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Volume 1 Issue #9 
New announcements this week from F.M. concerned the NEW
"Agajanian Special", the 1952 INDY 500 winning, Troy Rutman
driven, Offy powered, #98 Championship car! Done in 1/16th scale
(9 1/4" long"). This model comes complete with quick lift jack
and assorted accessories as well as a detailed interior. It is
constructed from more then 180 separate parts! I received a
brochure in the mail, and issue price will be $120.00! Can this
be the start of an Indy 500 series from F.M.? I would expect so
if this is a top flight seller from that Philadelphia vendor!
D4C has it listed as $145.00, however, the order form I have
states 5 payments of $24.00! Perhaps another pricing experiment
by F.M., but if you want this, give F.M. a call and use order
form #21899-88600-001! (I do expect a commission check in the
mail next month from mentioning this! Are you listening, F.M.?).
"HOT" again this week is the F.M. 1957 WW Corvette! I'll go into auction happenings later, BUT I have been informed by Pete M. (mystery correspondent DEEP within F.M. corporate structure, or was he a simple Gallery customer who purchased both BW & WW tire cars at the same time?) that these 2 models DID INDEED have the same WEAVE seat pattern, mentioned in last week's WHWN! Now, before all of you who spent hundreds of dollars, go out to the garage, shut the door and turn your favorite car on to breathe that sweet smell of exhaust, this is not all that bad! Looking at it with a little F.M. logic (an oxymoron??), here we have a model that is to be discontinued at year's end. Back in early 2000, they knew this, and placed an order for enough models to have on hand so that they could PROMOTE it at the Diecast Event in May! Just how big an order could this have been? Raffi Minasian has stated that F.M. usually makes a Minimum of 3000 models, and I think this is probably on the high side for the Corvette! This model was first introduced in March of 1993, and just how many have SOLD over the last 7+ years? I would think tens of thousands! How many folks would still want to buy one, even being discontinued? This is definitely NOT a handsome model! The blackwall tires and dog dish hubcaps made it understated at best! They made a GREAT year Corvette into a rather plain and ugly duckling! We are surmising that in that 2-3 month period since they were sent out to Gallery stores and into mail order, before the recall, probably +/- 400 pieces were sold. That's a LOT considering its past history! I've been able to change tires off a 56 Corvette onto a 57 and it looks identical! Now what do I do with the 56 Corvette? Gee, I have an ULTRA RARE BW tired '56 Corvette!! That would FLY wouldn't it? Perhaps to a neophyte to collecting, but anyone around for 6 months or so would spot this immediately! It will be interesting to see how many e-Bay SPECIALS do come out after F.M. re-tires the models properly, and releases them out to the public! We know that real WW Corvettes have the new seats, and so will the re-issued BW cars! Again, just how many could there be? If ALL were switched over to WW after they've gotten into the hands of the unscrupulous, you'd still have a 3000 or less mintage model! With '70 Red Chevelles, '55 Pontiac Convertibles and the beautiful "55 Ford Sunliner, all L.E. models of 5000 pieces, bringing $350+++, what's to keep this Corvette from reaching this pinnacle? The WW Corvettes were not hoarded like the '69 L.E. Camaros were, and it is BETTER looking when compared to the BW version (Look at the picture!). It's also a Corvette, and will be wanted by all Corvette collectors! To the EXTREMISTS, (I include myself in this group) we will want one of the NEW BW Corvettes because of the SEAT variety! Perhaps I carry my VARIETY collecting too far, but I enjoy it and I have FUN doing it! After I wrote the above on Saturday, Raffi left a message concerning the WW Corvette on the D4C bulletin board, for anyone who might have missed it, I repeat it here verbatim, "Back in 1998, I have to check my notes to confirm exact month, but it was early 98. I started a project for FM that was to be a version of the 1956 vette. One of the things that I did was modify the tooling slightly to update the details and make it more realistic. One thing that I did was change the texture on the seats. I gave it a more recognizable waffle pattern. Unless I miss my guess here, this seat is the same in 56 and 57 models and is used as part of the tooling set for both cars. So, at some point in early 98, FM ran the red 57 and used the new seat tool with blackwall tires. Then later in 1999 or early 2000 did another run of cars but goofed with the white walls. This is the only way I can think that this could result in the two cars. The black tips are a crap shoot. It is very common for a run to go through and miss this small detail. Many cars in the line will have this detail and then miss it when it is rerun. Not knowing for certain about how the tooling set is built for these two cars, makes this only speculation, but