After over a decade in the market, Bradford Exchange has announced that they are no longer producing or selling Phantom items: effective immediately.
Bradford Exchange items, produced for the high-end collectors market, have long divided phans over the 10+ years they have been in production. Back in the Chronicle Chamber Forum days, a Bradford representative asked the phans collectively what they would like to see produced. While none of the ideas happened they did produce some amazing top quality pieces through the years using commissioned art from Glenn Ford and Douglas Klauba.
Alas it is now ended with emails sent and phone calls made to customers who were in the middle of paying off items on Bradford's handy payment plans. The below email was forwarded to ChronicleChamber by a nameless phan who is in the middle of purchasing the second coin set. They wish to remain nameless due to concerns about Bradford's response.
Unfortunately the Bradford Exchange will no longer hold any further stock of the Phantom coins after the 28th June.
Sorry for any inconvenienced caused.
We have two options for you:
We can cancel this collection for you today. You will be able to return any unwanted coins for a full refund Or we can order the remaining issues in this collection (x issues left) for you today which will be dispatched within the week
Please advised how you would like us to proceed? Please note that we will need a reply before Wednesday 27.06.2018.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us again.
If there is something on Bradford's website that you have been umming and ahhing about purchasing, you have now missed out! There are no more items available on their website left to purchase.
ChronicleChamber has sent inquiries to MerchantWise and past employees of the company, and have been told that phan interest has decreased greatly over the last few years and that Bradford has decided it is not economically viable to renew their license.
While this decision is sad from a collecting point of view, it doesn't really surprise anyone at Team Chronicle Chamber. While beautiful and appealing, some Bradford items priced themselves out of the market with exorbitant prices, and many phans also considered there to be an overuse of the same Phantom images over and again for their products.
