Unfortunately, I didn't start collecting Harbour Lights Lighthouses until December 1997.
So all of the older Retired Pieces, I have purchased through Dealers, on EBay and/or from other Collectors.
My Wish is to Harbour Lights:
That once again the Blue Harbour Lights Boxes would be available to Dealers and/or Collectors through Harbour Lights only!
That Harbour Lights would sell the Blue Harbour Lights Boxes along with their other Harbour Lights Collector Items.
If you didn't start collecting Harbour Lights in 1991, your getting, whatever is available.
The Dealers have never had enough room to store the desirable Blue Harbour Lights Boxes. In most cases, they have been damaged and/or remarked.
If you buy the Harbour Lights Lighthouses on the Secondary Market the Blue Harbour Lights Boxes, in most incidents are in poor condition, if they are still available.
I have purchased Harbour Lights Lighthouses with the Blue Harbour Lights Boxes having 4 plus label affixed to one box. Then, of course, it also had 4 plus numbers on the box. Then of course, the Seller calls this the Harbour Lights Original Blue Box! Which it is the Harbour Lights Blue Original Box but not for that Lighthouse!
I have been talking to some Dealers, at one time, they could get the Harbour Lights Blue Boxes. But, then the Dealers really don't always have the space available for storage! So, I sincerely believe, that the Dealers would Welcome Harbour Lights to Resale the Harbour Lights Blue Boxes!
GolfHarbor

Karen:

I'm with you: I'm one of those particular people who consider the HL sculpture the major, but not the only, part of the package.

I like all my boxes to be in good condition, have all the plastic bags, paperwork, proper labels and serial numbers, and I even look to see if "A1" has packed my box with care.

And mentioning this makes me wonder: if the little tag proclaiming "A1 (or whomever) has packed this with care" is missing, does it then logically follow that the box has NOT been packed with care? :-)

Just a thought, mind.

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Bob Steinbrunn
Nautical Research Guild

Bob -

No 'packed with care' note might mean A1 got steak sauce on it and others during lunch and had to throw that stack of notes out and could not find others without holding up the production line.

Jim

Karen, I totally agree with you.
I'm sure many out there feel exactly
the same way. Harbour lights does
courteously offer everything from
touch up paints to lightning rods,
but the boxes that people would
gladly pay for are unavailable.
I would like to see not only the
blue boxes, but also the White Castle
Studio boxes as well. We as
collectors have invested thousands
of dollars into our lighthouses, and
would like to see Harbour Lights
offer these cardboard containers
to their loyal customers, for after all, we have made them what they are today. If the lack of a box decreases
the value of the lighthouse and
makes it less desireable to own,
then action must be taken to insure that the devaluation of these pieces does not occurr.
SELL US BOXES!

Brian

I disagree that Harbour Lights should manufacture, inventory, and sell 'replacement boxes'. One box comes with each lighthouse. If the original owner did not save or care for the packaging, it should be their problem, not Harbour Lights'. If a particular collector wants the original and perfect box with all papers, Styrofoam, and plastic bag, they may end up paying more for it on the secondary market. But creating 'counterfeit' or 'new-sold-stock' boxes would only lead to each seller 'upgrading' the value of their lighthouse by paying some dollars or lower the price of the lighthouse that has the original box. The person who kept all of the original items and lighthouses in mint condition should be rewarded.

You can receive replacement "Certificate of Authenticity", and labels (same on the bottom of the lighthouse and on the box).

These blue boxes come in many different sizes. It's not like they could just make one replacement. Furthermore, the hard foam inserts are each DIFFERENT. How many should be made? Did you know there are 4 different designs of the registration card? Should ones with old addresses be made available just to be authentic? Should they also make the sea-foam green peanuts too?

"Make white Castle Studios boxes", again for what? So someone who has bought an authentic Canadian produced lighthouse but bought it without a box can 'increase the value' of the piece they own? It would need to be stated by a seller, that it is a replacement box since the hypothesis behind a Harbour Lights lighthouse being worth more is basically, all original, no repairs to the lighthouse, and the original box with certificate.

If replacement boxes were to be made, they would be different from 'original' ones. There would be some identification that will tell the 'imposter' from the original. Maybe your box won't be creased, but it won't improve the value if it's not the original.

I personally wish that the boxes were made just plain brown corrugated cardboard, with only the name and model number stamped on the outside of the box. A totally generic box would make the value of a particular lighthouse be decided by the quality of the lighthouse, the interest in that lighthouse and of course the scarcity or availability of a particular model.

I suspect that the handwritten number on the outside of the box was done for the shipping department to identify the lighthouse without reopening every box to see what number (i.e. #5362 of 10000) is on the lighthouse, not to make it a matched set of luggage.

Count me out, Harbour Lights business is making lighthouses -- and they do a great job of it. They have better use of resources than keeping an inventory of replacement boxes.

Paul L Brady

Amen Paul!


Lighthouse Ghost

I agree with Paul wholeheartedly, too.

I have utilized one of my precious closets strictly for the storage of my collectibles boxes. I have bought only two pieces on the secondary market that did not have the original box and the prices reflected as such.

If a HL box was made available, would it then create another condition - MISB? (Mint in second box)

I'm with Paul Brady who said it much better than I ever could. Original box or no box.

