Daughter of Dragons

  Follow Sarah on her life's adventure of discovering dragons all around the world to add to her collection. Fellow dragon lovers welcome!  dragonridervii.blogspot.com

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Here is a throwback to the first dragon that started it all: Patriarch.

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(The oldest member or representative of a group)

Monarch of the mountains, Lord of all he surveys, the Patriarch strikes an heraldic pose that could easily grace the shield or pennant of a noble knight as he gathers his courage for the fray.  The royal dragon's wings nonchalantly test the humor of the wind, his body, sleep and strong, is tensed to spring into the air with almost feline grace to fall like an arrow upon some bold interloper or reckless game.

The arc of ancient stones, all that remains of a temple to the God of the Sun, raised at the dawn of time by pious hands, long forgotten denizens of a vanished world, is now his princely perch.  No other dragon dares to light upon this lofty seat whilst strength and valour still flow beneath the Patriarch's shimmering scales; and when the equinox comes, and the Sun's flaming rapiers stab through the heart of the prehistoric arch, the old king raises his proud head, his open wings blazing with the glory of the coming day. ______ I suppose it's wildly appropriate for Patriarch to have been my first quality dragon, the one that started it all for me, given his name: the oldest member or representative of a group.  It's very fitting! Before Patriarch entered into my life, I did have some dragon collectibles, but nothing of significant splendor. I saw Patriarch, as well as other Andrew Bill pieces, for the first time at Habitat- a store in my local mall.  I'm not sure if Habitat is a major store chain, or if it only exists in my area, but they always have a great display of dragons by a variety of artists. I saw Patriarch in the display case up front by the register.  I kept browsing, assuming it would be too expensive, but I kept coming back to him and finally decided to ask the cashier about his price.  Turns out he was $60. I ended up buying him then and there and bringing him home.

I actually own two Patriarch pieces.  See, the one I just described above met a rather unfortunate demise, and I had to replace him.  My cats like to knock things off of tables, ledges, or whatever they can get up on to, and apparently Patriarch was no exception.  Of course he broke into a hundred pieces.  He was quite past the point of no return, so I had to replace him, as Patriarch holds a special place in my heart and in my collection.  I ended up purchasing another Patriarch piece online, through eBay, for around the same amount as the first I bought.  $60 seems to be the average price for this dragon wherever you look.  It is also still widely available online and in stores.

Although I did have to replace my original Patriarch, the second one greatly surpassed the first in vibrancy.  As I said before in my previous post, dragons will lose their color and fade over time if left out in display cases, shelves, or wherever (especially if the sun shines on them throughout the day, even if only for a little). The first one that I bought at Habitat had been sitting in a display case under a fluorescent light for an unknowable amount of time. Its colors were considerably faded.  Of course I didn't really notice because I didn't have a brand new one to directly compare it to, and I was also new to collecting. The second one, being brand new in box and never opened, was so bright and beautiful.  Alas, while I did lose my first Patriarch, which meant a lot to me, the second one made up for that loss with its brilliant color.

Patriarch was originally produced in February of 2008.  It was limited to 2000 pieces.  I'm not sure of a retirement date (most limited productions last about a year), but it seems that this piece is still easily found, even if it is not still being actively manufactured.  It can be found on large shopping sites, such as ebay, Amazon, and on the Dragonsite (link excluded as their site is currently under construction), and it can also be found on smaller, privately owned shopping sites that you can find via Google, FairyGlen being one of my favorites. In all places, it averages around $60. I wouldn't pay much more than that- some sellers will try to trick you into paying more by saying that the piece is rare, even when it isn't.  There are plenty of sites and sellers that will have it in stock at the appropriate price.

The included COA states: "This warrant certifies that the figurine Patriarch was designed and sculpted by Andrew Bill in our studio in the heart of the Staffordshire countryside.  Andrew also supervised the prototyping of the piece including master pattern painting."

It then states that it is a limited edition, and is signed by Andrew Bill and Adrian Donati.  My first Patriarch that is no longer with us was number 0169/2000.  The one I currently own is 0171/2000.  I remember seeking this one out specifically because it was so close in number to my original Patriarch. I got very lucky!

Number: AB20021 Dimensions: 6.25"H x 7"W x 3.5"D (16cm x 18cm x 8.5cm) Name: Patriarch Artist: Andrew Bill Brand: Dragonsite Source: Sorcerer's Library

More to come soon!

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Meet Thief, a gift recently given to me for Valentine's Day 2015.

