Weekly Newsletter |
|
Weekly Newsletter |
|
Volume 1 Issue #6 I must say time certainly flies by when your busy, and busy we were this week, with the many auctions and sales going on! Before going into a diatribe on the flurry of action on the secondary market, I had commented last week about the affect of the NEW Creative Masters models on the established rarer pieces! The only current models we can compare is the Blue 1969 Camaro release and the ESTABLISHED SUPER RARE Yellow 1969 Camaro! Apparently this has had absolutely NO AFFECT on the latter collectibility, as the only one offered since the blue Camaro's release sold for $3200.00! True, this is down from the record high of $5500.00 for one sold in 1999, but this price drop seems to be due more to having a CORE group of C.M. collectors that already have this model, then to pressure from the new release! This is one very rare model, with QUOTED mintage's from sources inside Revell, ranging from approximately 140 to 188 models produced! This does NOT include the 12-15 pre-production pieces, (models with all or part of one fenders Z/28 emblem missing)! It's often been quoted that these pre-production cars had doors that were painted OFF COLOR from the regular run. This has proven to be false, as SEVERAL over the last 2 years, have come out of Europe, all having doors that were slightly off in color! Apparently these models were not all completed at the same time, and there will be differences noted! Until someone that was directly connected to this early Revell issue comes forward with the REAL STORY, speculation will still rule! Of more interest will be the issue in August of the #6 GT-40 as opposed to the scarce #9 Gulf car! Comparing a PICTURE of the NEW #6 car to having a #9 car IN HAND, shows visually NO DIFFERENCE except the numbers! I've been made aware that the NEW model is SUPPOSED to have many new photo etched parts that the original didn't, and will be overall better in detail! Until we have the 2 NEXT to each other, this will be a MUTE point to argue about! There IS currently a #9 out on e-Bay that is only now drawing only a $200 bid (It is from Europe and the seller has DIFFICULT payment rules that MIGHT hinder active bidding!). It will be interesting to see where it finally ends up! Other older models have been on e-Bay since the announcement of the release of the NEW GT-40, and prices have been in the Very high $300 to mid $400 range! FYI, the last one selling on D4C brought $461.00 on 6/14/00! Pre-order auctions on e-Bay have drawn bids as high at $125.00 for models that can be ordered for $109.00 from some of the better dealers on the Net! Just goes to show, people THINK with their wallets, NOT with their brains! More to come! 
I had mentioned peripheral collecting associated with the
FM/DM line of model cars! These are the little things that bring
a collection together, give it diversity and character! Dioramas
are one such thing! The "Garage Scene" with the NEW red 1958
Corvette, is an interesting piece to talk about! F.M. has
changed the price on this once so far, going from $195.00 to
$245.00 and has made MANY diehard Corvette Collectors UNHAPPY!
