The LLOM product was designed for the gift shop buyer. I believe the LLOM is incredibly detailed for the price point. There are many who would have "collected" LLOM, even though they are not numbered, if the product had been on the market when they started their collections.

There have been maybe a dozen or so LLOM that have been produced as a quasi-limited edition. In these cases, usually the first 300 have been hand numbered and sold to either a lighthouse preservation group or one dealer. In some cases the buyer has purchased the entire initial run of 500, but only the first 300 were numbered. I believe the only exception to this was a special numbered set of Thomas Point that used an already existing model.

The group buying the special editions will have an exclusive for the first six months or so. HL will not put the model into general distribution for this period so the group has a chance to sell their models. The numbered version differs from the regular version only by virtue of being numbered.

These have been great fundraisers for a number of groups. Off hand, some of the lights that have been done this way are Pointe Aux Barques, Crisp Point & Middle Island in MI (I think the third one was Middle Island); Pottawatomie WI, Cedar Island and Huntington Harbor, NY, as well as several New England lights. Memory is shot, but Cape Annies did one light in MA and NELL has done/will do a series of lights over several years. There are others, this list is not complete.