The In-Between Mare – one of the most sought after Breyer models ever produced. But, it was never officially produced.

I really had no intention of adding the In-between Mare to the Breyer Value Guide, simply because they are so rare and hard to find that putting a value on them would be futile. The In-Between Mare is named as such because it 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 1950’s, sculptor Chris Hess started creating Breyer’s next Arabian Mare. The sculpt did make it far enough along in the production process to have a steel mold made, but ultimately was rejected in favor of the more appealing Family Arabian Mare (also sculpted by Hess.) Although they were never officially released, about a dozen In-Between Mares have surfaced over the years and have found their way into collections. These pre-production models have been found in Glossy Grey Appaloosa, Woodgrain and Glossy Alabaster.

Since Breyer made the decision to blow the dust off the In-Between Mare mold and resurrect her for the 2020 Vintage Club – an OFFICIAL release – we must add her to the Breyer Value Guide! According to Breyer, some “bits and pieces” needed to be made to bring her back to life, but the Zahra models “popped out of the same pieces of steel” the originals did over 60 years ago!

Zahra was produced in three colors for the Vintage Club, as a “Gambler’s Choice” for members. Vintage Club models are limited to 500, so if evenly divided, there are about 167 models in each color of: Dappled Palomino, Glossy Dappled Bay and Glossy Rose Grey Pinto. These models were shipped to members in late September 2020, and since then their selling prices on the secondary market have ranged from $400 to $700! I believe that these models will become increasingly harder to find as they settle into collections. I am uncertain where their value will top out at, simply because there will be so few available at any given time.

The demand for the original In-Between Mare is not driven by it’s beautiful and correct representation of a real horse, or by it’s intricate or detailed paint jobs. The demand is driven simply by the fact that it was a mold that was rejected for production, yet the fact that some exist give collectors the innate desire to seek out this “holy grail” of model horses for themselves. Similarly, the 2020 Zahra release harkens that desire to obtain the otherwise unattainable! Will Breyer continue to use the In-Between Mare in future releases? My bet is yes. If future releases are just a desirable, well that is yet to be determined!

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