I think it is a fairly logical explanation. FYI, the 56 version was never made afterall, but if it was run today, those seats would be different as well. " Now, we really have NO IDEA how many BW tired cars were previously made with the new seat design, and how many will be coming back! It is certainly an interesting tale, no matter what! As to pricing, we will just have to wait, and see what kind of bids they will now bring on auction! There is a small group of them on e-Bay and one on D4C! Stay tuned as this story meanders to a slow conclusion! Our ever increasing networks of correspondents, (spies , informers, ne'er-do-wells, tattle-tales, etc.), have come up with some interesting "HOT" RUMORS about the current situation concerning the F.M. Red 1929 Rolls Royce! Seems that F.M. is in the process of CHANGING all the tires and wheels over from the red rims to chrome rims! NOT certain is if they will change the Black wall spare tires over to chrome rims, and white wall tires as pictured in F.M.'s new "Precision Models" Catalog on page 40. (Just received a NEW one with a great picture of Al Capone & Bonnie and Clyde on the cover! Kudos' to their ART DEPT. on this, may I request a 24x36 glossy???? Guess NOT!). IF this information is correct, and I have no reason to believe it isn't, the RED wheeled 29 R.R. will go down as THE RAREST F.M. minted regular production car ever made! Sky's the limit on pricing this model now! ( NEVER listen to my opinion! whatever I tell you that seems logical, will mean that they will do exactly the opposite!) Only auction prices will be an indication of what these will be worth! I just suggest that you hold off on purchases, as the new release date is supposed to be Sept. 24! (as with MOST important matters with F.M., this date is written in PENCIL!). More INSIDE info, this time from D.M., (bet those F.M. execs are breathing a sigh of relief now), is to expect SOMETHING NEW within the next month or so! If divulged, I'm sure D.M. would discharge the person responsible for letting the cat out of the bag to me, so it shall only be mentioned in passing! I've received TWO very good questions this week, and will give my best shot on answering them! From the Grand Duchy of Fenwick, (D4C member Ed Stutz, for those un-initiated souls), wrote the following: "One of the rarest (by numbers) Mint issues is the DM Model A Hershey's livery panel at 500 units. This should scream 'valuable' by every measure of collectibility. Yet its original sales lagged, there's no current demand, and the $ value remains flatlined. How is this explained against the frantic scramble for WW Vettes, especially with such conflicting info on the numbers, potential for counterfeits, etc.? Is the 'LE' value based as much on hype/misinformation/confusion as it is on actual known facts? This question is interesting to explore. As a knowledgeable collector I know that 'right now' the value of the white-walled Vette is dynamic, but will eventually settle. I also know that the Hershey's panel is the key unit to a complete collection of the DM liveried Model A panel series, something that won't be recognized or appreciated for a number of years. Had I the choice of owning either replica, I'd opt to have the Hershey's A in my collection. My comments here are offered with the hope that you'll include this in your column, your uniquely valuable info regarding long term hot/not hot issues." Ed, I must thank you for the much appreciated praise. I feel I can contribute a little insight into our hobby which, hopefully enriches everyone's experience here! Enough self praise, to the question. D.M. models, although until recently better BUILT then F.M.'s, just have not had the following of the F.M. models! Perhaps the fact that they FOLLOWED F.M. into the diecast market some 4 years after F.M.'s first introduction had something to do with it. Not counting the many makeovers for D.M. of TEAM vehicles, and such, F.M. has OUT PRODUCED them almost 2 for 1! F.M.'s continual, (although it doesn't seem like it), releasing of NEW or re-painted models, and their current interest in releasing L.E. cars has caused a much higher rate of F.M. collectors then D.M.'s! Now, before you point to the fact that the D4C "ON LINE POLL" shows 1162 F.M. collectors to 1055 D.M. collectors, (roughly 10% more D4C members collect F.M. over D.M.), it doesn't take into account ALL the D4C members NOT on the Net (and there is a BUNCH of them!), and all the NON-MEMBER collectors that buy from the mints directly! D.M.'s direct marketing ONLY sales venue does not compare to F.M.'s direct marketing, mail order, Gallery Stores and IRP dealers network! Let me correct you on the assumption that there is no current demand for the Hershey's! Looking at the last 5 sales of this model on the D4C auction, indicates to me that the KNOWLEDGEABLE collectors there, RECOGNIZE a true rarity! In 11/99 one sold for $350, on 12/99 it sold for $350, (I believe I bought one or both of these!), on 4/00 another sold for $380, on 5/00 one sold for $410, on 6/00 a final model sold for $510! Besides the FEW I have in stock, (this was my FIRST volume buy of a model I thought was destined for glory!), rarely do you find it offered! I don't auction this model anywhere near as often as I do others. I feel that as the collector becomes more advanced, he'll seek out what he wants, and I'm just the fellow that can help him fill that DREAM spot! Ed also asked, "How is this explained against the frantic scramble for WW Vettes, especially with such conflicting info on the numbers, potential for counterfeits, etc.?". The THRILL of the new find, the POTENTIAL for a quick profit, (a $910.00 sale certainly is a QUICK PROFIT!), the MYSTERY and STORY that is becoming exposed and imagined, is all part of the LURE to a WW Vette! Like hunting for buried treasure, or that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. A fascination with something NEW always will replace the desire for something old! I discussed numbers and counterfeits above, these things not withstanding, the ERROR Vette is here to stay! I also would rather have the Hershey's then the Corvette. I like the LOOK better, and I LOVE CHOCOLATE!!! But since we can have both, why not! Harry Clawars wrote on the D4C Board, and I'm paraphrasing, "A possible topic for you from one who got burned by an Not Available (model) that then became Available (you know which Duesenberg! ((20 Grand)). Is there any history that shows e.g., after (x) months of being Not Available there is a very low probability of FM making it Available, or how many Not Available's eventually become Available's again? ETC." I don't think F.M. has any set # or time for these things! I believe if they got ORDERS for a N/A car by the droves (and by that I would think a few THOUSAND!) then they probably would re-issue it! I doubt that they can be bothered by the interest we show in DISC. or N/A cars! I would think they realize that having RETIRED images HELPS promote the hobby to a larger percentage of people! Having made something RARE unintentionally, or in Limited Editions, promotes sales volume, creates demand, stimulates interest among your core collectors, but most importantly, they are able to sell out a product quickly, make a profit and immediately move onto the next project! As much as WE bitch about some issues we have with them, we CANNOT get enough of their product! If they were able to come out with an issue a week, as long as they were of the same quality, and of interest, we would buy them! Your 20 Grand just happened to be one that was gone for a good while, and brought back! They must have had MANY requests for it! The BLUE 1993 R.R.was N/A for a long time also, and it's back again! How about the silver EUROPEAN 1973 Mercedes-Benz, that was bringing a few hundred dollars just now being advertised in F.M.'s NEW catalog on page 30 with, and I LOVE this, "Imported directly from our European facility!" (Funny, I didn't know Hong Kong was in Europe?) I'd bet money that you will see some DISC. models brought back in NEW colors! They did it with the 1935 Auburn and will probably have more coming out as they see a "Collector Frenzy" happening out here! Auction action this week shows that the summer slowdown has arrived, and is a terrific time to be getting those models you want at REDUCED prices! This trend was showing up last week but perhaps the infusion of the error models (1929 Red R.R. and '57 WW Corvette) and the very low L.E. of the 1973 M-B 450 SL, caused much more interest in models overall, then the same time last year! Sunday 7/30--- e-Bay for some reason had FEW notable models, or sales for the day! I did record a F.M. Gold 1948 Tucker sell at $128.06, a strong price for a still available (but not for long!) model, and a SIGNED Shelby bringing $510.00! The D4C action was much more exciting starting with a N/A 1924 Tulipwood at $220.00 with no box or papers from France! Also from France was a '88 black Porsche with styrofoam box, no papers at $130.00, a '53 F.M. Caddy, no box or papers at $160.00, and a Jouef '64 Ferrari GTO in L.E. #27 form selling for $500.00! This last model shows how international the D4C auction is, as it was sold by a frenchman on an American auction to a good collector in Argentina! Giveaway this night was a '48 DISC. blue Tucker in styrofoam box for $67.00! A 1997 Black Corvette sell for a strong $610.00 while a CMC Horsch L.E. of 1000 is hammered down at a respectable $370.00. Closing out D4C was a N/A 1941 Lincoln with styrofoam box going for a rather inexpensive $146.60. Monday 7/31---e-Bay is much more active today with a 1955 F.M. Ford Sunliner NOT SELLING at a $376.00 bid, and a '61 Lincoln NOT selling at $380.00! (These 2 models were later that day sold privately at a HIGHER price!). A 1915 Stutz did not reach reserve with $156.56 offered, and a '57 WW Corvette was a NO BID with a $800.00 reserve (currently on e-Bay there are a few available from $262 UP). A '55 L.E. Packard sold for $250.00, right on the mark! A '69 L.E. F.M. Camaro at a strong $275.00 and a Petty Superbird brought $123.51 on a $120.00 RETAIL price from 2 PETTY