In the spirit of Halloween, I have a Harbour Lights horror story to tell! Two years ago this summer, I had two LE Nauset Beach Lighthouses in lay-away at a store in Massachusetts. During their six months in lay-away, they had gone up in value. The store owner even tried to buy them back from me after six months because of their recent popularity (the lighthouse was in the process of being moved to higher ground). I had purchased them for slightly over retail and he offered to buy them back at my lay-away price. I declined, so he shipped them to me via U.S. Mail just before Christmas 1997. They never arrived!

The Post Office stated that they hire a lot of temporary help around Christmas and possibly one of them stole my box. There was an investigation, but the box was never found. They were insured and after a few months I got my original purchase price back. Somewhere out there are two "hot" Nausets sitting in someone's collection! I learned a valuable lesson--I will never have shipped or ship anything by U.S. Mail during the Christmas season again!!!

Does anyone else have a horror story to tell?

Randy

Hi Randy,

No horror story here but I work for the PO and the line they gave you was mostly bull to put it nicely.I have bought harbour lights and shipped them only through the Post Office and never had a problem at all.In fact,the only problem I did have was through UPS when my jupiter came with a broken front fence.Sorry you had a problem but we do try our best always..
Bob

I can also honestly say that the U.S. Postal Service is the only way that I ship HLs. I've had too many problems with FedEx & UPS. I have never had the first problem with Priority Mail & it is usually faster.

My horror story happened within the first month of my HL collecting. I had purchased a Point Arena, that on arrival to my home turned out to be a VERY low number. The trouble was that UPS had all but destroyed the box & the lighthouse was in about 6 pieces. It was an awful feeling to know that I had purchased it at half the going price & it was broken in shipment.

Richard Weaver
One of the Smoky Mtn. Flame Keepers




[This message has been edited by rew99 (edited 10-29-99).]

That certainly must have been very disappointing, Randy. It's too bad you didn't know the flag numbers on the two Nausets. Sooner or later they would show up and then a "backwards trace" could be done to solve the mystery.

I cringe everytime I send or receive something through the mail or a private shipper. I purchased a Anchor Bay "Tori Dawn" from a store in Florida and it arrived with the display case smashed and the boat's mast bent. Needless to say, it was sent back.

I received several boxes with the corners crushed or holes punched through the side. It makes you wonder if it's worth the bother to put fragile on the sides of the carton.

Back to your original story, if I had to guess what happend to your two Nausets, I would say it wasn't someone at the Post Office that intercepted your package. No one there would risk a good job for the contents of a package worth a couple of hundred dollars to a limited group of interested parties.

Inspector Clouseau

Somewhere in my house I do have the numbers of the missing pieces. The owner of the store keeps records of the numbers and pieces that he sends out. He gave me the numbers. All I have to do is find them!
Maybe we can do a poll on which ones are "hot" and which ones are not!

My stories are not horrors stories but sure started that way.
I ordered a Navesink at a great price but never received it. The dealer claimed it never came from HL. I was patient because of the good price. It never came and I got a refund with little problem. Lots of 'agida'.
Finally found another Navesink at a good price. It was delivered by the PO in a crushed box. My heart was in my mouth as I opened the box. Inside the box surrounding the HL box were a couple of pieces of newspaper but the HL box was perfect! After opening the box I found the piece intact. Weee!
Now responding to Bob M.'s fragile comment. My daughter was away for the summer at Army Reserves so I thought I'd send her a homemade birthday cake by mail. Everyone laughed and said it would be crumbs when it got there! I said it was the thought that counts. So I wrapped in saran wrap, then bubble wrap, put one box inside another, and maked the box "Fragile This Side UP".
So what's the first thing the PO Clerk does when he weighs it! Puts it on its side! I asked him what was the use of marking the box, but didn't wait for a reponse?
Anyway, the cake arrived intact, in one piece with just some icing stuck to the saran wrap. My daughter and her platoon lined up at the phone to thank me for the delicious cake!
So the moral to the story is "there still is hope for all you Pt Arena lovers" - mine arrived with no problem!!!

Here's a real HL horror story, pictures and all! Go to e-bay and search harbor lights (without the u). Take a look at the pieces that have opening bids of $.25. It will make you sick to your stomach! How can a collection get in this state?

Oh my, I just looked at those sculptures. I think I need to take two aspirins and go to bed.

Joanne

So this is what happens to the mistreated and Physically abused Harbour Lights, that nobody wants. They are auctioned off for a quarter.

[This message has been edited by Daniel (edited 10-29-99).]

This looks like Digger's work. Resurrected from the HL burial ground.

Hey Randy, (by the way Randy is a great guy to buy HLs from)....See if you can find the flag #'s from the two missing Nausets. Post them here and ask Harbour Lights to check and see if anyone ever registered those pieces. Sooner or later you might get lucky and locate one or both of them.

You got to figure there are a lot of collectors who might run across your missing pieces somewhere along the line. Then once someone does we'll have to trace it's purchase history if possible. You never know, we might be able to solve the mystery of the disappearing Nausets. It's really a long shot but one never knows...does one.

