This is a new hard-paste porcelain figurine that is really impressive in person. It has nice ear placement (which we all know is difficult for some sculptors to capture) and good detail. The roach in the back may be a little over-accentuated but still a pretty collectible. It is 7" tall, with a price that would fit any budget at around $15. I have seen this on auction but not yet in retail stores.

Here is an old wood carved Borzoi statue. I cannot imagine the time it must have taken to carve this, as it is one solid piece of wood, with nothing glued in place. The figurine may look familiar to some of you. It is an exact likeness of the double running Katzenhutte German porcelain and measures 14" x 8". I could not fi nd a signature on this but wonder if perhaps it was the original model used for molding the porcelain dogs. This is merely speculation but a possibility just the same. This is very rare and valued around $250.

Capodimonte of Italy is known for their lovely, and sometimes gaudy, porcelain figures and believe it or not, this was made by them too. It them too. It is not their typical porcelain as it is more of a resin material. The dog came with a loop for the leather leash it has and is situated on a wood base. It has a rather strange color for a Borzoi figurine as well, that being brown and is large, measuring 8" x 10". I do not know when this was made, although it looks newer but it is the only one I have ever seen and value it at $100.

A lovely marble clock here, with a metal Borzoi attached to the base. I thought the clock was a newer battery operated one but found out it is the older 1-day windup type. The Borzoi measures 7" x 4", to give you an idea of the overall size of this piece. There is some discoloration of the metal, which will happen over time if not kept polished but it is in overall nice shape. The value on a piece like this would range between $150-$300, depending on if you collect clocks or Borzoi figures. Serious clock collectors would pay more than a casual dog collector.

I don’t remember showing this next item before, it may have been done. Perhaps Laurie Kasowski will remember, as she is better at that than I am. If it was done before, then it just means it is twice as nice. It is a very old pair of Goebel bookends. One is a sitting lady in a blue, yellow and green ruffled dress, with the opposite bookend a large (in proportion to the lady) Borzoi. They were cold painted, meaning that they were painted after the kiln firing. It gives the color more depth but after several years of handling, the color easily comes off. Forget about trying to clean this type of item with moisture or it will end up being an all-white figurine. You can see how some of the color on this Borzoi is starting to come off. This set is 5" tall and very hard to find. Due to the rarity and the Goebel mark, the value is around $200.

Beautiful and rare porcelains are becoming more difficult to find, so I felt quite lucky to find this pair of Colonial-dressed women at an antique shop. These are very old porcelains made in Japan when they used to take the time to paint intricate details on their wares. The Borzoi itself was even designed nicely, right down to the ears (obviously a pet peeve of mine). Each statue is a mirror of the other and actually face the opposite way and measure 9" x 6", although I turned one around in this picture to let you see both sides of the dog. I would value this set at what I paid, which was $125.

For the horse lovers out there, my last item shows a darling hard-paste porcelain of a foal and Borzoi out for a romp. Either the Borzoi is trying to catch the foal to “round it up,” or they are challenging each other to a race. In any event, it has to be good exercise for both of them! This hard-paste porcelain Borzoi and horse were made by Wagner and Apel of Thuringia, Germany. It measures 7" x 4" and is a rare piece. Value on this is between $100 and $200, depending on the need to have it in your collection. In the last issue of the Borzoi Connection’s Unique Zoitiques, I made mention that RLynn Shell would share something from her collection. I must admit that both of us had forgotten but we have already started working together on some things for the summer issue, so stay tuned for that. Hugs to your Borzoi and also remember to give some love and attention to your family as well!§