sterling silver horse figurine??

[gibbybabba]

hi this been in my family since i can remember i was born in 1968 and its always been there. it is 6" tall  , and would like some info on it , it has no marks that i can see but we assume its sterling silver. ?? am i right?   searched the net but haven't found any the same .want to sell it but don't know how much for. Thanks in advance Tammy

[talesofthesevenseas]

Does it tarnish? If it were silver it would tarnish and it would be highly unlikely to have no markings. If it is sterling, it would be quite light weight and would bend easily, heavier if it were silver plated. Check and see if a magnet sticks to it. The color isn't looking like silver to me, but that could be the photograph.

Also from a craftsmanship standpoint I have a big issue with that front foreleg that is touching the ground. It is bent at an impossible angle for a horse, something that I doubt an artist producing a high-quality piece would have let slide. I'm going to be surprised if this turns out to be silver. My guess is that it will date to the 1940's/1950's when movie westerns were all the rage and that it will be a sturdier metal than silver, but I'm not an expert, so let's see what the others say. 

[fancypants]

Welcome to the forum , gibbybabba .

It would be highly unlikely for a sterling silver item of this type , size & era to be unmarked .

You might want to double-check with a magnifying glass for any marks , especially for numbers like - .850 , .900 , .925 - if you're looking for sterling silver .

Many items of this type were made of 'spelter' , pewter , lead compunds , etc. ..... and were sometimes plated with a variety of metals as well .

If you use search terms like -'vintage rearing metal horse figurine' or 'metal rearing horse figurine' on an Ebay search , you'll see what common 'asking prices' are listed .

[gibbybabba]

its very heavy and theres now way you can bend it and a magnet doesnt stick to it. does that help ? thanks by the way  

[KC]

These items were the rage during the time of the Lone Ranger and the great Westerns!

Agree that sterling is very unlikely.  Even if it was silverplated you would know....would have to be polishing it over the years.

Most likely a spelter/pewter compound. 

The prices you find for most of these will be those that have a base attached. 

This is much like the Harland Plastic Horse (very same pose) that you see around.   http://cgi.ebay.com/Hartland-Plastic-Horse-Woodgrain-Rearing-Stallion-/270600683835?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f010ec13b

The value for these doesn't run very high at this time.  Nic piece and a great family keepsake tho'!

[talesofthesevenseas]

When I referred to the bent leg, I didn't mean that the figurine had been damaged, but that it was a flaw on the part of the artist, indicating a lesser-quality item I am afraid. Compare the foreleg (front leg) which touches the ground on your horse, to the nice straight forelegs of a real horse. A leg with a bend like that could never support the horse's weight. It just does not look like the sculpter of the original casting put a lot of effort into this piece, I hate to say.

[gibbybabba]

  thanks thats cleared that up. will keep it in the family . thanks x