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170 15% OFF!! Pharo Collection, 5 numbered pieces, 3 unnumbered, all have boxes, C of As, and tent cards

Each piece will be boxed, placed in an outer shipping box with as many as can be safely shipped (there may be more than one shipment), and packed for a 30' drop should that occur in handling. Shipper only insures first $50 valuation at no additional cost. PLEASE NOTE: I will only refund this amount ($50) if damage occurs unless buyer has purchased additional insurance. If buyer wishes additional insurance, the cost associated with additional insurance will be calculated and buyer will pay additional cost. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANT INSURANCE OF THE PURCHASE PRICE PRIOR TO MAKING PAYMENT.

PHARO COLLECTION HISTORY (as per my inventory notes): Introduced in November of 1999 and intended for marketing outside the United States–starting in England and Germany.

In February 2000 Harbour Lights announced that they were producing the Pharos Collection to be marketed in the UK. The edition size was 8,000 with the first 2,000 going to the U.S. They were made smaller than the limited editions produced for the U.S. because collectors in the UK don’t have the room like collectors in the U.S., and it was thought that the smaller size would make the collection more salable. The orders for the U.S. collectors sold out quickly. In October of 2000, Harbour Lights advised its U.S. collectors that the first shipment of the collection had been received, but the entire shipment failed HL’s routine quality control inspection and they decided to table the collection. They then cancelled all pending orders for the Pharos Collection.

Even though production was indefinitely halted, 400 sets were sent to the UK. Numbering started with 2001 and ended with 2400. Initially thought to be poorly-made, the shipped pieces were, in fact, extremely well-crafted. In spite of HL’s request that dealers and collectors refrain from hunting for the Pharos available in the UK. . . , collectors didn’t listen and pieces began appearing. Mark Baldacchino, owner of “All Things Nautical,” was found to be the UK dealer with the lowest price. He became the main provider for the U.S. and ultimately sold 200 sets of the 400 sets shipped to England. It was believed at this writing (2002) that another 50 sets were possibly shipped to the U.S. by UK dealers, making the total available in the U.S. of 250 sets and another 150 sets sold in the UK.

The PHAROS COLLECTION is comprised of eight (8) pieces, five (5) numbered pieces were issued in February of 2000 and retired in October of 2000; the remaining three (3) unnumbered pieces were issued at a later date and also retired with the other five pieces. NOTE: My inventory notes do not contain an explanation of why the three (3) unnumbered pieces have "British Isles Collection" on both the figurines and their associated boxes, and why the boxes are different from those in the Pharo Collection. I'm hoping a Harbour Lights collector can offer an explanation that I can include in my description.

▪PORTLAND BILL, Dorset, England, PC 101, #2314 (numbering started with 2001 and ended with 2400) of 400, made in China (only piece with green felt covering the bottom), box (#10), tent card.

Portland Bill Lighthouse is a functioning lighthouse at Portland Bill, on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. As Portland Bill's largest and most recent lighthouse, the Trinity House-operated Portland Bill Lighthouse is distinctively white and red striped, standing at a height of 135' (41 meters). It was completed by 1906 and first shone out on 11 January 1906. The lighthouse guides passing vessels through the hazardous waters surrounding the Bill, while also acting as a waymark for ships navigating the English Channel

As Portland's prime attraction, the Portland Bill Lighthouse is open to the public for tours. A visitor center is housed in the former lighthouse keeper's quarters. The original center closed in 2013 due to lack of funding, however a new renovated center opened in 2015. The tours operated at the lighthouse last approximately 45 minutes and visitors are able to climb the 153 steps to the top of the lighthouse.

MEASUREMENTS: L = 7" x W = 3¾” x H = 6"

▪BISHOP ROCK, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, England, PC 102, unnumbered, 400 sets issued, made in Malaysia, blue felt covers the bottom, box (#11), tent card.

Bishops Lighthouse is often referred to as "King of the lighthouses" and it is indeed a very impressive structure. With a height of 161' (49 meters) the lighthouse is the equal in height to the tallest in England, Eddystone Lighthouse.

The interior of the lighthouse consists of the following: Below and inside the lighthouse are 10 floors with spiral staircase to the 2nd floor with a door (made from gun metal (likely bronze) and installed in 1887 that leads down an external metal (likely bronze) ladder to climb down to the large exterior base. From the base another metal ladder provides access to a stone staircase to the waterline.

The floors of the lighthouse are occupied as follows:

1st floor – Water tank (providing fresh water for lighthouse keepers)

2nd floor – Entrance room with metal door leading to exterior ladder to base below

3rd floor – Store room, with window

4th floor – First oil room, with oil tanks formerly used to light the lamp

5th floor – Second oil room, with window

6th floor – Living room for lighthouse keepers, with window

7th floor – Bedroom for lighthouse keepers, with window

8th floor – Store room

9th floor – Service room

10th floor – Lamp

MEASUREMENTS: L = 4½” x W = 3¼” x H = 6"

▪TRWYN DU, Island of Anglesey, North Wales, England, PC 103, #2042 (numbering started with 2001 and ended with 2400) of 400, made in Malaysia, blue felt covers the bottom, box (#10), tent card.

