The Top Ten on Ebay for the last two weeks. 08/13/04

This week and last on ebay the top Ten highest priced Harbour Lights are:

1. Nauset Beach $171.50- Canadian with original box. This is the going price for a Canadian Nauset.

2. Castle Hill Rhode Island. $170.00 listed as having no number and no original box. To most collectors this may seem high for a L.E. Castle Hill. But is it? What does it mean if there is no number? One collector on the forum brought it to out attention how some of the early ones can loss their numbers. Also on the Forum St John told us that Kim has said that the early Artist Proofs had no numbers. Could this have been an early artist Proof? If it is $170 is a bargain. I have heard of Original 17 Artist proofs going for $300 to $400 or even more. Even if this is not an Artist Proof there is more to this one that was probably noticed by most. What is my opinion on this one? It is to be revealed at a later date. Stay tune for my review on the Lighthouses without numbers.

3. Key West FL $140 also listed as having no number and no original box. Again I will reveal my opinion on this one at a later date.

4. Fifth order lens $135.83 there is definitely a secondary market for this one?

5. Ponce De Leon $127.50 A clean looking figurine, new like condition and came with original box. The ponce use to go for $200 to $300. Sometimes it has gone for over $400 on ebay when there were biding wars going on with some of the heavy rollers. One heavy roller was called Monalisa. For a half a year the Monalisa would buy up the ponce keeping the secondary value high. Ebay is slow for the summer and I feel that the southern Bells will go back up for the Christmas shopping season.

6. Thomas Point AP $124.72 I felt this should have gone for $250

7. #674 Bailey's Harbor 2004 Event $117.50 The Bailey's Harbor is finally catching on. Only 500 made. It better have a decent secondary market.

8. Minots Ledge Green water $113.51 The number puts it in the “Canadian made” range.
This was won by our very own Shortcake. Does any one remember when Green waters use to go for $250 to $350?

9. Key west $113.50 clean looking with original box. An other Sothern Bell Steal

10. Fresnel Lens-4th. Order $113.00 Retails at $154 with only 4000 made. Why doesn’t this one have a secondary value like the fifth order?

The number one item for the week was a Canadian Nauset (HL126) w/box at $171.50, hmmmm ......

I just bought one on auction yesterday, Flag #809, for $71 without it's original box. How about that .... the lighthouse is valued at $71 and the box at $100. Something doesn't seem right!!

Dan

Looks like the price of cardboard has really skyrocketed. Some collectors place a high valued on pressed paper. I wonder if I can sell my boxes faster then I've been selling my extra lighthouses.

I see two reasons why you got yours $100 cheaper.

1. There was one less bider. Every time a collector gets the lighthouse he wants, there is one less bidder on that type of lighthouse to run the bid up. That is why a seller should never sell the same item on ebay right after one just sold.

2. As we all know there are some Collectors that only collect lighthouses with box’s and will pay more for it. That means less biders on ones without box than with. That is a clean looking Nauset you got and if you never plan on selling it for a profit there is no need for a box. It wasn’t too long ago that a Canadian Nauset (without box) when for $124.50. I feel that you got a bargin.

Where were these "bargains" when I was building my collection?

Hey Dan, ...Do you think you'll ever post a "Bottom Ten on eBay"? There are a lot of pieces going for about the lowest prices ever. It's a sad thing because the pieces haven't changed at all. It's the attitudes of the buyers that has changed that causes sellers to offer their wonderful HL's for a lot less than they should.

Just imagine if we could get every seller to not sell any pieces to the prices went up. Buyers would go to eBay and there wouldn't be any HL's for sale for months. The outlet for purchasing cheaply priced HL's would be gone. There would be plenty of demand but no supply.

Then we let a couple of sellers put a couple of pieces on eBay, low supply, high demand. Do you think the bids would be higher than they are now?

Bob

Hey Bob,

I'm just averaging out my purchases. I already had a Canadian Nauset (Flag #227) that I had bought for $235 according to my records. When it looked like I could pick one up for in the $70 range, I closed my eyes and bit. It appeared to be a good deal, but only time will tell. Hopefully I'll be able to use it as trade bait or sell it for a profit. Still looking to acquire a HL120 and HL121 Canadian w/rod & Canada sticker.

A Bottom 10 List would be too depressing ... don't even want to think about it!!

Dan

Bob,

Did any pieces change when their secondary market prices went from retail to 5 - 10 times retail?

Bruce

Yes, they did. They started to look five to ten times better than they do now...LOL!

Bob

No

I have thought of it but I am concerned that it would put too much of a negative influence on Harbour lights. I picked the top ten thinking that it would show the upturns in the market and would be a positive effect to the market. I was surprised when I ran into the Southern Bells coming in so low. I didn’t want to post such a depressing report and even thought of stopping my top ten of the week report, but it has become such a big hit and I love talking about the retired HL.
The problem about reporting the low prices about ebay is that collectors come familiar with that price and start to believe the market is dropping. And actually adds to the market dropping.

I feel as we head toward the Christmas season that many of the Harbour Light favorites will climb back up, Like Portland Head and the Southern Bells. This is a good time to buy.

Daniel,

You are correct to "stay the course", good news or otherwise.

I'm not an Ebay seller, but couldn't the sellers help stop some of the extremely low prices on some of the pieces by putting a reserve on the listing so they didn't have to sell it for bargain basement prices? Doesn't have to be an unreasonable reserve, but I would think it would help to force the prices up some if folks did this. A couple of auctions with 'reserve not met' and the people who really wanted to buy the piece might up the ante a bit?

Like I said, I don't do Ebay, but I bring this in for the discussion.