Weekly Newsletter |
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Weekly Newsletter |
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Volume 1 Issue #4 Topic of the week has got to be the 1929 repaint Rolls Royce that FM has PULLED from it's shelves! Word now filtering down to the troops, is that the WHEELS were the nemesis here! The RED painted wheels should have been CHROME, as they are pictured in FM latest diecast catalog (Sure, along with the SMOKEY's decaled NASCAR Hudson pictured, and the neat, little ERROR Nash Metropolitan in previous catalogs)! It really is FUN catching all the MISTAKES in each F.M. catalog!). Seems one of the D4C's astute members, Jeffrey Girard, who KNOWS his cars, has pointed out that R.R. did NOT produce chrome wheels PRE-WWII!!!! If F.M. is looking to be CORRECT, the red painted wheels are correct! Until I hear differently, I think last week's scenario is still the best! The L.E. 450 SL Mercedes-Benz has been out on the D4C auction with a winning bid of of $821.00 as of the 6/29 auction! After the first 2 auctions of this rarity at $1003.00 (6/19), and a WORLD RECORD $1510.00 (6/21), apparently this model is settling down into the $700-$800 price range I feel it should be in! As we speak, their is another one on the D4C from one of our great German members, which is currently bid at $410.00 (sure, that price will stick!). It will be interesting to see where this one ends up! Although this DOES appear to be a really hard to find model (and nice looking too!). If these do keep coming out on the auctions, like everything else that is flooded onto the market, the prices will temporarily dip much lower than this! Of interest to those of us that enjoy making a few extra dollars at this hobby, I make note of the following from the D4C Forum board: "Auction Sight price discussion" From: Glenn Swanson Date: 6/29/00 3:27:36 PM "There have been quite a few examples recently of what might be considered price gouging on our auction sight of limited and discontinued models ala E-bay. From an ethical standpoint isn't it a bit much to charge a 150% to 200% mark-up? We are discouraging the enthusiasm of the new collectors who were not aware of this addictive hobby as soon as some of us were. Making a reasonable profit is OK on the opening bid. Let's let the feeding frenzy of the auction drive the price up. Watch out Pandora's box is opening again" Glen, you have a good point BUT, this is a capitalistic system we have here, and I don't feel that it is a question of ethics! Anyone can put their merchandise out for whatever they want (I KNOW I get a kick out of watching someone on e-Bay say it's RARE and Disc., and it isn't, pricing it at 2-3X RETAIL) BUT, it also means you DON'T have to bid on it! This hobby, as with all others, should be studied first to determine what a proper price is BEFORE you bid! Shame on the collector that is taken in by this kind of verbiage, "knowledge IS power", and in this case DOLLARS in ones pocket! I believe I've mentioned this before, but the prices realized on the D4C auction (I see models I advertise for $250.00 out with an opening bid of $325.00, and another I have at $575.00 out for $800.00!!! How SMART can those sellers be? A good reason to check my price list!) and on e-Bay, are NOT the only prices around! There are TWO separate markets working here! One, is of the people connected to the internet, and able to get a good buy on some things offered for sale; and then there is the OUTSIDE market where a MAJORITY of collectors are! They are willing to pay a higher price for the same article! UNTIL all are on the Net, there will be a disparage between prices on this 2 tiered system. I also have to say that a REASON often quoted to me by NEW collectors is that they have heard that BUYING a L.E. model is like having a good stock broker (pardon the comparison). You are ALMOST assured that if you buy a VERY LOW mintage model, at issue price, it will be worth more after they are SOLD OUT! OK, perhaps some new Collectors are really INVESTORS! There's no rules stating you can't be! If I had the money, and the CONNECTIONS to acquire a majority of a certain model, as a businessman in our system, I would! Only makes sense, as ALMOST any market can be controlled by one or a few people, if they get together and buy everything (anyone remember the Hunt brothers and the price of silver in 1979-80?)! I, along with you, would like to see this market for L.E.'s be a little less volatile, but, we don't control it, and are only players in the game! I buy quite a bit from the auctions to re-sell. The prices on many models sold on the Net are below what they are really worth. That's my opinion, as I deal with these models as my primary business. I believe I know what models are, or will be HOT, and which aren't. If you want to call me a gambler, I guess that's a good description. I've been in the collectible field for over 30 years, and have seen many FADS come and go. I don't feel that diecast car collecting is another Cabbage Patch doll or Talking Elmo! It's here to stay, and if you are not interested in making some EXTRA money to use in increasing your model holdings, or buying your wife a present (she might appreciate it and give you less of a hassle when you buy 10 models per week!), you certainly don't have to. The L.E.'s WILL slow down, as soon as F.M. sales get SLOWER then they'd like to see, but, I'm positive, you will see many more! I believe F.M. is smart enough to realize that bringing back out models that have been NOT AVAILABLE for quite some time, would be terribly DETRIMENTAL to diecast sales! They were ACCUSED of doing this with the Red/White 1955 Chevrolet hardtop awhile ago! Seems it's recognized that this release was TRULY of a group of models that were LOST within F.M.'s corporate structure! This was a $1000.00 model about a year and a half ago, that now brings +/- $100 on the auctions today! (OK, here's the SURPRISE Pick of the Week! TRY to order one!). This model is MUCH harder to find then the L.E. Camaro (2000 made), and WILL shortly gain BIG TIME in price, as collectors realize that it's GONE! 
