Heck, this one's kind of a no brainer if you ask me. Keep the edition size to 4000 to maintain interest after the first one. Do them in different sizes and do them well. Keep the price under $75. HL will sell them all and everybody who wants one will get one.

Oh - and make each Fresnel model the model of a real lens from a real light with real history. Not some representative generic composite - hopefully they've learned the A/B lesson there. Include a history with each lens model - when and where originally made, lights it serviced, where it resides today, etc. A cute model that lens buffs can relate to.

There's obviously not a big enough market to support a higher edition size. Paulie is right that the number of dedicated hard core lighthouse collectors - the same group who might commit to buying all of the Fresnel series - is less than 1,000. One idea I haven't really thought through: put 'em on subscription. Let people sign up for a year to commit to buying the first 10 in the series, then make 2,000 more of each than the subscription size.

We'll see interest peak when some gomer gets $125 for one of the first model on e-Bay around Christmas time. Hey if these are meant to be special collectibles, keep 'em as such. HL shouldn't feel they owe a model to the entire country for everything they sell.

If they do make open editions then play this .wav file at home. Purse your lips tightly. Stick out your tonque. Blow. :-P

As long as they're interesting, unique, done well, and priced right, I'd probably go for the set. Pictures of the first one say to me its neat.

Six paragraphs on target,
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/im
[This message has been edited by JTimothyA (edited 08-14-2000).]