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Danbury Mint? #1 01/16/00 10:58 PM
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Tim3167 Offline OP
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Tucked in my Sunday paper today was an insert advertising a replica of St. Augustine Light Station by Danbury Mint. I wish I had a scanner so I could post the pic here. The detail and the proportions of this piece made me think it wasa HL when I first saw this ad.

It realy looks nice, complete with keeper's quarters.

Did anyone else get this insert in their paper? Any fellow Orlando collectors maybe....

As nice as it is, I still won't be sending any of my HL $ that way. I feel it's best to keep my collection consistent.

Tim

Re: Danbury Mint? #2 01/16/00 11:31 PM
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RMau Offline
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Tim,

The Danbury Mint lighthouses come up from time to time here on the Forums. I think the concencus is that they are pretty well done. They seem to compete well with the HL open editions. A little less expensive and just about as good looking.

I have several of the Danburys. When I first started collecting I didn't imagine being able to aquire HLs like Hatteras or Portland Head. So I filled the spots with Danbury Mint. Remember, this was before the advent of the HL GLOW/OE series. I knew the Danburys were there, but many people who saw the collection assumed that all the pieces were the same manufacturer.

The only domestic Danbury replica I have that HLs still hasn't done is East Brother in San Francisco Bay. I don't know for sure, but I don't think there's any duplication between the lines for the International series.

Rick

Re: Danbury Mint? #3 01/17/00 12:00 AM
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Deb Weissler Offline
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A few years ago my dad gave me (one at a time for special occasions) four Danbury Mint lighthouses with realistic blinking beacons. They are huge displays on walnut bases with lots of detail and do share a close resemblance to the GLOWs. I was given SE Block Island, Ponce de Leon, Portland Head and Pt.Fermin. They take up a lot of space and I wound up taking one to the office, giving one to a friend who had just bought a future retirement cottage in Florida near Ponce, and displaying the other two. If you are into lighthouse collecting and are not sticking with one line, they are a nice addition. Otherwise save your money.

Deb

Re: Danbury Mint? #4 01/17/00 12:16 AM
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JULB Offline
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FYI,

Lennox recently offered an extremely nice piece in a newspaper insert about 2 months ago. I believe that it was the LANDS LEND" LH (Longships). It was also on a wood base, and there was very nice wave crashing on it which like the water, seemed to be made of some sort of blue acrylic type material and had tremendous detail. I thought about getting it eventhough it was VERY expensive, but I backed off because after looking at the photo of the real LH, It was clear that A LOT of artistic enhancement appeared to have been made to the entire piece to make it more dramatic. I decided that I prefered the seemingly more realistic HL and HL price... but it WAS a VERY nice piece.




[This message has been edited by JULB, I incorrectly stated that The Franklin Mint had the advertisement and it should have been LENNOX]

[This message has been edited by JULB (edited 01-24-2000).]


JB
Re: Danbury Mint? #5 01/17/00 01:04 AM
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Todd Shorkey Offline
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Hi Tim,

The ads must have been regional advertisements for the Danbury Mint because I had an ad for Old Mackinac Point in my Sunday Paper. (I live in Michigan)

Danbury Mint pieces are very well done IMHO. Not the same quality as Harbour Lights mind you, but very nice none the less. I think they are a little lighter weight and about the size of early HL GLOW pieces.

I have Cape Hatteras, Barnegat and the Detroit River lighthouse from Danbury. I really like the Detroit River piece.

-Todd

[This message has been edited by Todd Shorkey (edited 01-16-2000).]

Re: Danbury Mint? #6 01/17/00 04:29 AM
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chris g Offline
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I have the Cape Hatteras from Danbury. I thought that I "needed" it because it was a lighthouse that I did not have and the price seemed right ($44). I saw the ad in the weekend paper last fall, so I ordered it. If I had never seen HL, I would think that it was pretty good. The painting is pretty good, but I think some of the colors are not so hot. I am proud to display it, but it is NOWHERE NEAR the quality of the HL. It is also interesting that since I have purchased this piece, I get something from the Danbury Mint at least once a week. The last piece was cute- it was 2 pelicans sitting on a pier post and was called "Guardians of the Harbor". Strategically placed in the background of the photo was a lighthouse! (I think they have my number). Anyway, I usually look at their ads, but they usually go right in the trash- I will put my money towards HL products. Incidentally, my husband got me a Lenox LH for Christmas. It is a fictional LH, situated on a cliff and has a beautiful crystal wave at the base. It is nicely shaded and really looks like the ocean would if it were breaking over the rocks. Very nicely done.
By the way, just basking in the glow of the Rams win Sunday- looking forward to the Super Bowl. Everyone is invited to the party at my house!


Chris G
Re: Danbury Mint? #7 01/17/00 11:05 AM
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Deb Weissler Offline
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Chris -

Wish I had seen the pelican offer - they are my favorite sea birds!