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(One who steals, especially secretly) Furunculus was a fierce dragon with an incurable taste for jewels, especially jewels deemed by great adventurers to be so fabulous, so magical, so desirable, they inspired countless wildly heroic exploits to attain them. As told in the Third Book of Treasure, Furunculus became a prodigious collector owing to his felonious propensities. In time, his reputation began to rival those of the greatest treasure thieves of them all. This inspired the more industrious enchanters to devise even greater trials of ingenuity and courage in an attempt to thwart the devilish dragon.  Callidus, arguably the most devious of the great labyrinth masters, set to work on a new creation and commissioned the Heaven's Tear - an iridescent diamond cut from the priceless slab unearthed at the legendary mine of Crystallum - the rarest of prizes to lure the dragon. That Furunculus would be tempted by this glittering bauble was without question and Callidus prepared his most torturous endeavour to vanquish the dragon marauder. At the end of an intricate maze, packed with deadly trials and conundrums, Furunculus encounters the ultimate test.  A golden dragon statue is bearing the diamond surrounded by a writing ring of fire.  Sorcery crafts living flame into a giant nest of seething vipers, just one bite from which would seal the dragon's fate. As is his wont, the verbuMMagus closes the book before we see whether Callidus becomes poorer by one priceless diamond and Furunculus the richer.  Of one thing we can be certain however, the dragon will not feign from this task whilst there is life within him, will not rest until the famous jewel is within his grasp. ______

Thief, which we now know depicts the dragon Furunculus attempting to steal a precious jewel of notable value from a nefarious mage known as Callidus, was given as a gift to me on Valentine's Day of 2015 from my boyfriend (he obviously knows me too well). From what I gathered, he found it on eBay for around $150 which seems to be the average price for this figurine.

This piece isn't very rare yet and still appears to be widely available on the web and in stores.  It is easily found on sites such as eBay, Dragonsite, as well as on Amazon.  I have seen it for sale in stores such as Habitat as well if you aren't looking to shop online or pay shipping.

My Thief, pictured above, did arrive broken in three places.  This is bound to happen to the avid collector once in a while, even if it is properly packaged, which it was (original box/Styrofoam packaging).  Sometimes it's just inevitable, and it's a risk that one must take when purchasing pieces online. I repaired it pretty easily with super glue.  Although this isn't the best glue to use on resin figurines, it works just fine for me... most of the time.  Appropriate resin glues can be found at most hobby stores if you prefer.  

Thief is by Andrew Bill, my absolute favorite artist, and was originally released to the public in late 2006; although, the original wax master version of it was around all the way back in 2001.  Even still, it wasn't put into production until 2006 due to numerous problems that arose during development.  Because of how long it took to actually be produced, it was unsure if it would ever actually make it to production. Although Thief is still available and easily found, it is said to have retired in 2007 after 2000 pieces were completed. My Thief is number 0887/2000.  The first 13 pieces ever created actually have a different color scheme and are pretty much impossible to find today.  The rest in existence (mine included) all have the updated color scheme. These original 13 were auctioned off in 2006 by the owner of the Dragonsite. You can see this original color scheme here. I actually quite like it.  I wonder why they changed it so soon after its release.

The included COA states: “This warrant certifies that the figurine Thief was designed and sculpted by Andrew Bill in our studio in the heart of the Staffordshire countryside.  Andrew also supervised the prototyping of the piece including master pattern painting.” 

It then states that it is a limited edition, 0887/2000, and is signed by Andrew Bill as well as Adrian Donati.

Number: AB20018 Dimensions: 12"H x 9"W x 9"D (30cm x 18cm x 18cm) Name: Thief Artist: Andrew Bill Brand: Dragonsite Source: Sorcerer's Library

More to come soon of course! 

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Meet the newest member of the family:  Zarn (Poison Fire) by Enchantica.

______ A Dragon whose very soul is believed to have been born from the fiery lava rocks of the Great volcanic range in the Dragongorge.Resplendent in firey red, scales of hardened ivory and, upon his majestic, noble head, an amass of fire intertwined scales causing any onlooker into believing a mantle of shimmering hair. A moment of tranquility is taken by this beast, its wings outstretched, basking in the intense heat of which this beast and of its kind are accustomed to. However, beware; Zarn and his kind cannot produce a spitting flame (which seems strange considering the creatures habitat) but, produces a fiery poison from within the many spines covering its body and tail, hence its name "Poison Fire".

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I found Zarn here on eBay for $140. I had been watching the listing for a very long time, as I was saving up the money to actually purchase him. It was listed by a private seller as "used", although it was advertised of never being out of the original box. It came fantastically packaged with the box and COA and has clearly never been displayed.  The quality and color on this piece are amazing! Naturally, you'll find that the most vivid dragons are those that have never spent time outside of the box.  Even those that are only displayed in glass cases or other enclosed cases fade over time despite being protected.  If you want the best colors and quality, try to buy brand new items as opposed to used.  If you are planning on displaying your figures, do your best to keep them out of the sun.  I will post more about my own personal set-up for my figures soon.  I will still buy dragons that have been on display in homes or stores of course, despite discoloration, if they are exceptionally rare. This particular Zarn is number 0681/2950.  Zarn was originally released in February of 1998 and was retired in July of 2000.  While the original plan was to limit the production to 2,950 figures, only 1,765 were actually made.  This of course means that this statue is number 0681/1,765. The included COA states: "Zarn" was produced at our studio in Stoke-on-Trent, England, in a strictly limited edition of 2,950 serially numbered pieces.  Upon completion, this figure was carefully inspected before leaving our studio to assure you that only the finest examples of our work reach your hands. It is then signed by Phillip G. Holland, the Managing Director of Enchantica.  At the very bottom, it declares that this piece was hand made and hand painted in Staffordshire, England. Number: EN2225 Name: Zarn Title: Poison Fire Artist: Ken Fallon Brand: Enchantica Source: Sorcerer's Library Welcome to the family, Zarn! More to come soon.

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