The discussion on a full-size lighthouse as the 1999 Event piece brings to mind a different idea:

A new group of limited editions, of smaller size lighthouses - such as Sunken Rock. There are lots of them out there to be done. And by making the price point $50 or less, it will help lower the average cost of new pieces?

Still limited editions, just more along the lines of Sunken Rock, and Edgartown, size-wise.

John, I like this idea. It would provide an opportunity for collectors with a limited budget to buy Harbour Lights as well as taking up less shelf space for those of us who are fast running out. I think you need to approach HL with this.

Bob

Wouldn't this kinda require a set ratio of size ? Such as 1" = 10' or 1/64 scale or some kind of set scale. Currently the scale is not exactly the same for each piece, the HL brochure lists Chicago Harbor, Old Saybrook,Horton Point and Lorain as all being 5" tall. Yet Chicago apears to be about 8 stories tall (counting levels by windows) and Lorain about 5 stories tall and Horton about 5 stories tall and Old Saybrook showing about 6 levels but probably not as tall since the spark plug lights are not known for their commanding height. And you could say the same for Admiralty Head - a little smaller than the rest of the line but I'll attribute that to the first effort. Let's look at two other pieces, the original Portland Head 7H x 5W and the Tybee Glow 7H x 6W.

Does Harry give each artist a pound of modeling clay and say "do the best you can this is all the clay you get " ?

I rest my case your Honor.
Mark

In general, I like the idea of applying scale to HL models: smaller lights = smaller models, etc. Some of my favorite HLs are the smaller ones.

Although no uniform scale has been used to date, what is the "average" scale used to date? How far off are certain models from the "average" scale used across the line?

Since technical accuracy is continuously being improved, I think the use of scale, where practical, is a good direction for the future. The tallest lights must remain the exception. 18 inch models wouldn't sell very well.

[This message has been edited by Rich Boyes (edited 01-03-99).]

[This message has been edited by Rich Boyes (edited 01-03-99).]

I like the idea of a smaller edition. It's actually been mentioned indirectly last year in other topics. One vote was for a size comparable to the Reunion minis.
I also like the idea of consistent scale for the entire HL line. One of the few things that CSC has done better than HL is setting and keeping the scale of the line. It's nice to glance at a group of CSC and see how the lighthouses compare to each other in real terms.
One suggestion for the order of things:
Scale 'A' - Limited Editions and purchased "Exclusives" (Society/Reunion editions)
Scale 'B' - Open Editions
Scale 'C' - Gifts, Event Pieces and similar sized or situated actual lights.
Scale 'D' - Spyglass
Scale 'E' - Thumbnails

From the suddenly frosty south,
Rick

Yeppers, good idea.

Ever since Reunion Uno I've advocated a line of *Limited Edition* models close to the size of the miniatures. Both the NPL and RI models are incredibly detailed and accurate. With today's technology and HL's design skills they could easily do this and maintain sufficient differentiation between the Minis and the full-size LEs.

Priced at $20-$35 dollars with a variable edition edition size tied to a light's relative popularity they would be a super alternative to GLOWs (and maybe even compete with rocks and seashells). ;->

Mini happy returns,
__
/im

Don't knock rocks & seashells. Manhattan wouldn't be the same today if not for the enormous value once placed upon rocks and seashells by native New Yorkers!

I see... OK. How 'bout a nice whelk once owned by Frank DeKova for your White Shoal?

LOL! Is it signed?

I like the idea of smaller or limited size on HL pieces, that means more per curio cabinet. The the fewer curio cabinets we need to buy, the more $$$ we have to spend on Harbour Lights!

Hey Rick, dont forget ornaments as "D" size, then spyglass as "E", and thumbnails as "F"

---

-RodW
[This message has been edited by Rod Watson (edited 01-06-99).]

Hey Mr. Architect Rod --

How about classifying the scale on some of the HLs already made. You could figure the entry door to most lighthouses is probably 6' 8" and the guidebooks will tell you how tall the real lighthouses are... Then we could get an idea on how big or small some would have to be to be in scale to one another and whether they now fall into some natural groupings.

It would be interesting to know if the two towers on Cape Henry are in scale to one another, too.

Frank - wintering on the Sonoran Desert

[This message has been edited by JChidester (edited 01-06-99).]

When Frank requests something from the grave, I must obey.

-Rodney Lee Lloyd Wright-Watson Jr.

