Ebony Visions Investment Market Watch
Friday, July 18, 2008 10:28 AM
Series Complementary Pieces Event Exclusives Designs limited to Annual Production Club Exclusives
Limited Editions Smart Investments Designs Introduced by Years New Realeases Retiring Designs

In general, the more limited an Ebony Visions piece is or the longer it has been retired, the more valuable it will be. The secondary market for collectibles is driven by supply and demand. That's why it's important to pay special attention to categories that are limited either by a specific edition size or time period because they will demand a higher market price and, therefore, a higher return on your investment.

In the Ebony Visions collection, designs within the following categories represent the most limited designs and, consequently, the surest bets in terms of investment:

-- Ebony Visions Series
-- Ebony Visions Complementary Pieces
-- Ebony Visions Event Exclusives
-- Ebony Visions Designs Limited to Annual Production
-- Ebony Visions Club Exclusives
-- Ebony Visions Numbered Limited Editions
-- Ebony Visions Smart Investments
-- Ebony Visions Designs Introduced by Years
-- Ebony Visions New Releases
-- Ebony Visions Retiring Designs

The following descriptions will illustrate why it's important to select designs from the above categories to maximize your investment return.

History has shown that items belonging to a series are deemed more valuable by collectors and will carry higher secondary market values. This is most likely because series are usually limited to a certain number of designs, such as the four club-exclusive designs depicting the seasons, which ended in 2002.

• (1997 -- 2002) Annual Christmas Commemorative Ornaments (Little Blue Wings, On Wings of ----- Praise, Peace On Earth, Joy to the World, A Bright & Morning Star and the sixth and finally ornament *Heavenly Peace)
• (2003--2005) Started a new Christmas Ornament Series beginning with Harmony , (Noel - Membership Gift for 2003) , The Little Shepherd, (The Little Piper 2004 Membership Gift) (Faith Ornament 2005 Membership Gift), Gloria
• (1999--2002) Club Exclusives (Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter)
• (2003--2004) brought a new Series for the Blackshear Circle Club starting with The Enchanted Piper and the final in this series The Piper's Magic
• (2005--2007) The begining of a new Membership series, entitled The Virtues , celebrates the inspiring and vital spiritual gifts:starting with Faith / Hope and ending with Love in 2007.
• Sisters In Childhood , A Time to Share and now the long awaited Sister's in Motherhood. There is to be one final addition to this series when the sisters are together in their twilight years which is to follow.
• (2005) Marks a new series, The Visions of Beauty, beginning with (Evening Rose-Event Only) / Evening Rose / with more to follow.
• (2006--2011) A new six series children Christmas ornament angels, "Comfort & Joy", begins with Bunny Hug , Puppy Love , Deerly Loved

Complementary pieces give collectors an additional reason to want to purchase a design, which is to create a grouping of designs that are related by theme. Some examples of complementary pieces are:

• Oh No She Didn' t/ Oh Yes She Did / Mr. Big Stuff / Talk to The Hand / Chillin / The Boss
• Storyteller / Rite of Passage / Rite of Passage Legends / The Wise Wanderer
• The Blackshear Jamboree Parade™--Rudy Toot / Tootie / Gypsy / Jay Jay & Cluck / Skeeter / Kitty / Birdy / K9 & Monkeyshine / Tami / Pedalin Pete / Little Major / Jingles / Clowning Around / Ellie & Bobo / Trumpatina / Tiny Tina / Jamboree Parade Posts with Banner / Penny and Pork Chop / Jay Jay & Cluck Military / Jack & Zack / Skeeter Military / Summer's Flight
• The Guardian / He Hears Our Prayers / Under The Shelter of His Wings
• Midnight / Night in Day
• The Protector / The Protector Legends® / The Protector Plate / The Protector Tapestry Bag
• Madonna / Madonna Legends® / Madonna Plate / Madonna Ornament
• The Guardian / The Guardian Legends® / The Guardian, Walter Payton Legends® Edition / The Guardian Plate / The Guardian 10-Year Commemorative
• The Storyteller / The Storyteller Legends® / The Storyteller Plate / The Storyteller Afghan / The Wise Wanderer
• On Wings of Praise / On Wings of Praise Legends®
• Little Blue Wings / Little Blue Wings Legends®
• A Bright and Morning Star / A Bright and Morning Star Legends®
• Tender Touch / Tender Touch Legends®
• The Ebony Visions Canvas Transfer / The Ebony Visions Print Lithograph / The Ebony Visions Bas Relief / Ebony Visions Light Box
• A Child Shall Lead Them / A Child Shall Lead Them Plate / A Child Shall Lead Them Print Lithograph
• Joyful Noise / Joyful Noise Legends / Praise
• The Dreamer / A time to Dream / Hopes and Dreams / The Dreamer Legends
• The Heirs / The African Kings / The African Queen
• The Protectors of Freedom / Dark Knight / Hero / Sentinel / Dark Knight Signed Premier Edition
• The Proposal / The Commitment / The Commitment Cake Topper / Devoted Love
• The Threads That Bind / The Threads That Bind Quilt

