Publishing

The club newsletter publishing schedule is quarterly, online only. It is too large and photo-filled to be emailed to members without bouncing. In November, the most pertinent articles of the year are submitted to the graphic designer for print. In Jan/Feb of the next year, an Annual will be printed and snailmailed to all members in good standing. 

Submissions deadlines:

All HR collectors and HR dealers, even outside the membership, are welcome to submit content (articles and photos about HRs). The submission deadlines are: 7th of January, 7th of April, 30th July (coverage of summer collector events), and 7th October. We remain proudly advertisement-free, providing maximum content for your membership dollar.

Recent History

The last HRCC paper-printed newsletter was published four times a year by Debra Kerr of FL. After the November 2008 (Fall) newsletter, the club fell silent. It was not officially closed, and there were a couple efforts made to maintain the community.

The owner of Little Shoppe, the late Gerry Bowman, started an online group and collector registry at her dealer web site. The now-extinct platform yahoogroups, plus various groups on Facebook continued, but most lacked a specialization for HR. In the absence of a newsletter for research in ceramic animals, the Muddy Hoofprints blog started in 2010. None of these things combined the club atmosphere with dedicated HR content.

Hagen-Renaker continued to reissue old favorites (until mid-2020). Vintage surprises turn up all the time, thus the climate for reopening the club was well-established. The specialization and community of HRCC was deeply missed. In the years since the last HRCC newsletter was printed, online publishing has made enormous improvements. Now a newsletter can show full color images and be password-protected, affordably. Where printing costs save money, those funds are rolled into free prizes and improved Annual features, each year. The club also sponsors an annual event, Fellowship, which provides a venue for HR shopping, sharing, and learning. This event, like the contests and HR show, is run by volunteers within the organization.

Who We Are

Ed Alcorn, known as hr-horsenut on eBay and an HR dealer, contacted Sue Nikas of HR to inquire about reviving the club. The official blessing was given to Kristina Francis. In the past, the club has been run by an HR dealer, bearing all the work alone. At this time, the club has multiple staffers: several regular contributing authors for the newsletter articles; Christina Harrington is the club member registrar and the newsletter Editor; Maggie Barkovitz is the club contest coordinator; Kristina Lucas Francis is now busy with HR TN and The Ceramic Animal Museum (open by appointment), so she serves as the club advisor, interim editor, and a donor.

Ed and his wife, Sheri, started the Hagen-Renaker On-Line Museum. This is a visual dictionary of all things HR, provided at no cost to the public. It is used as a reference by seasoned collectors, new fanciers of HR, and non-collector eBay sellers that find it on Google. 

Claudia Segger provides HRCC members with free member access to the Hagen-Renaker Field Guide, an identification site years in the making. HRCC encourages the Field Guide with financial and content donations. HR production colors, dates, and original new photography is all provided free to HRCC members. Claudia is the registrar for her site.

Kristina Lucas Francis has been active in model horse ceramics since 1995. Not only an HR collector, she has designed two HRs (the Specialties Spanish Horse and the Miniatures Guinea Pig), numerous models for Pour Horse, Breyer, Paradise Horses, and her own product lines. She has competed her own horse sculptures and glaze work to top honors at the National level. She hosted the all-ceramic NAN-qualifying show, “Clinky Classic”, five times. She has authored the Muddy Hoofprints blog since 2010. Kristina continues to visit collectors, gather research, and produce animal art. In 2018, she announced her license to produce select HR molds in her studio, as HR TN. In late 2021, she acquired the entire HR mold catalog and the trademark name Hagen-Renaker, to carry on the tradition.

Christina Harrington has been fond of horses since the age of five, and collected model horses since about that time. She remembers trips with her grandmother to the local gift shops for Specialties horses in addition to Designer Workshop Morgans in her mother’s corner curio cabinet. Christina began enthusiastically collecting as an adult after college, and enjoys checking antique stores and estate sales in search of clinkies that catch her eye.

For Sarah Wellman, horses have been a life-long passion, and she still remembers her first Hagen-Renaker: a chestnut Forever Amber given to her by her grandparents. Having now collected for over thirty years, her interest has grown to encompass not only equine ceramics, but also all manner of wild and domestic animals, wall plaques, and signs. Some of her favorite pieces are in the Black Bisque line, and she loves the chance to add variations and oddball pieces to her collection. In her spare time, she enjoys reading up on Hagen-Renaker history and, of course, hitting the antique stores in search of clinky grails.

In 1970, a fellow Breyer collector dragged Nancy Kelly into a local florist shop and introduced her to Hagen-Renaker. She’s forever grateful! As her collection grew, she wanted to learn about the people who created these wonderful animals. She was warmly received by the entire Renaker family, the designers, and other key personnel, and allowed to document their incredible personal stories and the history of the company. She was honored to then be able to share this in 3 books about HR and one dedicated just to Maureen Love thanks to Schiffer Publishing. She also collects other brands, but her heart belongs to Hagen-Renaker.

This team aims to bring connectivity, quality content, events, and social media together, to revitalize the club. 

Use and Limitations

The content is copyrighted, and only may be used with express permission from the Editor, Christina Harrington. Please email your request for use and specify how it will be used. 

Disclaimer

Hagen-Renaker, Inc., its employees, the club officers, their heirs and assigns are not liable for any use or misuse of the information and/or advertising in the newsletter. They do not warrant any claims made therein. The opinions expressed are those of the individual writers, and do not represent the opinions of Hagen-Renaker, Inc., nor those of HR TN.