cf-banner.jpg
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Where Are The WOW's ? #77475 07/27/04 04:13 PM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A
Over the past year or so we have had quite a few LE's and GLOW's and society pieces and event pieces, but where are the WOW's.
Most have had good reviews like "well done", "two thumbs up", etc.
It seems like it has been quite a while since the last time a Harbour Light was given the honor of WOW!!!

Or am I missing something here?

Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77476 07/27/04 10:04 PM
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 6,227
flacoastie Offline
Saint
Offline
Saint
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 6,227
I think the Eagle will be a WOW. I'm really looking forward to it. I think the last year or so of lighthouses have just been so-so. Nothing to really rant about. The last WOW in my opinion was the Gold Golden Gate Bridge.


Rich
Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77477 07/27/04 11:46 PM
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 3,759
DANIEL Offline
Saint
Offline
Saint
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 3,759
I think there are many wows but we are so accustom of HL coming out with fantastic lighthouses that we take them for granted. The following in my opinion are WOW"S and didn’t get any recognition for it. laugh
1. Sand Key FL
2. Anclote Key FL
3. Sand Island AL
4. Half Moon Reef
5. Mispillion Delaware
6. East Brother CA
7. Roundout II NY
8. Three Sisters
9. Fourth order lens


DANIEL
Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77478 07/30/04 08:13 AM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A
Quote:
Or am I missing something here?
Apparently not, seeing that only two forum members could respond in any way to this topic.
Harbor Lights has been making some nice pieces, but there just hasn't been the "WOW" pieces that we have had in the past.

Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77479 07/30/04 10:13 AM
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 12,331
Bob M Offline
Saint
Offline
Saint
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 12,331
Perhaps the quality and consistency of the new pieces has become expected and no one piece stands out from another. There are only so many new innovations that can be introduced.

I just refreshed my memory of what has been introduced as the second-half releases for 2004: Raspberry Island looks nice;, Mahota Pagoda will never be a lighthouse in my mind and more than likely will end up next to the Colossus of Rhodes still in the box in my cellar; Craighill Rear Range looks great on paper and has a different look about it...could be a WOW; Alpena Michigan has too much sailboat in the picture and appears to be a plain-Jane; Northwest Passage is a slightly different version of a screw-pile light and my first concern would be how many of those flag masts on the back of the boat will snap off; New Presque Isle looks nice but is the typical HL lighthouse which is a fair and accurate representation of the real thing.

Bob doesn't do GLOW's anymore, even though the GLOW's are better than ever. Bob doesn't do Skybound balloons and has no interest in such a thing. Bob does do Anchor Bay and the long awaited USCG Eagle might be a welcome addition to the AB collection. I say "might" because I haven't seen the real piece yet.

By the way, Cuckolds Maine, the Society Gift, is a definite WOW compared to previous gifts.

Another country heard from!

smile Bob smile

Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77480 07/30/04 11:00 AM
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,349
Lighthouser Offline
Cruise Director
Offline
Cruise Director
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,349
Daniel said,
Quote:
I think there are many wows but we are so accustom of HL coming out with fantastic lighthouses that we take them for granted.
I think that's exactly the case. The HL's have improved so much over the past couple of years, that each piece is fantastic.

The photos are great, but hardly do them justice. So, with every new piece I receive, I'm WOW'ed!

Who could not be impressed once they unbox that new piece and hold it in their hands? Just turning it for a different view unveils yet more detail.

Every new piece that comes into my home stays "out" for awhile before finding it's spot on the shelves. That's because I want to get to know it and admire every angle.

Maybe that sounds like I'm a fairly new collector,and just awed by the HL craftmanship, but I've been faithfully collecting Harbour Lights since 1992.

I will also take my stand on GLOWS...they are GREAT, and I love the new lighted ones!

On an ever so slightly different note, the Younger family continues to WOW me. They are so generous to the lighthouse community, and what a lovely family!

Judy smile


Judy
Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77481 07/30/04 11:45 AM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A
Perhaps we need to get Bill Harnsberger to come out of retirement and once again give us his reviews of the current pieces.
Bill does have the official Harbour Lights "WOW" stamp in his possession.

Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77482 07/30/04 06:39 PM
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 3,759
DANIEL Offline
Saint
Offline
Saint
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 3,759
Quote:
Perhaps we need to get Bill Harnsberger to come out of retirement and once again give us his reviews of the current pieces
You just touched on an other reason why there isn't any more talk about HL WOW's.
9/10th of our active Forum members has lost interest in Harbour lights and does not participate in the Forum any more. How can you have collectors give a wow when there is not a volume of collectors that are involed any more?
frown


DANIEL
Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77483 07/30/04 06:40 PM
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 3,759
DANIEL Offline
Saint
Offline
Saint
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 3,759
Quote:
Perhaps we need to get Bill Harnsberger to come out of retirement and once again give us his reviews of the current pieces
You just touched on an other reason why there isn't any more talk about HL WOW's.
9/10th of our active Forum members has lost interest in Harbour lights and does not participate in the Forum any more. How can you have collectors give a wow when there is not a volume of collectors that are involved any more? frown


DANIEL
Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77484 07/30/04 08:26 PM
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 401
pierhead Offline
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 401
People have their reasons for not posting as much and it may not have to do with losing interest. It's not so much that I've personally lost interest in Harbour Lights, it's more that I've got other things in my life that I've wanted to do. I would very much like to buy each and every new piece that comes out and "WOW" it to death. However this year I decided to do some different things. I bought a Harley. I did some modifications to my Mustang. My wife and I have taken a couple of mini-vacations. It all takes money, and if I spent it all on HLs I wouldn't be able to do the other things.

As far as the "wows" go, I'd have to agree that all the pieces HL makes have been pretty good over the last few years. Hopefully when Pt Bonita comes out it will be a wow. I personally thought East Brother was a wow, but that may be because I spent a night there with my wife on our anniversary. I also thought Sand Island, Sand Key, and Anclotte Island were all very well done.

Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77485 07/30/04 09:46 PM
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 6,227
flacoastie Offline
Saint
Offline
Saint
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 6,227
I have to agree with Daniel on the reasons for lack of WOWs. You have to have people(collectors) interested in the Forums. They are the ones to make a piece a WOW or not. They don't have to buy the piece to think it's a WOW but they must post and let you know their thoughts at least. They must also actively post even if they buy as many lighthouses as
they use to, for whatever their reasons. If you are interested in lighthouses, or in particular Harbour Lights and you are a member of these Forums, you should find a few minutes a day to throw in your thoughts on at least some of the topics that are a part of these Forums. I said it several years ago that I think the Lighthouse Craze is coming to an end and the non-serious collectors or dablers in lighthouse collecting are abandoning both their collections and these Forums. The serious collectors are still buying Harbour Lights(any flavor) and posting as much as they can. The lack of interest by the bigger majority of Forums members is truly disheartening. I for one visit the Forums at least three times a day and usually try to post at least once a day from my home(not allowed to post from work), but, it's awfull hard to post or reply to a post when hardly any new posts are done in a 24 hour period. Also, when you do post a new subject your lucky if you get 2-3 responses.

So in closing, my thoughts on the subject of WOWs is this: Harbour Lights is continuing to put out WOWs as they used to. WOWs are in the minds of the collectors and a WOW to me may not be a WOW to Daniel, Bob OTT, Bob M or any other BOB. The thing that makes a WOW is the enthusiasm of the collector or Forum Member and his/her posting their thoughts on why it is a WOW to them. We no longer have a large amount of interested collectors or Forum Members making these posts so how can anybody get excited when they are apparently posting to themselves and a few still interested individuals. I never thought that I would be saying this but I think even the Forums are a thing of the past and are dying a slow death. If the spirit is not revived real soon they will not be around too much longer.

These are the thoughts of flacoastie and I approve these thoughts.