The first lighthouse was erected in 1838, at a price of £11,589 ($1,384,929 in 2021). There had been a call for a light at this location for some years by master shipmen in the nearby city of Liverpool, especially after the steamer the Rothsay Castle ran aground and broke up on nearby Lavan Sands in 1831 with 130 people losing their lives.

The present Lighthouse, built 1835–1838, is 95' (29 meters) tall and was designed by James Walker. It was his first sea-washed tower, and a prototype for his more ambitious tower on the Smalls.

The Lighthouse has a stepped-base designed to discourage the huge upsurge of waves that had afflicted earlier lighthouses on the site and reduce the force of the water at the bottom of the tower.

Austere vertical walls, instead of the usual graceful lines of other rock towers, are probably an economy measure. The tower has a crenellated stone parapet, in preference to iron railings on the gallery, and narrows in diameter above the half-way point. These are features used by Walker in his other lighthouse designs. The tower is distinguished by its original three black bands painted on a white background. Its also bears the words "NO PASSAGE LANDWARD" on its north and south sides.

Walker also pioneered, unsuccessfully, the use of a primitive water closet, comprising a specially designed drain exiting at the base of the tower. The stepped design of the lighthouse may have helped water exit the closet, but surges of seawater made its use difficult during heavy weather.

The light-source initially was a 4-wick Argand lamp, set within a 1st-Order fixed catadioptric optic manufactured by Isaac Cookson & Company It displayed a fixed red light.

In 1922 Trwyn Du became the first Trinity House lighthouse to be automated, when it was converted to unwatched acetylene operation.

The lamp was converted to solar power in 1996 and the lighthouse was modernized extensively at that time.

At present the Lighthouse has a 15,000 candela light that flashes once every 5 seconds and can be seen 12 nautical miles (22 km) away. Additionally, a 178-kilogram (3½ cwt) fog bell sounds once every 30 seconds. There was also a lifeboat station built in 1832 nearby, but this closed in 1915.

The tower has been unmanned since 1922 and is checked from Holyhead Control Centre. In August 2019 Trinity House started trials of a new fog horn, stating, "The bell is activated by an ageing electronic striker mechanism which no longer provides the assurance of reliability which is needed."

MEASUREMENTS: L =4¼” x W = 3¼” x H = 5"

▪NEEDLES POINT, Isle of Wight, England, PC 104, #2311 (numbering started with 2001 and ended with 2400) of 400, made in Malaysia, blue felt covers the bottom, box (#10), tent card.

This is the second light at this location. The first (built in 1785) was often obscured by fog and sea mists, a problem that eventually led to its replacement some 70 years after it was built. Before work could begin on the new tower a sizeable section of rock was cut away to provide a level base. Tunnels were also excavated within the rock behind the tower to provide rooms for storage. An oil burner, with four concentric wicks, provided the light source atop the new tower; it was set within a large (1st-Order) fixed catadioptric optic provided by Henry-Lepaute of Paris. Keepers' accommoda-tion was provided within the lighthouse, which was to be staffed by a team of 3 keepers (of whom, at any one time, 2 would be on duty in the tower and 1 on shore leave, by monthly rotation).

The lighthouse was first lit on 1 January 1859. It initially displayed a fixed red light with a white sector. The tower itself had initially been left as plain granite (not coated nor colored), but in 1886, so as to make it stand out more prominently against the cliffs during the day, it was painted with a broad black stripe around the middle; the metalwork of the lantern was also painted black, and dark curtains were hung within the glass when the lamp was not in use. In 1922, a more powerful incandescent paraffin vapor burner was installed, which increased the intensity of the light from 35,000 to 500,000 candlepower.

During the World War II, the lantern, lens and lamp were badly damaged in a German aerial attack. After the war the lighthouse was repaired: in 1946, a new electric light was installed (powered by diesel generators providing 100 volt direct current); then, in 1948, a new, 2nd-Order fixed catadioptric optic was made for the lighthouse by Chance Brothers, to replace the one damaged in the war.

Before automation, the lighthouse was staffed by a 3-man crew operating a 24-hour watch, serving 1 month on/1 month off, living in rudimentary conditions in 3 levels below the light. In 1987 a helipad was added to the top of the lighthouse. By the early 1990s the Needles was the last Trinity House lighthouse to be powered by 100 V DC electricity from its own generators. Before it could become fully automated, a submarine power cable had to be laid, bringing 240 V mains electricity to the lighthouse from the island. By the time the last keepers left on 8 December 1994 the Needles was one of the last 3 remaining manned rock lighthouses in England and Wales.

