Weekly Newsletter |
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Weekly Newsletter |
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Volume 1 Issue #3 Quite an interesting week as diecasts go! We've learned that FM has 2 NEW Limited Edition VW models available with a mintage of only 2000! One of FM's smarter advertising ploys is to sell these models a La the REAL VW's ad campaign, only over TFM's internet website! If you recall a few months ago, VW did the same thing for their Vapor Blue model. It could only be had the same way! I believe VW has SOLD OUT its edition, (I see no more ads on T.V.!), and have no fear that FM will also! Also of INTEREST is the revelation by D4C member David Binotti, that while he was at the Chicago International Collectibles Expo, at a TFM booth he spotted NEW L.E. Corvettes to be issued in a run of 5000! There will be a 1997 T-top in blue, a 1998 red convertible, and to go along with the newly released blue 1999 Hardtop in NON-L.E. form, is one in white! I must say that once FM has "seen the light" as to the collectibility of the L.E's, they've jumped on the bandwagon with both feet! ( PLEASE, would SOMEONE wake up that DM representative SLEEPING in the corner, and inform him of this fact!). I have to hand it to FM, as the Corvette series they produce is UNDOUBTEDLY their most collected series, (I can't begin to tell you how many fellows collect JUST VETS!), and with their current group of rarities (i.e.. 1982 Collectors Edition in 2 varieties, 1997 BLACK and 1998 Club Car, not discounting the 86 Mid America Pace Car), and UPCOMING scarcities (disc.1968 model, the LE Cutaway 1967, and, even hard for me to believe, the stalwart 1957 Classic Roadster due for TERMINATION at the end of this year). TFM HAS to be planning an expansion of this line! It wouldn't surprise me to see them put out a masterful 1962 model to COMPETE head to head with DM's best! Since DM has released a really nicely done 1963 Stingray, that most collectors believe to be SUPERIOR to FM's GLASS Vet, TFM's design staffs PRIDE and REPUTATION is on the LINE here! MORE TO COME!!! Al Rice's D4C Bulletin Board question "Too Many Limited Editions? Comments please!" has caused some interesting comments, and above all else, strong feelings about this subject! (Please see Forum #8031 for more details). My thoughts on this are as follows, " If we can't get NEW models, I'll take a re-painted old one any day!" or "I never met a L.E. I didn't like!". Purists to the collecting hobby, be what you are, and buy ONLY those models which interest you and "be damned" to the others (models , that is). The die has been cast and the L.E.'s are now HERE TO STAY! FM has FINALLY learned that they can release the SAME model in 12 different colors and limit production to 2000 and quite quickly sell out of them! WHAT A MARKETING TOOL! You'll see that this will be the way of the future UNTIL we all get tired of buying 12 of the same thing! The VW thing is CUTE. It has a HISTORY, (sold on internet only, etc.), built in with each model. How do you sell it in green, black, white, orange, brown, ad nauseum? Sorry, things like this won't fly! They COULD fly, if each model is given a THEME, i.e.. put some accessories with each model, different then the next. Have PEOPLE (miniature, of course) come with each! A purple one with racing stripes with a DRIVER and MECHANIC working under the car (racing tires, racing harness, roll bar etc.), some college kids with books and luggage STACKED on a roof rack of their lime green beauty, just off to school for the first semester, a Mom, holding a young child, talking on a cell phone OUTSIDE the black car looking at a FLAT front tire, with a group of Rug Rats plus pooch, inside the vehicle ( just a thought here, but buy THIS one for your bride. She MIGHT appreciate it, and let you buy an extra car or 2!)