I would like to do the seminar, I did not hesitate for one minute! Angel and I counted the months down and then the weeks until we would leave for BreyerFest®. The weeks turned into days. BreyerFest is a big deal in the model horse world. It is the Mecca for hobbyists and is the biggest model horse festival of its kind anywhere in the world. People from other countries come to attend this giant event. You can find almost any model horse that you have been searching for on Ebay and other resources. (Note: I did get to meet Kathleen in person at the KYP on Saturday.) After I gave Kathleen my answer “yes” to conduct the seminar, I started collecting model dogs and model cats to give away at Breyerfest®. Several people even donated some of their custom models: Karla Zdroik (Ebay I.d. “zkroik”), Tami Bradford (Ebay i.d. “**cosmic**”) and Jodi Godfrey (Ebay i.d. “majoi717"). (See Picture #1, Picture #2 & Picture #3) I had asked three other artists to donate models for the Sunday Breyerfest® silent auction. In the past, only model horses were auctioned off. Janet Bonney (Ebay i.d. “appyartist”) donated a Breyer® custom model cat (Picture #4) Marilyn Jensen donated a repainted Breyer® foxhound to a Dalmatian. You can view her dog at: http://www.zianet.com/springtime/DalCM.htm Last but not least, Leslie Rothhaar donated a customized Breyer® Great Dane with some special nips and tucks (Ebay i.d. “towns end.)” (Picture #5). Janet’s cat sold for $125. Leslie’s Great Dane sold for $135 and Marilyn’s Dalmatian sold for $100. The money from this auction goes to different charities. I guess I should start at the beginning of my journey to Lexington. My daughter, Angel Haddock Gordon and I Top left: #1 is a Breyer® cat customized by Karla Zdroik Centre left: #2 is a repainted Breyer® Labrador Retriever to an English Shepherd customized by Tami Bradford Bottom left:#3 is another Breyer® Labrador Retriever, but this time it is German Shepherd customized by Jodi Godfrey. Top right: #5 is a customized Breyer® Great Dane by Leslie Rothhaar that she donated to the silent auction. She is now owned by A'Merrie Aurelius who won her at the silent auction. She also attended my seminar. Centre right: #6 is one of the dogs, I bought from Leslie Rothhaar. It is the Breyer® Irish Setter painted to a English Setter. I named it ShortStufs Leave A Message. Bottom right: #7 is a Breyer® English Foxhound repainted by I bought from Leslie. I named him ShortStufs Never An Absolution. October 2006 CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com 7 went to our friend’s house, Rhonda Ward on Wednesday afternoon. We left early Thursday morning to get to Lexington. Nothing earth shaking happened on the way up there. Rhonda and I took turns driving so we made really good time. We arrived at our hotel around 4 p.m. that afternoon on Thursday, July 27. Angel and I were very anxious to unpack the car and get settled at the hotel. Our goal was to go to the Holiday Inn North where everybody sells out of his or her room. Of course the majority of the sells are for model horses and other items related to the hobby. Angel was interested in the horses while I went to find model dogs and model cats. I was on the look out for backdrops, 6-inch dolls and other props to use for my photo showing. I do use other model animals for some of my picture set-ups. Rhonda, Angel and I hung out at the Holiday Inn for a few hours. I was able to see some “old” friends like Cindy Neuhaus and Lisa Bickford. I was really happy to meet for the first time Leslie Rothhaar. She is an equine/canine/feline/bovine artist. We had been doing business for the last several years and I was very happy to finally meet her in person. Leslie told me that she felt like she had known me forever. The feeling was mutual. At the Holiday Inn, Breyer® reserves a meeting room for “The Artisans’ Gallery.” This area is for people who are mostly equine artists. They can show off their custom work and sell it too. I was happy to say that Leslie had some Breyer® model dogs, along with one model cat that she had painted. On Thursday I bought two dogs and then Friday night I bought two more dogs and the model cat. (Picture #6 & Picture #7) I was very happy to add the dogs and cat to my show string. Angel and I needed to get up around 5 a.m. the following morning (Friday) so we wound down our “shopping trip” at the Holiday Inn and went back to our motel. Angel was participating in a “live model horse show” the next day at the Kentucky Horse Park sponsored by Breyer®. She was suppose to be there at 6 a.m. and get set up before the show started at 7 a.m. My seminar wasn’t until 3 p.m. later that afternoon. Needless to say before I went to sleep, I had butterflies in my stomach. The model horse show was still going on in the afternoon so about 2 o’clock I made my way over to the Visitor’s Center where I would be conducting my seminar. I was given a 30-minute time slot to set up my stuff. The 8 CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com October 2006 answers would get to pick a prize from my table. Not only as stated above did three artists donate some of their work, but also I gave away dogs and cats from my own personal collection. There were fifteen people who attended my class. Needless to say that everyone walked away with at least one prize. The following people attended my seminar: Tony & A’Merrie Aurelius, Elaine Wolk,Kelsey Stawarski, Monika Hole, Angelia Barger, Donnie Krebel, Michelle Buckland, and Kim Kirchner. Names not accounted for was one husband and four children. I want to thank fellow hobbyist, Connie Knotts for helping me with my seminar. I could not have done it without her. Connie and I have talked on the phone and emailed each other over the last several years. I was really happy to meet her in person. The only sad part was when I was packing up my paraphernalia, I realized that I had not taken a single picture of the seminar. I was so disappointed in myself. I guess the next question to ask is where was Angel and Rhonda during this time? The live show was over and I had planned for them to help me. I had asked them for assistance with the seminar earlier in the day. They had decided they wanted to look around the horse park since they had been stuck in the show hall most of the day. Top left: #4 is the Breyer cat repainted by Janet Bonney. Centre left: #8 is the rescued Greyhound Muddy who was owned by Jenn Reid. Bottom left: #9 is a model resin Greyhound painted by Morg Haberman. Sallie gave it to Jenn as a gift for her generosity in donating to the 2007 Rescued Pet Contest. Top right: #10 is a painted Reid resin called "Uranus." He as painted by Shellie Rath and is owned by Jackie Moore. The picture was taken by Jackie. Centre right: #11 is an unpainted Uranus and is owned by Myla Pearce of Half Fast Farms Studios. Picture was taken by the owner. person before me, Tony Aurelius was conducting a workshop on prepping model horses. After his workshop, I brought my stuff to the front of the theatre. Amanda Jensen was there to greet me. She was in charge of the seminars and wanted to make sure that I had all my materials that I had requested. I gave an over view of the two hobbies. Then I had a trivia contest about real dogs and cats. After every five questions, the person or persons with the most correct October 2006 Right before my seminar started, I got a call on my cell phone from Angel. Rhonda had been in an accident. I found out later that evening what happened. Angel was petting a horse that was there for some type of event. Rhonda was talking to owner of the horse when an easel fell behind it. The horse got spooked. The owner was trying to get control of the horse when it swung the lower half of its body around and knocked Rhonda down. Then the horse stepped on her foot. The horse’s owner took Rhonda to the emergency room at a local hospital for x-rays. She had a fracture on her right ankle. She was given a soft cast and a prescription for pain medicine and an anti-biotic. I went back to our hotel when my seminar was over to wait for Rhonda and Angel to get back from the hospital. Jenn a well-known equine artist came to my hotel room to discuss my 2007 Rescued Pet Contest. Jenn had agreed to be a sponsor of the 2007 Rescued Pet Contest. Since she lived in the area, I needed to talk to her in person to go over some details with her face to face. The main award will be in honour of her rescued