Alright.
So it's been seven years since I've even thought about purchasing a lighthouse. After losing my entire collection in the fire I had in 2000, until now, I haven't been motivated. Well, this past week I received my first Harbour Lights purchase since then.... HL#124 Split Rock, MN.

This piece was a cornerstone in my initial collection and I can remember paying a hefty price for it over 10 years ago. But I was able to get this piece for the unbelievably low price of $20.49! what?

So what happened while I was away? In searching through eBay, I see a lot of the early pieces are selling for a fraction of what they used to sell for. I do notice the seminal pieces retain a higher than normal value, but still not at the levels they once sold for.

Mark

Mark,

There are a myriad of reasons for the change but the most basic is the law of supply and demand- the supply at the moment far outstrips the demand.

HL is a mature collectible- it's difficult to replace peopel who stop collecting- for whatever reason- with new blood due to the enormous amount of back product that a new collector thinks they have to at least consider buying. this is a daunting idea even at the bargain prices out there- we're talking over 300 items without even going into variations, etc.

There are many collectors that have been around for sometime that have stopped altogether or slowed down considerably.

I'm sure others will chime in with other reasons but IMHO this is the base reason for the change. It didn't help that the editions took a large upward swing just when the collectible world was starting it's downslide, either.

Dennis

I'll add my interpretation of lower prices attributable to the existence of eBay -- and it's role in making ANYONE a seller and providing ANYONE with a wide list of available items.

Before eBay, you worked with a broker or a secondary dealer. That person was the conduit through which collectors could dispose of or acquire from. They knew or set the demand for pieces and you either paid the (asking) price or passed.

Another eBay factor is that even people who were "non-collectors" such as tourists and locals who might have acquired an early Harbour Lights of, say Portland Head, might be clearing out the basement/attic and running searches only to discover that their item had some value after all -- perhaps even more than was paid originally.

A whole mass of eBayers sellers haunt thrift shops and garage sales armed with a basic knowledge of what might be worth something more than the 99 cent asking price.


Welcome back again, however, it's interesting you went for the original piece you bought to start your collection. What's next?

The down fall of a lot of collectibles started when the Twin Towers went down on 9/11. I'm not saying it was the terrorist attack but rather that's when the economy started going downhill fast and the uncertainty of the future caused a lot of expendable cash to dry up.

Collectors were riding the wave at the high point back then. Now the wave broke when it hit the beach, and the bottom fell out of collecting. People lost interest and nervously started selling off HL's and other collectibles for far less than they paid for them. The ease of eBay made it simple to try your luck at possibly recovering a portion of your initial investment. Of course, the private seller was also competing with "dealer dumping" as small businesses tried to unload their stock before closing their doors. It was a downward spiral none of us could control. The dedicated collectors hunkered down and we are still waiting it out. Marginal collectors got nervous and bailed out. Then there are the people in between who find it hard to keep up a collection in their more senior years because of space limitations and the rising cost of living.

Now you have to ask yourself a couple of questions: "Will collectibles ever be worth what they once were and more?" "Is the smile factor still there on new purchases?"

If you are a Harbour Lights lover, this is a great time to get into collecting. The new products are better than ever, and the old ones can be purchased at extremely reasonable prices. Pieces you would probably never know about can be found on eBay and sometimes at the Trading Post here at the Collector Forums. The glass is half full!

From a believer then, and still a believer now...

Bob

Well written Bob !!!

Very well said, Bob.

Well John.
I definitely have a direction I want to take, but these lower prices make splurging on almost anything close to impossible. Just kidding!

I'm not sure I will make it back up to the 120+ I had before, but I know for sure I want to track down the 'Southern Belles', beginning with my favorite - Tybee Island. All of the Christmas pieces, at least up to 1999, I'd like to have again also - as well as the event pieces and society pieces. And then the skeleton's and screw-piles.

There's a few of the newer pieces I like, but I really want to try and focus on replacing the older ones I enjoyed so much.

Thank you Dennis, John and Bob for your detailed explainations.

I suspected it had a little something to do with eBay and the general economic state. But from my standpoint right now, it's going to help me regain a lot of what I lost for a fraction of my initial cost. Granted, for you folks this isn't a good thing and if I still had my original collection, I would be cringing at the drop in values as well. However, as I've learned from collecting other things, never make purchases with the expectations of the item gaining value. Simply collect for the enjoyment of collecting.

As has been said in my other collecting hobby, "buy what you like and like what you buy."

Dennis
I feel that Harbour Lights have finally stabilized. In a mater of fact I feel that we are on the down side of many of the HL prices and I expect many to increase in the next couple of years. I do plan on writing something about HL futures here in the next month or so. I know most collectors have felt it impossible for Harbour Lights to come back. But there are many signs that a recovery is on the way. Because of ebay it will never be the same, but I feel that we will start seeing hot surges on certain limited editions. By that I mean we will see some lighthouses sell for a lot more than retail and then the next bid will be less and the next one will be less until it is not on ebay a while and all of a sudden it is back on ebay with even a higher price than the first. Fine example is the 2005 reunion pieces.

There are many sleepers right now and many are going to catch collectors off guard and you are going to see strong surges on some collectables that collectors didn’t even thing of until it happens.

Tip: What use to not be considered a hard to find collectable will become one.

That sounds good, Daniel. I hope you're right.

I started collecting HL's because I love lighthouses. I quickly saw that HL's were the best reproductions. I try to limit myself to the lighthouses I have been to. So, I am not a "collector" in the sense of trying to have all of the variations, etc. The thrill is visiting a lighthouse and then trying to find the HL piece. I hope that HL will make a few more of the lights on the Chesapeake (my favorite place!)

So true!!!!
I collect things I like and I enjoy owning. For me that has absolutely nothing to do with monetary value!

There is just as much collecting value in a piece that cost very little as in a more expensive one.

We have some pieces we paid $200 for but one of my favourites is the Old Point Loma LLOM, which cost $12.95 at the time.

Welcome back Mark! Hope you enjoy HLs again! There have been some fine pieces since 2000!!!!!!