Let's all repeat the Harbour Lights Corporate Mantra: "Buy 'em because you like 'em. They are not investments. They are art and they have a story."
Those big collector shows ended years ago. Attendance at the dealer-only shows (and the number of those shows) has declined significantly.
Collector Magazines are out of print.
The collector events like Rosemont were a nucleus around which lots of collectors organized and went on lighthouse trips.
The good old days. Without the personal interaction of lighthouse enthusiasts-collectors, interest in collecting has waned.
The number of HL clubs has declined -- yes, still a couple of strong ones -- but they are NOT collector clubs.
As for the national interest in lighthouses, the Coast Guard continues to give away lighthouses -- but the cost of getting one (required restorations and upkeep) can be way beyond the financial means of the government group or non-profit that is the 'winner.'
The PBS Series on Lighthouses premiered in 1998. DirecTV wasn't available then with 500+ channels to choose from today.
eBay came along and killed the 'secondary marketeers' (and I was one of them.) Anyone can be a seller and fewer and fewer are calling themselves 'buyers' on eBay.
The world economy has hurt the collectible business big time. It slowed about 8 years ago - think 9/11, two continuing long wars, etc.
The depression that we woke up to in mid 2008 was the death knell for many.
"What 'disposable' income?"
Today Harbour Lights is the ONLY lighthouse replica company still in business. Scassi died some time ago and is filling dealer orders from inventory only.
The economy has meant people vacation closer to home. Maybe that's good for close-to-home lighthouses, but not good for the big draw lighthouses and the group outings to the Outer Banks.
All sad facts that are beyond the control of Harbour Lights.
Personally I think Harbour Lights has done great work to react - cutting production quantities, improving quality, eliminating GLOWs, doing limited Little Lights and all this in the face of rising costs for production and raw materials in China. They could have reduced the number of new introductions IMO.
The number of "collectible dealers" is way, way down. There were over 2,500 HL dealers at one time. You didn't have to drive far to find one - or several. Most were Mom and Pop businesses; only a small percentage have made it through until today. God Bless 'em
If you're holding your HL's to fund your retirement, good luck to you. If your heirs think they'll cash in from your amassed collection when you pass away, good luck to them.
Cut to the October 2061 broadcast of "Antiques Roadshow", someone is being sat down at a table with one of the specialty hosts and is about to learn that their "original Cape Hatteras" by a company called "Harbour Lights" is worth $14,000! (it would be worth $20,000 except there's a base chip.) (A 2% annual appreciation from today's $5,000.)
Great! The new 2061 Prius the guest just bought cost $354,000 (A 4% annual increase.) And don't forget the sales tax of $21,239.
I'm not being cynical, just realistic.
This isn't a criticism of anyone's post. It's just my opinion and observation.
Now repeat the Mantra.