Greyhound, CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com 9 Muddy who passed away in 2000. (Picture #8) I was able to present Jenn with a portrait model of Muddy painted by Morg Haberman. (Picture #9) I think Jenn was a little speechless. It was the least I could have done for her, because of her generosity for the rescued pet contest for next year. Her donation is for a “surprise” traditional size unpainted resin for the “Rescued Pet of the Year” Muddy award. Jenn assures me that who ever receives it will be very happy! She also is donating a traditional size unpainted mule resin called “Uranus,” (Picture # 10 & Picture #11) for a special category to honour another rescued Greyhound named Montana who passed away last year. Jenn asked that if there were any money left over from the entry fees if I could donate it to a greyhound rescue of her choice, which I agreed with her. More details about the contest will be forthcoming by the end of this year. If you want me to send you a paper copy of the information, just see my address below. You can send me a stamped SASE and I will be more than happy to send the information to you via snail mail. When Angel and Rhonda returned, Angel and I went to the Holiday Inn to see what bargains we could find. Rhonda was not up to it. Angel and I had acquired quite a few items so we went to the van and put them in the back. We finally returned to our hotel and brought in our newly acquired “treasures.” I could not find the two model dogs and model cat that I had bought from Leslie. I was so upset thinking I had put them down and left them in someone’s room. Just the day before I had accidentally given someone a fifty and a twenty dollar bill when I meant to give them two twenties. I was feeling very sad that night when I went to bed, but I was thinking that Saturday would be a fun filled day since we had planned to spend that whole day at the Kentucky Horse Park so we could see all the BreyerFest® shows. The main attraction for this year’s BreyerFest® was Tommy Turvey. One of his horses, “Joker” was made into a Breyer® model (Picture #12). If you ever get a chance to see Tommy in person, take it. His routines are very entertaining. You can tell that Tommy has a way with horses. To find out more about Tommy and to just get a “taste” of what his shows are like go to his website at: www.equineextremist.net. While we were watching the afternoon show, I checked my fanny pack to make sure that I have our dinner tickets 10 Top: #12 is Joker the 2006 BreyerFest® dinner model. The real Joker is owned by Tommy Turvey. The model is owned by Angel Gordon. Centre: #13 is Rad, the mini horse I saw at the KHP in July. Bottom: #14 gives us a closer look at that cute mini stallion Rad! CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com October 2006 and the tickets for our Breyer® special run model Joker. I could not find them and I took everything out of my pack to check. I walked outside and just let the tears come. I was so upset with the last few days of bad luck with losing my models I bought from Leslie and Rhonda getting hurt and now this crisis. I told Angel and Rhonda I would be back. I found a Breyer® employee and told them my situation. The person said to go see Kerstin Chalupa. I knew that Kerstin was at the front gate before you get to the covered arena. I went up to the ticket booth and told Kerstin that I had lost the tickets. Of course, I was crying again. Kerstin told me to take some deep breaths. She said that she could help me and proceeded to record the ticket numbers and gave them to me. I felt so relieved now one of my problems was solved. I have known Kerstin for about six or seven years. I met her for the first time in 2001, which was the last year that Angel and I had attended BreyerFest®. On this day, Kerstin looked like an angel! I can’t thank her enough for handling my situation. Now I can laugh about it but I did not feel like it on this day. We stayed at the horse park with Rhonda in a wheel chair. I must say that Rhonda was a real trooper and never complained. We went to the dinner that evening and stayed for the raffle drawing which was a bust for us! Then we went back to the hotel. Guess what was waiting for us at the hotel? Give up? The tickets were on the bed and sitting there just taunting me. I did take them back on Sunday and gave them to Kerstin, since there has to be an accounting of every ticket. Back at the hotel that Saturday night, Angel wanted to take all of her new horses out of their boxes and pack them up since we had to check out of the hotel the next morning. I went out to the van and brought my plastic tub in so I could pack my new and slightly used models. I opened the tub and what should be there? Yes, it was the two dog models and the cat model. On Sunday after we packed up and ate breakfast, we headed back to the horse park. I wanted to check out the two model dogs and model cat at the silent auction. A’Merrie had bid on the Great Dane and did win it. I did not recognize the names on the other model dog and the model cat. October 2006 After the Sunday raffle was over, I walked to the parking lot to the van to pick up Rhonda and Angel, but what did I spy but some people letting this cute miniature stallion graze. I had to take some pictures, since I only had taken a total of three pictures the whole weekend. I asked the new owners if I could take some pictures of their boy named Six Gems Mini Ridge Radical Rowdy a.k.a. “Rad.” (Picture #13 and Picture #14) It seems the former owners Paul, Maggie and Danny knew the new owners when they lived in Texas. They met at the Horse Park to give the new owners “custody” of Rad. You can go to Paul, Maggie and Danny’s Website to see their other mini horses: www.miniridgefarm.com and learn more about Rad. Anyway, we got in the van and headed back to South Carolina. Angel and I were already discussing our plans for next year’s BreyerFest®! Rhonda just wanted to get home to South Carolina to recoup from her weekend in Kentucky. I hope you all will forgive me for not taking a truckload of pictures for this article. I promise if I attend BreyerFest® next year, I will take more than a few. I also filled out a survey that Amanda sent me. I suggested for next year that there be a workshop for people to paint their own Breyer® dog model. Then afterwards, I could have my seminar, which would include taking a picture of their new custom model. My digital camera has a portable printer with it that I could use. If you want to get a copy of the special edition of the Cats Paw and the National Model Herding -N-Working News, just email me at [email protected] with your name and address and I will be more than happy to send you a copy free (there will be a small fee for any requests not in North American). If you want the rules for the “2007 Rescued Pet Contest,” you can either email me or write to me at: Sallie C. George 2097 Spur Lane Lugoff, SC 29078 USA [email protected] CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com 11 Collecting Papillon Phalene Models And Deirdre Ashdown Collecting Papillon and Phalene models is a very rewarding hobby, not only for the obvious reasons – that it will enhance your knowledge of the history of the breed, and give you great pleasure – but because if you restrict yourself to models of the breed, you will not find yourself shelling out huge sums of money on a regular basis. There are very few genuine old models, for reasons I will come to in a minute, and the modern ones have really only proliferated since the Papillon shot to popularity as a show dog, in the 1990s. At UK and USA shows, the Papillon produces the second highest entries in the Toy Group. There are now a good selection of modern, mainly resin, models to choose from, available at shows and on the Net; most are not expensive, and once you have the basic collection you want, you will find that new ones come on the market only from time to time. 12 BUTTERFLIES - A WORD OF WARNING Many Papillon owners/breeders/model collectors also find themselves collecting butterflies, for three reasons. One is that show trophies and awards often feature butterflies, because of the breed’s name and associations. The other is that many people really love butterflies – and if they did not do so before they owned Papillons, they grow to love them afterwards. Butterflies are, after all, the most exquisite of insects. The third reason is that once people realise