|
|
Post by oldsteve on Apr 27, 2022 9:50:56 GMT -5
Good Day,
A lot of my little collection was purchased from eBay....... where every model for sale is described as rare. What makes a model rare?
|
|
|
|
Post by Tom on Apr 27, 2022 10:13:44 GMT -5
Availability vs desirability I guess. But when you want to sell for as much money as possible you don't describe it as 'common' or 'easy to find'. It's up to the buyer to do the research.
|
|
|
|
Post by oldirish33 on Apr 27, 2022 18:26:55 GMT -5
My friend Marshall Buck who owns CMA Models wrote an article a couple years back on the subject of rare and limited editions and I'll link it here: Numbers don't lieTo quote Marshall from the article, " The use of the word “rare” in descriptions has become so abused that maybe it should only be applied to cooking food. If a model is one that hardly ever comes up for sale and was produced in small numbers (250 or less), then it is generally considered to be rare, and most certainly if fewer than 100 have been made, it is rare. Numbers don’t lie." That is the yardstick I use, but like in cooking, the term rare is subjective. Hope maybe this helps. |
|
|
|
Post by jager on Apr 27, 2022 23:52:43 GMT -5
To me, rarity is more about the supply relative to the size of the market. In addition, certain models will be more in demand than others, even where there was a high production run. Maybe it was a specific colour that was more desirable than others, or a specific driver or from a specific race. Admittedly, that's probably "desirability" more than "rarity", but the two go hand in hand. Here's an example. This 1:43 Biante Holden was one of 3,000 pieces (I used Biante as an example because their models come with individually numbered certificates) and was described as "rare" in its eBay listing. In theory it's not actually rare, but the 'Red Hot' paint was a "desirable" colour " which helped this sell for US$160 / GBP 128....even though it was missing the passenger door mirror (maybe that's what makes it rare!). www.ebay.com.au/itm/234396296118 |
|
|
|
Post by GBOAC002 on Apr 28, 2022 3:40:06 GMT -5
An interesting comment Ian and I have a couple of perfect examples of what defines rare - or do they?.
My 1:43 Carlectable black Holden SSVU Ute 50th Anniversary Edition which I bought in Melbourne in 2004 was one of a run of 5000, but.... how many others will have been signed by Sir Jack Brabham? He was in in a book shop doing a book signing on that same day I'd bought a couple of models from a model shop in the city. That day and by sheer coincidence I was on walkabout and didn't know about the book signing. I was just gobsmacked to find a racing Hero present. I asked his assistant if he would sign the car for me and happily he did. So what's it worth now??? I have a photo from that day to back up this event.
On a similar theme and in 2011 at Sandown Park Racecourse where a Toyfair was being held Norman Jewiss of Jaguar fame was present. Quick thinking and a lucky purchase of an '61 E-Type gun metal grey 2+2 50 Anniversary Coupe I asked Sir Norman to sign my IXO special 50 year version which again, he happily did.
My E-Type may not be 'rare' but I wouldn't mind betting there aren't any others with his signature on. I know I mentioned this on here in the last couple of weeks but it fits the bill. What's it worth now?
Both of these hero figures are no longer with us and I can't envisage ever parting with these two models.
|
|
|
|
Post by JSB33 on Apr 28, 2022 4:04:17 GMT -5
I think I am in the camp of what the market thinks. While calling a Limited edition of 3000 models "rare" seems ridiculous, there are enough examples to show that this can be true.
I have found it harder to find an open ended production model than a supposedly "LIMITED EDITION" run of (Pick a number" simply because the non limited is in demand. Try buying some of the Can Am cars that were produced in the thousands.
Or, there were cases where something did not sell well when new which made the second round of buying difficult because it is just not out there.
But I know what Steve is talking about, everything on ebay is "SUPER RARE" but as Tom said, most of it is salesmanship.
|
|
|
|
Post by oldsteve on Apr 28, 2022 5:26:10 GMT -5
Thanks for everyone's input. I have to agree that it's rare if the model was produced in low numbers, or is a popular model that is no longer being produced.
