For those of you that frequent the Harbour Lights Collector Forums on a regular basis know that I have been posting that there will be a special announcement that all collectors will be interested in. I first posted about this special announcement in April of this year expecting to make the official announcement in June. When June came and went I expected to be able to make the announcement sometime in August. August came and went and I said that the announcement would come by Thanksgiving, in time for Christmas. Well, as most of you know, things don’t always happen in life as we expect or want them to.

I have been talking to Harry Hine (son-in-law of Bill Younger and designer/artist for Harbour Lights for those of you not familiar with his name) and he has given me permission to release the Exclusive Announcement that he is going to be releasing his own line of lighthouses in the very near future. Harry has been planning this line since early this year and the reason for so many delays is he has been having troubles finding a manufacturer (2 have agreed and then had problems and have backed out) which has caused Harry to have to go back to square one and start all over again looking for someone to produce his lighthouses. One manufacturer had even gone far enough to make a paint sample of the first piece Harry is planning to produce. The major problem with the manufacturer is COST. Harry only wants to produce a very limited edition size of 300 pieces and the cost to tool up and produce this small quantity is higher than Harry wants to pay since he is trying to keep the retail price in a very affordable range.

I have seen pictures of his first planned piece and they are truly in the expectations that you would expect from Harry. His design, attention to detail, painting, physical size and overall quality are truly phenomenal and the expected retail price should be in the price range that every collectors can afford. Harry’s plans are to sell the 300 pieces himself which will also keep the retail price lower. He is in the process of figuring out how to order, shipping, payment details, reserved serial numbers, etc. and expects that all this information will be available before the first piece is actually ready for sale. At this time Harry plans only 4 pieces a year and they might be something other than a lighthouse (lens, ship, etc).

At this time it appears that the first piece may not be ready until after the first of the year (2016), but, it could be earlier or later based on how negotiations go with the latest possible manufacturer. When the official announcement is made by Harry, I will ensure that all collectors receiving my volumes and mailings will know everything the minute I get Harry’s permission to release the information. You might also want to check the Collector Forums weekly to see if there is any update posted. I do not want to bombard you with numerous emails or posts until all is officially in place. After the announcement is made, and the contact/purchasing information is known, I’m sure it will be “first come” on the availability of serial numbers.