For the life of me, I can't support a $50 price jump on this
$90.00 model with a $37.50 display case that has been DRESSED UP
to look like your garage! Wasn't $105.00 price ENOUGH of a
profit for them? Well anyway, I hear sales are SLOW on this and
there is a possibility that this COULD BE a one issue run! If
so, this will become a MAJOR piece on the secondary market (NONE
have been offered for sale, IN ENTIRETY, on any of the auction
sites) and the $245.00 price tag, will be considered a GIVE
AWAY! Food for thought! Also here, we have to make note of the
ELVIS 1956 Harley Davidson display and accessories! To Quote
from the D4C PENDING review of this piece, by my good friend
Tony Perrone, " Tony Perrone says, "According to the letter sent
specifically to me by Stewart Resnick, the unit has, "an
attractive issue price of $195." The year 1956 is referred to
many times in the brochure, so I assume the H-D is that model
year. The included guitar replica is a Martin D28, said to be
Elvis' favorite. He appeared on the cover of the May 1956 issue
of "The Enthusiast, A Magazine for Motorcyclists". The FM issue
includes a full sized reproduction of that publication. It has
me All Shook Up!" The display and a scale sized hat are also
included". Well, tilt a FM regular $37.50 display stand on it's
side, slap "Ol' Swivel Hips" picture in it and collect $60.00
for it! If it works, give the GENIUS that though it up, a
promotion to V.P.! If not, hand him a MOP!D.M. had made a great little collection of antique gas pumps, such as the 1912 Bowser Red Sentry, and the 1920 Texaco Fry amongst others, and at $29.95 per, were a great little addition to your antique car collection! I'm not sure if still available, but certainly worth a call to those UNDER WORKED D.M. operators to check and see if you can scoop some up! (While there ask them about the newest Garfield release or a DUCK HUNTERS truck, let's keep that staff AWAKE!) These are just a few examples of peripheral collecting with many more to come! Some, consider this JUNK, others call these pieces GEMS, just depends on ones perspective of the hobby, but to my eye, it just ADDS to the overall pleasure! During the week, I get quite a few e-mails asking me to dwell on different aspects of our hobby in the next issue of WHWN. I'd be here all week trying to answer each one, but will try to get some answers out when a few folks ask for the same info! To quote one curious collector, and to paraphrase the MOST asked question this week "Your read on the BLUE Euro 1973 Mercedes 450SL LE auction pricing (recent $610 to former $1,510). Also, NO offers in last 3 days before the D4C Auction closed. . . . . What's up?" Thanks, Al, for the question! The L.E. 450 M-B has been a hot topic for about a month now, and prices have definitely drifted lower! Not that there is a lack of interest in this beautiful piece, but MOST of the collectors who were BUCKS UP and WANTED that piece as soon as possible, have now acquired it and, the secondary tier of buyers are now in command! This SECONDARY TIER, have some strong collector/investors included in their group and, I have noted that one buyer has acquired anything that remains around $650, and another is always there at the $600-$620 range! This group knows that all the auctions on the web are won or lost in the last five minutes activity, and they are a sophisticated and self controlled entourage, playing THE GAME to win! Just a brief re-cap of activity this week on this particular model! I FINALLY received my models of this vehicle ( I was LUCKY enough to get model #1, currently on display at our store, and models #6-#9!) and had PRE-SOLD 5 of these at $850.00 when these models sold between $821.00 and $1510.00! On 7/9 one sold on D4C for $695.00 from England, 7/11 one on e-Bay sold for $663.00 from Australia, 7/13 one on D4C sold at $610.00 Jay Olins had this, I believe, as a club fund raiser, and the BEST BUY of all! On 7/15 one from e-Bay sold at $651.13 from a collector/investor in Fla. and currently there is one on D4C ending 7/18 currently at $411.00 ( PLEASE, no one bid on that one! PLEASE, PLEASE!!!) and from a German collector! I feel that this is the low watermark for this model and, if your finances allow, buy one at this price range! I have confirmed that over 150 of these are now in STRONG hands and will be hoarded for FUTURE sales thus making LESS THEN 300 available to all who want them! INVESTORS holding these are convinced that AT LEAST $900 or BETTER are PROBABLE within a year! Currently, this week I have sold 2 others in this price range and have had MANY offers for TRADE on them! This will be one to continue to watch and see where supply and demand take it! 
The second most asked question was "Why won't FM make more
Bonnie & Clydes w/ Bullet Holes in the Fall? The rumors persist.
". . . ." I believe Raffi had mentioned on the D4C Forum that the
expense and time taken up to do each one was just MORE then F.M.
wanted to expand on, and would PROBABLY not be done again!