MEASUREMENTS: L = 5" x W = 3" x H = 5"

▪BALLINACOURTY POINT, Dungarvan Harbour, County Waterford, SE Ireland, PC 105, #2094 (numbering started with 2001 and ended with 2400) of 400, made in Malaysia, blue felt covers the bottom, box (#10), Certificate of Authenticity, tent card.

The light at Ballinacourty was first established on 1st July 1858. The light was converted to acetylene operation in 1929. Electrification of the light took place on 12th February 1964. The present light source comprises a cluster of 4 x 35W halogen lamps and was installed during the 2005-06 re-equip of the station.

Additional information from directionireland.com (June, 2021): Ballinacourty Lighthouse is situated on the rocky eastern shore of Dungarvan Harbour, in County Waterford. It was established at the initiative of the merchants and ship owners to guide ships into Dungarvan Bay, and the first light flashed in 1858. The tower is 13m high (16 meters above the sea level) and is made of local limestone. The lighthouse was converted to electric in 1964, and present light source comprises a cluster of 4 x 35W halogen lamps with range of 10 nautical miles. The lighthouse is closed to the public and there is no direct route, as it is surrounded by a golf course. The only way to get there, is to walk through the rocky shore from the beach of Ballinacourty Point.

MEASUREMENTS: L = 4¾” x W = 4¼” x H = 3¾”

▪LONGSTONE, (Outer Farne as it was first called), Longstone Rock, one of the Outer Staple Islands, England, PC 106, unnumbered, 400 sets issued, made in Malaysia, blue felt covers the bottom, box (#11), Certificate of Authenticity, tent card.

Longstone Lighthouse is an active 19th century lighthouse Completed in 1826, it was originally called the Outer Farne Lighthouse, and complimented the earlier Inner Farne Lighthouse.

Historic England website update (June, 2021): NORTH SUNDERLAND LONGSTONE NU 23 NW Farne Islands 5/178 Lighthouse on Longstone 22/12/69 GV II Lighthouse and Keeper's cottage. 1826 by David Alexander for Trinity House, Newcastle, enlarged later C19 by Joseph Nelson. Ashlar and dressed stone, painted red and white. All the buildings are set on a tall, dressed-stone base, rounded in plan with a segment-headed doorway in alternating-block surround. The base has a bold, roll-moulded top. Tall, 5-story circular tapering lighthouse with small, square openings in raised surrounds. Platform with iron railings below the light. The light has trellised glazing bars. Small domed roof. Lower rounded extension on east side for foghorn. To right a single-storey, 2-bay cottage, rounded at each end. Segment-headed 12-pane sashes. Door on left return. Roof hidden by parapet. Of great landscape value and famous for its association with Grace Darling (18l5-42) daughter of the keeper who with her father rescued five people from the wreck of the Forarshire in 1838.

Listing NGR: NU2459138983

Legacy

MEASUREMENTS: L = 7½” x W = 4¾” x H = 5"

▪BELL ROCK, off the coast of Angus, Scotland, is the world's oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse, PC 107, #2292 of 400, made in Malaysia, blue felt covers the bottom, box (#10), Certificate of Authenticity, tent card.

It was built between 1807 and 1810 by Robert Stevenson on the Bell Rock in the North Sea, 11 miles east of the Firth of Tay. Standing 35 meters tall, its light is visible from 35 statute miles inland.

MEASUREMENTS: L = 4” x W = 3” x H = 6”

▪OLD LUNDY (LUNDY ISLAND), British Channel, England, PC 108, unnumbered, 400 sets issued, made in Malaysia, blue felt covers the bottom, box (#11), Certificate of Authenticity, tent card.

In the extremes of the Bristol Channel, off Devon, is the Island of Lundy, 3½ miles long by ¾-mile wide and said to have 20 miles of dangerous coastline. It is a rugged mass of dark granite, surrounded by reefs of sharp rocks that make an approach to the island difficult for those unfamiliar with it.

In 1819 Trinity House decided to build a lighthouse on the rocky summit of Chapel Hill. The granite tower was 96' high with the keepers houses connected to it. It cost £10,276 ($968,754 in 2021).

Because the site is 407' (124 m) above sea level, the highest base for a lighthouse in Britain, the fog problem was not solved and the Fog Signal Battery was built about 1861. The lighthouse had two lights, however they revolved so quickly that they gave the impression it was a fixed light with no flashes detectable. Eventually the lighthouse was abandoned in 1897 when the North and South Lundy lighthouses were built. The Old Light and the associated keeper's houses are kept open by the Landmark Trust.

MEASUREMENTS: L = 7¾” x W = 3½ x H = 6"

CONDITION: Very good. Displayed for a short time in glass-enclosed curio cabinet.

If damaged in shipping, buyer must save damaged carton to show shipper’s rep condition of boxes.

NOTE: for the most part, I only collected full size Harbour Lights. GLOWS and Little Lights of Mine will be clearly identified as such should I find I have any.