you “collect butterflies”, on whatever basis, they will deluge you with them. When looking for a birthday or Christmas present, it is all too easy to reach for a representation of a butterfly. If you are not careful, the house will be full of cushion covers with butterflies on, butterfly vases, butterfly pot pourri holders, butterfly place mats, butterfly wind chimes, butterfly coffee mugs, etc. Keep it within reason, for the sake of everyone’s sanity. Oddly enough, I have never known any Phalene CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com October 2006 fancier feel the same way about collecting imagines of moths. OLD MODELS Collecting old models is not easy, but very satisfying. The drop-eared form of the breed (Phalene) is the earliest, and practically all old paintings – including many old masters – featuring the Continental Toy Spaniel, as it is still known in Europe, portray dogs with dropped ears. However, once it became established as a breed, acquired its own Breed Standard and Clubs, (the UK parent Club, at something over 80 years, is the senior Club in the breed), the erect-eared form, the Papillon, rapidly eclipsed the Phalene in popularity. This has remained the case, and although the Phalene is gradually regaining supporters and is becoming stronger, the variety has a long way to go and is still regarded with less than enthusiasm by many Papillon breeders. Furthermore, it can be extremely difficult to establish, for certain, that the older model you are looking at – say from the nineteenth or eighteenth centuries –actually is a Phalene and not a King Charles Spaniel. The Continental and English types of toy spaniel were very similar for many years, and probably were crossed into the bargain. A true Continental Toy Spaniel, however, will be very small in size (which you will not be able to judge if the model stands alone), dainty, with fine bone, large expressive eyes and, if you are lucky, hare feet. Not only did Phalenes appear in colour combinations you would not see now, you have to remember, as with all dog models, that the figure may be well modelled and the painting well executed, but the artist will not necessarily be aware of finer points, nor care. The dog may have strange, untypical markings, for instance. If you are looking at a really old model with the intention of adding it to your collection, all you can do is assess whether or not you think it looks like a Phalene. There is unlikely to be any provenance, one way or another. It is important that you like it and view it as typical of the period, as older models tend to cost a lot. Toy Spaniels are frequently depicted, in art and sculpture, with either large bows around their necks or belled collars. This is a sure indication that the animal is a precious toy dog, and not a working or humbler house dog. Study Phalenes in old paintings, of which there are very many, and you will soon pick up a notion of the difference between the fine and dainty Continental Toy October 2006 CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com 13 Spaniel, type, and the English King Charles type, which is heavier and stockier. The little dog curled up on the bed in the famous “Rokeby Venus” could be a modern Phalene. You can see beautiful examples in the William Secord books on dog painting, in specialist auction room catalogues, (many of which, like the Bonhams’ and Christies’ catalogues, are collectable volumes in their own right), and if you have access to “The Millennium Book of the Papillon” there is a feature on the Papillon and Phalene in art which is also helpful. If you have this book, look at the Victorian model of a Phalene owned by Caroline Woods-Cox. This is a real rarity, but without doubt a true Phalene. She is a really strange colour, something like black and chocolate and orange and white, but her pose, daintiness and all aspects of the modelling are thoroughly typical of the Phalene. The rather unappealing eyes, showing far too much white, are nevertheless typical of models from the later Victorian period. You will not find a nineteenth century model of a Papillon, let alone one from an earlier period, unless you are unbelievably lucky and, if you are, keep it well protected or you will have Papillon collectors practically breaking into your home to take it away from you!! The new collector will doubt what I say, thinking of all those prick eared, curly tailed, pointy faced dogs with black/white or red/white colouring he or she will have seen dating from the later nineteenth century period, or from the earlier part of the twentieth century. Unfortunately these are not Papillons at all – they are German Spitz, what we used to call Pomeranians until their old name was restored to these small-sized spitz dogs. They were enormously popular during this era, particularly in the patched colouring familiar to Papillon owners. This, combined with the frequency of a blaze, and the fact that the Victorian German Spitz often had a flatter, silkier coat than the breed has now, can be very confusing. However, the dominance of the prick-eared form of the Continental Toy Spaniel is something you really only find from the Edwardian period onwards, and remember that it was many years after that before the Papillon became at all well known to pet owners, which is reflected in the scarcity of early 20th century models. One you may well be able to get your hands on, however is the Bing & Grondahl porcelain model dating from the 1920s. B&G were later bought up by Royal Copenhagen. Unfortunately, it is rather unappealing, and has an upturned nose, like a Pointer. It has considerable historic interest however. The FCI Standard still contains a prohibition against heads with upturned muzzles, presumably harking back to this time – you would not see the fault often now. This model is not often found anywhere. Your best bet is a specialist Copenhagen dealer, who may hunt for one for you. I have only ever seen the model twice, both times it was in the £125 £150 range. None of the towering German and Austrian porcelain factories – Auguarten, Nymphenburg, Hutschenrether, Rosenthal, Meissen, Dresden, for instance – ever made a Papillon or Phalene, nor did any of their well known but slightly less prestigious rivals. And none make one now, sad to say. MID TWENTIETH CENTURY MODELS Existing Papillon collectors will already know of the Lladro and Nao range of porcelain models incorporating beautiful little Papillons. I have not seen them all, but am assured by a devotee that there are 17, including a few 14 CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com October 2006 made by Nao, (Lladro’s subsidiary company, rather cheaper in price, and sometimes described as the Lladro “studio”.) Not everyone likes the distinctive Lladro style. However, even if you don’t, most people are enchanted by Lladro’s depiction of the Papillon and it seems to have been a favourite breed for the factory’s modellers over the last 30 years or so. The most commonly found Lladro Papillon is the small, sitting down model, looking as much like a “squirrel dog” (one of its old alternative names) as any toy dog could hope to. It is coloured in the characteristic Lladro subdued tones, but this one is at least more or less naturalistic, being a sort of pinkish fawn, and having a blaze. You can find this little dog at many antique fairs and it is a rare day when it does not pop up on Ebay, (sometimes under Lladro Papillon, other times under Lladro dog, because not every seller is aware of the breed). It is common for sellers mistakenly to call all Lladro Papillons “Chihuahuas”, so be warned when hunting for them. Lladro cheat a bit by attaching exactly the same little dog to two models of their elongated, elegant young ladies, but most collectors seek these two anyway, even though they are more expensive and the dog is the same. The most expensive Lladro figure – a group, really – is “On the Balcony” which will cost you anything from £1,500 to £3,000 plus some very expensive packaging, as the model is large, heavy and exceedingly delicate, like many Lladro pieces. It shows a pensive young lady gazing dreamily over her flowery balustrade, rather as Juliet dreams of Romeo, whilst her little Papillon dog looks expectantly up at her from the ground below. This is much coveted, but out of the reach of many collectors’ pockets. There is also a Lladro scene with two lovers interrupted by a Papillon, and a modern