Joanne

Very well said Paul! So good that I will not even attempt to say any more.

-Todd

Is that a Canadian box or a Sears box? Paul's comments are spot on.

GBOW? Nah -we've got enough Open Editions already. Though I do prefer the boxes exactly as they are/were and would vote against generic brown boxes. Like it or not, the market has decided the original box is part of the collectible - this may or may not matter to the individual collector.

Rgds,
__
/im

I agree with Paul. When we first started, we decided not to buy from a local dealer who didn't save their boxes at all. It was a collectible shop and saved all the rest of the boxes, just not HLs. Our dealer of choice sells you the lighthouse in the box - not the display one. The display only sells when it's the last one and is sold with its box.

Kathy

[This message has been edited by Al and Kathy (edited 09-20-99).]

Yeah - What Paul said
George

Paul,

I am in total agreement with you. Let HL continue to produce lighthouses the thing that they do best.

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Bob

Definitely agree with Paul on this, with one comment. I hope HL will replace the blue box on new lighthouses. Just picked up Tarrytown, Fisgard and La Coruna. All of the boxes have damage on the corners. On two boxes the corners are complete crushed and torn. Our dealer is on autoship and we always receive the same flag number. She is going to call HL to see if the boxes can be replaced. We've had slight damage on the corners in the recent past, but nothing like this. Has anyone else had a problem with box damage? Noticed more damage when HL started using a different styrofoam insert. The previous styrofoam insert completely filled the box and protected the corners.

Paul, no one could have said it better. I package my boxes as soon as I remove the lighthouse. I store in hard tight clear plastic boxes and check on them as regularly as the lighthouses.

I always thought that was part of the fun and challange of collecting.

Karen,

Don't be discouraged from posting just because everyone doesn't agree with you on this. We seldom all agree on anything! Eveyone's opinions are most welcome.

Mombo

I buy HLs to display and enjoy. I never take the time to show my friends the boxes. I have HLs in curios, on mantles, on hutches, etc. None of my boxes are displayed anywhere in the house. They are just tucked away in the cellar.

I guess my point is that I buy HLs to enjoy and don't get overly concerned about the boxes. If I get a chance to fill in another empty spot in my collection at a deal, I could care less if it's in its original box or not.

Bob

HL collectors who save the original boxes and packing material should be able to command a higher price if they should sell the lighthouse; buyers should be able to negotiate a lower price without a box. Bottom line is the lighthouse, of course. New blue boxes would only confuse the issue.

We've talked at length before about credibility. I remember seeing somewhere that Y&A considers the boxes to be a part of the collectible (unlike the Certificates of Authenticity, stickers, yadda yadda yadda).

IMO, for Y&A to begin selling boxes a la carte would be a crisis in credibility. To do so would render collectors' efforts to preserve and store boxes meaningless.

I agree that those who had the foresight to keep boxes properly should be rewarded by whatever bonus value the marketplace attaches to their collection due to the boxes. Those who want to buy a piece cheap for lack of a box must be willing to forgo the box. Those who want the box must be willing to pay market price for it.

Personally, I don't get too hung up on the boxes. I have purchased pieces without boxes, with wrong boxes, with boxes having the wrong number. But should I ever need to sell, I expect to be held accountable by the marketplace for those decisions. I keep all boxes that I do have; I'd never discard one because it *does* affect the market value. Those are the rules that Y&A set up. The box *is* a part of the collectible. Nolens Volens. If anyone thinks otherwise, just ask another collector if you can have his boxes. Who knows? You may get lucky.

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-Art

I wasnt going to get into this, because I am one of the worst scum of the earth. Yes..I toss out the boxes! However, when buying something secondary, I prefer that the box is there. It tells me it is truly authentic. Being able to order boxes would take that away.

I also just wanted to say hi to Karen! I bought my first e-bay lighthouse from her. Jupiter is still my favorite

I agree with Bob M. I buy Harbour Lights for the lighthouses and not the boxes. We own the entire collection, complete with original boxes. Started collecting in 1991 and our dealer had boxes for all the pieces. We only display the lighthouses; our boxes are tucked away in the attic so when we move we can pack them away securely. If you had the chance to buy an original CH1 without the box, would you pass it up?

Paul,
You said it all and I agree completly. I buy my HL for the lighthouse. Keeping the ORIGINAL box increases its value as a collectible. Would making replacement boxes create a SECONDARY market in boxes????????

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Jim Chesher

Jeff B-

Perhaps you no longer need to toss the boxes. There may be a secondary market.

LOL, Dave

Karen

Most of these people are really putting to much emphasis on that cardboard container that's used to protect the lighthouse during shipment. I really can't understand why it carries so much of a monetary value. I think from now on I'm going to put my boxes in hutches and curios for display and keep the lighthouses in the basement.
Currently, I have all the boxes for my pieces, with the exception of the Grosse Point that's on eBay for sale now, but I do know a person who lost half her boxes due to an extremely flooded basement. What value do the boxes have? Does she turn in a claim
to her insurance company for $3,000 or $4,000 for the loss of them? If boxes were sold for say, $3.95, would it make that much of a difference if MISB were used in an ad. The whole point here is, that we are after The artwork and what it represents, aren't we?

Brian




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