fans! D4C had less going on as a 1915 Stutz sold for $180.00 with box and papers from France, a decent buy was a '34 L.E. Packard at $116.01, a 1935 white Auburn sells at $120 plus postage from the U.K. with box and papers, still a nice buy and a DISC. 1959 Caddy Biaritz was a NO SALE at $240.00! Tuesday 8/1--- Action picked up a little on e-bay with a Bonnie & Clyde bullet hole car getting $360.00 on a ONE bid sale! These have certainly come back down to earth after a few $500+ sales! I attribute it to the overall slowdown with a lack of participation from many bidders. Then turn it around with a 1958 Corvette selling over RETAIL at $95.05! A '49 Ford P.B. was bid to $310.00 but did not meet the reserve, and rightly so. A D4C Corvette and a black 1997 brought bids of $540.95 and $504.95 for the same consignor, who had them both as NO SALES with reserves not met. Final noteworthy sale of the evening was a '57 Aqua T-Bird, box no papers at $193.00! The D4C auction had a few stars as one of the rare 1929 Red Rolls Royce's sold for $700 in what appears to be, with hindsight, a very good buy! A '57 WW Corvette sells at $400, and I bet the consignor is now all smiles, and a '69 F.M. L.E. Camaro gets a nice bid of $280.00 to close out Tuesdays events. Wednesday 8/2--- Seems to be another slow day on e-Bay with the big news that a WW'57 Corvette sells at $550 with no less then 10 bidders vying for the dubious honor of owning it at that exalted price! A Wells Fargo stage gets a decent showing with a $165 hammer price. The discontinued PINK Edsel from F.M. closes close to its retail at $117.50 in a surprise move upward, and the DEAL OF THE DAY was a discontinued blue Tucker falling for $66.50! One day these will command a decent premium, but apparently, not today! D4C was quite active Wednesday night with a '63 'Glass Vette selling for $110.00, not a bad price on a nice model. A Pair of '30 Duesenbergs, maroon and yellow/green went off at $118.00 and $119.25 respectively! A strong price for models that have been around for years now. A Harrod's Jag for $310.00, staying over the magic $300 mark! A '48 red MG/TC MIB brings $360.00, and for this time of year, a strong showing. A Bonnie & Clyde bullet hole car get $375.00, still showing weakness from the 2-3 weeks ago highs. The finals tonight go to 2 NO SALES, a cutaway motor complete with box and papers at $1100.00, and a tad too early for "Primetime Players", "SMOKEY'S" Hudson at $1295.00, testing the rarefied air above $1000 and finding no one home! Thursday 8/3--- This was not a terribly interesting day on e-Bay, as the best deal of this day being the 1915 Stutz I stole for a ridiculous $103.50! A no box or papers car, still in MINT shape, and impossible to acquire, USUALLY, at this price! A 1993 Corvette sells at $103.50, and to think I was satisfied selling one on D4C this night at $70.00! I always pick the wrong auctions to sell my models on! A 1959 Corvette is OVERBID to $100.00 with only a styrofoam box. A model that always draws near its retail was the 1998 Rolls Royce that sold for $113.06. The Star of the night was a 1957 Pontiac Bonneville! I couldn't believe the $237.50 that it brought! Both buyer and under bidder were NEW by their feedbacks, and I've put this down to IGNORANCE! Last sale on e-Bay was a NO SALE as a '57 WW Corvette was to bid $400 and the reserve was not met! A light evenings auction for D4C as the only notables were a '51 LeSabre selling at $104.99 ( did you know there are 2 distinct colors to this model? Perhaps I'll tell this story in another WHWN!). A 1955 Corvette was the talk of the BB today by selling for $100.00 in non original box but mint! But the most controversy was garnered by a D.M. 1958 Edsel in McDonalds livery colors (from now on, and forever, to be know as the McEdsel!) with spirited bidding this model (said to be only 1000 made, UNCONFIRMED figure) brought $430.00!!! Love it or hate it, this model certainly got the attention of everyone! It's price caused such a stir that I see one on e-Bay now with DAYS to go at $150.00+ (RESERVE NOT MET), and one just put out on the D4C auction at a starting bid of $350.00! Now that the price has been established on the secondary market, will it stay or was that just a ONE time FLUKE sale? We'll know by next weeks WHWN! Oh, by the way, Phillymint had an auction today. (What, you think I'm going to give Vince a free plug on MY SITE!). Friday 8/4--- Two 1956 L.E. Chevy convertibles were up for grabs on e-Bay, one, a NO SALE, at $140.00 and the other was sold for $153.50! (Perhaps some collectors don't know that there is a hoard of these on the East coast and a BIGGER HOARD in the Mid-West! Also some smaller hoards of 20-50 models around the country! A really nice looking model that sooner or later will bring a nice premium. It depends if the owners can just afford to SIT on these until demand increases!) A 1934 L.E. Packard sells cheaply at $105.02 (watch this one 6 months from now! F.M. is at the end of this run and it is one of their nicest models, sure to get $300+ by next summer!) 