Inspector Closeau

I had recieved a box once (I don't remember if it was UPS or the Post Office)but when I got home the box was on my porch with the top of the lighthouse sticking out the side of the box about a half an inch, all though the HL was NOT damaged despite a rough ride it had gone thru the blue HL box and the outer packing box.

The only damaged piece I've ever received was Pt. Arena. I ordered one last year from a dealer in California and it arrived with a piece of the rock broken off in a box dented in on the side. The dealer quickly sent a replacement piece which arrived damaged in almost exactly the same way, but in a box showing no damage whatsoever. The good news is that the 2nd replacement piece did arrive intact. You can now count me in with the group that believes that the quantity of these puppies still existing in good shape is, indeed, very, very low.

Gary

I want to second that motion! Randy has been a great person to buy from and he always has great prices and ships the pieces beautifully. Anyway, I hoping I'm not in the middle of a nightmare now. I won an auction for a Portland Break just last week. It's been almost ten days and I haven't seen the box yet. I emailed the seller, he said to check with the PO to see if they are holding it. I too am getting that sinking feeling, although it hasn't been that long yet, I get this feeling the minute I hear someone shipped through the US MAIL. We have a VERY STRANGE group of mail carriers. One time I was in the basement, heard some shuffling around upstairs, and found a PO box sitting in my living room; evidently the Mailman figured since the door was open, to keep from having to return the box he'd just come on in. It's always locked now.

Randy - Is it possible the store never shipped them but kept them because of their increased value, and then found it convenient to blame the P.O.?

Horror Story's
I have, also received the 151 Jupiter, FL with the fence broken! Awe! It just broke my heart! Something so beautiful broken!
Then, I received 2 Harbour Lights Lighthouses in the same box. Which, of course, were not even secured and/or wrapped with bubble wrap then taped, nothing!
Not, that would make a difference, but the attempt to secure the lighthouses would have been honorable!
I have noticed, that the Resale Market on Harbour Lights has declined, since I have been collecting them. But,I usually, don't seem to get the bargins!
I just love Harbour Lights Lighthouses and
I let those that inherit them from me, worry about their value!
Karen :-)


------------------

Hi Karen, ...A broken fence on Jupiter is common. It must be a weak point. I've seen them at dealers with the same little end of the fence broken off. Was the broken piece in the box or packing when you received it? If it wasn't, it may have been shipped broken.

The resale of HLs seems to be somewhat stable but there are some deals out there. Don't judge the value of your collection by what you read in Greenbook or see on eBay. Greenbook is high and eBay fluctuates day to day as some dealers try to rid themselves of inventory. Some sellers put HLs on eBay at a begining price far higher than its actual worth just to see if someone is willing to pay a premium just to get that piece.

My advice is buy what you like, buy what you can afford, enjoy your HLs, and stay in it for the long run! Your treasured pieces will always be a treasure to you!

Bob

I sold a Bolivar, TX to gentlemen on the EBay
Auction. He sends me this EMail that the Bolivar, TX arrived, but, the tip of the tower was missing!
Now, this was my first time around and of course, I really felt bad; that, he received a defective lighthouse.
So, I called various Dealers and found another Bolivar, TX but, a lowered number piece, than I had sold. Quite pleased, I was able to immediately replace the defective piece and with a lower number piece! :-)
Several days had passed and something told me to make contact with him and have him return the defective lighthouse.
I received the Bolivar, TX and the beautiful piece had the tip of the tower broken off!
Returned it to the Harbour Lights Box and set it aside! Few days later, I need some foam to pack another lighthouse and I pulled out the Bolivar, TX.
I removed the lighthouse, poured out the foam and what dropped to the counter was the blue tip from the Bolivar, TX tower!
Yes, I was able to get my money back from the Post Office and it taught me lesson.
Trust your gut feelings!

Early on in my collecting, I found a dealer in Missouri who was selling off HLs at a good discount. I bought a Jupiter and when it arrived, it had big writing on all sides "FRAGILE". After opening the box, the fences were broken -- but there were no parts in the box -- and it wasn't insured when sent.

So this dealer -- who it turns out was going out of business -- unloaded a broken Jupiter on me.

Moral: If you are buying at a distance and the price seems too good, check around and make sure you're not getting the dregs of the display cabinet.

YES, A broken fence on a Jupiter is very common. I purchased one well after it was retired, at a local dealer. I examined it carefully and then gave it back to the dealer to put it in a layaway. Bill younger had an event at the store a month or so later. The dealer had Bill sign all the H.L. that where in layaway. Later, I got my Jupiter out of layaway and was horrified to see that the fence was broken. The person that packed the Jupiter after it was signed must have broken the fence off and never said anything.

At this time, the Jupiter was very hard to find at retail. The dealer had theirs off the shelves for some time now. However, he when to the back room anyway to double check. Luckily one was just found at the other store and was brought over. The dealer sold that one to me unsigned.

I took it home and put it in my curio cabinet. I have never taken it out of the curio cabinet to get it signed. And probably never will.

Daniel

Horror's - I've had four !

I have had two Point Arenas & two Jupiters that have arrived broken. The two that I now own were picked up in person.