piece, issued in 2003, showing a young woman with two Papillons. This is, to the best of my knowledge, the only Lladro Papillon model currently in production At the other end of the attractiveness scale is a perfectly awful (in terms of breed type), large, sitting/crouching Papillon model made by Lladro in the 1960s. Most Papillon collectors know it, and dislike it immensely. You would only want it as a curio, or to complete your Lladro collection. It will cost you between £500 - £800 normally, though if you are lucky you may find a dealer who has got stuck with it and is hawking around the fairs, ever more desperate to get rid of it, as it has a sour expression and an ugly, chunky muzzle. Nao used to make a large sitting up Papillon with a raised paw, the usual mushroom-and-white colouring, nicely flared ears and good expression. It is still possible to find this model relatively cheaply, though I note that a few sold on Ebay over the past year have raised its price. Expect to pay £50 - £100. There is a beautiful Nao girl with parasol and black/white Papillon in her arms, usually costing around £150.00, plus a smaller and less commonly found model of a child carrying a black/white Papillon. Lladro pieces, of course, are highly collectable and therefore an investment, especially the older models, but they must be perfect and totally unchipped in order to have value for Lladro collectors, though Papillon collectors may be prepared to suffer a bit of damage in order just to have the desired piece. It is not commonly One of the most attractive, made only for a few years in the 1970s, is called “Ready To Go” and shows a young woman fussing over her partner/husband’s appearance as he prepares to leave home in top hat, cloak and tails. Their eager little Papillon gazes up at them, possibly in the hope of a walk. Unusually for Lladro, the dog is white with dark points. It is a very appealing piece and can be found for between £500 - £1,000. October 2006 CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com 15 which he produced chiefly in the 1960s. After his death his style, (which is unmistakable), and the tradition, was continued by his pupil Miranda Smith. She still makes Papillons seated on cushions today, and you can find them in specialist gift shops. They can be anything, in my experience, between £25 - £75 each, so it is worth shopping around, but the trouble is relatively few shops stock her models. All are hand painted and individually modelled, and in my view are preferable to the dogs of her master and mentor, which I find too grotesque. Having said that, Basil Mathews could, and did, produce the most beautifully, exquisitely wrought and painted pottery models of “real” dogs, to commission. CONTEMPORARY MODELS known that Lladro will replace broken accessories to their models if you contact their factory in Spain, for a modest sum: I believe parasols, for example, cost £30 to replace. If you are buying Lladro on Ebay particularly if you are paying a lot of money, make sure the seller is (a) knowledgeable and professional about Lladro and (b) a first class shipper. Parasols are always detachable, and must be detached before the figure is shipped, otherwise vibration may cause breakage, and if this occurs to the figure’s hand then it is heartbreaking. One of the best known Lladro dealers on Ebay is Badgersford, and from experience the shipping of this dealer is absolutely superb. Remember also, if you use Paypal, that Paypal automatically insures you, but only up to £500, and insurance covers only non-arrival of goods and non-compliance with the item description, NOT breakages. For that you need separate insurance, (which will not, incidentally, be very much on top). Admirers of studio pottery will know the name Basil Matthews, he of the quirky little dogs sitting on cushions Photos of Mike Foster’s collection of Papillon models. The ones in the first photo include the Northlight model in the foreground, (red and white). Phalene and the dancing Papillon with butterfly are by Nancy Pinke The origin of the Papillon in the hat is uncertain. Bottom of page 14, ths standing Pap is the black & white version of the Northlight. Page 13, standing on a plinth is the black & white painted version of the John Stanbridge. Above, red & white lying down is a trophy but details of artist have been misplaced. Rabart Fine Art released a series of Papillons in chairs and on sofas, the craftsman hasn’t been identified - see page13. = 16 Many have a great affection for the Northlight Papillon model, still one of the best, reasonably priced, small Papillon models available even though the dog is a little too short in back and, irritatingly, (but commonly enough), given cat feet, not hare feet! Coopercraft pottery produces a huge range of breeds, very cheaply. One is the Papillon, available in black/white, red/white and sable/white. The contemporary version should cost around £10 - £15 and the older one, (which is identical, they just stopped making it for a bit), much the same. It is quite a nice model, rather 1960s in type and a bit spitz-like, but certainly worth adding to your collection. Nancy Pinke is a USA artist of great talent, experience and provenance. She used to breed top winning Papillons herself, but has retired from the ring. Her paintings and her sculptures, both limited and open editions, are much prized. Frequently they depict both Papillons and Phalenes leaping joyfully or inquisitively at butterflies. Some of her groups are very complex. She also illustrated the Papillon Club of America’s breed standard. Her work can be found on the Net, occasionally her sculptures appear on Ebay or are sold via one or other of the Papillon Clubs. Her closed editions are invariably snapped up quickly. John Stanbridge is an English sculptor and in my view the is the best resin dog sculptor working in the UK. Not everyone likes resins – in fact, I don’t myself, John’s dogs are the only ones I collect and they are gradually pushing us out of our small London flat, as I have nearly 50 now! The main problem with resins is that they are easily chipped and broken, though it is often overlooked by those who sneer at them that (a) bronzes can break as CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com October 2006 have a much wider range of models to choose from than anyone else, as so many artists exhibit – also, of course, at the World Show, the European Winners Show, Cruft’s and other huge publicity showcases. Collectors who do not go to shows very often, (if at all), are handicapped in this respect, the more so if they have access neither to the Net or to Ebay. In fact, if they do not, it will be very hard to build up a collection of Papillon models that includes contemporary pieces and, by definition, their collection will grow very slowly. Those who do go hunting for models at shows are well advised to confide in the few specialist antique dealers and ask them to look out for Papillon/Phalene pieces, and save them for you. A good dealer is an invaluable friend to your collection. You will have to pay of course – you are, after all, paying him to collect for you, and he needs to make a profit – but a reliable and adventurous dealer, one who travels widely in order to display his wares at shows – should be delighted to look out for pieces for you, and to contact you for “first refusal”. well and (b) the moulds for resin sculptures can reproduce extremely fine detail. John produced a standing Papillon sculpture, on a base, in response to the publication of “The Millennium Book of the Papillon”. It is an open edition, and is much admired. We have been harassing him for a Phalene companion to it ever since, but John works very much at his own speed! The model comes in bronze finish or cold painted, which can be to order. John’s work can be found on the Net where there is a very good site showing nearly all his current range. As to the broad spectrum of contemporary models – most are unashamedly commercial, and aimed squarely at either the more sentimental pet owner, or at the exhibitor who is looking for a dog dripping in coat and posed in show stance. Most are resin, some will be glass or acrylic or pottery. Many have been hastily and slovenly modelled, with no real eye for the breed, nor even the dog. Some cold-painted models are flat and lifeless, the paint carelessly applied. You should be selective; choose only what you like, only those pieces which appear