Speaking of 1955 Chevy's, it's a SHAME, the the new GOLD 1955 Chevy
L.E. WITH CONTINENTAL KIT, will probably be the UGLY STEPSISTER, as it
is not CORRECT, per G.M.'s original 50 millionth car! Here's one that
really SHOULD be pulled BEFORE issue for a refit! We collector's of
everything F.M. will buy it, (begrudgingly), but I can't see the purists
interested at all, and rightly so! This has to be my "WHAT'S NOT" for
this week! I just can't leave D.M. out of this! D4C member Michael
Delbuck, had called D.M.'s customer service, and got this REPLY from a
Customer Service representative after asking her "What's on tap?" Her
ENTHUSIASTIC answer to OUR waiting ears was, and I quote verbatim, "The
Team cars and trucks, as well as the Garfield type themes", she
responded, "HAVE BEEN AN ABSOLUTELY HUGE SUCCESS for DM". "These
themes
are not even close to having run their course", she continued. "Much
more to follow", To Quote Lucy ( Peanuts ) "Good Grief, Charlie Brown!"
A repainted GREEN 1957 Chevy convertible and a NEW(?) 1961 blue T-Bird (
a slight difference from their 1961 Indy pace Car) really hold little
interest to most collectors! Please, D.M. representatives, contact Mr.
Jay Engel ( jriv@excelonline.com) for some ORIGINAL and REPRESENTATIVE
ideas on what's SHOULD be produced! From the company that gave us the
gorgeous 1941 Cadillac, the magnificent 1942 Chrysler T&C, and the
incredibly detailed Pro Street 1957 Chevy, team cars and Garfield are an
unheralded letdown! Although some of us enjoy these fun cars also,
offer us some new classics, 50s and Muscle Cars at the same time. Maybe
we'll buy them all!
Some recent NEWS from the e-Bay auctions scene has it that MANY of F.M.'s independent retail dealers (Hallmark stores, BETTER collectible outlets, Billy Bob's "Used Handgun's and Skeet" shop, etc.) that they either STOP selling the corporations products at 20-40% of the retail price listings on e-Bay, OR they will be harshly dealt with! I QUOTE from one of these seller's auctions, "Franklin Mint no longer is allowing retailers to sell their products on the internet so we our closing out our stock. All items are brand new in the original box with paperwork". Isn't THAT price fixing? Seems I have heard of another SMALL corporation, (MICROSOFT), that ran into MAJOR FEDERAL GOV'T PROBLEMS for this, amongst other No-No's! I always thought that once a dealership BUYS and OWNS a manufactures product, they were FREE to sell it for whatever the product will bring! Apparently F.M. doesn't know about (or doesn't care), the sometimes fierce price competition between G.M.'s, Ford's and Chrysler's AUTHORIZED dealers! If you want to keep the price at a certain level, you better CONTROL it all yourself! America's a great place for competition! SOME NOTEWORTHY SALES - Seems the Bonnie & Clyde with bullet holes continues to SLOWLY advance in price, as mid $200 prices are now the common place on auctions! Anyone care to make 50% on the INVESTMENT MONEY over the next year? This is one to watch! These were NOT grabbed up and HOARDED like the L.E. Camaro, and the few that are still being put out for sale will dry up sooner then most others! The 1949 L.E. Ford's are steady at $300-$400 range depending on boxes, papers and overall condition! 2 years ago, when issued, they were a HARD SELL at $200! Seems the market has absorbed most that were available. A NO NUMBER (replacement car that should NOT have gotten out of FM), 1956 LE is available, and at a very reasonable price, for this variant. Soon these will become recognized for the rarity that they are! Speaking of RARITY, I've been informed by a VERY LUCKY collector, that at a recent TOY SHOW, he was able to find a group of F.M. prototype models, (a 1957 Corvette in SILVER, a 1986 Corvette in BLUE, and a 1963 FIBERGLASS Corvette in RED), that he was able to purchase! This HAS to be the find of the week, and even more so as they are CORVETTES! My bids already in on these so I won't divulge the source! Congratulations! A 1955 R.R. brought $456.00 and, to my knowledge, that is the current HIGH watermark for that model! Amazingly, this is NOT discontinued, and the supply of nice models, without impairments is quite low! An astute collector/investor purchased TWO D4C Corvettes this week at $575.00 each, one for display, one for FUTURE TRADE! When the supply of duplicates dries up on this beautiful model, I see $1000.00 OR BETTER within 2 years! So many good things going for this one! The color, (only 15 REAL 1998 Corvettes produced in this color), the FIRST D4C L.E., (as more new members join, this model will become a LEGEND with them, much as the '61 P.B. Lincoln is!), and, it is a CORVETTE, (the MOST popular collected series, especially with F.M. bringing out 4 NEW Corvettes, 3 of them L.E.'s). A GIGANTIC sale Sunday on e-Bay was a 1951 SMOKEYS decaled Hudson NASCAR! Knowing both the winner and under bidder, watching this model go from $503.00 to $800.00 in 10 seconds was startling! At least 2 people know how hard it is to acquire this model! With this price, I would think a few collectors that have them would SURELY decide to sell them, and replace it in their collections with the current issue! (at least I hope to get another opportunity to bid on one!) This has turned out to be a real dark horse in the rarities race. I'll be doing more updates on these models next week, and hope to keep you all abreast of the behind the scenes goings on! As a tease, look for even MORE F.M. Corvettes to be issued, probably before years end! As they say, keep those cards and letters coming in with your thoughts and comments! Have a safe and healthy 4th of July! Regards, Roy return to franklindanbury.com |
roy@franklindanbury.com |
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