Where can I purchase an updated Collector's Guide?
Thanks,
lobo0122847@excite.com

Sorry to say that there are NO up-to-date collectors guides for Harbour Lights. In 1998, two national companies published competing guides. One of those "Greenbook" went out of business shortly after, the ther "Collectors Publishing" may have, but in any case hasn't published anything since about Harbour Lights.

There is a 1998 Fourth edition of "Rutherford The Harbour Lights Survival Guide currently offered on EBay...

Collector\'s Guide

Of course, the information won't give you today's market guidelines.

Judy

Hay, you know, collectively as a group, we shold write a new 2004 guide here on The Collector Forums. We've got people who have photos, we've got people who can figure out value, we've got people who can give historical info about the pieces and the lights, and we've got people who can put it all together. Putting all our heads together could make one great project...with the possible added prospect of funds going to lighthouse preservation!

About a year ago I wrote to Harbour Lights and asked if a guide to their pieces might be in the works as I was sure there would be a very big market for one. Zina, who was the e-mail contact at that time, said she wouldn't be surprised to hear of one but she wouldn't give me any additional information. Hmm. . .maybe. . . ?

I don't think that Harbour Lights would or should put out a secondary market guide to their own product. It might be seen as a very transparent effort to influence the secondary market.

I agree with Jim, and I also think that Greg has a great idea. I, personally, don't think I'm well-versed enough to help set prices, but I'd be happy to donate photos and put my two cents in about background on the lights I'm most familiar with.

It would really be nice to have an updated version of a Harbour Lights Collector's Guide similar to the book published by Greenbook back in 1998.

Such a reference book wouldn't necessarily have to have current estimated worth in it. It should have all the interesting info like a brief history of the light, a color picture, its location, accessibility, and all the pertinent HL facts regarding year of production, how many produced, variations, retirement date, etc.

Such a book would be a very welcome guide to collectors who are out there searching out missing pieces they need to fill in their collections. It would also inspire people to learn more about the HL products of the past and possibly lead them to buy more of them.

Perhaps a history of Younger & Associates would also be appropriate. They could tell the story of how they got started. They could do a few pages on the HL Reunions, Regionals, Rep Events, Signing Events, etc. This would certainly generate more interest in collecting and attending these events if possible.

The book might possibly contain profiles on the Younger Family and maybe people who work very closely with the company such as our own John Chidester and Paul Brady. I would also like to see a profile on our own "Ancient Mariner", Fred Kuhlman. Fred is a legend in the HL Circle of Friends and has been known to drive cross country to attend HL Events.

Another section of the book could give info about the great clubs and organizations that found their roots through HL collecting and now have become a major force in lighthouse restoration in their own areas.

There are just so many exciting possibilities for this book. It would be an excellent way for Harbour Lights to show where they came from and how they got to where they are now.

"YOU CAN DO IT!"

Bob

Alright...I have a funny feeling that this is going to become my project, which is OK because I like doing this stuff. It looks like it could be wanted, so here are my ideas.

Back years ago, when I was a young lad, I collected Beanie Babies like every other American child. I got this book called "My Beanie Baby Binder" that was a binder guidebook. The point of this is so that you could constantly update your book, without having to re-buy all the info every retirement. Instead, you got new tabs and pages for each update, and put in pages for new beanies and took out outdated ones.

The pages featured the name of the Beanie Baby, a picture, "vital info" about it that used jargon all you wouldn't understand (actually, I'm scared I still remember most of it), and on the back, a "fill in the blanks" section about your copy of the Beanie. Here you could write in where you got it, how you got it, when you got it, notes, etc.

We could do a kind of binder of Harbour Lights, based on the same format. The Beanie book is out of print, but I have two copies (I was quite obsessed with them until lighthouses came along summer after third grade). We could have two photos--one of the HL (possibly yours, Paul? Up to you), and an inset of the real light. Then you put info about the real light (Date of building, rebuilt, height, etc...all the usual details), and info about the HL (release date, retirment date, pieces produced, pieces sold, price at release, etc...). On the back, you have info about your HL (number, price paid, date purchased, condition, etc..). This is all in a binder, so that each year, you can add the new releases.

You can have tabs for Lighthouse LEs, ABs, "Other" LEs (lenses, LSS, etc.), GLOWs, LLOMs, SkyBound, etc. If HL releases a new series, then you just get a new tab and start collecting pages.

I've been thinking of doing this same idea with regular lighthouses, so maybe I could do two tieed-together books...hmmm..

I keep telling you Wackos that there is a current value guide out there that is published yearly with the prices of retired/active Harbour Lights in there. It contains many listings of collectibles and HL has 4 pages listing the Year of Issue, Issue Price, Retired/Active and the secondary Market Suggested Price. While it's not as good as Rutherford's Book or the Green Book, it still gives you an idea(values are from previous year data) for your collection or insurance purposes.

It is available from Krause Publication for $21.95 and is called the Collector's Mart Price Guide to Contempoary Collectibles and Limited Editions. The current issue is the 2003(8th edition). The 2004 guide is slated for April-May timeframe. The number is 1-800-258-0929. I find it very useful and base the value of my collection on it for my collectible insurance policy.

I went to the Public Library in Ocala and checked it out to see if I wanted to spend the money and was very impressed. This is the 3rd year that I have bought it and I'm planning to buy the 2004 Edition as soon as it is available.

There ya go, Greg. You can buy the book that Rich suggested as your research guide for your book that you're going to create!
And..again, I'll be happy to donate pictures and put my two cents in.