! I think you see what I'm talking about; a Mini diorama with each separate model. I'm SURE TFM design staff is talented enough to do this! They have created some great accessories in the recent past (i.e.. Christmas trucks, 46 Suburban, etc.,) Why not let them??? I'd BET that many of us would even pay $10 more per model to have this NEAT stuff! If this isn't your cup of tea, don't buy it! TFM WILL be coming out with more UNIQUE models, and there will be many which the purist will want! DM, on the other hand has been doing SOMETHING like this with all their TEAM stuff and Cartoon creatures, but this material is not directed to the automotive collector! (Irene, however, loves them, has them, and they are now part of our collection. She's happy, and a happy wife means MORE cars!) Where are the L.E.'s from DM? Nope, not under that rock, or behind that door! They just currently DO NOT MAKE THEM! Here's hoping someone is watching, and reading some of the great suggestions put out on the Web! Now to get to the JUICE of this matter...MONEY! You can be assured that if you CURRENTLY buy 2 or more of each limited edition, that you WILL make money on them! PLEASE, do NOT throw rocks at your computer screen! This is just a FACT! Our collecting hobby, for all practical intents and purposes, started in 1983 with FM introducing that first 1935 Mercedes Benz 500K model! I REMEMBER it, but didn't buy it! I didn't get my first PRECISION model until 1995! Just had too many other hobbies (REAL CARS, talk about spending money, $25,000.00 for a motor!) coin collecting (do you have ANY idea what a NEW coin with a 2000 mintage is worth today? How about a 1995 Silver Eagle ((dollar)) produced at West Point with a mintage of over 30,000 currently bringing $2000.00!!!). Stop and think that the collecting of FM/DM models didn't really catch on until 1996! Yes, there were many collectors of these before that date, but NO organization, (Thanks to Mr. Olins, there is!), and virtually NO ONE knew what was produced by the mints OR CARED! It was a haphazard hobby at best! Until the advent of the D4C and the realization of what RARITY was, this hobby had no direction and no adhesion! It does today! Collectors usually find out that after they collect anything for awhile, that the INVESTING and FINANCIAL rewards become a factor. To some a driving force, to others, a nice addition to a purist hobby! It is what YOU want it to be! It is a shame that some of the scarcer discontinued models now cost hundreds and thousands of dollars, and the new collector wishing to obtain that elusive model can't afford it, but that is life in a capitalist system! How many of you SAVE up your funds for months, sometimes years to buy that EXPENSIVE model that is your desire? Except for the rich, it has to be most of us. Our hobby is NOT like Beanie Babies or Cabbage Patch Dolls. There is no UNLIMITED amount of any of these, (although some models SEEM to have been produced forever with unending numbers), and to make a limited amount of a model, and then retire it is only good business! Time alone will tell if our hobby will implode upon itself, but, being that the collecting of all motorized vehicle models has been around since the beginning of the LAST century, I feel confident that it will last WAY after I'm parted from this mortal soil. ( Here my Great Grandson, sell this model car on e-Bay and pay for your college tuition!!!) 
I can't help but comment on the news this week that FM has
PULLED it's VERY RECENT rendition of the 1929 Rolls Royce
repainted in RED and Black! MUCH speculation, and, of course, no
official word from FM, about WHY this was done! Comments heard
about the horrible color to the wheels stick out too far from
the body have been heard! Rumor of approximately 100 or so
models were sold before this untimely intervention run rampant!
Hummmm, does this scenario ring a bell with some of you? Let me
tell you a FM fairy tail, and let me know what you think! Seems
I remember back a century ago (was Aug. 1999 THAT long ago?)
that a certain 1959 RED/WHITE L.E. of 5900 Cadillac Eldorado
Seville 2 Door Coupe was PULLED because the TOP was not exactly
right and GM was terribly upset! A handful had gotten out and
were bringing many hundreds of dollars because FM was going to
RE-ISSUE a corrected version of this faux pas! Flash forward 4
months and "Here Comes Da Caddy's" (sing it to "Hear Come Da
Judge" from the old "Laugh In" show of the 60's!) EXACTLY the
way they were! Seems that there had been a licensing problem
that was finally ironed out! DO YOU REMEMBER THIS? To all my
friends and customers (you are the same aren't you?) DO NOT go
hog wild over this----YET! Save your money and spend it wisely.