Rich
Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77486 07/30/04 10:29 PM
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,298
seagirt Offline
Cruise Director
Offline
Cruise Director
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,298
Look in the directory at the top of the page, and browse the list by member status. Here's the breakdown:

10 Saints
17 Cruise Directors
29 Super Wackos (500+ posts)
191 Wackos (50-499 posts) (or so)
1,130 Newbies.
Total of 1377 members. Wackos and Newbies approximated, as for some reason, when you search by Member Status, you can only get 60 results. The only groups of posters under 60 are the ones for those who are active daily members of the community.

To put all that info into perspective, here's a pie chart I whipped up in PowerPoint:



You can see how many people are newbies. I could go further and diffrentiate the almost-wacko newbies from the 0-post newbies, but we don't really have that many almost-wackos right now.

You can see how many people we have as members who don't do anything on the forums. The portion of devoted CF members is very small. Even all the members with 50+ posts combined don't even make up a quarter of the total. The list says there are 1377 members, but the truth says about 200. frown

Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77487 07/31/04 01:10 AM
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 6,227
flacoastie Offline
Saint
Offline
Saint
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 6,227
And this is what I'm talking about Greg. I don't understand why a Newbie even joins if they are not going to actively get involved. A Newbie can read all there is to read without registering, so why register. This is also reflected in the Welcome Aboard Forum. We see that a Newbie registers and we welcome him or her into the group and I would venture to guess that only 1 out of 20 even acknowledges the welcome. Where are the manners to post a short "Thank You". The manners are the same place that most of todays manners are, they are non-existant. Without the Newbie's input, questions and information these Forums will not exist.

I am sending a plea out to the Newbies and older Forum members to start posting on a regular basis or at least a semi-regular basis. This reminds me of church. You can have a large number of members(most churches do) but if they do not take an active part and attend church regularly, how long will the church survive without support. A church cannot survive on the twice a year attendees, it must have the every Sunday attendees. These Forums cannot survive with the occasional once or twice a month posting, they must have regular posting by many members to survive. I'll get off my soapbox for now and hopefully hear from others on their view of this topic..


Rich
Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77488 07/31/04 08:00 AM
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 12,331
Bob M Offline
Saint
Offline
Saint
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 12,331
I'm a member of another bulletin board that uses the same software as the Collector Forums. This particular board is sponsored by my association or union. It is a members only board and not open to the general public or people on my job that are not members of the association.

We have approximately 1600 union members. We only have 293 registered members at the bulletin board. We have about a dozen members that post items of interest on a regular basis. I believe many come to read but few punch the keyboard to leave a reply or start a new topic.

I ask guys on my job why they don't participate. Most say it's a pain in the butt to get to the board because it requires two separate passwords. Poor excuse as far as I'm concerned.

"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

See you in a week kids! I'm off on vacation.

smile Bob smile

Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77489 08/13/04 02:06 AM
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 2,300
J
JTimothyA Offline
Saint
Offline
Saint
J
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 2,300
Quote:
You just touched on an other reason why there isn't any more talk about HL WOW's.
9/10th of our active Forum members has lost interest in Harbour lights and does not participate in the Forum any more.
There is one fundamental reason why there are fewer forum participants and fewer HL Collectors, and there are several peripheral reasons.

The peripheral reasons are ones like:
  • "its Summer - I spend more time outside"
  • "I have less money to buy lighthouse models because of higher gas prices on my vacation",
  • "We've run out of space to display them",
  • "yadda yadda yadda" etc.


The fundamental reason there are fewer people here is because the HL secondary market went to hell in a handbasket, prices have dropped many fold, and there is no sign of a market revival.

A growing secondary market and appreciating prices were the primary reason for the rise of interest in Harbour Lights and in the Collectors Forums as a source of information and sharing common fun. Underlying all the chit chat was the prospect that this hunk of plaster would go up in value. And that was exciting not always because people thought they'd get rich or make a profit, but simply because these little models were considered valuable and people like Collecting stuff that is more than commonplace.

I'll bet an enterprising person ... maybe someone in BTN (hint hint) ... who had the data ... could graphically correlate the drop in prices with the drop in forum participation (raw number of messages) across time.

Its not that the models are no longer cute or attractive - they have become more detailed and intricate. That hasn't taken people from the forums.

