Found a Whaleback at retail on Saturday. My question for those in the know is...the color of my piece could be called light tan, beige, cream colored, etc. The Grenbook Guide describes Whaleback as "Grey stone tower, with reddish cast". Pictures in the Greenbook Guide, Collector's Value Guide and even HL promotional material depict it as grey. Is the piece I found a variation? Looking at a photo in Courtney Thompson's "maine Lighthouses" book the actual coloring seems to be more in line with what I have than grey. And the answer is...

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Ken T

My Whaleback is kind of grayish with maybe a very pale greenish-biege tinge to it. It's a difficult color for me to describe. I've seen several other Whalebacks and as I remember they're all the same color. Hope this helps...

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Keepin' the flame

Lamar, thanks for responding!



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Ken T

Here's another question if anyone is still reading this topic:
GREENBOOK puts out their GREENWARE HARBOUR LIGHTS INVENTORY SOFTWARE and lists Whaleback as being both Canadian and Malaysian produced. Anyone know the difference???
I'm not obsessed with Whaleback - just a NH native and we don't have too many lighthouses there!!!!!

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Ken T

Many of the first year pieces saw production in California, Canada and Malaysia -- depending on how slow they were selling. That is faster sellers never needed to be made in Malaysia.

This page gives you more information on the country of origin and on lightning rods:

C:Information about countries of manufacture and rods

Here's a page about production in Canada:

Information on Canadian Production



[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 04-20-99).]

While looking for another posting, I came across this one. I purchased my Whaleback through the Secondary Market and when I received it, was surprised to see it was a beige color with a reddish tint to some stones.

The pictures I saw all looked grey. Now I don't know which is correct. Are most grey or are they a light beige color?

Joanne

My Whaleback is #2222 and I would describe the overall color to be a shade of tan. Although it is somewhat of a simple piece, it's still one of my favorites.

Bob

Among the original 17, there can be a wide range of coloration. As noted above, some pieces have been produced in 3 countries and painting wasn't as closely controlled as it is today.

Could the piece you bought be faded from exposure to flourescent lights or sunlight?

Examine it all around to see if there is a 'darker' side to the round lighthouse.

KT,

Saw your post and had to check my recently acquired Whaleback. It is # 2214 & is a light tan-beige color with a blush tint on the bottom third.
We saw Whaleback for the first time this summer. I would describe it as more gray. John's probably right, many color variations.

Donna

Ken,

I have Whaleback #257, Canadian made, and I would describe it asgrey with a red tinge by natural light. But when the sun goes down and we live in artificial light, the grey does look like beige to me.

I'm sure that probably doesn't help much, but in my case, it depends on the lighting.

Rich

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My Whaleback is light beige in color with a reddish tint especailly above and around the door frame and on the base of the old tower. I took it out in the antural sunlight and it appears to be a cross between grey and light beige.

Bert

Checked mine today and it also appears to be a light beige, very close to but slightly darker than the lighter Beavertail tower. There does seem to be a reddish cast starting about 3/4's of the way down the tower and on all of the short tower.

My Whaleback, #3584 made in Malaysia, is beige colored but has sections towards the top that seem to have gray mixed in. At the base of the tower, there seems to be areas of a reddish tint.