Others are watching and listening that do not communicate with this entire group. I obtained my HL LE Thomas Point in MIB from such a person. Keep talking about what you need for your collection and you nay get a real surprise.

I will keep his ID a secret but his offer was greatly appreciated.

I feel safe buying from other collector, not just secondary dealers, because they more than likely have my passion for HLs and take care of these fine treasures.

Moby

Hi Moby, ... You are absolutely correct about feeling safe buying from another collector. I have had great luck making purchases from friends and collectors I've met through the Collector's Forum. I hope my luck continues as I search out the final 8 (LEs).

I would advise all new people searching for HLs for their collections to keep a watchful eye on the Marketplace Forum. There are some great deals posted there. The trick is to be the first to spot them.

Bob

I live in New Hampshire, so naturally I wanted the only HL piece made for a New Hampshire lighthouse. Whaleback. I could not locate this piece through retired@retail, there was no listing. Going to the marketplace forum, I found a listing from a HL collector. This collector had and wanted to sell Whaleback. I bought it from him. It was a good experience, no troubles at all and I would not hesitate to purchase another piece from another collector.

Keep The Light Burning


The Flame

I have had MANY good experiences buying pieces I've needed on the "Marketplace" either through responding to posts or posting a request for a particular piece that I wanted to add to my collection. To date I have not had any bad experiences. I think its good to watch and wait for awhile (and follow ebay) until you get a good idea what a great deal is. I think the published price guides are a little inflated...and quite variable for certain pieces. I have typically been able to get much better prices by waiting and watching.

Doc John

[This message has been edited by DocJ44 (edited 07-28-99).]

I've found the published price guides to be all but useless.

I do what Doc John suggests. I watch and wait. I have a list of retired LE's that I want, which I intend to purchase in sequence as suggested by Tim's spreadsheet. Not to say that I don't try to snatch up a bargain when possible, but I follow the spreadsheet guidelines pretty rigidly.

Using several sources, I track the asking prices and selling prices (when known) of those LE's I want, updating my "tracking chart" about every two weeks. I've been doing this tracking for about three years now.

This works for me. When my "HL fund" has the funds available and a piece I want becomes available at what seems like a reasonable price according to my tracking chart, I grab it.


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Keepin' the flame
[This message has been edited by LamarB (edited 07-29-99).]