Its not that HL is deep into the list of popular lights and making models of lights people have not heard of. Many stamps or coins are exciting not because they represent something many people know ... but because they are different, one offs, or scarce. Public awareness or its absence hasn't caused the forum population to decline.

Its the magic of seeing a thing take on greater value tommorrow than it had today. The model doesn't change physically, but its "worth" does - and that is magic. Well kiddo, that magic has left the building.

Of course there will be the standard litany of replies along the lines of "well I never plan to sell my collection, so I don't care about its monetary value" or "if you want an investment, buy stocks or bonds, not lighthouse models". etc. etc. Of course the people saying that are the ones still here.

The primary thing that captured people's imagination was the attractiveness of the HL line coupled with the prospect that they were True Collectibles and would go up in value over time. When the second part of the equation was flushed (for a variety of reasons I and others have documented ad nauseum) the majority of Collectors lost interest.

What's left is a Harbour Lights Social Club. And that's fine - its great to share a common interest as the basis for forming new friendships. A group of folks regularly enjoys meeting one another at HL confabs for the sole purpose of having some place to go and be with friendly people. But as the HLSC, don't expect a regular influx of new members sufficient to overcome the realization that "hey I'm talking to the same people about the same things today as I did yesterday and some of the people who had creative energy and used to say really interesting things like 'thats a wow' have got bored and moved on to something more stimulating".

If you're looking for someone to come along and say - "hey the perfect storm is worthy of *that* lighthouse" then look in the mirror. If you're in search of Mr. GoodWoW - give it up, toss the WoW stuff and create your own. The people who generate interest and excitement are the ones who put the energy and effort into doing just that.

I know I'm being a bit of a scold, but even an FSB post with a teeny weeny bit of kontroversy could snap 20-30 replies on a good day. The ravers would generate 2-3 thread closings. Course that was several years ago.

So wutch you gotta say 'bout that? ;->

Saint Runamuck

Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77490 08/13/04 11:10 AM
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,148
Cana Fan Offline
Super Wacko
Offline
Super Wacko
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,148
I'd say pretty well thought out and well put. Here's another question, given the drop in the secondary market, will it ever return to what it was or even near what it was?

MIke

Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77491 08/13/04 02:56 PM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A
I for one doubt that the secondary market will rebound any time soon.
I also believe that the "lighthouse craze" which has swept the country for the past 10 years is also on its way out. This partly explains why there is less interest both here in the forums and in the secondary market. An oversaturated market of lighthouse products has made for many houses overflowing with lighthouse stuff. A lot of collectors are selling off and finding other interests.
Just a few short years ago one could find on Ebay at any given time 300- 400 listings. Today there are over 7000 of which about 250 are Harbour Lights.
There is too much product for a market with a dwindling interest.

Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77492 08/13/04 04:13 PM
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 12,331
Bob M Offline
Saint
Offline
Saint
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 12,331
I feel you hit the nail on the head, Saint Runamuck. Whether it be a collector's club or a social club, Harbour Light Collectors are a nice bunch of people who share similar interests and seem to get along just fine.

I don't forsee the secondary market making a quick rebound in the near future. We may see secondary prices rise in a few years but only if we somehow recruit new collectors and teach them the value of certain pieces. It is doubtful that an apprentice HL Collector will ever be able to emass the fortune of a complete collection. Although a complete collection from scratch is not out of reach for some people, it can be quite a financial burden. Then where the heck do you put them all?

Many collectors, much like myself, are in the "force of habit stage". Although we are running out of room to store pieces and boxes, and display our treasures, we continue to purchase each new LE as they are released. Why would someone want to pay $75-$80 for something they take out of the box to inspect then put away in storage knowing that the $75-$80 they spent may only be worth half that in the future? "Force of habit", I guess, or maybe we should be shouting, "I BELIEVE!" (or something like that...)