Although a VERY popular model and a big price jumper in the last
few weeks, I believe F.M. sees the value in creating some VERY
LIMITED issues which keep collectors talking and, will bring in
NEW collectors into the hobby simply by hearing about the
EXCLUSIVITY of many of these models and, let's call a spade, a
spade here, the RAPID price rises afforded to such models! I
also believe F.M. has the SENSE to NOT kill a good thing when
they see it! To re-issue a rare model, after the secondary
market has already embraced it, will simply cause MANY of F.M.'s
current and NEW collectors to defect back into something else! A
BURNT customer is NOT a happy customer and REPEAT business is
what F.M. really needs! More questions answered for next week,
but let's get to the real meat of this column, ACTION on these
little cars this week!Sunday 7/9---F.M. 1959 L.E. Caddy $252.50 on Da Bay! Just about where it should be! F.M. 1982 Collectors Edition Corvette, e-Bay, a STEAL at $670.00! Don't see how I missed it! F.M. 1970 Mach I L.E., e-Bay, $300.00! These are getting HARD to buy (Hint, Hint!) F.M. 1930 Duesenberg (yellow/green to be Disc.) BUY OF THE DAY at $49.00!!!! F.M. 1941 BLUE Lincoln, D4C $700.00 and a VERY GOOD buy at that! Congrats, Michael! F.M. 1940 Duesenberg, D4C $440.00, Styro box and Blue papers only! These are just HARD! F.M. 1970 RED Chevelle L.E. e-Bay $305.00. Just a picture of the car, nothing else about it in the description! If perfect a good deal, if not, well.... PRIVATE SALE- F.M. 1951 "Smokey's" decal Hudson! At $950.00 a VERY happy customer!!! Monday 7/10---F.M. FOP Lambo with box and papers $1700.00! Who said CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION is dead??!! Two heavyweights battled to the death over this! REAL interesting F.M. 1957 Chevy BLACK & WHITE Hardtop $325.00! Boy, this this bring out the questions and suppositions! Advertised that it may or may NOT be a mint made model, the consensus seems to believe it wasn't BUT was surely an interesting model and found an appreciative home here on the East coast! If Raffi had confirmed it, $1000 or better you'd be looking at! F.M. 1948 MG L.E., e-Bay $480.00! Just about where it should be! F.M. 1957 Caddy Eldorado, e-Bay $401.00, depends on just HOW MUCH crazing is present, but told it was perfect! F.M. B&C with bullet holes, $500.00! Pretty strong in the $400-$500 range! Amazing what a 1500 mintage car can bring these days! Just an observation here. On D4C three models were offered at OVER MY RETAIL PRICE! I just don't get this! All 3, to the credit of the many bidders, had NO SALE stickers posted after them! If your going to sell, at least check what I and other dealers have these models listed for! People ARE talking about this, and are not very complimentary! Tuesday 7/11--- F.M. 1970 Mach I L.E. styro box and NO antennae, e-Bay $212.50! Have an aerial, make an $385.00 model! F.M. 1961 Black Lincoln MIB, D4C at $400.00, and a nice purchase! Clean ones are so hard to find, especially with HIGHER prices on the White Lincoln L.E., the appreciation is leaking down! F.M. Harrod's Jag, D4C at $321.00! Seems to now be a SOLID $300+ model, and will EVENTUALLY be recognized for what it is. These WILL go higher soon! PRIVATE SALE- F.M. 1997 Black Corvette Both boxes and papers at $639.00 Due to an $800.00 OPENING price on the D4C auction! Thank you very much! Wednesday 7/12--- A REAL SLOW day with only an Airstream trailer going on e-Bay at $436.60 with no box or papers! These lovely LITTLE models have backed off a bit in price from their $700+ high watermark, but should start to re-coup, as owners are getting gun-shy of letting them go this cheaply! There had been a small flurry of these recently, and the market perception is that they are not that scarce! If I remember correctly, Raffi stated about 1500 were produced, and there is now NO CHANCE (a rumor kept persisting that this would be re-issued) that we will see it again as it has been OFFICIALLY declared discontinued! Thursday 7/13---F.M. 1948 Chrysler T&C, e-Bay $204.50 Box and Papers. A MUCH UNDER-RATED, discontinued model, here's another one to watch! I like it better