Golden Gate Question

I have the special edition "Gold" version of the GGB and it is numbered but I just received the painted version of the bridge and while it is also a special edition it is not numbered. Is this correct in that it was not numbered?

I don't have an "Official Guide" yet to confirm this, but I believe the painted Golden Gate was an open edition, but has been retired.

The million-dollar question is were they numbered?
I have the golden one numbered and a un-numbered Golden one.
I would assume that the regular ones were numbered but I don’t know for sure. Don't have one.
I quess we need to wait for someone else that has one of these to confirm if they were numbered

Someone out there has got to have a painted GGB that can tell me if it is supposed to be numbered?

I am not at home to be able to check on mine but I will check the one at Lighthouse Depot when we stop there tomorrow..

My painted GGB is not numbered.
Judy

Thanks Paul and thank you Judy! I wonder why they weren't numbered even with them being a special edition. Any ideas on that thought?

The big surprise besides it having no number, is that only two have acknowledged having one. Since it has retired and apparently seems unpopular, maybe it has a very small production amount.

I've got one, it's just in storage.

It is retired. As Rich can tell you he was looking for one recently. I sent him to a dealer who is known for carrying a good inventory of retired pieces and selling them at retail where he got the last one available there.

I also know where two more are at retail if anyone else is interested.
Judy

I never even thought about having a hard time finding a painted GGB but let me tell you I had a time finding one. I must have call 20 dealers that I have talked to at one time or another. No luck until John mentioned a dealer on Cape Cod. The funny thing is I have bought from him before but this time it just slipped my mind to call them. It is the old age I'm sure.

Wouldn't it be funny if the open painted edition became more valuable than the limited gold edition?
Most of the hard-core collectors didn’t want the Open edition since it was not considered a collectable. What if only 500 or less (1000 at most)was made and most of these would have been sold to the Golden gate national park and Alcatraz. After 3 and ½ years it has become very saturated into the population. Not in the hands of collectors but absorbed into the unconnected public. It even isn’t on ebay very much. Probally no more than the Gold version.

I purchased my painted Golden Gate Bridge from a HL dealer in Maryland 7/24/03. It is not numbered.

I never purchased bridges or balloons. I'm a lighthouse collector. I do have all the Anchor Bay Boats in my collection also.

Bob

What Daniel said is exactly what happened to me. When the GGB came out I concentrated on getting the gold version, only because it was gold, and fluffed off the painted version because it wasn't a lighthouse. In August, as I was checking the last product list that HLs put out against my collection I realized I hadn't bought the painted version. Since August I have been looking and not finding it. It may in fact be harder to find amoung collectors then the gold version is.

Well, Bob, there are TWO lighthouses on the Golden Gate Bridge. Fort Point sits under the bridge at one end and Lime Point sits out in the water at the other end. Do they count?

Sometimes us collectors get hung up on collecting perimeters. Sometimes we look for a reason why not to collect something because it does not fit into our pre-made format and deny collecting a good looking and interesting piece. I think this is the case with the open edition Golden Gate Bridge. After Rich has brought this one to my intention and I started to examine it better, I have changed my mind about its desirability.
I bought one.
By the way, it has no number.

Where did you find it Daniel? I tried both stores in Jacksonville.

Saw a paint one at lighthouse depot on Wednesday.