smile Bob smile

Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77493 08/13/04 06:10 PM
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 6,227
flacoastie Offline
Saint
Offline
Saint
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 6,227
I like your thoughts on "Force of Habit" Bob. When I started collecting in 94 I was only going to buy "this group" and then it migrated to "that group" and eventually to "those groups" and ending with "Them All". Now that I understand your theory I realize that it wasn't the devil that made me do it. I'm at the point now that I either get a larger house or think about not "buying them all". I can't afford a bigger house and with a calculation of the remaining room in my curio cabinets I figure I'll end the trend of buying them all at the end of 2005 and after that buy the Florida Pieces, Christmas Piece, Society Piece and selected others. I figure buying just these and repositioning what I already have I can make it another 5 years after 2005. I display all my pieces so then it will be the choice to continue or pack away some of my least favorite ones. Until then I guess they are all WOWs in a way or I wouldn't be buying them.


Rich
Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77494 08/25/04 12:42 AM
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,221
ericlighthouse Offline
Super Wacko
Offline
Super Wacko
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,221
First, even though it is not a lighthouse, I thought Mt. Greylock was a WOW, I especially like the blue light.
Second, I have only 30 some post and there are several reasons why. In the begining it was intimating to someone new to lighthouses and Harbor Lights. You guys and girls knew so much and talk in great detail about some new issue. Much of the first year I had tons of overtime and did well just to read some posts and gain some knowledge. Many times I read posts and felt I didn't have anything to add (it had all been said). In addition I have mainly collected "Little Light of Mine" lighthouses. In most cases the ones I have visited. Don't get me wrong I like the bigger ones but space and money do limit my purchases. As far as valuable collectables, it seems like all collectables go up and down over time. I remember the value of the Tucker car went up quickly after the movie about that car was made. Don't know the value now but imagine it has drop some. I must add that I thought the forum was important enough to send $25.00 early this year. Take care all, time to go to bed.


Eric, Florida Keys Reef Lights Foundation; Godfather of Jones Point River Lighthouse; member and District Commissioner of Florida Lighthouse Association et el
Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77495 08/25/04 08:06 AM
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 12,331
Bob M Offline
Saint
Offline
Saint
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 12,331
Quote:
In addition I have mainly collected "Little Light of Mine" lighthouses. In most cases the ones I have visited. Don't get me wrong I like the bigger ones but space and money do limit my purchases.
If I was starting over as a new collector, I would probably do the same thing, Eric. I can afford the expense but the display and storage space required with a rather large collection is what my problem has come to be.

LLOM was a great move by Harbour Lights. The pieces are extremely well done, they are very affordable, they don't take up much room, you can throw the box away if you choose, and if you damage one, just go down to the store and purchase another.

smile Bob smile

Re: Where Are The WOW's ? #77496 08/25/04 08:56 AM
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 3,759
DANIEL Offline
Saint
Offline
Saint
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 3,759
Hi Eric
To me all the new releases are WOWs.
When it comes to collectables I agree with you. What goes up must come back down.
I think all the collectors of now days are really in for the enjoyment of collecting and have little desire of their collection being an investment. They wish; but if it doesn’t happen it won’t stop them from collecting. I think all the investment collectors either converted to Collectors of “joy of collecting” or just got out of collecting.

I know what you mean when you are talking about being intimated to talk on this board. It was hard for me at first. I was concerned about what I said and how other collectors would react to it. But I kept with is and has finally worked up to Cruise Director.
I think you will find everyone on this forum to be friendly and courteous to newbies
I think you will enjoy getting more involved with this forum. It will enhance your Collecting pleasures.

Eric, You mentioned that you don’t have anything to add. How about those LLOM. We could use someone on the forum to inform the rest of us about them. Maybe we need a spot on the Forum just for the little lights?

There is a big contribution that you could do and that is to ask questions?
We need fresh and even old questions to keep us thinking. laugh


DANIEL

Moderated by  Dave H, JTimothyA 

Forum Statistics
Forums39
Topics16,978
Posts184,640
Members2,579
Most Online10,155
Jan 14th, 2020
Who's Online Now
0 registered members (), 1,414 guests, and 2 spiders.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
SafeHarbor, Toots, Bluffhill, phtate, TexLight2022
2579 Registered Users
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.2