Hello everyone,
A few months back, I scored a vintage miniature caravan through a used website, at what I thought was a steal: thirty dollars.
A bit of background information: I am not a dollhouse person (for now anyway lol), but I am a collector of scale size model horses. I collect 1:9 scale Breyer models, and I am always on the hunt for them. When I saw this caravan, it had a vintage model horse attached to it. Even through all of the horrible things someone had done to this horse, I was 75% sure it was a Breyer, or a knock off. So I went and picked up the caravan because of that reason (and the price). I was able to confirm that before it was given a new (horrible) paint job and mohair mane and tail that the horse had indeed once been a vintage model Breyer, made sometime between 1951 and the mid 1970s.
So I THINK the caravan is from the 1970s, but I'm not sure. I originally thought it was homemade, but upon doing a google search (miniature gypsy wagon) I have found two others that people have tried to sell (both in the UK and in the US), both claiming to be homemade, and both not giving any real information. So I'm pretty sure the caravan is not homemade. I don't think the horse came with it, as I have never seen anything close to what was done on the webpages dedicated to model horses. So I also don't think the furniture inside came with it either.
What I'm trying to do is figure out how old this caravan is, and from what company. Perhaps even its worth. The two I found for sale were both asking 100 dollars, one totally empty, the other full of gypsy miniatures, and a broken shaft and missing wheel.
A bit more info: On the outside, it fits a 1:9 scale model horse perfectly. That is what it came with, and that is what looks right in between the shafts. I also have a 7.5inch doll that looks perfect on the bench (and looks so great sitting on the new horse lol) But on the inside, it really only fits 1:12 size furniture.
Here is what it looked like when I first got it:
I also believe that the furniture and carpet on the inside were added at a later date. I do believe the curtains came with it, as the two I have found online also had them.
I have since removed the furniture, ripped out the carpet and curtains, and I am planning on carpeting and wallpapering it before adding new curtains. I have also purchased new and much nicer furniture.
I also removed that poor horse from the harness, and added one of my model horses. Because I needed it to be perfect. ^_^
I admit, after finding this thing, I sort of just jumped right in to the idea of miniatures. I LOVE the furniture so much. I even bought a 1:12 scale display case and put Breyer Mini Whinnies (1:64 scale) in it, so it reflects what I would furnish a caravan with in real life. lol