to you to have captured the true Papillon/Phalene expression, breed type and joie de vivre. Vic and Tim Griffiths, brothers who attend all the major dogs shows in England, have for years worked in resins – one sculpts, the other paints – and I can remember when they were uniquely known for their beautiful walking sticks topped by resin heads: I once bought a blackthorn one with a cunning, slightly malignant fox atop it, for my partner. They produce a lively and flowing Papillon model. The well known English sculptress Patsy Ann produces a very well liked bronze-finish head of a Papillon modelled as a wall plaque, and a companion running Papillon: both large and relatively expensive pieces. However, as stated at the beginning of this article, if you are going to stick to Papillon/Phalene models, you will not need to wade through the mountains of cheap rubbish, produced over many years, which would overwhelm you if you had decided to collect Poodles, for instance, or German Shepherds. After a year or so you should have a collection to be proud of; you will not have had to devote all your waking hours to it, and your Papillons and Phalenes will not have invaded too much of your, or anyone else’s, space. = There are many others, I have picked out some of the best known. Visitors to UK and US shows will, inevitably, October 2006 Deirdre Ashdown is the Editor of the three “Millennium Book” series - privately-published, specialist breed books, as well as co-author, with Mike Foster, of the acclaimed “Complete Illustrated Standard for the Papillon and Phalene”. She is also a professional artist, and an amateur photographer. = CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com 17 ... Something to sell? … Looking for something specific? CURTIN CALL Effective immediately! Use your Free Bazzar* And have your adverts appear 24 hours a day 7 days a week on our website AND in the next available issue of Courier! -----Form may be photocopied! -------------- Canine Collectables Courier Bazaar OFFICIAL NON-INTERNET FORM For many years I had contributors post their photos to the Yahoo group, now Yahoo shrink the files, so time to move on. Eventually, I’ll have my own server for this function, but until then the photos can be posted to FREEFILEHOSTING.ORG username courier password canine For a guided tour check out http://www.erinrac.com/collect/courier/au thor.htm#uploading Post to Erinrac Enterprises, PO Box 29, Berwick, 3806, Australia; or Fax to +61 3 5944 3383 (Australian residents 03 5944 3384) Rates Subscribers: FREE, maximum of 4 announcements per year Non-subscribers: Aust$10- per classified * FREE FOR EVERYONE IF YOU LODGE ONLINE AT www.erinrac.com/classifieds/ Payment Options • • Visa, Mastercard, and Bankcard (Aust/NZ) in AUD$ Australian dollar cheques drawn on an Australian bank Artists & Craft Breed Specific Books & other media Clubs Events, Fairs, etc Places to Shop Choose section! Adverts For Sale / Wanted Contact details (maximum 15 words/items) By the way, I’ve closed the [email protected] too, our deadlines don’t change, so just check page 4 for details. We would love to have your story too! Please write about your collections or interests! 18 Main part of advertisement (maximum 50 words) Additional words for main part of advertisement only readers Aust$1.00 per additional word subscribers 0.50c each additional word (if under $10 the amount will be charged on your renewal notice) CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com October 2006 The Ebay Advisor Old Dogs, New Tricks: Selling Vintage Dog Collectables Concluding Jody D. Weinberg Editor: my humble apologies, in the last issue I managed to leave out the end of Jody’s superb article - the mysteries of the computer program I use snapped it off, although of course I should have noticed! So bringing you back up to speed, Jody was discussing several points on how to sell vintage dog items with particular reference to Ebay auctions.She had covered the topics: Which Category?, Keywords that Sell, Clear descriptions, Shipping and Payment Options to Offer, Feedback, and so let’s return to Jody’s article with... CLOSE THE AUCTION WHEN? A better question is: When is the best closing time for your auctions? Ask ten different sellers, get ten different answer - and each will probably be right! Ask a seller of vintage dog toys when his auctions do best, and he may tell you that he has found mid-mornings to be very profitable. Ask someone who deals in dog-related jewelry when she sells most, and she’ll insist that auctions should end around nine o’clock at night. The reason for this is due to the browsing and buying habits of their target market. For the toy seller, his items may appeal mostly to retired folks who remember those toys, and to stay-at-home moms who now collect them. These people are usually online before lunchtime. The jewelry dealer may have a clientele of working professionals who get online after dinner and before the late evening news. Some people will tell you to list on Thursdays for a ten-day period so that your auction will get two weekends of exposure and end on the night said to be October 2006 Ebay’s busiest; Sunday. However, if you offer the BUY IT NOW feature, enabling a bidder to own the offered item before the auction is scheduled to end, you may find collectors of vintage artwork to be very active on Wednesday nights. This may be because they travel the antiques circuit and are preparing for the weekend’s work, which may keep them offline and on the road from Thursday on. The best way to determine what days, nights and times to list your items is by listing at a variety of times and see what your particular audience does. Do they BUY IT NOW on Saturday nights or engage in a bidding war on Friday morning auction ending? It’s difficult to anticipate who your Ebay buyer is and when they will most likely be browsing, especially if you offer your items to buyers in other countries, as then there are other time zones to consider. Knowing this, some companies have created tracking and reporting software to help you monitor sales and optimize listings. For a monthly fee, you can use their research tools to determine when your particular type of canine collectable is most likely to sell. However, if you simply check those ‘same and similar’ completed auction listings I told you about, you’ll see that Ebay provides the date and time of each auction’s end right on the auction page for free! For now, this is Jody. D. Weinberg of DogWriter.com wishing you a wonderful summer and Happy Ebaying! = CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com 19 I thought it might be fun to introduce you to some of my collector friends and their collections from time to time. Today, I’d like you to meet Carol Evanetz. Carol lives in Warminster Pennsylvania (USA), has three real Irish Setters and has been collecting the statue variety of the breed since around 1960 or so. She has many lovely pieces in her collection. Carol’s first figurine was bought when she was ten or twelve years old in a gift shop while she was on vacation. She hadn’t yet added a real live Setter to her family and couldn’t foresee that this purchase would be multiplied many times over throughout the years. Join me as I interview Carol and she shares her collection and knowledge of collectibles with us. Gail : Carol,what is your oldest statue? Carol: I would guess that would be the huge Irish Setter on point that I bought at the Bucks County Dog Show (USA) over twenty years ago. You were with me and it took both of us to carry it back to my car. The dealer told me it was from the turn of the century (1899-1900) and had been used as a gateway decoration to welcome guests. Collector’s Attic Meet the Collector-We go visiting Carol Evanetz Gail C. Parker 20 CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com October 2006 Gail: What was the most you ever paid for a figurine? Carol: That would have to be the Kaiser porcelain I bought for $325 in Toronto Canada. Another that has increased in value would be the Royal Doulton “Autumntime” (HN3621) figure of a woman walking her Irish Setter on a windy day. While I only paid $175.00 (all figures are American dollars), it was recently listed at $500.00 by a dealer so that was a good investment for me. Gail : What is your favourite item in your collection? Carol: I have so many I cannot narrow it down real well. Some pieces that I like very much are the Aus Ben (painted bronze), Lee Burnham, Heredities Cremeware puppies, the Nico with the happy expression on the dog’s face, Jan Allen - just to name a few. I had several small figures made in the likenesses of my real dogs, of course those are very special to me. Gail: I know you have most, if not all, of the Mortens Studios Irish Setters. Would you please share your knowledge of this company with my readers? Mortens Carol: The Mortens Studio dogs were made of a plaster over metal material and then painted and glazed. Made in the 1930s through the 1950s, they originally sold in “Five and Dime Stores” (aka Woolworths, Kresges etc) . Most of the breeds came in multiple poses. I believe I have all but one of all of the Irish Setter designs that they made. The first Mortens I ever purchased was the puppy Irish. I had seen this dog in a brochure so knew what it looked like when I spotted it on a flea market table for only FIFTY CENTS! I have since seen this puppy offered for anywhere between $35.00 and $50.00! The larger dogs now go for $65.00 to over $100.00 - to think that when they were first produced they sold for under $5.00 each! My favourite of the Mortens would be the gorgeous pair of head study plaques. I loved them at first sight back in the late 1970s when I bought mine and still feel the same way today. The only Mortens I am missing is an Irish Setter on point posed in a square frame for hanging on the wall. pictures of various Morten Studio Irish Setters-note the difference in style in the figures of the same breed Gail: Two of my favourite items in your collection are your Anri wood-carvings. What can you tell us about them? October 2006 CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com 21 Top: Anri carvings by Helmut Diller Below: one of Carol's curio cabinets Carol: The Anri carved Irish Setters sold for around $40.00 for the smaller sculptures. At the time I bought mine, I could only afford one but my brothers chipped in and bought me the other one as a gift. These small dogs now sell for over $100.00 WHEN you can find them. The Irish Setter carvings - one in a crouching point and the other laying down - were carved by Helmut Diller. He was born in Germany in 1911 and died in 1984. In an old brochure I have, it shows the laying down Irish as available in two sizes and the crouching dog in three. A price sheet enclosed with the brochure lists the smaller carvings at $45.00 in 1976 and the larger ones at $150.00 Helmut Diller did fantastic work on all of the breeds he carved for Anri’s Schmid collection. Gail: What statue don’t you have that would would love to own? Carol: There are two and both are vintage pieces. I would love to have the large Hutchenreuther and the Crown Devon Irish Setters. Gail:Before we close, what would you like to tell my readers about yourself? Carol : I guess that you can tell I LOVE my Irish Setters! Be those real dogs or those within the collection. My hobby has given me great joy and comfort over the years. I still get excited looking into the cases and knowing that these are my dogs. Unlike those in a shop, I can pick these up and touch them to my heart’s content. As time continues, I know that one day I will have to think about rehoming my collection. It will be a sad time for me. I can only hope that they will be placed with a Setter group or Setter lover who will keep and cherish them as I have done. Gail: Thank you, Carol, for sharing your collection and expertise with us today. Carol's real Irish Setters -Kylie,F aith and Shane 22 Happy collecting everyone! Hope you enjoyed our little visit! Gail = CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com October 2006 Concluding Photos for Print Magazines by Jan E Irving From page 2 Left: image ‘resampled’ down to 25% and so a little bit of blurring has occurred Right: the same image as the lefthand one but now with ‘directional sharpen’ to make the print reproduce better just resist the urge to follow the email prompts and send small images for print reproduction. Every digital camera I have come across stores the image at 72dpi - which is fine for the screen, but once printed onto paper for a magazine it is useless. To get good paper reproduction you need 150 to 300 dpi, in fact some major commercial glossy magazines still use 600dpi. The photo software you got with the camera or scanner can probably get you from 72dpi to 250dpi without a hassle and give you a print ready file. You need to ‘resample’ in Corel Photo-Paint or resize or a similar term in other programs. To avoid the file size blowing out to 500MB plus, I also adjust the percent of the image size back down to the original file (KB) size - some programs may require you to do a two step process, some will let you do it all at once. TIP 2: All digital camera image files have a wee bit of “shake”, so even if you aren’t adjusting the dpi or image size then consider using your software’s directional sharpening tool. With my EOS 350D I most often use it at 100%, some smaller files that come through can only handle 50% or less - the preview screen will give you some idea. Certainly if you have resized or changed the dpi consider running the sharpening tool, it makes a power of difference. TIP 3: The power of the digital image is immense but as with traditional negative and print cameras, the camera can goof up on colour recording. Tucked away in your photo October 2006 editing software you will find an ‘autoequalize’ function (in Corel Photo-Paint it is under the Image menu, under the Adjust flyout.) Nine times out of ten, it does a magnificent job and will bring up the details of the photo beautifully by improving contrast and tones, sometimes it is useless, so ctrl-Z to revert to the original format. TIP 4: There are many, many magazines, including this one, that still produce the bulk of their photos in black and white dark greens and red will be reprinted as black so will blended into heavy shadows, always have this in the back of your mind when posing the picture. If you aren’t sure how your photo will look in black & white your photo editing software or even your printer software sometimes will let you change the image to b&w, otherwise whack a colour print into a standard photocopier and have a look at the printed page! TIP 5: If scanning a print, make sure your glass is very clean and scan at 100 to 150 dpi ABOVE the magazine’s requirements which will give the editor a bit of room if they choose to reproduce the print at a larger than actual print size. Of course for large format magazines or calendars you may find you need to scan a standard 6 x 4 inch print at 600dpi to make a useable file for a page A4/letter size at 200dpi, after all the print needs to be enlarged markedly from the 6x4 to A4 (about four times). Hope this helps. = CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com 23 The Vintage Bookcase Diana Hefti German Shepherd Dog Books German Shepherds, or Alsatians have been a popular and much loved breed for a long time. They have been used to herd sheep (their original purpose), along with seeing eye dogs, Police work, Dogs for Defence and family pets. Rin Tin Tin and Bullet from (Roy Rogers) are two 24 famous GSDs from movies and TV. Both those famous dogs also appear in books, though I don’t have any titles from their adventures. I guess I go for the unknowns instead! Below are a few of the books I have featuring German Shepherds. CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com October 2006 October 2006 CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com 25 Follow My Leader(above & overleaf), written by James B. Garfield, illustrated by Robert Greiner, published by Viking Press, copyright 1957, hardback book with DJ, and 191 pages (my copy is the Weekly Reader Book Club edition from 1958). This book was one of my very favourites when I was young. When Jimmy is playing ball with some friends, one of the boys finds a firecracker. He lights it, then throws it towards Jimmy by mistake. It explodes in Jimmy’s face, and Jimmy is blinded. The book follows Jimmy’s struggles to learn to live an active life again as a blind person, and with the help of his guide dog, Leader. There are a few illustrations present at select chapter headings. A heartwarming story of overcoming adversity and growing up. The Gray Dog from Galtymore (right & opposite), is written by Joseph E. Chipperfield, illustrated by Edward Shenton, published by McKay, copyright in 1962, hardback