This is crazy (2 Viewers)
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damian
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Joe
That is interesting. The Britains Zulu war and Delhi Durbar ranges were very good. I don't often see Delhi Durbar stuff for sale on ebay.
Regards
Damian
OzDigger
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The traditional answer to that has been to "retire" the item and hope that collectors will make a mad scramble for it, and some people do fall for that con trick.
Oz,
I'm sorry, I just don't see any facts to back up a depression which is what a shrinking economy is, the US business rate is growing at 5% this year, China doors are bursting with growth, the indian economy is booming,the Arabs are making record windfall profits and spending like druken liberals do other peoples money. Suprisingly theres still not enough oil to go round to fuel the growth which has triggered the run up in oil prices.
The world is investing 3 billion dollars a day in the United States which fuels a huge trade deficit. Theres never been more money being spent and more products being built at any time in history. Life is better for more people than at any time in history. The world ecomony is healthier and more robust than ever before and shows no sign of abatement.
OzDigger
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India and China are the only countries experiencing true growth, the rest of us seem to be buying more and more from them whilst producing less and less. America has the world's largest trade debt.
In most countries there is an ever widening gap between the rich and the poor and house prices are getting further out of reach, especially the first home buyers.
Collecting is a luxury and will be the first sector to see downturns in personal expenditure. Clearly K & C are still selling, but I worry for the newer model companies as I fear there are even tougher times ahead next year.
In most countries there is an ever widening gap between the rich and the poor and house prices are getting further out of reach, especially the first home buyers.
Collecting is a luxury and will be the first sector to see downturns in personal expenditure. Clearly K & C are still selling, but I worry for the newer model companies as I fear there are even tougher times ahead next year.
Oz,
I think this is a half full vs. half empty arguement, though I agree with you about the luxury fo our hobby being the first to go in tough times. You are also correct about the smaller companies, HB to me is particularly troublesome with it's regular "Reformation" of production and there location really makes them vunerable. I get the sense that companies like NMA and patriot are part time entities and could easily just melt away in tough times.
Ray
I think this is a half full vs. half empty arguement, though I agree with you about the luxury fo our hobby being the first to go in tough times. You are also correct about the smaller companies, HB to me is particularly troublesome with it's regular "Reformation" of production and there location really makes them vunerable. I get the sense that companies like NMA and patriot are part time entities and could easily just melt away in tough times.
Ray
OzDigger
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Ray, well we are half way in agreement then 
Regarding economics in general: it's a concern to me that globalistaion has resulted in most companies chasing lower costs by sourcing their production in China and other countries with lower standards of living.
It's true that lower production costs usually result in cheaper products, and higher profits However, it also means the more developed countries such as the US, UK and Australia etc are becoming consumers and service providers with less and less actual production.
Regarding economics in general: it's a concern to me that globalistaion has resulted in most companies chasing lower costs by sourcing their production in China and other countries with lower standards of living.
It's true that lower production costs usually result in cheaper products, and higher profits
However, it also means the more developed countries such as the US, UK and Australia etc are becoming consumers and service providers with less and less actual production.Oz,
I totally understand your concerns, in fact I share them, I think I just have a more optomistic view of this "progression". Japan, S. Korea, and Tiawan all had poor economies that began by supplying low cost labor, India and China are in the early stages of this cycle. All these nations now give there people a life style they could only dream about 30 to 40 years ago. Hopefully someday we'll run out of poor economies to "Exploit".
Ray
I totally understand your concerns, in fact I share them, I think I just have a more optomistic view of this "progression". Japan, S. Korea, and Tiawan all had poor economies that began by supplying low cost labor, India and China are in the early stages of this cycle. All these nations now give there people a life style they could only dream about 30 to 40 years ago. Hopefully someday we'll run out of poor economies to "Exploit".
Ray
Louis Badolato
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I completely agree with Oz. I think the trend towards the death of the middle class started in the early 1970's, and has gotten worse every year. The cost of houses in the New York metro area in the late 1960's averaged 1-2 times the average annual salary for workers in the area. Today NY Metro area houses have an average cost about 12 times the average annual salary. Even one bedroom co-op apartments in Manhattan cost about 5 times the average annual salary. Pretty soon only the wealthy will be able to own a home in this area. Plus, with the exception of government/municipal employees, very few workers receive medical benefits for their families without having to pay about half the rising cost of health insurance, almost no workers receive dental benefits, and many workers have no pension plans. For the first time in American history, the present generation has a lower standard of living than the last generation, and the next generation is facing even more grim prospects. And the U.S. dollar itself is pathetic. For the first time in my life it is worth less than the Canadian dollar. I am really concerned for my children.
Harrytheheid
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I have to agree with you NM.
As a "western" person who's worked in many of the poorer countries in the world I have to say that the standard of living is definitely rising for the average indigenous man in the street. That's not to say that poverty doesn't exist - of course it does. All I'm saying is that I've seen things getting better in, for example, Syria, Libya, Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia, India, Scotland, etc.
Last one was a joke, kind of......Best Regards
H
And yet nearly without exception we all live better, longer and healthier than our parents.
Louis,
please tell me your making this argument for arguments sake? Here you are, the king of K&C collectors, I'd say literally spending thousands a month on your toys, with enough affluence to CHOOSE to live in one of the most expensive cities in the world, in a beautiful house where you added a special floor for your toys. You can always look at the negative side of life but I see no reason why our children will not live better than ourselves. Just as we take for granted many things that our parents struggled with, our children will take for granted the things we struggle with. The dynamics of life constantly change but people adjust and move forward.
Come on admit it!, Life Is Good!