Wouldn't HL know the scale when their Artist designs the proof?

Have been searching for the previous discussion concerning the size of the Event Piece but aam unable to find it so I'll post my thoughts here. Yesterday I finally received my Cockspur from HL and it is so nice. I believe that the size of the event piece should remain smaller than the LE's with of course a corresponding lower price. There are so many lighthouses that could only be justly depicted in a smaller version because they ARE smaller and don't have keepers houses,etc. But are historically significant. It would be nice for collectors to have more of this size to display in perhaps a separate, smaller, area of our homes from the larger HL's. I like to use my collections to decorate with, spacing them throughout my house, not having all of one type in one place.

>>When Frank requests something from the grave, I must obey. <<

Frank requests you fix the leaky roof. Again.

Tim,

Can you expand your comment on "variable edition edition size" ?

>>variable edition edition size<<

Not as mysterious as my typo could lead one to believe. :-) I meant 'variable edition size'. An edition size discrete to a particular model, not fixed for all models as is currently the case for LEs. For example, if HL did a mini of St. Augustine I suggest the edition size be higher than for a mini of , oh say, Barcelona.

Imo, this is what they shoulda done all along with the LEs. Obviously there's a cost factor involved for HL. And they could pass this along. But for mini's it shouldn't be that great although I suspect the labor costs wouldn't be much different than for LEs so I could be off base here.

Imagine an accurate mini of Barcelona, Manistique, or Cheyboygan Crib, with edition sizes in the 2500-3500 range. WoW! Thats a collectible.

Rgds,
__
/im

Correct me if I am wrong (I hope I am not, being a Michigander), but Manistique and Cheyboygan Crib Light are both in Michigan.

Tell the Beav to start looking there in his atlas.

-Todd

[This message has been edited by Todd Shorkey (edited 02-13-99).]

>>Correct me if I am wrong (I hope I am not being a Michigander), but Manistique and Cheyboygan Crib Light are both in Michigan.<<

Right you are Todd. (You'd think a guy in CG ATN would know what a crib is, wouldn't you. VBG)

All are Great Lakes lights. Cheyboygan (Lake Huron) is home to that CG Cutter I mentioned in the A/B forum (free plug). Manistique (Lake Michigan) can be seen in the photo gallery. Barcelona (Lake Erie) was the first light in the US lit by gas. All would make excellent Minis or Event Pieces.

Maybe Mr. Flattail needs spectacles.

Rgds,
Atlas Shrugged

Don't take it personally, Beav. Ayn Rand has no sense of humor.

>>Ayn Rand has no sense of humor.<<

Man, have you got that right. (Although I'll bet Rosa Luxembourg laughed her a** off - but come to think of it - she didn't have a sense of humor either).

Flapping,
Rand McNally

I really liked the spy glass pieces as the society membership gift. Another members gift like that would be very nice.

I would like to entertain the idea of returning to the lighthouse being depicted as the primary focus and fewer outbuildings. This would lessen the footprint of each lighthouse and thus make more room for lighthouses on display. A good comparison is the original Tybee with a tall tower and no buildings to speak of, versus the Glow Tybee or other later LE's with a base size containing many outbuildings covering basically the same, or more, area as the tower height. To me I like the towers and their uniqueness. There are some lighthouses where the buildings add something to the display, but this is not the case for all lighthouses. Maybe a lighthouse series (lighthouse lites)and a lighthouse and outbuildings series (lighthouse full version). I would opt for the "lite" series" so that I could get more on display and see more comparisons of what I enjoy most, the towers.

Have to disagree with you Dick. I feel that the keepers house and other outbuildings contribute to the overall picture of what lighthouse life was all about. Just a bunch of towers would be kind of boring, I think. The lights that did not have keepers homes associated with them would be good candidates for the "smaller" versions I had in mind, i.e. Cockspur.

I also feel that the outbuildings and landscaping make for a much more interesting collectable. Let's not forget that, even though the tower sent out the beam of light and is usually the focal point, the houses and outbuildings that the keeper's and families lived in were an integral part of these outposts. In some cases the outbuildings have greatly increased the value of the Harbour Lights piece. Can you imagine a Chatham without the house?

Ron

I'm with mombo and Ron. I think the outbuildings, trees, keeper's dwelling(s), fog bell tower, etc. add lots to the sculpture.

------------------
Keepin' the flame