Being new to this forum, I have always sent in my registration cards on all the lighthouses that I have purchased or recieved as gifts. I remember at first that they would go out to California and now they go to Maine. Do they keep this information on file? I am just curious just in case if they are stolen or destroyed in fires (as I had years ago while collecting David Winters Cottages). Just in case if I need proof of owning them.
Thank you,
Oliver72

Good question, Oliver. HL used to maintain a list. Wonder if the current HL maintains a listing of registered pieces or what they do with the data. Perhaps we can find out. I'm sure there are others who have the same question, just have never asked.

When I first started collecting, I submitted all my registration cards - that was ten years ago. After a couple of years, I forgot all about it and the bulk of my collection is not registered. In the old days, when I had a local dealer, I could get a printout of everything I had purchased at that store throughout the years. All that is gone, of course. And, frankly, I have a feeling this is one of those things the Youngers did for us because we were family; most companies are not going to have the same viewpoint.

I compiled a list from the inventory I keep and sent a copy of the list to HL in CA when I replaced all that I owned with lower numbered pieces (won an eBay auction for the first 101 pieces HL produced). Purchases since then are added to the inventory, registered and a copy is attached to the receipt and any other paperwork pertinent to that piece. The documentation is placed in a filing cabinet containing everything related to Harbour Lights.

Altho' the card doesn't have a place for the flag number, I include that under the edition number. I guess I thought that information might be significant in case someone else said they had the same number.

Oliver made a good point when he said, "Just in case if I need proof of owning them." I've told Stan he's on his own in case of a fire--I'll be too busy carrying out the filing cabinet and the laptop and coming back for the dogs!!

Here's hoping Tony reads this thread and lets us know what happens to the registration cards.

Sandy

P.S. Belated Happy New Year to everyone--wrote my first check of the New Year today and dated it 2007 of course. Round about April I should be getting it right. . . .

I don't recall sending in any registration cards. I may have sent a couple in the beginning, but that would be about it.

It kind of makes you wonder what kind of record keeping was done by Younger & Associates. One would think that a computerized collection database on line would be the way to go. Hand filing thousands of small paper cards is not a business owner's dream. A person would have to be in need of some very tedious and "busy work" to accomplish that mission. A "Mom & Pop" operation could probably do it, but it would be a time consuming burden for the more modern business operations of today.

Perhaps Harbour Lights may some day offer on line registration. Even if they didn't, it wouldn't effect my collecting habits.

Bob

I've never sent in any registration cards, but I do keep track of my HL's in an Excel spreadsheet.

I track name, number, orig price, purchase price, where purchased, state, region, if signed, if I have the COA, tent card, & box, flag number, & date puchased.

I never sent in any cards but remember emailing HL with the info incuding the piece number. I kept a separate list for myself and took photos of the cabinets where they were displayed.

I have always sent my cards in. Usually listing all of the lighthouses I have bought at one time on the same card. I send several in an envelope at one time and always put my request at the bottom as to what lighthouse I would like to see HL make. But I have always wondered what they do with all of those registration cards.

Registering your collection


http://www.harbourlights.com/forms/collection.htm

That is a good idea that you have Daniel. What I plan on doing is make a digital Photo of all my Harbour Lights then place the photos onto a DVD and keeping it in my fireproof safe. Not being too computer savy, can you add photos to an existing DVd which you already own? I am thinking in the future when I get new Lighthouses to keep them all to gether on the same dvd. Does anyone know it this can be done?

I had a program a long time ago when I first started collecting Harbour Lights. It was on a CD and you could record everything about your collection. It worked really well but somehow, in up-dating computors,etc., it disappeared. Does anybody else know what I'm talking about?
It was about the same time as the "Greenbook Guide to Harbour Lights" came out.

That probally was the CD that was sold by GreenBook

If you make a listing of your collection, also make a paper print out to include in your fireproof safe. While the contents may not burn up, it is very possible that the heat would warp your CD or DVD and make it unreadable. The best thing to do with a SC/DVD or other electronic medium is to give a copy to someone you trust to maintain off site. Keep a copy in your desk at work, give it to a family member or such. You can also email yourself a copy and leave it in your web mail storage area if you use an ISP that does web mail.

Dave,
Are you a retired Senior Chief, USN?

duly initiated.........

Looks like another area of the HL Website that needs updating.

Retired United States Air Force in 1992. Now a Licensed Funeral Director in the Suburbs of Washington D.C.
Oliver