Let's try using this Thread to track which Gray's Harbor serial numbers have the variation and which do not.

IF your Gray's Harbor has a window lined up directly above the lower entry door - like this photo - yours is NOT the variation. If you do NOT have a window lined up, then you have a variation.

Here's a summary of this thread

26 variations reported
109 standards reported

The variations are as follows:

1137 (note low number)
(Possibly broken in shipment, returned to
HL, and replaced with a later piece)
2404,2424
2513,2550,2555,2559,2578,2583
2680
2729
2884
3298,3299,
3300,3323,3324,
3455,3457
3563
3620,3673,
4073,
4138,4163,4191,
4322

Keep those cards and letters coming.
If you don't want to post to this board, Email me directly. Thanks

[This message has been edited by FredKuhl.]

[This message has been edited by FredKuhl.]

We went to 6 stores today looking for the HL202 Gray's Harbor variation. I now have 3 which means either there are more than just a few out there, I was very lucky, or some where in between. Only time will tell. The numbers are #2729 (this store only buys one of each HL lighthouse and the Gray's variation was displayed), #3455 and #3457 (both from the same store and out of a stock of ten Gray's Harbor lighthouses). These 2 were not on display, in fact they didn't have any on display. I originally thought they didn't have any of the Gray's Harbor lighthouses, but saw the boxes on the shelves where they keep their extras stored. We checked them all and found two with the variation.

I confused some people as to how many total I now own. The total is 3 of the Gray's Harbor variation:
#2729
#3455
#3457

All of the variations are exactly the same 1/8 turn counter-clockwise

Paul L Brady

#135 - Standard

Also, all of the variations seem to be 1/8 turn "counter-clockwise". Are there any out there that are turned clockwise?

>>Also, all of the variations seem to be 1/8 turn "counter-clockwise". Are there any out there that are turned clockwise?

Since the Gray's Harbor's are made in China wouldn't they all be "counter-clockwise" ?


__
/im ;->

Just a note - Harry Hine - who is the primary contact with the production facilities in the Orient was in China when the Gray's Harbor variation was discovered. He has communicated the error to the factory which hopefully won't continue to make the error. Better find yours now.

I found a Gray's variation today at the Christmas Wreath gift shop in Eureka, CA. It's # is 2680. I already have the standard Gray's #948. I purchased for possible future trading for an older lighthouse I don't already have.

Via e-mail one more #4322. If you want to submit your variation serial numbers without posting it here, email to Fred Kuhlman, the moderator [e-mail]FredKuhl@aol.com[/e-mail]

# 1137 IS a variation. After visiting 6 stores I found the variation. The store had 2 others in the low 3000 # range, but these were not the variation. Interesting, this is a much lower number than has posted with the variation.

Got an Email from Reva58. Two more found. #2555 (1 of 4) and #2550 (1 of 10).

This thread is starting to get a little long and cumbersome. Shortly I'll start deleting some of the earlier entries and show a synopsis. Like:
X variations found and the #'s
Y reported no variation

If you have any ideas or suggestions on how you would like to see this reported, Email me.

I had a chance to talk to my HL dealer and found that Grays Harbor Numbers 2541 thru 2549 are not variations. As I reported earler number 2550 is a variation. Interesting. You can bet that Bill Y. made some phone calls and is correcting this problem ASAP.

3890 - Standard
3892 - Standard

There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the numbering of the variation - leads me to believe that the piece numbers are affixed prior to final assembly ?!

In the assembly work area, I envision that several workers are doing the same task, affixing tops to the towers. Their completed pieces are collected up and placed in warehouse trays and set on shelves until the painters take over. (So far speculation.)

According to Harry Hine of Harbour Lights, different painters specialize in doing different parts of any one lighthouse. We talked this over at the Edision show while looking at a Cockspur. Perhaps three different painters were involved in painting the Cockspur, Harry told me. Each spending about an hour on on the piece.

Speculating again: I picture the painted lighthouses placed in trays again to go to a rack for drying. Just before being packed, they are inspected and numbered. Up to this point, nothing has been done to maintain a strict order of piece numbers since they weren't numbered. So it's the last-minute numbering that creates the order.

Perhaps one worker has dislexia and is the culprit who puts the tops on askew. He or she started working around the time the company had made 2,000 pieces. As they are packing them up, a piece with the serial number 1XXX is dropped and broken, so a piece produced this week is taken off the drying rack, and the replacement 1XXX number is added to it.

Now the finished, boxed lighthouses, kept in numerical sequence, are placed on pallets, wrapped and put into containers for shipment to Harbour Lights by sea (appropriately!)

That's mostly my vision of how it MIGHT be done. And it serves to explain the appearance of an 'outlyer' low number as well as the relatively random appearance of the variations within a given range.

We'll try to get the real story if it's different from this.


[This message has been edited by JChidester.]

Took the words right out of my mouth, John. But explained it better than I would have