Deb

Re: Danbury Mint? #8 01/17/00 11:06 AM
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chris g Offline
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Deb- maybe they have a website- you might be able to find info on the pelicans there!


Chris G
Re: Danbury Mint? #9 01/17/00 01:40 PM
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Weasel58 Offline
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As I have said elsewhere, Danbury Mint's lighthouses were the first lights I collected. It was the desire to get other NC lights that led me to HL. I still think that their version of Montauk point is better than HL's simply becasue it actually has a flagpole and flag. At my parents house is a curio full of my Danbury Mint lights, one CSR, and HL's Bodie Island, Currituck Beach, Cape Lookout, Bald Head and Morris Island (now and Then).


Eric
Re: Danbury Mint? #10 01/17/00 04:09 PM
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Joanne Offline
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Hi Tim,

The ad was in my Sentinel copy too. I am going to order it. I think it looks (as far as a picture can portray) pretty good. The size is comparable to HL if it is depicted properly. For $39 I can't turn it down. I hope I won't be disappointed.

Also, JB, I think the sculpture you're referring to is by Lenox. I saw it in my paper about 2 months ago also. It had waves that were a sort of blue acrylic or something similiar to it. I was also considering ordering it but decided the $125 was better used towards HL.

Joanne

Re: Danbury Mint? #11 01/17/00 07:14 PM
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Hal Dean Offline
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I have to agree with Todd that the advertisement for Danbury Mint must be regional as my paper had the Hooper Strait for $39 as I live in Maryland.
I started collecting Danbury Mint lighthouses first before I knew about Harbour Lights. They have a good product for the $30 to $40 range. But they cannot compare to Harbour Lights quality. I probably have around 10 different Danbury Mint ones.

Re: Danbury Mint? #12 01/17/00 07:25 PM
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Digger Offline
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Mine had a "silo" in it. Indiana you know.

Re: Danbury Mint? #13 01/17/00 08:38 PM
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I checked out the website for Danburymint.com. It is under construction and "coming soon". They give you the option of providing your e-mail address if you want to be notified when it's up and running. Now I've got to go and check my Sunday paper and see what they offer us here in the northeast. Worth a look-see!

~Dale from NY


~Dale Anne
Re: Danbury Mint? #14 01/18/00 12:48 AM
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Detroit Free Press/News received here and there was a insert for the Detroit River Light. I am going to go with Tood's recommendation and order it. I am on their mailing for the Beacons by the Sea replicas and the two I have received are very nice.

Several years ago I ordered Lighthouse Point and Fisherman's Cove from Danbury. These are each made up of 5 pieces that go together to make a complete costal town/resort setting. They are about 2 feet on a side and about 6-7 inches tall. The detail is fantastic, people, sailboats, tables for outdoor cafes, bright colored flowers. Problem is you do need a lot of space for them, but it was worth the $125 or so I paid. Sometimes there are other great lighthouse related items by other companies. I like to look around and see what the rest of the world has to offer in the way of lighthouses I can collect.



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Jim

Dr. Who ?


Jim
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Re: Danbury Mint? #15 01/18/00 01:15 PM
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Tom and Joyce Abbott Offline
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I started collecting the Danbury Mint Lighthouses several years ago. They are comparable to the GLOWs and Danbury has a lot of lights not available through Harbour Lights. Workmanship is very good, but they do have a problem with colors. They come up with some really strange colors for grass. The Lights are shipped automatically. It’s always a pleasant surprise to find a lighthouse at your front door.

The first series of eight, Historic International Lighthouses, includes LODBJERG LH, Western Jutland, Denmark, CALABURRA LH, Malaga, Spain, STAR POINT LH, Dartmouth, England, KANNONZAKI LH, Yokosuka City, Japan, EDDYSTONE LH, Plymouth, England, LECAP FREHEL LH, St. Malo, France, PORTOFERRAIO LH, Elba Island, Italy, and POINT ALBINO LH, Eastern Lake Erie, Canada.

The Historic American Lighthouse series includes East Brothers, Boston Light, Cape Hatteras, Admiralty Head, West Quoddy, Sandy Hook, Old Point Loma and Block Island Southeast Light.

Historic American Lighthouse II, series includes Split Rock, New London Ledge, Point Vincente, and still to come, Ponce de Leon, Diamond Head, Passage Island, Fire Island, and Grosse Point.

Beacons by the Sea series includes Pigeon Point, Montauk Point, Los Angeles Harbor, Barnegat, Cape Elizabeth and still to come Assateague, Alcatraz, St. Augustine, Nauset, Buffalo Main, Hooper Strait and Fort Gratiot.

I also have Danbury's Lighthouse Point and Fisherman's Cove. The five pieces making up each display can also be displayed individually.