Complementary pieces share a common theme or design motif, such as The Guardian and He Hears Our Prayers, for instance, but which are not pre-determined to be a series. The various designs (sculptures/plate/bag) that utilize the art created for The Protector are further examples. Complementary designs may even represent the continuation of a story, such as Oh No She Didn't and Oh Yes She Did and The Storyteller and Rite of Passage.

Event exclusives are very promising because they are only available for a short period of time, are produced in very limited quantities and are usually only available at The Blackshear Circle sponsored events. You should definitely include a few, if not all, of these items in your collection to increase its overall value.

• The Protector Tapestry Bag
• Rudy Toot (2000)
• Kitty (2001)
• A Child Shall Lead Them Print Lithograph
• The Ebony Visions Sketch Book
• Little Major (2002)
• Evening Rose (2005)
• Dark Knight Signed Premier Edition (2006)

The event exclusives above were available at regional signings, national promotions,collector shows and exhibitions (International Collectibles Exposition), local clubs gatherings and other special Blackshear Circle sponsored events.

Hands down, the most popular and sought-after piece ever limited to annual production is Little Blue Wings, the 1997 Annual Christmas Commemorative Ornament. Introduced in January 1997 at $28.50, production ceased in December 1997. Some collectors who missed out on Little Blue Wings are now faced with secondary market prices.

Limited to annual production means no more pieces will be produced after the current years' demand has been satisfied. This means you should obtain all you can while the supplies last!

Ebony Visions Annual Ornaments:

• Little Blue Wings (1997)
• On Wings Of Praise (1998)
• Peace on Earth (1999)
• Joy To The World (2000)
• A Bright & Morning Star (2001)
• Heavenly Peace (2002)
• Harmony (2003)
• The Little Shepherd (2004)
• Gloria (2005)
• Bunny Hug (2006)
• Puppy Love (2007)
• Deerly Loved (2008)

Ebony Visions Other Annuals:

• The Blackshear Visions Calendar for 2003 (A first)
• Trumpatina ( Premier Dealers Exclusive)(2004)
• Visions Of Beauty Frostwork Plaque (2004)
• Old Glory (2003-2004)
• The Guardian 10YR Commemorative (2004 - 2005)

For years the club exclusives have been demanding high prices on the secondary market. One way to avoid paying these inflated prices is to join The Blackshear Circle Collectors Club during the active club year and get all your exclusives at the special club price. Membership in The Blackshear Circle provides inside information and purchasing advantages not otherwise available to avid Ebony Visions collectors. Please click below to Join http://www.thecollectionshop.com/Blackshear_Circle.asp

There are many reasons to obtain the members only sculptures for your collection. Not only are they part of a series, as club exclusives they are produced in limited quantities and, last but not least, they are absolutely gorgeous! Adding all these attributes together, you have quite an investment!

We also encourage you to pick up some of the other club exclusives below to add additional value to your collection. Remember the key words Club Exclusives.

• Baby Jesus Ornament (2008)
• The Holy Family (2008) The first in The Nativity series of 4

• Love Basic (2007)
• Love Deluxe (2007) The final of The Virtues series
• Hope Deluxe (2006)
• Hope Basic (2006)
• Faith Deluxe (2005) The first in The Virtues series of 3
• Faith Basic (2005)
• The Piper's Magic (2004) The final of the series with The Enchanted Piper
• Noel (2004) Bonus Gift
• The Enchanted Piper (2003) The beginning of a new series
• Bookie (2003) Bonus Gift
• Winter (2002) The final of the Season pieces
• Wintertime Plaque (2002)
• The Blackshear Circle Membership Symbol Plaque (2001)
• The Madonna Ornament (2001)
• Autumn (2001)
• Autumntime Plaque (2001)
• A Child Shall Lead Them Collector Plate (2001)
• Summer (2000)
• Summertime Plaque (2000)
• The Storyteller Afghan (2000)
• Spring (1999)
• Springtime Plaque (1999) The beginning of the Season pieces
• A Child Shall Lead Them (1998)
• Gold Plated Medallion (1998)

Although all pieces in the Ebony Visions collection are considered limited in one respect or another, the majority of Ebony Visions designs are limited to an average two-year production run with no initial indication of how many pieces will be produced.

Technically, to be considered a true limited edition, the edition size of a design should be stated up front. This is usually indicated by a marking on the piece that indicates that it is, just for an example, number 10 of 2,500 pieces created. The mold is often broken once all the pieces in the edition have been produced. Once the entire edition, which in this hypothetical case is an edition of 2,500, has been produced and sold to retailers, the edition is closed by Willitts Designs.

The following Ebony Visions limited editions clearly state how many pieces were included in the total edition size. We encourage obtaining all that you can of these pieces because, of all the designs, they are true limited editions and will be the crowning glory of your collection in years to come.

Ebony Visions Legends® Editions:

• The Storyteller Legends® (edition size 650) (sold out)
• The Protector Legends® (edition size 950) (sold out)
• Madonna Legends® (edition size 550) (sold out)
• The Guardian Legends® (edition size 300) (sold out)
• The Guardian, Walter Payton Legends® Edition (edition size 34)
• On Wings of Praise Legends® (edition size 750) (sold out)
• Tender Touch Legends® (edition size 350) (sold out)
• Little Blue Wings Legends® (edition size 750) (sold out)
• Joyful Noise Legends® (edition size 350) (sold out)
• The Dreamers Legends® (edition size 550) (sold out)
• A Bright and Morning Star Legends® (edition size 750) (sold out)
• The Rite of Passage Legends (edition size of 550) (sold out)
  
  

Ebony Visions Graphics:

• The Ebony Visions Canvas Transfer (edition size 950, all numbered and signed by Thomas **Blackshear) (sold out)
• The Ebony Visions Print Lithograph (edition size 1,950, all numbered and signed by Thomas **Blackshear) (sold out)

Ebony Visions Collector Plates:

• Madonna (edition size 7,500) (sold out)
• The Protector (edition size 7,500) (sold out)
• The Storyteller (edition size 7,500) (sold out)
• The Guardian (edition size 7,500) (sold out)
• A Child Shall Lead Them (sold out)
• The Visions Begins (edition size 3,500) (sold out))

Ebony Visions Figurine Editions:

• The Storyteller (edition size 2,500) (sold out)
• Hopes & Dreams (edition size 2,500) (sold out)
• Oh No She Didn't (edition size 4,500) (sold out)
• Rite of Passage (edition size 5,500) (sold out)
• The Color Of Love (edition size 3500) (sold out)
• African Bride (edition size 1450)

Because they were the first designs ever released in the Ebony Visions collection, the 1995-1996 releases are demanding extremely high secondary market prices. If you can afford to purchase these items now, they will most definitely be a worthwhile investment. If you were lucky enough to obtain these items at original price, hold on to them for dear life-you have scored the collectibles investment of a lifetime!

1995:

• The Storyteller (retired)
• The Protector (retired)
• The Nurturer (retired)
• The Siblings (retired)
• The Tender Touch (retired)
• Madonna (retired)

1996:

• The Dreamer (retired)
• The Guardian (retired)
• A Time To Dream (retired)
• Music Maker (retired)
• The Storyteller Legends® (sold out)

An entire new design unfolds with a new collection, Timeless Tranquility which began in 2006.

• Rose Beauty (released in 2006)(1st figurine in the series)
• Spring Blossom (released in 2006)(2nd figurine in the series)
• Rose Beauty Relief Panel (released in 2006)
• Iris In Bloom (released in 2007)(final figurine in the series)
• Spring Blossom Relief Panel (released in 2007)
• Iris In Bloom Relief Panel (released in 2007)(final panel in the series)

FOR 1995

• The Protector (retired)
• The Storyteller (retired)
• The Tender Touch (retired)
• The siblings (retired)
• The Nurturer (retired)
• The Madonna (retired)

FOR 1996

• A Time To Dream (retired)
• The Music Maker(retired)
• The Dreamer (retired)
• The Guardian (retired)