then the D.M.! F.M. 1982 Collectors Edition, D4C $831.00!!!!!! I just had to check with the owner and yes, it was a white lettered tire car! I SHOULD raise my prices again!!! PRIVATE SALE- another and LAST "Smokey's" Hudson at $950.00! Next one up should top that elusive 4 figure number! I'm glad to see that this rarity has FINALLY come into its own! Can you imagine how many are out there in NON INFORMED hands, just waiting for a vampire to trounce on it! It boggles the mind!!! Friday 7/14---ACTION was Friday's by-word, as a F.M. 1992 WHITE Rolls Royce is bid to the staggering heights of $1035.00 on the D4C auction! I know the English consignor went to his local PUB the next day, and passed more then a few PINTS in celebration! I'd very much like to say that this model is worth it, but I can't! This was a case of two STRONG opponents having some FUN with their filthy lucre, and seeing who would be the first to blink! This, in all honesty should be +/- $400.00 depending on condition and accouterments! F.M. B&C with bullet holes, D4C to a more reasonable $435.00! Has the frenzy subsided?? F.M. 1941 Maroon Lincoln with Box & papers, D4C $210.00, a little soft but HEY, we're into SUMMER! F.M. 1940 Duesenberg Mint, no box or papers D4C $310.00 and a decent buy here! F.M. 1970 L.E. Chevelle Styrofoam box only, e-Bay $290.00, a good deal if the PAINT is OK! F.M. 1939 Maybach box and papers D4C $275.00 and an excellent buy! Saturday 7/15--- F.M. 1961 Lincoln Mint but no box or papers $350.00, and a nice buy! F.M. 1896 Ford Quadricycle, D4C $365.00! Don, send me my commission check on this next week! Seems I had mentioned last week that one sold for $405.99 and my buddy, Don Bellows took advantage of a STRONG market! Still haven't seen another offered for sale! F.M. Harrod's Jag, D4C $300.00, a slightly weaker price, but still a good lick up from previous months sales! Get them while you can! F.M. 1969 L.E. Camaro, e-Bay $274.00. Seems that the little Camaro that WOULD, SHOULD be posting a 10%+ price hike this week! Have you noticed that not quite as many are being offered? There are still plenty out there, but a small surge in demand is pushing these ever so much higher! Another one to be watching! I tried this format to see if you, the readers preferred it this way, or off the cuff as I've been doing! Please let me know which is your choice as I'd like to please the majority out there! I believe I've shared my What's Hot with the above report, now to the What's NOT! Checking all the auction forums as I do, I've noticed one area that hasn't kept in step with the rest of the hobby, that being PICK UP TRUCKS! Our most utilitarian vehicle seems to get no respect on the secondary market! Although primarily made by D.M., F.M. has a small scattering of them, and amongst those are the 1996-2000 Christmas trucks, and the "Old Reliable". Is it that none of us grew up on a farm, only remembering the more pleasant passenger cars of the times? Have a fright every time we see a tailgate? Or just find them, for the most part, ordinary? I've always enjoyed them, having particular favorites as the 1937 Studebaker issue and the incredibly detailed 1956 Ford Custom. But on auction, most gather small bids and no attention! It's really a shame as these are well put together models and truly deserve better! If you have none, or a few, I'd suggest checking them out. Might just be the next step up in your collection! Hope you enjoyed our weekly get together and I shall return next week with some more insight into this fascinating hobby! As they say, keep those cards and letters coming in with your thoughts and comments! Regards, Roy Return To franklindanbury.com |
roy@franklindanbury.com |
|
Copyright© 1998-2000 Irene M. Rauch All Rights Reserved. Franklin Mint ®, Danbury Mint ® and Creative Masters ® are trademarks of the Franklin Mint ®, Danbury Mint ® and Creative Masters ® respectively. We are NOT associated in any manner, nor do we have any connections or license with the Franklin Mint ® Danbury Mint ®, Creative Masters ® or any other company listed within this website. An
Copyright © 1997- 2000 Strum Business Solutions |