Which leads to my next part of the question.................Where do you find out how many of a model were produced?
|
|
|
|
Post by JSB33 on Apr 28, 2022 13:55:49 GMT -5
Sometimes the production run is shared and sometimes we never know.
|
|
|
|
Post by Tom on Apr 28, 2022 13:57:22 GMT -5
I don’t think Spark releases that info. Minichamps does, it's on the plinth.
|
|
|
|
Post by alex on Apr 28, 2022 17:08:07 GMT -5
The rarest model I have was released then recalled (i don't know why).
Age and condition play a part.
As does having the original packaging in pristine shape.
In other areas of collecting, historical significance and provenance play a huge role, but not so much in model cars.
Sometimes it just comes down to quality/scarcity/uniqueness. This is the only know Patek Philippe cocktail watch of this style that is not marked "Tiffany". It was an estate piece that i bought as a wedding present for my wife (about a quarter of a century ago). I thought it was expensive at the time. Little did I know it would out perform the stock market.
The point is, buy what you like without regard to "potential" and keep the family heirlooms in the family.
|
|
|
|
Post by oldsteve on Apr 29, 2022 5:32:27 GMT -5
I have 2 "rare" Spark Models that I purchased off of ebay for around $350.00 USD each......I am in Canada. Fortunately, since purchasing these two, a couple of others have appeared and were sold for a few dollars more.
Another one I purchased from a store for $79.00 10 years ago and ebay has sold a couple of them for around the $200.00 USD point. However, this one just so happens to have my name on it, so it'll be handed down to the children.
I asked this question because, I have seen some models trying to be sold for $300.00 USD or so saying that is a "RARE" model but Minichamps produced 6,336 models. I can't see see how 6,000 is rare.
|
|
|
|
Post by Tom on Apr 29, 2022 5:44:12 GMT -5
It isn't, but when 8000 people want one it will be... Best to do some research (besides ebay).
|
|
|
|
Post by JSB33 on Apr 29, 2022 8:50:54 GMT -5
It isn't, but when 8000 people want one it will be... Best to do some research (besides ebay). This. Some confuse the word Scarce and Rare. Mostly these models are scarce and rarely up for sale. |
|
|
|
Post by oldirish33 on Apr 29, 2022 9:24:50 GMT -5
You also have to take into consideration that the prices some eBay sellers (especially in Japan) are overly inflated. You have to know what pieces actually sell for. I like Tom's word scarce for what is often termed rare. To me, if you see multiple models advertised on eBay that claim to be rare, they aren't. Scarce maybe, but rare no. Spark is also releasing earlier models which can have an impact on earlier release values. I wish they would distinguish the reissues from the originals somehow to help keep things straight.
|
|
|
|
Post by jager on Apr 29, 2022 23:42:21 GMT -5
I don’t think Spark releases that info. Minichamps does, it's on the plinth. As Tom said, general Spark releases usually don't have that information, but the limited run national series models from Raceland, Cartima, Biante etc usually do. More often than not is is these national releases that fetch the big bucks because they're limited to 100 - 300 pieces and may only be available form one or two sources.
While Minichamps and others often print the production numbers on the plinth or on a certificate, I have discovered there is a fair bit of 'artistic licence' when it comes to these numbers.
10 years ago, Biante commissioned Minichamps to produce this Porsche 956 as an Australia only release. I ordered around 150 models, sourcing them from just about every model shop in Australia as most had a limit on the number you could buy. What I discovered was that even though this was supposedly "One of 3,000" produced, there were no certificates numbered above 1,500. Further digging discovered that all the models in their "Biante Legends Series" were "One of 3,000", but in reality they just adjusted the real numbers produced based on the pre-orders.
Coming back to the issue of rarity, for 10 years this would have been a rare model outside Australia. However, 18 months ago Spark produced the car as a general global release, so its no longer as sought after as it once was. I have other Minichamps models, mostly McLaren F1's and Porsche 911 GT3's, which were limited editions that commanded over $200 each, but these days those same models have been produced to a better standard by Spark or HPI and they fetch $50 on eBay. Their rarity hasn't changed, but they aren't as sought after as they were because people have dumped them to buy the better quality examples.
|
|