How many of these did FM produce? The usual figures bantered
about for a first issue model is in the area of 3000-5000 models
per run! Do YOU think that FM will DESTROY that many models to
correct a minor fault, or take them apart to repaint them again
into a BETTER color combination? NOT!!!!! This is a business,
not a hobby for them! That's a LOT of models anyway you look at
it! My guess, since R.R. has changed hands since the original
1929 R.R. was produced, is AGAIN one of licensing! I do NOT know
this as a fact but will take an EDUCATED guess at it! Translated
from the Greek "BUYER BEWARE"! Enough on this topic. (I was
going to get this onto my site earlier, BUT had to wait to see
what ebay Item #359359925, a 1929 RED R.R. MIB would bring! My
CONGRATULATIONS to the winner at an ASTOUNDING $761.01!!!
Perhaps I SHOULD heve gotten this up quicker!!!)
I see that the "HOLY GRAIL" of all diecasts, the DM 1933 Pierce
Arrow with OPENING TRUNK is out on the D4C site with an
INCREDIBLY LOW opening price of $2799.00 with currently NO
TAKERS! (My records show 17 models currently known!) Can you
imagine me calling this much money cheap! This is the ONLY open
trunk car I know of that is currently for sale at anywhere near
that price! I certainly won't sell the one I have for that! The
high watermark for this model is $6000.00! Please, NO ONE buy
it, as I might do a swap for some ugly Krugerrands I have laying
around here! Other noteworthy sales for this week have to be
$1510.00 for the 1973 L.E. Mercedes Benz 450 SL! I DO NOT expect
this price to stay this high! I feel $700-$800 SHOULD CURRENTLY
be the correct range ( you will NOW see these coming out from
collectors and members that are able to obtain them in Europe
and overseas!) and perhaps even less! As an aside, the Harrod's
pieces are selling in the mid $200 range with low numbers STILL
garnering almost double that! If you haven't gotten a Harrod's
piece yet, NOW is the time. Stock is said to be UNDER 100 left,
and will be gone before you know it! REMEMBER, the Harrod's car
WILL BE continued next year with this being #1 of the series!
The ever popular L.E. 1961 Lincoln brought $1200.00.
Congratulations to the lucky winner! (I was underbidder!). The
DM's ONLY L.E. car the 1931 HERSHEY'S Panel Delivery brings
$510.00! Guess my pricing wasn't too far off as I'm quoting
$499.00 for that little silver and chocolate beauty! Will we
ever KNOW the real story behind that model? Last but certainly
not least, the FORD 1941 Blue Lincoln brings $750.00! Did anyone
BUY Vince's yet at $695.00?? I see it's still there! (Yes Vince,
I DO check your site! LOL!)OK, BEST buy of the week has to be the FM Bonnie & Clyde WITH bullet holes! This model SHOUTS OUT for a couple of MOB figures to be displayed with it! I LOVE the detailed holes with the CRACKS around the bullet holes in the glass (only missing a flat tire to be truly realistic!) and the whole ambiance of this model. It's this kind of EXTRA work, that brings collectors into our order! One DID not sell on D4C this week at $275.00 and probably was a missed DEAL! With only 1500 CONFIRMED made, (other numbers are quoted but INSIDERS say 1500!), and NO MORE to be produced, your looking at a car with a story to tell. It should be MUCH MORE money soon! Consider the fact that the 1997 Black Corvette with 1550 made is now $500+ (OK, so it's a VET!), this is certainly my pick of the week to bring some HIGHER bidding soon! Nothing to really call "What's NOT' this week, except DM's lack of new material to SPARK our interest, and continued buying of what were great models! While Irene and I are putting all of our collection in display cases to showcase in our store, just couldn't help admiring DM's 42 T&C, their ALMOST new salmon and grey '55 Nomad, 1957 Pro Streeter & "Bomb Squad" Panel (guess that's the old retired COP coming out of me). Some truly remarkable pieces of metal, that always bring a smile! Enough for this week, hope these few minutes have brought you some relaxation and kept your interest kindled in our much under appreciated hobby! As always, feedback and comments are always appreciated! Regards, Roy return to franklindanbury.com |
roy@franklindanbury.com |
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