HL117 Boston Harbor was among the 'Original 17' released in 1991 as an Limited Edition.

The 400 series refers to GLOWs (Open Editions).

All the Boston Harbors made in 1996, 1997 and 1998 would be 402. 1996=A, 1997=B, 1998=C. However when 402R came out in 1999, it started over at 1999=A, 2000=B, 2001=C, etc.

So if you are looking for a 402 piece from the first year of issue make sure it is NOT the 402R.

When the GLOWs first came out -- Cape Hatteras HL401 in 1994 -- the numbering pattern was set so that each year, the initial letter would increment A to B to C, etc. and the numbers would start over.

There was a bit of confusion at the factory and so when the next group of GLOWs came out in 1995 (The Stamp Set), the first group were issued as "B" numbers, thinking that A=1994 B=1995 for ALL new issues.

Not the case, however. It's the first year of issue for each GLOW that is A. So Nauset Beach that is coming out this year as a GLOW will be A=2003, next year B=2004, etc.

It's possible that for some less popular GLOWs, there may be a letter skipped in production because no new pieces were produced in a year. I'm not sure if that has happened or not, for sure.

A few numbering errors have occured with GLOWs. Some of the first year Old Point Loma GLOWs and another one (can't recall which right now) didn't have the letter prefix.

And, of course, there was the group of lighthouses that came out -- or were planned to come out -- in 1995. These started off as GLOWs but were changed to limited editions after collectors complained. The flags on these items do not show a planned production quantity, the numbering has a letter prefix and the label includes "Great Lighthouses of the World" Among this group are Mukilteo, Alcatraz, and others.

For that information, click here

When Cape Hatteras GLOW was issued in 1994, it was under the title "Great American Lighthouses", rather than "Great Lighthouses of the World" and there was NOT a copyright year on the Flag. Those problems were fixed with the pieces made starting in 1995. I rather think it's better to refer to these open editions as GLOWs rather than GALs, anyway -- but I'm sure others have a different moniker for them.

You can view the flag change here Scroll down near the bottom of the page and click on each flag image to view a larger picture of it. You can also see the two different flags for Boston Harbor 402 on this page.

Don't forget the helpful Product Search Feature at HarbourLights.com. You can enter the word "Boston" in the Keyword Search area or "MA" in the state area or "MA,CT,RI" to view products from those three states at one time.