Loon - Very interesting comments on your take of 2010 Winter/Spring issues. While what you say is the way you feel, there are at least 1200 other collectors feelings and thoughts to consider. I, for one, feel this group of issues is the best that HLs has done since the Youngers retired. There is a little bit of everything in this group(existing lights, lights that are gone, historical lights, a fantastic looking lens and finally a lighthouse tender that bridges the gap between old and new. This is also a group of issues that are well within an affordable price range and not overbearing on the amount of issues.

I, for one, was getting sick and tired of 20-25 issues a year and the same old thing(current lighthouses). This spark of genius by Harry/Tony in giving us a different look may be just the remedy for a sagging lighthouse economy. I was also tired of getting mostly Northern, Great Lakes and Middle Atlantic lights with little regard to Alaskan, Hawaian, Gulf and West Coast lights. You notice I left out Southern lights as a good majority of those have already been done or I would have included them in the getting tired section.

Being on autoship, I appreciate the relief on the pocketbook and curio cabinets. While I would still get them all if they had brought out 20-25 again this year, I'm estatic about only 16 LE pieces. I'm sure a lot of collectors wanted 20-25 issues so they could cherry pick the 5-6 out of the 20-25 they were interested in, but, this is what causes the glut on the market because who will buy all the other pieces that the cherry pickin collectors don't want.

HLs has got to look at the entire collector situation and try to hit a happy medium on what the majority of collectors want. It's like I told Bill Younger about 12 years ago when OEs were being brought out by the 20s and 30s each year and that is "If I wanted to collect OEs by the numbers that you are producing, I would collect Beanie Babies because thay are a lot cheaper and easier to display"(Bill always reminds me of that comment everytime I see him). I guess I was right because the LEs are still being produced and the OEs are virtually a thing of the past.

Finally on this subject, your comments are well thought out and while I may disgree with some of the things you say, I certainly am glad you said them because I may be in the minority and you may be in the majority and have said what others are thinking but don't want to say.