I've recently begun collecting (seriously, that is) Harbour Lights lighthouses. Since I grew up on the Chesapeake, I have started with those. I also add any lighthouse that I personally visit. There are SOOO many and they are not exactly cheap, so I'm trying to figure out the best way to go about building an interesting collection. Any suggestions?

This may not be the appropriate forum to post this (how picky are you guys, anyway???). If not, let me know and I'll repost in the right place.

I'm new to the forums but like what I see so far. Seems like a fun group!

Anyway, I'm rambling. Just want some advice on a "collecting strategy".

Cindy

Moved from the General Forum.

Welcome to the (serious and fun) world of collecting Harbour Lights. I've been collecting since July 1997 and still gain tremendous enjoyment from the shopping experience and admiring my collection. Collecting Harbour Lights has truly opened a window to the fascinating world of learning about and visiting lighthouses. How to limit the collection is a question that I constantly evaluate, yet my answer has been fairly consistent: I buy the ones I really love and skip the others that are maybe just nice, interesting, or that I've visited. I considered limiting my collection to those I visited, but so many HL pieces are great that I haven't visited. I considered limiting the collection to a region, but once again, what about those great pieces from another region? I couldn't pass them up. I thought about limiting the collection to pieces produced through a certain time period, like up through 1999, but what a stupid idea for me to miss the recent introductions. Yet limiting the collection is important in my opinion, unless one wants to be a completist (collect everything). Display (or strorage) space is always at a premium, plus the cost factor, and having way too many of something can, in some people's eyes, diminish the appeal of the collection. To some, a curio jam-packed with the same thing can look junky or trivial. At one time I had about 85, then I sold some and went down to 50, now I've built back up to 75 and I've again ran out of space. Sooo, when I am at the dealer I don't buy a piece just because I like it, I've been there, or it's the first of a kind by Harbour Lights. I only buy it after I've seen it a couple times and am sure that it will always light my fire. I'm comfortable with that strategy for another reason -- no matter what happens with the secondary market prices, I'm happy with these pieces in my collection. Many valid opinions exist on collecting strategy, so whatever you decide will certainly be the right choice for you!

Welcome again Cindy! Great to have you with us! Great group here on the forums. I started collecting in 1997 the day that I took my wife to visit Beavertail Light in RHode Island. I had fished off the rocks around Beavertail for years and really enjoyed the place. ON the way home stopped at the Mall and went into Noah's and saw that they had a Beavertail by Harbour Lights for sale and that got me hooked. I now have quite a few.

I specialize in the New ENgland area, but have ventured into New YOrk state also. I pick up lights that I like from other areas because some are so nice that I just can't pass them up.

I think your wise to start with those from your area, but believe me when I say "You'll never stop there!" Keep us posted on how you're doing, we're happy to have you as part of a great group of people.

Bert

Cindy--Welcome aboard!!!
The best advice that I would give you is to buy the ones that you really like whether it be a LE, a GLOW, an ornament, or what ever. Remember it is "your" collection and "you" are the one who has to be happy with it. One other little piece of advice passed down from past experience in collecting is this: don't get caught up in the "buy! buy! buy!" mentality which many new collectors get caught up in at the beginning. Most people regret this down the road when they discover that they have far too many pieces and no place to display them and a lot of pieces that really don't want. Then they end up selling them and sometimes at a loss. So buy wisely and enjoy your collection.

The Lightkeeper
Mike

DO WHAT YOU LIKE! I've been collecting since early 1994 and consider myself one of the lucky ones in that everything except for some of the really early lights were still available at retail.

I started with just the Florida, Gulf Coast and Virginia down the southeastern coast. I then spread to other areas that I had been to in the Coast Guard such as Diamond Head, Old Point Loma, Presque Isle PA, Boston Harbor, Buffalo and Fort Niagara. By this time I was hooked and decided to get them all and keep it up as long as the money and space was there. My son and daughter getting married helped considerably by freeing up my son's room as my lighthouse room and that brought about a little extra money also.

