A little question...

I know that a bunch of collectables have problems with counterfeiting. I was just thinking....have there ever been HL fakes? Are they too hard to make fakes of, and not worth the effort? If they exist, are they good?

I know that there have been number alterations and such, but I mean real counterfeiting, casting and painting fake lights.

Not to my knowledge, Greg. There was an incident or two where oriental companies would come out with their own 'line' of lighthouses roughly based on Harbour Lights sculptures, but so poorly made and in such different sizes that they wouldn't have been seen to be the same thing at all.

Lawsuits or threats of lawsuits from Younger & Associates put a quick end to those.

I've heard Bill say that each sculpture has an intential minor 'mistake' on it so that when another company's product shows up with for example a 9 panel window to the right of the front door (when the real lighthouse has a 6 panel window), it can be said that the maker of the lighthouse didn't do their own research and based their sculpture on the Harbour Lights one which would be a violation of the copyright.

Of course, not every 'mistake' has been intentional. Take for example the original Coquille River. That was how one of the oriental companies was caught. They came out with a miniature SIX-SIDED version too.

There was also a RUMORED incident a few years back where someone involved in the California casting of the original 17 had apparently spirited away some unpainted original Cape Hatteras sculptures and had the balls to approach Bill about painting up some of these unpainted ones to make a killing. The RUMOR continues that Bill put a quick stop to that idea with the threat of a huge lawsuit. As I say this was a RUMOR only.

All part of the lore and rumors that surround a successful company.

Just a note on the miniature six-sided Coquille. Many collectors use to display them with their HL LE Coquille. I have heard of collectors collecting the mini-impostor just because of its involvement with the lawsuit from HL. I know I did at $1.25 a light I bought six. I have forgotten all about them. They are just a little bigger than a HL ornament and has a sloppy paintjob. But when you have it sitting beside your coquille it looks like a mini-me.

Believe it was at the collectors show in Atlanta that Bill told us about HL purposely putting mistakes on the statue of liberty so that they would be able to catch anyone that would copy it.

Counterfeit HL's? I suppose it might have been worth the risk when the market was good, but not the way things are going now.

Yes, there are some very valuable pieces still being exchanged, but I would hope anyone who puts up the amount of cash needed to purchase a rare piece would be savy enough to spot a fake and take appropriate action immediately.

:rolleyes: Bob :rolleyes: