With the launch of the on-line Breyer Value Guide right around the corner, you will have access to my years of research and experience within the hobby. Learn what models are trending and which ones are cooling off. Worry less about paying too much. Learn how to competitively price your sale models. When you have an good reference point of a market value, and the factors that go into creating that value, you become a smart shopper and educated collector.

I didn’t always do my research. If you are like me, you have made a few emotion-based purchases in the past (Must have it now…take my money!) But I had to get smart when I was considering the purchase of a very large collection. How did the asking price of the collection compare to what the models were selling for at the time? Was I going to be able to make my money back, and still keep the models that I wanted for my collection? I do believe this is when I got interested in researching values. I bought that collection and I worked hard to resell the models (via hobby classifieds, Ebay, and BreyerFest.) First goal was to make the money back that I had borrowed to do this. Did it. Second goal was to turn models I didn’t need for my collection into ones I did need. Yep – I added a lot to the permanent collection during that time. And thirdly my prize for doing all of this: a Mosaic model of my very own!

As collectors and hobbyists, we all know that most “outsiders” see dollar signs when they see a Breyer. Just because it looks old and has a “Breyer” stamp doesn’t equal a high selling price. But only looking at age and number produced can’t alone determine the selling price or “value” of a particular model. How many times have you seen a model from a small run (rare,) with either a lackluster color (no shading, no details, etc.) or on an unpopular/un-trendy mold sit unsold or selling for a comparatively low price?

I read an article over the holidays that compared the toy industry to the fashion industry and how similar they are in the terms of trends and what’s hot now may not be hot tomorrow. We see that all the time in the model horse hobby, don’t we? For example, a collector is lucky enough to win a raffle model or lottery-based special run and immediately sells it for sometimes more than twice the original price. And they do sell. Collectors who didn’t win that model are hot to get it into their collection while the models are new and readily available. When these limited models get released, there is usually a flood of them into the secondary market. Even though availability is high, demand is also high. The trick is knowing whether you should purchase when there is a slew of them available, or whether you should wait until the market settles down. Will the model stay in demand (and keep prices higher) when the initial rush dies down, or will the demand and prices fall off once the excitement and newness wears off? This is where an understanding of what has been historically popular, and currently popular, comes into play. There are exceptions to every rule and I sometimes find myself surprised at what models hold and increase in value, and which ones can’t.

Which Breyers have surprised you over the years? The ones that went up in value, or the ones that fell. Why do you think that is? Scroll down and share your answer in the comments.

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