I would also caution collectors to check the fences very carefully on any Jupiter that you may try to purchase. I have seen several that had various levels of repairs to the fence.

I too have a jupiter with a broken fence. Broken on both sides of the steps about 1/2" each side. Heartbreaking. It was my fault. I didn't check the great price I was getting to be sure it wasn't broken. When I got it home and looked closer I noticed that the break had been touched up with matching paint. Being one of my first pieces I did't notice until I looked in my green book.

It is still a nice decorative piece. Those that don't know about Harbour Lights and the Jupiter piece would never know the difference. I would never sell it without pointing our the flaw. In fact I don't intend to get rid of it at all. I kind of like it broken, looks more realistic.

Moral of the story, Look closely before you buy!

Dale

I guess we covered the fault of Jupiter fairly well. I was fortunate to find mind at retail and took it home with me without risking any damage in shipping. Love that red color!

Bob

The horrible "harbor" lights on E-bay are extremely terrifying...with even the mint ones not selling well these days, good luck to the Texan offering them...he/she will be lucky to get 25 cents a piece...

With all the stories in mind about the broken fence on the Jupiter. Maybe a MIB Jupiter is more rare than we realized.

Daniel

Randy,
Can you post the flag #s of the 2 elusive Nauset Beach lighthouses? This is my absolute favorite of the entire Harbour Lights series. I have several Nauset Beach pieces and am looking for more and would be curious to know in case I was ever offered these for purchase.
Len

I too ordered a Jupiter from Ebay, from none other then our own Karen Smith! Never let you know Karen, but it arrived in perfect condition!! Thank you so much for packing it so well!! Just wanted to pass that on!

I just got a chance to look at those sad HL on e-bay that were being auctioned off for a quarter. I almost cried at the condition that some of those were in! Then, I almost laughed at some of the descriptions- "fair condition", "great addition to your collection with a little rehab", etc. I would sure hate to see what they would consider MIB! How could anyone let something like this happen to their HL? Was this the dirty deed of a jealous spouse? An unsupervised child? A bull in a china shop????

Another explanation is that these HLs were "loot" carried off in a home robbery. Looks like they were dumped into a sack and jumbled about for quite some time. The pawn shop lobby is very strong in many states, and it makes the retrieval of stolen goods difficult after they have been pawned. Plus, who would want these back, anyway?

Another, Horror Story's continued!
I purchased a Nauset Beach, ME and a Portland Breakwater ME. Once, the money is exchanged, I think, NOW THEY ARE MINE! Kinda possessive thoughts, they better pack these well, need Insurance, calm down, they will arrive in perfect shape!
The day arrives and the package is delivered. Now Karen, carefully open the package, carefully, remove the packing. Something is wrong? Their is only (1) Harbour Lights Box, maybe; they shipped them in separate shipping boxes?
OK, which one arrive? I now, EVEN MORE cautiously opened the Blue Harbour Lights Box and much to my surprise their were (2) Harbour Lights in (1) box! No, one could be that DUMB or could they? Why! they are not even in individual plastic bags? No, one could be that DUMB, all I can do is carefully remove one and look! Oh, No! How could they! How STUPID can anyone be, to pack (2) Harbour Lights in (1) Blue Harbour Lights Box not secured!
Thoughts going through my mind! What the XXXX could anyone be thinking of? Where are their BRAINS!
How could anyone possibility think; they could have not thought! That a package could be sent in this condition across the United States; handled by who knows how many people, then arrive safe packed like this!
I am beginning to believe, that there should be instructions inside of the Blue Harbour Lights Boxes explaining the needs to properly package and ship all Harbour Lights Lighthouses or ELSE!
If, you are not qualified, IMMEDIATELY take them to your local MAIL BOX ETC. OR WHATEVER and have them packed and shipped BY OTHERS!
THIS IS A CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE HARBOUR LIGHTS!




[This message has been edited by Karen Smith (edited 11-06-99).]

Karen,

Thanks for the note about Jupiter. I bought one several months ago, got it, inspected it, loved it, put it on the shelf. After reading this, I got it out looked, and sure enough!, it's missing part of the fence, the bad part is it ruined my entire weekend, the good part is, it's broken in a part that's not very noticeable.

And now...the rest of the story. I know it's water under the bridge, but I was able to find the numbers on my missing Nausets. They are 5271 and 5275. The case is now yours Inspector Closeau!!!

What I do know is that they were sent Registered Mail, which means a signature is required. They were not signed for which tells me they didn't go to someone else's house by mistake.

It would be interesting to know if anyone has these numbers and where/who they purchased them from.

Okay Crimestoppers!!!! Lets take a peek at your Nauset(s) and look for numbers 5271 & 5275. If you don't have those numbers but see a Nauset for sale, ask for the number. If you find either 5271 or 5275, let me know and I'll take it from there. This would be a neat challenge to trace the ownership history of either of those lights.

I will give a "Massachusetts get-out-of-jail-free card" to who can find one of these lights first. The clock is running...begin!

Bob

Randy,
Thanks for posting the Nauset Beach flag numbers. No matches at my end, but I will share your missing numbers with others.
Thanks.
Len