FOR 1997

• A Child Shall Lead Them (1997-1998 membership sculpture) (retired)
• Little Blue Wings Ornament (retired)
• Hopes & Dreams (retired)
• The Prayer (retired)
• The Kiss (retired)
• Midnight (retired)
• The Flower Girl (retired)
• The Family (retired)
• Ebony Visions Bas Relief (retired)
• The Heirs (retired)

FOR 1998

• On Wings Of Praise Ornament (retired)
• Night In Day (retired)
• Hero (retired)
• Joyful Noise (retired)
• Sisters Forever: In Childhood (retired)
• The Fruits Of Friendship (retired)
• Catching The Eye (retired)
• The Comforter (retired)

FOR 1999

• Spring (1999 membership sculpture) (retired)
• Springtime Plaque (retired)
• Peace On Earth Ornament (retired)
• Leap Of Faith (retired)
• Serenity (retired)
• Grandmama (retired)
• Cherished (retired)
• First Step (retired)
• Daddy's Girl (retired)
• Forever Friends (retired)

FOR 2000

• Skeeter (Jamboree Parade) (retired)
• Jay Jay and Cluck (Jamboree Parade) (retired)
• Gypsy (Jamboree Parade) (retired)
• Tootie (Jamboree Parade) (retired)
• Rudy Toot (Event Only)(Jamboree Parade) (retired)
• Summer (2000 membership sculpture)(retired)
• Summertime Plaque (retired)
• Joy To The World Ornament (retired)
• Rite Of Passage (retired)
• Oh, No She Didn't! (retired)
• Bundle Of Joy (retired)
• Message To God (retired)
• The Commitment (retired)
• Intimacy (retired)
• Father's Box (sold out)
• Mother's Keepsake (sold out)
• Heart Treasures (sold out)
• Lover's Keepsake (sold out)

FOR 2001

• K9 & Monkeyshine (Jamboree Parade) (retired)
• Kitty (Event Only)(Jamboree Parade) (retired)
• Birdy (Jamboree Parade) (retired)
• Autumn (2001 membership sculpture)(retired)
• Autumntime Plaque (retired)
• A Bright & Morning Star Ornament (retired)
• Oh Yes She Did! (retired)
• Surprise! (retired)
• Riding High (retired)
• He Hears Our Prayer (retired)
• Sisters Forever: A Time to Share (retired)
• Devoted Love (retired)

FOR 2002

• Jamboree Parade Banner (Jamboree Parade)(sold out)
• Little Major ( Event Only) (Jamboree Parade) (retired)
• Pedelin Pete (Jamboree Parade) (retired)
• Tami (Jamboree Parade) (retired)
• Winter (2002 membership sculpture)(retired)
• Wintertime Plaque (retired)
• Heavenly Peace Ornament (retired)
• The Joys Of Spring (retired)
• The Color Of Love (retired)
• Double Hug (retired)
• Planting a Kiss (retired)
• Praise (retired)
• Little Blue Wings Legends (soldout)
• The Ebony Visions Calendar (soldout)
• The Vision Begins - Plate (retired)
• Bright and Morning Star Legends® (soldout)
• Joyful Noise Legends® (soldout)
• The Dreamers Legends ® (soldout)

FOR 2003

• Clowning Around (Jamboree Parade)(retires 12/08)
• Jingles (Jamboree Parade)(retired)
• The Enchanted Piper (2003 membership sculpture)(retired)
• Bookie baby (2003 membership gift)(retired)
• Noel (2003 bonus gift) (retired)
• Harmony Ornament (retired)
• Old Glory (retired)
• Commitment Cake Topper
• Chillin' (retired)
• African Queen (retired)
• Under The Shelter of His Wing (retired)
• Talk To The Hand (retired)
• Tickle Tickle (retired)
• Wings of Innocence (retired)
• Mr Big Stuff (retired)
• The Rite of Passage Legends Edition (soldout)

FOR 2004 ·

• Ellie & Bobo (Jamboree Parade)
• Trumpatina - (Premiere Dealer Exclusive)(Jamboree Parade) (retired)
• Piper's Magic (2004 membership sculpture)(retired)
• The Little Shepherd Ornament (retired)
• The Little Piper (2004 membership gift)(retired)
• The Guardian 10-Year Commemorative (retired)
• The Protectors of Freedom (Military Exclus