A 1959 Corvette in styrofoam
box gets OVERBID to $100.00 and a beautiful 1941 BLUE Lincoln
draws a NO BID at a $700.00 starting price! UNLESS F.M., in its
corporate wisdom, deems it prudent to issue these again to the
collecting public (PLEASE, a JET BLACK one would do nicely), I
can't see how this model could sell cheaper. In all fairness, I
have to quote Raffi here from the D4C Bulletin Board on 7/28
regarding his thoughts on the BLUE Lincoln, "Why a car like the
non numbered blue Lincoln fetches over $500 regularly with
virtually only speculation as to the numbers and rarity carrying
the image, is beyond me." I feel the reason for the STRONG price
is the ABSOLUTE lack of these models being offered onto the
secondary market!". I think Raffi might be giving us a slight
indication of the true mintage here. BUT, even if 6000+ were
produced, where have they gone? Has FORD decided to only give
away a thousand or so to its employees and has the rest in
reserve for some other corporate function? If the L.E. 1982
Corvette, with 6759 made commands $750+ at auctions, why not the
Lincoln? I just love to speculate! On to D4C for today. No real
rarities here tonight, but a 1955 L.E. Packard pulls down
$254.00, a clearcast L.E. Corvette gets a final call at $125.00,
and the best deal of the night was a 1998 Xmas truck only
selling for $130.00!Saturday 8/5--- LOTS of action on e-Bay with a '98 Xmas truck going for $125.00 and making some buyer very happy with this good deal! A '56 L.E. Chevy sells for $150.00, very steady in this price range. A 1957 Caddy with bad paint and a styrofoam box goes to a happy new owner at $181.08. Another F.M. L.E. Camaro get the cheapest price of the week at $212.50. A Red '48 MG/TC with a missing mirror but with box and papers draws a $220.37 winning bid! A GOOD buy as a mirror should NOT be worth $150.00! A RED FLAG Limo sells on one bid for $200.00. Too bad the buyer wasn't familiar with the D4C site, which sells these at $155.00! A Bonnie & Clyde bullet hole cars slips a little more, only getting $358.00. Still 50% higher then it was selling for 3 weeks ago. A '57 WW Corvette sells for a strong $405.00! F.M.'s 1961 Black Lincoln, with both boxes and papers in MINT condition, rallies to a winning $500.00 bid! Seems the current slowdown had little effect on this model. Last on e-Bay was a 1973 L.E. Mercedes Benz drawing $709.00 bid but NOT reaching it's reserve. Seems buyers are balking at anything approaching a mid $700.00 price, and the sellers are UNWILLING to let them go for less! More to come with this rarity! The D4C had little to offer in scarcities tonight, with a 1924 Tulipwood, no box or papers from Germany, selling for $221.00. A L.E. Camaro picks up from the e-Bay low, and sells for $260.00, and finally a '57 WW Corvette is a NO SALE with a $375.00 starting price. We have a lot to look forward to in the week coming up. More info on the WW Corvette, perhaps more on the Red Rolls Royce, and I have some interesting information on some little known F.M. varieties and some HOT PICKS for upcoming rarities! I hope you enjoyed this issue, and will be back for more insight and information. Please keep those questions and comments coming in! Have a GREAT week! Regards, Roy Return To www.franklindanbury.com The "WHAT'S HOT, WHAT'S NOT!" Archive |
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