Hawthorne Village also offers lighthouses. I have Beach Bums by Charles Wysocki. It is a typical Wysocki sculpture and has a red fantasy lighthouse.

Just signed up for a series of Thomas Kinkade's Guiding Lights, an illuminated sculptural lighthouse collection from Hawthorne Village. Only drawback is they are not real lighthouses. Website is collectiblestoday.com.

Joyce


[This message has been edited by Tom and Joyce Abbott (edited 01-18-2000).]


Tom & Joyce
Re: Danbury Mint? #16 01/18/00 03:31 PM
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Jim Johnston Offline
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I also have the very first two sets of Danbury Mint lighthouses. I was on the fence betweeen HL and DM in my early lighthouse collecting stage. If you compare Danburys Cape Hatteras to Harbour Lights Cape Hatteras 2nd edition along with Boston Harbor, Old Point Loma, Sandy Hook, Danbury had a slight edge on HL. HL early models were a little primitive looking not as well detailed as Danbury Mints.From time to time they still send advertisements for their lighthouse series. I just toss them in the garbage now. In our local paper, it was Alcatraz.

Re: Danbury Mint? #17 01/19/00 01:15 AM
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Rusty Offline
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The Danbury Mint web site is still under construction. I didn't know they even did lighthouses till a few weeks ago. Haven't seen any of their pieces yet, but probably won't buy any, I like the HL's too much

Rusty

Re: Danbury Mint? #18 01/23/00 02:08 PM
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I collected Danbury LH's for 5 years prior to Hl's. I found that they were smaller and lighter but the quality was just as good. I look at my "Ponce" of both Danbury and Glow and see virtually no difference. However, as HL's continued to improve in quality, Danbury did not. In fact, they became worse; so I switched. If your thinking of collecting different lighthouses, Danbury is not a bad choice but I warn you; you WILL receive solicitations constantly in the mail. Good Luck

Re: Danbury Mint? #19 01/24/00 10:44 PM
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They also have Xmass trees with lighthouses on them which I have, there are two of them and are very nice to add to all my other Xmass collection
Larry


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Re: Danbury Mint? #20 01/25/00 12:22 AM
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Randy Kremer Offline
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I also collect Danbury Mint. It seems like the newer pieces are not as nice as the older ones. They seem to be making them smaller. They are still a good buy for the money. Lots of detail. The larger pieces are really nice! Boy, do they take up some space!
Harbour Lights will always be #1!!!!!

Re: Danbury Mint? #21 02/18/00 05:45 PM
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Brent Offline
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I started collecting the "DM lights" in the late 80's and very early 90's. I found them to be well detailed with excellent scale (proportions). But then I walked by a jewery store (at a Mall) and saw my first Harbour Lights display. I bought the '91 Hatteras and Old Mackinaw Point and have been collecting them ever since. Even though I don't collect HL for investment purposes...its nice to see their values continue to climb upward. I like the idea of "limited edition" Lights. But, I still enjoy the 18 DM's that I purchased "way back when". By the way....its interesting to note that when I purchased my first HL's, they were made in Canada....then Malasia, now China, but the quality stays the same...excellent!! ...B


Brent
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Re: Danbury Mint? #22 02/18/00 09:28 PM
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Bob M Offline
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I must be a purist...I own only Harbour Lights. As a matter of fact I've never even seen a Danbury Light.

Bob

Re: Danbury Mint? #23 02/19/00 05:31 AM
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We just got an insert last weekend in the Sunday paper about some new lights by Danbury Mint. I agree that HL has it all over them in the final analysis for quality and detail. However, the bigger ones that they put out with the wooden base, lights showing inside the buildings, and a blinking light in the lantern room were really impressive and well-done. They are quite large, but you get a lot for your money.

I had led the NELL HL club on an Outing last June to Portland Head Light in Maine; and in their museum anteroom, there was this neat sculpture of Portland, with a blinking light.It really caught my eye. It was by Danbury Mint. My husband surprised me with it for a present later in the year and though I am l00% an HL collector, I really LOVE that Danbury. When the room lights are out or just dimmed, that light sure does show up. It is a real conversation piece when someone comes over; and that leads into showing HL pieces to friends.

This newest insert ONLY had the Portland Head sculpture with the working light pictured; no others in that series. I wonder if they have discontinued the other ones? It sold for about $125 I think, which was a great price when compared to Navasink's price for a larger piece.



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ladylightkeeper


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Re: Danbury Mint? #24 02/21/00 03:00 AM
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I have a few Danburys. I got them a few years back primarily to get the Cape Hatteras piece...and the others were autoshipped evey 4 weeks. Most I kept because they looked nice and the price was right. At that time I thought I would never get the LE Cape Hatteras piece. I think the quality is pretty good...St. Augustine is one that is particularly well done. However, I was VERY disappointed with Sandy Hook and sent it back to them...at which time they stopped the autoship.
Doc John


Doc John

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