I have a HL122 Buffalo, NY that I'm not sure what it is. It is not numbered, the flag is blank. It has a very thick gray-white felt on the base that is flocked. There is an indentation in the ventilator ball where the rod would be, but no hole drilled. It is painted similiarly to my production Buffalo, but looks like an early style Canadian paint job. Any ideas?? I do not know how to post pics, but I can email one to anyone who can help. Thanks!!

please email me a photo or two - the bottom, the ventilator ball and an overall photo.

Thanks,

Have emailed yuo a couple of pics, did not have a good one of the ventilator. It is well painted, even in the "divot" where the rod would be. I would guess it to be about 1/32" deep.

Please send me some pictures also.

so far nothing has arrived. Please try again to: webmaster@lighthousekeepers.com

I have resent them and copied you, Daniel.

The picture is very fussy that you sent me and I cannot make out anything except that the felt is white.
I am positive I know what you have.
Before I start rattling on, I need to verify that what I am looking at is what I think it is.

You said the felt is flocked and is gray white.
1. What I am thinking it is a white felt that looks like what you would get from a craft store and then glued on with a couple passes of Elmer's Glue.
The felt is very easily pulled back.
You got this from ebay last year from a seller in Canada.

Daniel,

For the most part, yes. I did get it on Ebay awhile ago. As I remember, from the Niagara/Buffalo area. The felt is attached with some sort of adhesive, I would say probably more than elmers glue, though. I gently tugged on it and cannot move it. What is it???

I'll have to leave this one to the experts. If it came from the factory this way, it sounds like you may have a rare piece. If it has been modified by the previous owner, then its rare designation has been compromised.

As far as no flag#, could it have faded so badly that you would not be able to read it or do you think it was always blank?

One way or another, you have a very interesting HL.

Bob

Have not forgotten.
Just have not found the time to post.
I am sure it is a Castle Studios Paint sample.
And, I will tell you later why.
If you could get a crisp picture of the felt, I think I can tie it in with others like it.

Daniel,

I will try to get a better pic for you. I do not have a digital camera, but I know some friends who do. If I can get ahold of one, I'll snap a couple pics of the felt and the ventilator. If it is a Castle studios paint sample, how rare is it? Any thoughts on it?

KEWEENAW
As promised

A year ago there was 12 harbour lights on ebay. Every one of them had no number and a white felt that was not the typical felt used on figurines. Besides being white, the other character of the felt was that it didn’t have the quality. The felt look more like what you get at a Wal-Mart to make a school project. I purchased several of these lighthouses and I noticed that the glue was showing through the felt and was not evenly applied. To me it looked like the felt was cut out with scissors and pasted on by an amateur.

None of the lighthouses had lighting rods but according to the seller, for those that originally had rods, had the hole for one. I am not so sure about the newer Harbour Light master paint samples but the ones for the older lights had no felt. So putting the fact that none of these had a number and in reality had no felt, made me to believe they were paint samples.
But the thing that hit a home run with this idea was their location. The seller was a pawnshop that was located around 30 miles of the old Castle Studios factory. I feel that while the Castle studios factory was being renovated into a library that somebody found these in the old factory and held on to them until just last year. Or maybe an ex-employee ran off with them before the factory closed up. The other important thing from the ones I had was that they were of the original 17 and were of the California mold. I was able to put together much valuable research information from these that I had acquired.

KEWEENAW, the buffalo 121 was one of the 12 that were sold. The total of four collectors bought these (including me). At the time I recognized all of them to be forum members. The big question is why hasn’t anyone come out and asked about them until now?


I believe there is usually just one at the factory, which would be the master paint sample. The only way that your light would have much of a value is from my testimony. Print this and stick it beside your light for safekeeping. For how much it is worth is how well it is advertised and how it is sold. Probably on ebay with the words “Rare Master paint sample for Castle Studios” you should get around $175 to $250. A professional hl action or at an auction at a reunion with proper verification you would get a lot more.

I really need to see a crisp picture of the felt before I can say with out a doubt that you have one of the 12 paint samples from canada.

Daniel,

Very impressive info. It looks like you did a lot of homework on this! Its nice to know I have a very rare HL. Thanks a lot for sharing your research with me. You mentioned you bought some of them. Which ones did you get?

NOPE
ALL FROM MEMORY.

DANIEL,

Your "rememberer" must be working great. Many of the rest of us aren't quite so lucky.

bobo