While at a local dealer on Saturday, I purchased the HL of Alpena, MI which had a certain 3 digit number. We also purchased a few other items which we were overcharged on but did not realize until we got home that night.

Upon returning to this dealer the next day to get a refund on the overcharged items I naturally went to the HL display again. It was deja vu all over again. There on the shelf was an Alpena, MI piece with the same number of the one I took home the day before.

My question is whether I should go back and get the second piece or not so that I would have two of the same pieces with the same number?

What would you do?

Tom

I would buy the second one. Then I'd call HL and see if the dealer might have reported one of those broken with HL sending a replacement with the same number.

If I saw the exact same flag# on the exact same HL model I would have purchased it immediately! That would be about the rarest find you could ever come across without counterfeiting being involved.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't HL require the piece to be destroyed by breaking the old flag# out of the piece being replaced, and then that broken piece is forwarded to Harbour Lights before they will reissue that flag#? Could it be someone jumped the gun and renumbered the reissue before they received the flag from the reported broken piece? Could it be that Harry sneezed and numbered two the same instead of the regular numerical sequence? Is there a possibility that you are misreading the second flag#? Sometimes it's hard to tell a 2 from a 3, etc.

Run, don't walk, to that dealer and scoop that piece up before it disappears! It could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own two identical flag#'s on the same HL model.

Bob

After taking a few double takes, putting in eye drops, cleaning my glasses and showing the piece to my wife for her confirmation it really is the same numbered piece as mine at home. I think that I will return and get the second piece. This is almost as good as our "Ape Hatteras" beacon piece from a few years ago.

Tom

All I can say is...

GO! GO! GO! BUY IT! BUY IT! BUY IT!

This may never happen again, either for you or any collector! Take this oppurtunity now to secure your place in the HL history book!!!

Well we finally got around to it. We are now the proud owners of two Alpena, MI HL pieces with the same three digit number.

Tom & Diane

Tom and Diane,

I've curious -- do you mind telling us what the three digit number is?

bobo

Any chance of seeing a side-by-side picture of the two Alpenas together? Do the numbers look exactly the same referring to how they were written on the flag? Does anyone wish to guess what the two of them may be worth? I do believe that this is a real "first" in the history of Harbour Lights.

Bob

Upon further review I will have to call a time out on this Alpena situation. When I put the two pieces together for a picture I noticed a very obvious problem. Obvious now that is.

The small sail on the boat is missing from one of the pieces. I never noticed this until the two were side by side. Also, the sticker on one of the boxes is a normal HL sticker. The other box has a sticker for The Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival. I suppose I better return to my dealer with the broken piece and get a refund.

Sorry for all the misunderstanding. John was right about a broken piece.

GOOD GOING JOHN.

bobo

Tom and Diane,

There is a bridge going into New York City that comes up For Sale periodically. Want me to watch for you? Sorry about your extra Alpena, but you know, if it were me, I'd keep it anyway. Like a neat conversation piece.

bobo

I have to agree with Bob (bobo). I think I would keep both pieces even though one was defective. Someone didn't follow HL's strict guidelines by breaking the section with the flag# off the piece and sending back to HL for a replacement with the same flag#. I wonder if that ever happend before?

Bob

Here's something...are there extra, unnumbered pieces of every HL sitting somewhere, extras in case of breakage? They just paint a number on the piece and voila, replacement. That would be a valuable HL...unnumbered.

Just a thought...but how else could they do it?

When I contacted my dealer about returning it she said I could for a full refund. She also said she would contact HL for a replacement. Wonder what the odds would be of getting the same number again?

Well you could start by asking for the same number. If the dealer follows the rules and destroys the piece then ships the flag# back to HL, I would see no reason why it couldn't happen, especially on an autoship number.

:rolleyes: Bob :rolleyes: