Hello;
As a new collector of Harbour Lights lighthouses I find my collection growing
and am curious as to where you other collectors purchase your display cases
for HLL's, or just any information on the
subject. Like would one display type case
be better than another. Any information
would be appreciated. Thanks. James R.S.

I bought three curios at the same time from the local "Home Life" store (owned by Sears). they were on sale - as discontinued - but from photos I can affirm they are made by Pulaski. In evaluating curios, you've got to determine how many they will hold.

Some curios made especially for Department 56 are extra deep and wider than others.

And a major concern is the type of lights included - most have just a single spotlight at the top of the cabinet. But as you add pieces on the shelves, the shadows cast on the lower shelves means by the time the light reaches the bottom, those are in the dark.

Some curios come with strip lights along the sides so you can plug in little floodlights for each shelf or every other one.

Mine are 12" deep x 36" wide (glass shelf size). There are 4 shelves plus the bottom for displaying. These hold between 30-40 Harbour Lights (5-6 per shelf) depending on the size of the pieces and how much light you want reaching the bottom.

By placing the pieces starting on the top shelf (and only putting 4-5 on the top shelf), you can get more of the lower pieces to be 'in the light' that filters between pieces above.

I spent about $900 in 1997 for each. I figure the cost per piece displayed then was about $25 figuring 35 pieces per curio.

Now with this method, you can evaluate a $1,500 cabinet vs. a $900 one that would only hold half as many. The $1,500 would display 70 pieces would have a per piece cost of $21.

And by all means think ahead. Your collection is likely to grow each year. How quickly will you run out of space?

If you're handy, perhaps you could build your own display case or have one built for you. You might also check the 'unfinished furniture' stores for curios.

"You want to buy another one?" the shop owner exclaimed when I called last week to find out if the curio I have three of was on sale. "Does your husband know?" came next.

But, the short of it is that she will give me a discount on the next one.

The curio is roughly 35x75, has four shelves plus the bottom for display. There is only one light in the top, but like John suggested I have tried to stagger them. They also open from the side, two doors on each side and I really like that feature. I am not sure who the manufacturer is. My one cabinet, at the time, was in the collector's corner in the Legacy, way back when...

I really liked Paul's cabinets I think his brother-in-law made. When my youngest moves her bedroom furniture to another house, I will make a decision on whether to make a room for my pieces and have cabinets built.

Derith

[This message has been edited by Derith Bennett (edited 11-28-99).]

Here is a previous forum discussion on the thickness of glass shelves. Started from a concern of overloading glass shelves.

http://216.46.163.97/forums/Forum3/HTML/000047.html

Dave

Hi James,

The link below will take you to thread with images of my cabinets that Derith talked about. "The cabinet" and the "twins" were indeed made by my brother-in-law Joe, a master carpenter. There also is an image later in the thread, showing the 2 store bought cabinets I have and they are very similar in design to John's displays, that we bought at about the same time in different towns and different parts of the country, before we ever knew each other.

http://216.46.163.97/forums/Forum1/HTML/000146.html


SaintWackoPaul '
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