Each of the four different seasons of the 2002 gold regional event, Fort Tompkins had five given away to the public making a total of twenty of these in circulation. But that has changed. The manufacturers sample for the Summer Fort Thompkins has just been sold on Ebay. Note the factory sticker. ARTE CIELO CO. This is a factory sample and was not one of five Summer Fort Thomkins that was given away by Harbour Lights.
Even with a damaged tree this one still went for $780

How many of you saw there was something different with the sticker?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170222790825&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=007

Wonder where that piece came from???? Or how it came to be???

I'm sure there are more surprises out there, some of which we will never hear about. It's only through the wonders of the Internet that a few of them are exposed.

Ten years ago such a discovery would be jumped all over by a hoard of collectors. Nowadays things are quite different. Passionate collectors are few and far between. The size of the group lessens with age and economic constraints. Will the enthusiasm of the younger collectors ever match that of the collectors of days gone by?

Bob

We have asked the seller where it came from and he does not know. It was his mother's and she has passed. Dad has no idea. I have asked for mom's name or the the dealer she used, prehaps we could get an answer.

There were a couple of them damaged before they were presented and the factory made replacements, just maybe this is a replacement that didn't get the label changed on the bottom. Just a thought..

Maybe someone went dumster diving in the Harbour Light dumster.

Your idea is possible Paul, but someone,or more than one, at HL or the event would have had to been sound asleep at the switch to present that piece with that type of bottom sticker on it.

They wouldn't have been presented at the Regional.. They were shipped to the winners.. Bill always signed them at the Regionals also.. This one is unsigned.