book with DJ, and 184 pages. Silver was brought home to a lowly Irish farm, where he was eventually driven away. As he travels the countryside, Silver visits a tinker’s dog, and finds himself captive and mistreated by the Tinker. Silver finally escapes and is near death when he is found by the man he can call Master. Will he ever get revenge on the tinker? Mr. Chipperfield owned German Shepherds himself, and wrote a number of other dog stories, including Windruff of Links Tor, another Alsatian story. (I believe Storm of Dancerwood may be another of his titles about a GSD.) 26 The King and the Princess (lead & end illustrations), is written by Jack O’Brien, illustrated by Kurt Wiese, published by Grosset & Dunlap, copyright in 1940, hardback book, with about 22 unnumbered pages. I talked about this book before – in the later version featuring an Irish setter. This edition has the German Shepherd hero. The story takes place in the timber country of the Northwest, where a father and son lived in a log cabin. One day young Bob brought home a tiny puppy and a kitten. King (the dog) and Princess (the cat) soon became fast friends. When Princess has a leg caught in a trap, it must be amputated. She is fitted with a wooden leg, and continues to get along fine, until a forest fire threatens their home. The men take off for the lake, and later King joins them. All are worried Princess had been lost to the fire. But King shows them where he had taken his friend to keep her safe. Cute young child’s story by the author of the Silver Chief series of books, with wonderful black and white, and colour illustrations! CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com October 2006 October 2006 CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com 27 Billy and Blaze (left), is written and illustrated by C. W. Anderson, published by McMillan, copyright in 1936 (my edition 1964), hardback book with DJ and 50 pages. C. W. Anderson is well known for his many wonderful horse stories, and beautiful illustrations. The Billy and Blaze series of books (at least 11 titles, maybe more), have long been popular with the younger, horse-loving, set. These books were some of the first books I remember reading on my own as a child. While Billy and Blaze are both well-recognized, Rex the German Shepherd is also present in a number of the books, and is often overlooked. In this first book of the series, Billy is given his pony Blaze, and they enjoy riding and jumping in the countryside. One day they discover a dog caught in a trap. They rescue him and bring him home, and Rex joins them in their adventures – and even jumps with Billy and Blaze in the horse show! Full page pencil illustrations are every other page, with simple text opposite to tell the story. 28 CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com October 2006 Muley-Ears, Nobody’s Dog, (opposite) is written by Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Wesley Dennis, published by Rand McNally, copyright in 1959, hardback book with about 64 unnumbered pages. Once again, Henry and Dennis combine to tell another fun story. I’m cheating on this one a little bit, as Muley-Ears is described as a mix, with some German Shepherd ancestry, but he’s close! Muley-Ears got his name from his extra large ears. He lived in Jamaica and had adopted a vacation home as his own. He hung out with all the vacationing tourists – they shared their food with Muley-Ears, and he showed them the best places to visit October 2006 on the beach and around the town. One visitor is surly, and wants nothing to do with Muley-Ears. Will Muley-Ears manage to win this man over? The story is based on a real life Jamaican dog who did indeed “own” a vacation home (and all the tourists who stayed there). = Diana Hefti is a regular contributor to Canine Collectables Courier - we welcomed her aboard in July 2003 with her superb article on collecting buttons to feature dogs! Visit the author Diana Hefti at Glen Ey Aussies www.gleneyaussies.net Everyday Obedience Training www.everydayobedience.com Diana’s Buttons www.dianasbuttons.com = CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com 29 Designer Dog Miniatures by Lucy Maloney http://www.designerdogs.homestead. com/index.html Contemporary Steiff http://www.thetoyshoppe.com/displa yItem.asp?prodID=40330&keyword =worldwide%20classic As the website introduction says: “Designer Dog Miniatures are like no other miniatures you’ve seen. Each dog looks and feels real with a natural fiber coat and shining eyes. They are so lifelike all that’s missing is a wet nose and a wagging tail! Your Designer Dog Miniature can be the dog you own, will own, have owned, or even want to own. As I create each custom dog, I try to capture the spirit of the dog—-it might be a facial expression, a cock of the ear, or a familiar pose. Size can be arranged to meet your individual need, since each dog is hand crafted and one-of-a-kind. A Designer Dog Miniature would be a wonderful tribute to your special dog, a perfect addition to a dollhouse or other miniature setting, or the ideal gift for anyone whose pet is part of the family.” There are lovely examples of a good range of breeds Prints in Stock http://www.koskelo.net/koirataide/in dex.htm Koiratai, Denmark, has an excellent range of dog prints in many breeds available from artists around the world. 30 “Miniatures under the domed crystal of these delightful dog themed watches are hand painted, turning this fashion watch into a wearable work of art. The large gold tone case frames a colorful face with inset easy-read analog dial. The Watch has a quartz movement and an Italian Leather Band. Gift boxed with a one-year warranty” A lovely range and great fun! Steiff have been around for awhile now, with large and miniature figures, here’s a selection of 4 to 5 inch mohair figurines available through The Toy Shoppe. Weird and Wonderful http://www.trixieandpeanut.com Dogs in Flowers which has a store front in East 20th Street, New York, is a massive emporium for all things for the spoilt Big Apple dog - amongst the custom dog beds are several to choose plus carry bags, and who knows what! Whimsical Watches recently a series of four or five photos did the rounds of the email, the artist has created stunning floral arrangements in the form of puppies. I tried Google but couldn’t found any information, if you know the artist, let Canine Collectables Courier know! Dog Breed Watches and Dog Lover Watches CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com October 2006 Waggy Jewellery http://www.waggy-tails.com/jewelry .htmdex.htm Waggy Tails, have a neat selection of a variety of jewellery Dog-Net The Amazing Internet World pewter to china, this is going to be a place we all spend money! Kelli Swann Jan E Irving and others! Gifted Weis http://www.weimaraner-gifts.co.uk Penhaglion Gifts are devoted to the silver ghost, with a lovely selection, but the Christmas cards are divine. Dog Decor http://www.dogd ecor.com/ claim to have over 4000 dog based gifts certainly their store front is impressive from pillows to welcome signs and through to designer plates, which range from October 2006 http://www.cafepress.com/kelliswan/ 110632 has the beautiful pencil dog drawings of the Ohio artist available on a good range of products. The breeds featured include Greyhound, Whippet, Rotti, German Shepherd, Saluki, Corgi, and more - and the pencil artwork isn’t limited to graphite either with several colour enhanced pencil artworks available too. Magnificent Figurines carefully researched or developed from photos supplied by Karl’s clients. Karl has been sculpturing these figurines for close to 25 years and has a great client base and also produces orchids, cacti, and cats! http://www.bjarnesonns.com Each of the pieces are individually hand sculpted and painted and either CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER Thanks to Gail C Parker, Youlla Kyriacou, Sallie George, & Zuzana Návwlková for sharing some of these with us www.erinrac.com 31 Top left: Two poseable Lassies from the 1950s probably. The smaller one was a gift . The larger one I found at a farmers' market. I paid $6.00 for it and not long after, saw it in an antique newsletter for $85.00!! The legs and head are moveable on both figures. Top right: Breyer Lassie. The Breyer was explained in the excellent article by Sallie Crowder George in a recent issue so I won't go into detail on it. Bottom left: Mini Lassie lunch box with "Bendables" brand Lassie I pictured it with the small dogs to show the size. The little Lassie figures are rubber and not really "bendable" as the brand name implies. They are nice though. Bottom right: Lassie colouring book which was purchased not long after I moved here in a local pharmacy. They had a pile of colouring books that apparently had been around awhile because, after I bought it, I saw it in a book on dog collectibles for over a hundred dollars! I paid $1.50 for it. Inset opposite: Lassie, Carl (my husband ) and me Lead photo details on page 34 32 CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com October 2006 My Ultimate Adventure Gail C Parker As I have mentioned before; memories are also “collectibles”. You can take them with you wherever you go, share them, you don’t have to dust them, and they can bring a smile to your face when you need cheering up by just going back to a happy occasion in your mind. Recently, my husband and I were privileged to add yet another “collectible” to the memory books in our minds. October 2006 TK Graphics once had a saying available on their labels and other items that I liked a lot. It was “You are never too old to have a happy childhood”. I try to live by that motto. (smiling!) Last evening (July 7th) I received an email from a friend telling me that my childhood idol was going to be in our area. She happens to know this “being” personally as CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com 33 mixed breeds as well. It was a chance meeting and we only found out in the course of conversation we had a mutual friend while we were waiting for the bus to arrive with the star and entourage. I managed to be where he actually brushed against me in passing. Sigh. Okay, we watched the movie and then my friend motioned me over to whisper that we were all (another couple, my friend and her gentleman, and Carl and me) to go back to the hotel to meet the star in PRIVATE for pictures with him if we wanted to go!! Didn’t have to ask me twice!! The bonus was they needed Carl because he was the only one who knew where the hotel was as the others were from out of town. We arrived at the hotel and went right to his suite. He came out to greet us and I sat down beside him - at that he turned and put his nose right to mine. Yes, folks, it was cold and wet. LASSIE!!! (would I get this excited over a human star? I don’t think so). He was as sweet and beautiful as he looks on television (and no makeup <grin>). I had my arm around him. We all took lots of pictures and will swap with each other. A Lassie throw(aka afghan). This is copyright 1994 by Palladium Limited Partnership. There is a large head study of Lassie with a smaller picture of the Collie walking beside a human male figure. The saying on the afghan under the head study is: "Best friends are forever" Scenery of what I am guessing is Scotland forms the background for the lovely picture. Two views of the afghan to show details. well as his companion. It was not in the papers. (except the town’s little paper where he would be appearing). We would also be allowed to see a sneak preview of his film which is not due out until September. (any guesses yet?) She would, she said, try to arrange for Carl and me to meet this star but could not promise anything. However, we would at least get to see him in person and take photos along with the rest of the audience. That was enough for me. Heck, I’d only waited ...well never mind how many years...to see him, if I only got to “see” him that was fine. It was more than I’d expected would ever happen in fact. So off we went. When we arrived at the theatre, I found three people who knew another friend of mine who has helped with English Setter rescue and I’ve helped her with 34 The movie was very good too, a lot of people were crying. I didn’t want my mascara to run so I didn’t but it was sad in parts. Happy ending though. Beautiful scenery too. I see lots of Lassie collectibles coming out in September when the movie is released to the general public. At the event, we were given pictures of Lassie with his “pawtograph”, a movie ticket with his picture on it, a flyer advertising the event (small one), and a sticker of the movie poster. (aka decal ).Watch for Lassie on September First (it is a remake of Lassie Come Home) Oh! And there was an Irish Setter connection for me - the lady who trains him also worked on the movie Nixon which had an Irish Setter in it of course. I thought my adventure would be a good excuse to share my Lassie collectibles with my readers so I am including pictures of them for your enjoyment. Happy collecting! Gail CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com October 2006 ARTISTS & CRAFTWORKERS MEET THE CANINE ARTISTS, COMMISSION ART, RESEARCH PAST ARTISTS & CRAFTSPEOPLE CORI http://corispawtraits.com Pet portraits and animal art - Create unique artwork, which captures the essence of your dog. Dog portraits, cat portraits, horse portraits and other wildlife art by award winning animal artist, Cori Solomon. Animal art is created in pastel with an artf added on: August 10, 2006 DENNIS GLENNON PHOTOGRAPHY http://dennisglennon.com a dazzling gallery of superb dog photos - strike that, read dog art! added on: September 17, 2006 JOEP BUIJS FINE ART AMSTERDAM CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY http://joepbuijs.nl Stunning and unusual dog portraits! added on: September 17, 2006 OLSEN DESIGNS http://www.olsendesigns.com Welcome to Olsen Designs. Come in and see our original, collectible needle felted teddy bears and curio cabinets designed and created by us; husband and wife team, Jean and Jan Olsen. added on: September 17, 2006 RON HEVENER- ON WITH THE SHOW! http://ronhevener.com brilliant selection of beautiful dog figurines! added on: September 17, 2006 DOG SHORT STORY & POETRY COMPETITIONB http://www.erinrac.com/comp the annual international Dog Short Story and Poetry Competition is open to all - old and young, for fiction and non-fiction, stories and poetry! Closes September 15th each year book of winners published and available throughout the year added on: August 14, 2006 COURIER: WORLDS FAVOURITE MAGAZINE FOR THE DOG COLLECTOR! http://www.erinrac.com/courier/ Canine Collectables Courier for those who just love dog collectibles! f you want a bargain, when buying a dog collectible, you need to know about availability and market prices. Canine Collectibles Courier does this for you with auction reports, and to su added on: July 29, 2006 BREED SPECIFIC COLLECTIONS AND/OR MEDIA ANY ITEM OR COLLECTION TO FEATURE A PARTICULAR BREED, ITEM TYPES MAY BE MIXED, EG STAMPS & FIGURINES, ETC ADOPT-A-SETTER http://irishrescue.petfinder.org USA rescue center for Irish Setters please support us! added on: September 17, 2006 GENERAL CANINE COLLECTING INFORMATION FOR MORE GENERAL CANINE COLLECTING INFORMATION AND RESOUCES DIANA’S BUTTONS BOOKS, MAGAZINES, AND OTHER MEDIA GREAT DOG COLLECTING PUBLICATIONS, VIDEOS, AND OTHER RESOURCES http://www.dianasbuttons.com fabulous site as an introduction to the world of button collecting - and yes there are hundreds of buttons to feature dogs! added on: September 17, 2006 GREAT DOG PLACES TO SHOP DEALES, REGULAR AUCTION SELLERS, WEBSITES, SHOPS, MALLS, CATALOGUES, GUIDES TO SHOPPING ABOVE & BEYOND ENGLISH SETTER RESCUE http://www.esrescue.org we run an extensive shop with great items for English Setters and other breeds to fund the resuce and re-homing of English Setters - do call by! added on: September 17, 2006 ANIMAL DEN ANIMAL LOVERS GIFT STORE http://www.animalden.com massive gift selection for just about all the better known breeds, from ear rings to dog clothing added on: September 1, 2006 KC PET COLLECTABLES http://kc-pet-collectables.com beautiful figurines, limited runs added on: September 17, 2006 MAXED-UP.COM EXCLUSIVE HAND CRAFTED DOG BREED JEWELLERY & GIFTS FOR DOG LOVERS... http://www.maxed-up.com I sell over 4000 products Including Exclusive hand crafted dog breed jewellery & gifts for dog lovers, Prints - handmade portrait picture clocks & Pewter Items.All of my dog products are designed, manufactured and finished by hand in the UK.Jewell added on: August 11, 2006 ROYAL COPENHAGEN ANTIK - PORCELAN MARIAGER KGL B&G DAHL JENSEN http://www.jamerantik.dk Porcelain dogs from Royal Copenhagen, Dahl Jensen and B&G added on: August 9, 2006 = October 2006 CANINE COLLECTABLES COURIER www.erinrac.com 35