Mike Jackson’s Hartland Photos:
Bret Maverick & Accessories

Text & Photographs Copyright Mike Jackson 1998-2009

Bret Maverick: #862
This was one of Hartland’s later sets and is quite a bit harder to find than many of the sets created during the mid-50’s. Maverick was one of four Horse and Riders who also had a Gunfighter version, and like the rest, have corresponding numbers. The Gunfighter Maverick is #762.

Maverick’s Horse is a semi-rearing buckskin with mane down and black points. Some collectors have been known to combine the Maverick figure with a semi-rearing coffee dunn horse used with most Gil Favor sets. I do not believe that is a combination ever used by Hartland. Many of the buckskin colored horses have lightened over the years from their rich buttery buckskin to a more grayish buckskin color. This happens to the horses shipped with Matt Dillon, too.

Number Show
Name		 Star’s
Name		 Figure’s
Name		 Studio Show
Years		 Brochure
Years
862 Maverick James
Garner		 Bret
Maverick		 Warner Brothers 1957-
1962		 1960-1963

Some information in this chart from “Total Television” by Alex McNeil 1996, 4th Edition
Mold Mark
Maverick: “©Hartland Plastics, Inc.” on the back of the left arm.
Maverick’s Box is one of the most generic of the Crystal Palace boxes. He didn’t even get his name added to the front! His round tag seems to be the same one used with the Gunfighter figure. Maverick was announced as “New” on the later 1960 brochures, but not shown. He first appears in the 1961 brochure with the photo shown above.
Maverick’s Horse and Rider Hat is different than his Gunfighter Hat. This one is more elongated and has an “M” inside the crown, while the Gunfighter hat usually has an “R”. I don’t believe any Black hats were shipped from the factory for this set, though he wore a black on on TV most of the time.


Maverick’s saddle is one of the “rifle holed” saddles, commonly used on the later sets. His optional rifle would have been one of the two shown here. Many of the early horse and riders received regular silver pistols, but by the time Maverick was being sold, I believe many of them had the brown or black pistols shown below.