Hi Rick, ...I don't consider myself a "veteran" collector when you figure I didn't enter the hot & heavy stage until 1997. The true veterans are those who started with Harbour Lights back in 1991 or close to that time.

I really don't know how many of those people are still actively collecting. There are so many things that work against them. The main problem for most is where to put all their HL's. Lack of storage and display space is usually the begining of the end.

Another problem is justifying the expense after you retire. Once you enter the world of "fixed income" and "down-sizing", decisions have to be made as to what will you do with 200-300 collectible lighthouses. This is why you see such things as rare HL's on eBay and lower autoship numbers becoming available. People reach a point where they just can't do it anymore, physically and financially.

The future of lighthouse collecting lies with the younger members of the group. Their earning potential often allows expendible cash to purchase new pieces from dealers and older pieces from the secondary market. They are the passionate collectors. They have a collection to build and rare pieces to find.

Our most veteran collectors have what they have and usually are just in the autoship/maintenance stage. A new light is introduced, purchased, taken out of the box, inspected, put back in the box, and then put into storage. Every once in awhile, the smile factor appears and that piece goes on display instead of into storage.

Different strokes for different folks...

Bob