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