We're just finding out, in the model horse world, that our old standby, bubblewrap, is the culprit for many shiny marks and rubs on our collectible plastic horses like Breyer and Peter Stone. For years, we've sent our lovely, unblemished models, wrapped safely in bubble wrap, only to hear back from the buyer that the model has many rubs and shiny marks. And we said it was almost mint. There is no such thing as a "mint" model. LOL! Bubblewrap has been used for years to store your horses on shelves in their boxes. We use it to protect the horse from rubbing against the box. Then we go to get them off the shelves and they have rubs and shiny marks. We've unknowingly ruined our collectibles. We're now realizing that they need to be wrapped in very soft toilet tissue. Not stiff paper towels or tissue paper. But soft toilet tissue. Once wrapped like a mummy in this tissue, they can then be wrapped in bubble wrap.

When shipping a mummy wrapped horse, it is best to double box anything breakable. If not double boxed, it may be best to use newspaper packed around the horse instead of peanuts, as peanuts can shift and put your horse right at the outside of the box where he's vulnerable. Newspaper doesn't shift if packed around the horse properly. I always pack gently around the head, tail and any other parts that could come close to the edge of the box.

When leaving a horse in storage, it should be removed from the box, wrapped carefully in soft tissue paper or cloth, and then put back in the box in an upright position. The storage area needs to be dry and safe from mold and mildew. Not too hot and not too cold. If you leave a horse NIB, as most collectors want them, they could have bent legs, and the color of the box on their backs. So, if it's an older horse that you've stored for years still attached to the box, you may be in trouble. I don't understand why most horses are worth more when NIB when that can cause so many problems. We still have lots to learn in the model horse collecting field. I think it's just very important to be extremely honest when you sell a horse. Describe every single little flaw that you see, so your buyer won't get any surprises. It pays off in the end.