Anybody have a list available of current values of Limited Edition pieces?

Ken

Ken,

I'm afraid that your request would be a crap shoot. If 25 of us answered, you'd probably get 25 different responses. Sorry.

bobo

Do some searches on Ebay for completed auctions and you'll get an idea Ken.
Bob

Ken, post them a few at a time and we'll be happy to give you an approximate value. Keep in mind an approximate value may not be what you could get someone to give you for it. Ebay prices are not that accurate, and highs and lows for a similar piece may vary greatly. It all amounts to being in the right place at the right time for both a buyer and a seller.

Bob

That's always the case Bob. You can only get what someone is willing to pay. Ebay is the only place that it's recorded for a little while. I certainly would take that over 'a lick my thumb and hold it in the air price' here. Daniel is the only one who has long term tracking knowledge. I've started printing out big ebay auctions of pieces I have so that in case of a tragedy, I can show my collectible insurance company.

The problem with using eBay prices is they aren't uniform. I just purchased a fairly new LE, that retailed for $60, for five bucks. I've purchased other similar HL's where I've paid more for shipping than I did for the HL. To say that this piece is only worth $5 is somewhat absurd. This same piece has probably sold deeply discounted for five times that price.

I trust what most people at the CF think when it comes to HL prices. Without a doubt, Daniel is one of our top authorities, if not number one. Daniel quotes eBay prices for his analysis, but he reports on the rare pieces that obviously bring more than retail. In my opinion, it's okay to use eBay for a "worth indicator" on the more valuable pieces.

What do you do to determine the worth of those pieces that still sit at retail on dealer's shelves when they can be purchased for pennies on the dollar on eBay. As long as people want to give there HL's away at auction for peanuts, there is no way you can use that as a true indicator of worth.

Bob

Back in 98 you could bet your bottom dollar that if a Thomas point was offered on the AOL bulletining board it was going to be $160, no more no less. A Hatteras went for $750 and an St Augustine was going for $550. The prices were so set it was easy to give out prices. If someone wanted to get a quick sell all they had to do is sell their Lighthouse for 10% less than the going price.

Bob is right if we were to come up with prices for the more common ones, they would have to be given a ebay value from price $X to $Z.
It would be nice if we had volunteers that would track around 20 or so lights and then we put all the info together. This was mentioned before but no one took the initiative.

I'd be up for it. I've been tracking eBay selling values on my diecast airline collectibles for three years now.
Let me know and I'll get started.

I have run into a situation that somehow I need an estimated value of my collection. I have over 320 pieces, all limited editions, Canadian pieces, Lightning Rods and so on.
I know what I paid for each piece, but with certain items going up in value and others going way down, where do I start, except for past results on Ebay? Unless of course someone has already done the homework.
Just grasping at straws I guess before I make the big effort.

Ken

The connected collectors are the only people who can estimate the approximate value of HL's. Insurance companies don't know what they're worth. You give them an estimated value, they give you an estimated bill. The more you say your collection is worth, the higher the insurance premium.

For insurance purposes, I would use the old Greenbook Guide for Harbour Lights. On the other hand, you can just insure all your pieces for their retail value. That info is always current and updated.

Secondary market worth can be tracked on eBay. The rarer pieces are seldom "given away" on eBay so you can get a pretty good idea on what they go for. Newer and less valuable pieces often sell deeply discounted so their actual value cannot be determined accurately on eBay. What it comes down to is people dump things of lesser value while holding on to pieces with obvious value. The connected collectors know what's worth more and deal accordingly.

The absolute bottom line is your HL's are only worth what someone is willing to give you for them. You'll find that out when you go to sell them.

Bob

What I did for my collection, was use the green book for all my rare lights. All the rest I took the retail replacement cost. (Not ebay). All my double digits I tacked on 30% to retail. I feel that if I had to replace any of my double digits I am going to pay more than retail for them. My gold and newer reunion pieces I came up with a price that I knew I could prove if I had to. Like in the case of a gold event piece. I think you would be justified if you insured it up to $10,000 if you wanted. My reasoning is that if you lost one of these how do you know that there is anyone out there that will sell you one. Most of the gold events have a production of only three to five.

If you ever had to replace your collection The insurance company would not be expected you to tread thru ebay finding the best deal. However, to find a secondary market dealer that would replace the entire allotment. So I would insure accordingly. Do not underestimate the value of your collection. Remember there is an ebay value and there is the actual insurance replacement value. (Secondary market dealer cost)

I agree, I wouldn't value anything less than retail for insurance type estimates. Any of the non-retired pieces are selling at at least retail in the stores. But there may be a reason you need lower prices, so I'd use whatever gives you the best price value advantage for your situation.