Is there a need for a Secondary Market Price Guide (SMPG) for HL's? Apparently, the last SMPG published by Greenbook didn't do well enough to warrant a revised edition. I'm sure many of us would love to see an updated version. The SMPG by Greenbook was a great source of information. I often referred to it and enjoyed using it when looking for pricing on those hard-to-find HL's.

Do you think Harbour Lights will ever publish a similar type guide to assist their collectors in knowing more about each HL and their estimated worth?

Bob

I hope somebody will come out with a price guide. It may be a project that would interest the folks at Harbour Lights. I would buy a copy.

George

I do know that if a company did come out with a new price guide, I would pay money for it. It would be nice to have a listing of all the lighthouses produced by Harbour Lights, along with pictures, with their monetary value also included.

Harbour Lights would not be the appropriate publisher for a secondary market guide - they must remain apart from any activities on the secondary market.

They would be a good source for a catalog of products.

That said, there is movement towards a 2002 Harbour Lights Collectors Guide from Checkerbee.

Let's hope the HL Collectors Guide becomes a reality.

Bob

does anyone know the secondary market value of Jupiter Inlet?? I just bought one and I want to know if I got a deal or not? Thanks Karen

I would support and purchase a new revised secondary market price guide for Harbour Lights eventhough I would not put 100% dependency on its prices....but it would be a great resource!

Christopher

I too would like to see a new Secondary Market guide. I have the 1998 - 1999 Greenbook but there are so many new pieces that have come out sence then and I'm sure many of the secondary prices have changed in the last two years.

I agree with Shortcake. There are so many new pieces out and the value of the old ones has changed in the last couple of years. It's also great for researching pieces you want to add to your collection. I'd buy a new one.

If we're voting I will add mine to the list of those that would purchase an updated "Secondary Market Price Guide".

I had the first one and would love another one. It was extremely helpful the first time around.

Rusty

Prior to the advent of HL on e-bay I spent time tracking secondary market prices. These were captured in the spreadsheet available in By The Numbers forum (the original secondary market forum) which I notice is now, for some unknown reason, missing. (JC - any clues?)

The spreadsheet also included a couple of mildy sophisticated formulas for measuring value, both past and future. Comparing known secondary values to formula valuation bears witness to its efficacy which I believe still holds today, as the parameters used are fundamentals in the value equation. (Edition size, days since retirement, etc.) Peruse past threads in BTN for detailed discussions. I realize most collectors don't have the patience for this sort of analysis and would rather just buy a book that told them a price.

I have secondary prices for many pieces for '97 and '99. For example, in 1997, the avg. secondary price for Ocracoke was $135, West Quoddy $115. In 1999 Jupiter Inlet was around $105 and Minot's Ledge at $145. I can provide prices on other pieces if you post a note in the By The Numbers forum. I suspect JC and a few other veterans can also peg a current secondary price with reasonable accuracy.

Some information on e-bay auctions for a selected set of models was captured by Art and Orv. We haven't seen an update since February 2001 .

Before e-Bay there were only a handful of national secondary dealers, several of which had Web sites where prices could be tracked. These prices were more consistent than what we now find on e-Bay, where a given auction can explode or never happen depending on the fervor of the day and the participants. This means there are many more data points to capture and this is a v. time consuming process.

If you track the market long enough you notice a few things. There is relative pricing - some pieces will always be worth more than others. Pieces tend to fall in price clumps or ranges. For example, CH2, Portland Head, and NPL tend to be around the same price range. Some pieces will occasionally move out of one bracket an into another. For example, Ocracoke, Tybee and Key West used to be 'lesser Belles' - they have now moved closer to the 'upper Belles' St. Augustine, Ponce, and Hilton Head.

I see an NPL advertised in the Marketplace today for $475 - without even looking, I'll bet a nickle this is +/- $50 of the average going rate for a Portland Head or CH2.

From my experience the 'Green Book' was always a bit on the high side. Most consumer price guides for other hobbies (coins, baseball cards, etc.) are more often designed to drive the market rather than reflect it.

If I had more time on my hands I'd put together a secondary price guide as these prices and the factors that govern them have always been of interest.
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[This message has been edited by JTimothyA (edited 09-25-2001).]

I would like someone to publish a Secondary Market Guide also.

It would be a nice thing to have. I have the 1998 survival guide, would love to see it updated!

I would like to see a new price guide too. I have a lot of questions about things like 2 digit or 3 digit flag numbers and how much that really adds to the value if anything. Do the 4000, 5000 and 6500 issue limits make much difference on secondary value if the light is not one of the more popular releases? The 98 collectors guide touched on it but didn't give any real specifics. And since I am selling some of my #93's I hope I haven't miss priced any of them. (had to get that little comercial in.)

Dale

I guess it all comes down to supply and demand. Smaller edition sizes means less pieces to go around.

What's the definiton of a low number? You see "low number" used on eBay quite often, even when the number isn't that low. I use to consider any three-digit number to be a low number until I was lucky enough to get a two-digit number on autoship. When I first started collecting, I didn't care what the number was, I was just happy to get the piece.

As discussed many months ago at the CF, the HL's of a particular light are basically all of the same quality and having a lower number doesn't mean that the piece is any better. However, in the minds of a collector certain numbers make them more valuable. As a matter of fact, there are many collectors who buy HLs they already have in their collection just because it is a number lower than the one they currently have. Some go from four digits, to three digits, and finally to a two digit piece if they are lucky enough to find them.

Would I pay more for a two-digit or very special number? Yes, I would. Does that mean everyone will? I don't think so.

Bob

I would like to get a book with the up grade from the last book to add to my library Bill O'Brien

I think tims numbers are the best guide. An anual guide is outdated too quickly.
I think john did a forum survey on what the members were looking for, but I dont remember a result

don

i personally would buy an updated value guide, and judging by the current ebay auction where the '99 edition greenbook is at $50.00 with 6 1/2 hours to go, so would others.