I still buy all the LE pieces and ventured into, but, got out even quicker into the GLOWS. While I consider the money spent and never coming back when I buy a LE because I will never considered selling my LE pieces, I also considered the money spent with never a chance of it ever coming back if I ever decided to sell the GLOWS. Open editions are just that, they are open and in theory will never increase in value like a LE.

You do what you want to do and what makes you happy and you are the one that must be happy. If that means buying a GLOW because you like it then buy that GLOW. Remember, a hobby is to make you happy no matter how many of something you have or how few you have. I have one collector friend that buys any Cape Hatteras Lighthouse that he sees. Cape Hatteras is all he has. I asked him why Cape Hatteras and he said"because I like the way the stripes are". He's promised me when he gives up his collection that his "original 102 Cape Hatteras is mine as a gift. Needless to say I have tried to talk him into Beanie Baby collecting but that has not worked.

Have fun and I'm sure that you will be given many more talks on this subject because everyone has their own opinion on the subject and you will find that these Forum Members are not bashfull in expressing their thoughts.

Rich

Welcome Cindy!

One thing, imo, that helps to make a collection "interesting" is to have a variety of lighthouse styles in your collection. You want tall towers, look to the southeast, cast iron towers (mainly white) go to New England, you want lights incorporated into keepers houses try the Great Lakes lights. The west coast lights seem to be unique from other lighthouses. While this rule of lighthouse design isn't true of every lighthouse in the areas mentioned it could give you some ideas for diversifying your collection.

For myself I tend to purchase lights that are truly unique unto themselves.

I find the above plan makes for an interesting display and educates visitors who think all lighthouses "look the same"!

I thought I would allow others to respond first to your question before I presented you with my....
Double Top Secret Plan for purchasing Harbour Lights...

Don't tell anybody this method...

I just buy them all !!!!!!!

Wackopaul

Everyone starts with a rhyme(game plan) and reason(control) soon leaves.
My suggestion is keep a log to review your purchases. It will be very interesting to look at a few years from now.

These are some great ideas. I especially like the log book. That way, years from now when you say "What was I thinking....", you can look it up.

Keep the good ideas coming.

My daughter, who collects little lights, has an interesting approach. She just buys the ones she thinks are "cool". She is pondering which one is next since she just passed her Virginia History SOL (which we weren't sure she was going to pass!!). Can't wait to see which one she chooses!

The first lighthouse in our collection was a Christmas gift from my wife. From there we started a small collection of lights that we visited and wanted to bring home a memory. When I discovered the forum I found that they had lights we had previously visited. From there I found that Colorado Springs had dealers that sold some of these lights. From there the forums retired at retail gave us the opportunity to buy lights that the dealers did not have. Then it dawned on us that we should get lights for places we wanted to visit since they may be unavailable when we had the opportunity to visit. Then we decided that we needed to get "hard to find lights" because we may not be able to find them later. Then our dealer said that we could get the same number for all lights and we thought that would be "really cool" and make us "true" collectors. Then I got some inheritance money and decided it would be a great way to honor those that thought about me to purchase some of the really rare lights. Bottom line, I don't really know how it got to this point, but we have them all, display them all, and we enjoy them every day in 4 display cases. My best guess for this addiction is that HL puts something in the resin, or paint, that plants a subliminal message that "you need them all".

Suggestions:

If you have to limit your collection, choose a theme & be strong. No matter what your theme you will enjoy them, but you will be tempted to buy them all.

If you can, find a good dealer that will work with you to build your collection.

Ask other collectors on the forum. The forum members have given me many good ideas and directions. In addition through the forums I have found some of my most "special" pieces.

Invest like the stock market. Only buy what you can afford to lose, however, HL pieces are doing better than the market of late. No matter what, you will win through the HL enjoyment factor.

If you are married bring your wife into the habit. It gets a little hard to hide when boxes start falling out of all the closets.

Most of all never regret buying a piece. I still enjoy looking at the pieces every day and finding something new. Besides it makes for great conversation starters at parties when they see your collection. The ability to give the entire history of a lighthouse, or the evoloution of the Fresnel lens, makes for a great time when you don't know half of the guests your wife invited.

Enjoy and welcome to the wonderful world of lighthouses and collecting.