Sale of Stella Polaris

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Years ago, my miniarure of Stella Polaris sold at auction in London for £600.   It re-appeared recently at auction and went to day for £1,116!  

Sale link

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Stella Polaris as completed –

Pity I have stopped making them,    but it proves my point that collectors love miniature merchant ships.

 

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Bob,

Looks like a blue chip investment to me 🙂

Best Regards  Ray

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Pity I have stopped making them,    but it proves my point that collectors love miniature merchant ships.

Yes, indeed Bob, but despite your best efforts, modellers are not interested in making them.

Colin

 

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Colin – I know that well enough, but that worked in my favour – I may not have done so well out of them if lots of others were making them.    I only stopped because of allergy to glue fumes.    Bob   

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Yes, I am allergic to superglue too, horrible stuff! Deluxe materials Superphatic is a a good alternative though. It will stick porous to non porous materials very well and is inert and water cleanup. I use it all the time.

Super 'Phatic

Colin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Colin

I don’t know if I will build any more.   Since stopping, I have felt quite a lot of stress lifted off me.   I couldn’t cope with the  demand.    After working off a waiting list of 24 models, some years ago,I said that from then on, I would only build what I felt like building, and they would be sold on a “first come, first served” basis only after they were complete, but then I became inundated with things like:

Put me down for the next sailing ship

Put me down for the next steamer

Put me down for the next one whatever it is

If you ever think of building “xxxx” I will buy it

If you do a special “one off” for me, I will pay in full before you begin

I would like to reserve the one you are working on

Money is no object

I really could not deal with these statements or questions in any realistic way, and declining them immediately, however politely, set me up as the “villain of the piece – awkward and un-co-operative!

I am free from all that now, and the problem does not arise with my plan drawings, as once online, as many people as want them can purchase the same one.   But even so, I am not overwhelmed, and the income is not much, but it gives me great pleasure to sell steadily at £1,49 or £2.00 each.    My conscience would never let me accept extortionate prices for my models, but I did notice that if I got a good offer, and said they could have one for a lot less, I seldom got any thanks.   

Bob

 

 

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

You should never turn your hobby into a business, unless you want to do that, as it is no longer a hobby.

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Maybe, but I still enjoyed making them, all I asked was for people to wait until they were finished, and on my website, before buying them!    I never asked all that much for them, so I felt that they should at least follow my rules.   I took voluntary redundancy in late 1992 after a 31-year career at sea.   I was very well paid, and did voyage on, voyage off (5 or 6 week voyages), but was weary of the advances in electronics.   I never regretted leaving, although pay from models was almost always less than the minimum wage.     I also did a lot of writing, for which I was very highty paid, but that eventually dried up as far as printed magazines were concerned as the publishers evebtually lost interest in model shipbuilding.    I still write, but only digital online articles these days, as printed books became too much of a work-up, packing and posting them.     I am now into drawing – Much less stressful –      

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

A very interesting crossover from a hobby which costs you money, to the professional model making which Bob has done which became a burden to him, I design for the magazine because very few folk are either willing or able to do this dying art form, I still enjoy making models when that ceases I will stop and build steam engines 🙂

Rather like the retirement desion which we all had to make at some point money £ or quality of life I chose the latter 🙂 and don’t regret it !

Regards Ray

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Despite everything, it was successful, and kept me going from the age of 48 to about 60 when I took a reduced pension, but the real money was earned in writing after I secured a monthly column in a professional monthly

shipping paper.  It was historical, and illustrated by my ship models at a time that I was producing about 14 a year.    I did that for ten years.   Also, regular contributor for Conway Maritime Press in Model Shipwright until they discontinued it in about 2014.   And occasional articles for Model Boats who paid very high sums for articles.    But eventually, an increasing number of clients started taking advantage of me, such as:

Is the model ready?

Not yet, I am about to start it

Please complete as fast as you can, because I have already sold it!

—–

It would have been better if they hadn’t told me!

 

 

[Author]

Posts