What is this ?

Anyone know what or why this is here ? It is a picture from ebay of the original HL #128, but mine has one too. Are there any other flags with it ?, I only have a handful on display and don't have any others from that era/time period on display to compare to although I have looked at other older pieces on ebay and haven't seen it any others. anyone have the Canadian and Malaysian pieces to see if both have it or not. Just curious

Quite a find, Mark.

Who else has access to their HL128 Block Island? Please check in with the edition number, country of manufacture and if it has this coil on the flag.

Maybe we can check with Harry or Kim. Could be an artist's mark of some sort. Or a coil of rope?

Old-time collectors will remember how hard it was to find the seahorse on this piece. Carolyn Carbone finally reported it as being on the side of the overturned boat closest to the building.

My #9 has the coil, and so does my #1186. Those two just happend to be handy at this moment.

:) Bob

Both of my pieces, #2955 and #3366, have the coil. Probably a coil of rope and appears to be a common item on all the lighthouse. Now, who has one without the coil?

I was also curious as to whether or not other pieces before and after S.E. Block had this, I have found pictures of the flags of new london ledge, nauset and split rock, Minots and Ponce De Leon and none of them have it. Maybe it was just a one time thing.

Thinking nautically, how about a snail ??

I took a quick look thru the pictures I took of Fred;s collection and don't see the coil on any of them.

I Checked the lighthouses produced before and after the HL128 SE Block Island Lighthouse, from HL116 Castle Hill to HL142 Holland and none of them has this coil appearing on them.

My #3617 HL128 SE Block Island Lighthouse does have the coil. I even checked the HL662 SE Block Island, RI on-the-move Lighthouse, no coil on it..

Just a thought that may explain the coil.... Could it be that this particular lighthouse was designed by someone other than Harry and that mark signifies it? Sort of that person's "signature"?

Good thought, Roland. That used to happen on some of the early ones, like on the North Head, WA light, with the sculpter's name on the eave of the window.

My Canadian #1149 has it, also has two different colored chimney caps.

I just looked at my Canadian, it has the two different colored chimney caps too

All my Malaysians have the different colored chimmney caps. I think that is fairly common.

I happed to have won an AP of Southeast Block Island and it has the coil. There is no felt on the bottom nor any label as to country of manufacture, but it came in a Castle Studios Inc box.

I also have 3618 and it was made after Canada and before China, but it also has the same rope.

Bob Taylor