Breyer Horses Made in China/USA?

I hope some of you Breyer fans, might be able to tell me which models are made in USA and which are made in China?

I've tried to research the subject, but found nothing very enlightening.

I have only new Breyers, and they are all Made in China. It says on the box, but I wonder if one can also tell country 'made in' from the letters and numbers print on it.

Here is says VIN - and date of production. I read somewhere that the 'VIN' refers to the factory, (and it is US law to mark it, so that the model can be tracked to the factory if any issues occur).
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And here the Breyer stamp on the same model (Traditional Gypsy Vanner)
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And the Breyer stamp on Appaloosa Indian Pony (Traditional) He has also the 'VIN' + date under his hoof.
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I assume the stamp is one which follow the mould. And the Gypsy is a very new mould and the Appy is very old - therefore the different design.

And here is the letters under the hoof of the Classic Grullo Morgan. Rather new mold and model.
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Good question!

It's not easy to tell exactly what country the model was made in, but you can go roughly by if it has the VIN on the hoof (or some Stablemates have an ugly silver/gold number on their belly ). All models with a VIN were painted in China. This transfer of production happened recently, and the models were not given VIN numbers immediately as they started being produced in China, so some models are made in China but don't have VIN numbers. However, as a general rule, if it has a VIN, it was made in China. No models painted in the US will have a VIN. Most of today's models are made in China - the only ones painted in the US today are a run less than 100. To add to the confusion, all models are made in China, most are painted in China, except for the runs under 100 are painted in the US. No models are produced in the United States anymore. Which is a real shame, especially since the headquarters just the next state over from me.

I hope that cleared up the confusion!

Oh, and all Breyers will have the circle stamp. This is just to show it's a genuine Breyer horse. Those don't have a factor in whether the model was made in China or the US.

Great to know ! Thanks !   

   

Thank you very much LeeAnn for the great information    Too bad indeed they outsourced to China, now you live that close   

Do you know when Breyer stopped producing models in USA and moved all (except the special runs under 100) to China?
I mean, how old must a Breyer be, to have been manufactured in USA (both the plastic model and paintwork)?

I believe by around 2005 everything was moved over to China - in the late nineties they started doing the tack and other accessories in China, and then moved up the line of scales. So it wasn't too long ago that everything was transferred over to China.

Thank you again   

Very interesting information. It seems it is only Schleich who still produces some of their models in their home country.   

But unfortunately most of even Schleich figures are made in China.

Yes. Although I think sometimes the Chinese version can be the nicest  

- and hey that is Princess for your signature   I see a new trend around     

That's a good point too, sometimes the Chinese variation is better than others.

The gal you drew for me wanted to see the light

She always loves the spotlight   

AFAIK all vintage models were made in the US, esp those prodused in 70s-80s. They usually have the round sign with 'USA' label (the one you pictured here). Most of my vintage Classics do have this mark.
In fact, you can even feel the difference if you hold those figures in your hands (the way they are painted), and by touch they are sooooooo different!

Thank you Daria   Very interesting. How are they different to touch?   I think already the models I have are nice in quality, but I have never held a USA made on in my hands, so I can't tell the difference.

Strangely I also think a new Breyer smells good, like a faint scent of citrus candy   

Especially glossies. It sounds weird but when you unwrap the bubblewrap for the first time, that glossy smell is great!

Carola wrote:

Thank you Daria   Very interesting. How are they different to touch?   I think already the models I have are nice in quality, but I have never held a USA made on in my hands, so I can't tell the difference.

Strangely I also think a new Breyer smells good, like a faint scent of citrus candy   

I don't know how to describe it.   I believe it's the deference in the paint used for coloring them. The surface differs a little. And they smell different, yes:)

Very interesting   Maybe one day I'll experience a USA model. And maybe a Glossy model too