DM Limited Edition models - production limited to……..?

DM was notorious for keeping their production numbers close to the vest. They had some that were numbered limited editions of a certain number run but more were limited editions of open ended numbers. For instance, they did anniversary LE cars (40th ann., 50th ann., etc.) of a specific year when the 1:1 was issued and they closed production at the end of the year, 12/31 of that production year. 

If the LE plate does not have a definitive 'run' number such as # ____ / 5000; it is mere speculation only as to how many were made.

Thanks Tony. Later on after making the post I kind of put it together in my head. I remembered seeing mailers from Danbury stating that certain anniversary models would only be made until a certain date and production would stop. I’ve also noticed that some of the ‘53 Vette boxes are marked Limited Edition, some are not.

@kevins ...so glad Tony chimed in to help; he is DA MAN!     Few collectors can match his experience, acumen, and "inside story knowledge"  about "The Mints." 

@chris Tony fo shue do be! He always comes through!

Aww, go on you fellas! I'm blushing. 

Looking at your pic Kevin; it's another little mystery. When DM did the 'high detail' '53 - '55 Corvettes (there were 8 of them) done from 2003 to 2011. 

All but two were numbered limited editions. Three were limited to the production year amount made. They did not disclose those numbers. The first was the Polo White 1953, issued 4/1/2003. Limited to 2003 production. The last one was the 1953 EX122 Concept issued in 2011. Standard LE. Then came the '54 in Pennant Blue Nbr LE in 2004, and the Bonneville Blue Pearl '54 issued as the Dry Lakes Racer, aslo in 2004. Next was the '54 Corvette Nomad Custom in Copper in 2005. Up next was the Gypsy Red and Harvest Gold (yellow) Corvettes issued in 2005. The red was limited to production of 2005 and the gold was standard LE.

2006 saw the release of the white '54 Von Esser Racer. It and the blue Dry Lakes Racer, were open production runs, no LE. So why does the box in your pic, on the right not say LE? Another little mystery.............

Most of the DE ‘53 boxes I’ve seen online don’t have the LE designation Tony. Mine does’t, yet has the numbered plate showing that it is. I didn’t realize that there was a ‘low detail’ model in the grouping. I have all of them other than the dry lakes racer and hadn’t really noticed any difference. By the way, I absolutely love the Von Esser, it’s an extraordinary model in my opinion. Beautifully detailed and executed, and lots of proprietary pieces for such a relatively obscure vehicle outside of Corvette circles. I don’t think that I could give mine up! Always wondered if those amazing wheels were from an existing DM model or were fabricated just for this one.

great post gents, interesting stuff!

@kevins I wasn't as clear as I should have been on that point Kevin - ALL the DM '53 through '55 (And all others of that era) are high detail. The models of the previous era were not. Perfect examples are their Thunderbirds. They made nice, but low detailed models of the 'Baby Birds' and then reintroduced high detail models of the '55, '56 and '57. World's apart!

The Von Esser's wire wheels were made for that specific model.

@perrone1 I’m blown away every time I study the Von Esser to think about the effort DM made to produce such an authentic representation of the actual car. That had to be quite an expense for them to fab the parts, and the extra labor time involved for , what I assume are tampo’s. Plus the fact that, like I’ve mentioned, I don’t believe it was a very well known race car, and I think I may be in the minority in appreciating the ‘53-‘55 Corvette styling. It would be very interesting to know how many were actually sold, but like you said, DM kept their numbers close to their vest. (I first heard that saying when I was told that my Grandfather said that about his .32.) Thanks for the info Tony!

Posted by: @kevins

↑

 Thanks for the info Tony!

 

Posted by: @kevins

↑

@perrone1 I’m blown away every time I study the Von Esser to think about the effort DM made to produce such an authentic representation of the actual car. That had to be quite an expense for them to fab the parts, and the extra labor time involved for , what I assume are tampo’s. Plus the fact that, like I’ve mentioned, I don’t believe it was a very well known race car, and I think I may be in the minority in appreciating the ‘53-‘55 Corvette styling. It would be very interesting to know how many were actually sold, but like you said, DM kept their numbers close to their vest. (I first heard that saying when I was told that my Grandfather said that about his .32.) Thanks for the info Tony!

-- attachment is not available -- -- attachment is not available --

 

 

Most of the credit for this car goes to Rich Sufficool, isn't it. @rich-sufficool

I’d love to hear someone elaborate on the history of the Von Esser model coming to be!

Posted by: @kevins

↑

I’d love to hear someone elaborate on the history of the Von Esser model coming to be!

https://diecast.org/community/1_24/one-more-unusual-corvette-pic/#post-40849

Kevin, you may have heard the story before ...  

https://diecast.org/community/sell/dm-corvette-question-for-tony-cause-i-know-you-know/#post-166298

thanks for that Chav, enjoyed re-reading it all. Great info.