Ray
Louis Badolato
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Ray,
Life is very good for me, and I am very thankful for the good luck that had me choose the one area of law where there are very few practitioners, a lot of demand, and which doesn't seem to be in any way effected by the vagueries of the economy. But I am the only one of the close friends I grew up with who is in this position.
My two best friends are (1) a NYCTA bus driver whose wife is a secretary and (2) a retired First Sergeant who now also drives a NYCTA bus, whose wife is a registered nurse. Both have 2 or more kids, and both are having trouble making ends meet. Both had to move to New Jersey, and add 2 hours a day to their commute, in order to afford to buy homes. People who are lucky enough to have the opportunities my wife and I have had are not the ones I am worried about, it is the folks who make the day to day life of America work that I was discussing. And life has gotten a lot harder for them.
Life is very good for me, and I am very thankful for the good luck that had me choose the one area of law where there are very few practitioners, a lot of demand, and which doesn't seem to be in any way effected by the vagueries of the economy. But I am the only one of the close friends I grew up with who is in this position.
My two best friends are (1) a NYCTA bus driver whose wife is a secretary and (2) a retired First Sergeant who now also drives a NYCTA bus, whose wife is a registered nurse. Both have 2 or more kids, and both are having trouble making ends meet. Both had to move to New Jersey, and add 2 hours a day to their commute, in order to afford to buy homes. People who are lucky enough to have the opportunities my wife and I have had are not the ones I am worried about, it is the folks who make the day to day life of America work that I was discussing. And life has gotten a lot harder for them.
damian
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I would agree with Louis on this point. From what I can see form my readings and travles the gap between the rich and poor has increased and the middle class has suffered a lot. This affects both the developed world and the undeveloped world. The rustbelt of North America and the abandoned industrial heartland on Britian are examples of this. The switch to the service industry is not really an adequate replacement for the jobs lost by companies moving manufactruing to other parts of the world. I went to the museum of mining in Derby in 2006. It was really sad. The guy who worked there had lived in Derby all his life. He told me his father and his grandfather had both worked in the mines. In those days there was no such thing as unemployment you simply went down to the pithead on Monday morning and signed on. When the moines closed in the 1980's the community died.
The unrestrained behaviour of multi nationals in the last two decades has lead to disasters such as the sub prime interest rate issue which is now threateneing to disrupt the world economy. The west mostly thanks to the USA ( to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude) won the Cold War but we now have run away capitalism which needs to be restrained and directed a bit if we are to have a stable world. If we allow these vast inequalities to persist then we will have ongoing instability and migration of people. Capitalism is the best way to create wealth but it must be a capitalism set on long term growth and development not just the quick buck of speculation.
I apologise if this post is considered political but the thred seems to be very much about this and I wrote it in the spirit of the thread.
Regards
Damian Clarke
The unrestrained behaviour of multi nationals in the last two decades has lead to disasters such as the sub prime interest rate issue which is now threateneing to disrupt the world economy. The west mostly thanks to the USA ( to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude) won the Cold War but we now have run away capitalism which needs to be restrained and directed a bit if we are to have a stable world. If we allow these vast inequalities to persist then we will have ongoing instability and migration of people. Capitalism is the best way to create wealth but it must be a capitalism set on long term growth and development not just the quick buck of speculation.
I apologise if this post is considered political but the thred seems to be very much about this and I wrote it in the spirit of the thread.
Regards
Damian Clarke
Canadian Samurai
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Well economics is my area of study at university and I would love to jump in with my view about this, that and the other thing but economics cannot be divorced from politics, and if there's anything I've learned on countless hobby forums it's to keep politics out of them. I'd like to think we could continue a mature and rational discussion but invariably someone loses their cool and it's all downhill from there.
One thing's for certain: as citizens in a democracy it's vital to keep informed about the world and have conversations like this, but at the end of the day none of us can change much about the global economy - it's too big and we're too small. The only time big change happens is when the status quo breaks down and those in power lose their legitimacy. We're not quite there, yet.
One thing's for certain: as citizens in a democracy it's vital to keep informed about the world and have conversations like this, but at the end of the day none of us can change much about the global economy - it's too big and we're too small. The only time big change happens is when the status quo breaks down and those in power lose their legitimacy. We're not quite there, yet.
Harrytheheid
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Damian,
I don't want to get political either, and I really hope that my statements do not cause offense to you. All I am saying is that while life for the middle classes in the west might be deteriorating as you quite correctly pointed out, from what I've seen, its getting better for 3rd world people, and this is a development that I'm so glad to see. As I've stated, poverty does still exist in many areas - but I have seen things begin to get better. Some of the nicest people I've ever met would be what you and I might class as deprived. I live in hope that their situation continues to improve.
My Very Best Regards
H
Harrytheheid
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CS, I meant to this add in my previous post. I completely agree with you - economics cannot be divorced from politics - but as you say, none of us can change much about the global economy. All we, as human beings can do is to keep ourselves sympathetic towards the plight of other fellow human beings. But all I would like to add is that I have definitely seen an improvement over the past 25 years in the living conditions of the people in the countries where I have been a welcome guest.
Very Best Regards
H
damian
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Well to get bacl to the issue of speculators I see the winter tiger and the Matilda have notr had any movement. The 88 gun 2004 version has a bid for 370 dollars. I wonder why there have been no takers on these other two sets.
Any thoughts
Regards
Damian
Any thoughts
Regards
Damian
damian
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7126189.stm
As I have said before we are chicken feed type collectors. This is for the real big money boys
Regards
Damian
As I have said before we are chicken feed type collectors. This is for the real big money boys
Regards
Damian
jazzeum
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Although I believe in caveat emptor, a few buyers are buying current items from this seller (the one about whom the thread was started) at twice their retail price. He doesn't say an item is retired but a few unsuspecting buyers aren't doing their homework.
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