The views and observations here are very interesting. I've noticed a few things myself while browsing in stores. In two different stores, I had to notify the managers that pieces were no longer current and now retired. It seems that with so many collectible lines, it's difficult for them to keep up to date. One owner told me that she gets four or five brochures or notifications a day. She said on an average, it's about 25 to 30 pages of reading a night.

Second, I see some of the plainer, non-WOW pieces sitting around month after month. These pieces should have had an edition of 4,000. How many Ida Lewis and Cape Mears are going to be sitting around for another few years? These pieces should have had lower retail prices. And, while we're at it, how about the retail prices? The wholesale is approximately 1/2 of the retail price. Is it time for that ratio to come down to maybe 40%? Or maybe give a little flexibilty to the shop owners to have sales or lower-priced options.

I've got to tell you, I have six lighthouses by Young's, Inc. (now Coastal) in my office. I paid $7.00 each for them. Except for being smaller than HL, they are really nice-looking, good quality pieces, not exceptional but a real bargain.

Also, I would agree that GLOWs hurt the LE trade, but with the price of open editions going over $60, I basically have stopped buying those. A GLOW should be in the $30 - 40 range, tops.

Joanne