We're in! We're in!! We're in!!!

Lol no, it's not solid silver, just a metallic silver plastic coating, but it has a limited production run of only 100...it will be the second rarest Thomas model ever produced, just ahead of Blushing Thomas (360) and just behind Gold Thomas...there will be millions of entries into a lottery, of which only 100 lucky winners will be drawn!!
...it's what all the hubbub was about with the "gold ball" and entry ticket prize that was randomly placed to find in the new PLARAIL Thomas & Merlin Coal Hopper set.

You'd think they would have made it tin plate or something special as wel as silver if it is such a limited production run. As it is I have a vision in my mind of some poor production worker called Takashi sitting there with a pile of Thomas body shells and some cans of silver paint saying over and over "why me, who did I upset today?!?"

[Super]

Well my spidey sense feels like a scam, why else would someone think this worth $100 if they weren't trying to take advantage of someone thinking that having the gold ball enters them into the drawing or wins something especially since the other colored balls he is selling, which have no different value, without the paperwork, than the gold ball, are listed for 500 yen.
https://www.jauce.com/user/satonishi1010

Yes Super, that's pretty much what I was about to say!!
...although the only other idea I cound imagine, is if the seller isn't scamming and knows that it won't gain entry, but has knowledge of how many actually exist, and is still selling it strictly for its rarity as a novelty collectors piece? It could indicate that not too many found thier way into boxes, meaning this lottery won't have a million or hundred thousand entries, but maybe only 50-25 thousand??
Heck for all we know maybe only 10,000 of those balls were made?
Honestly I like the sound of that theory best!!
A 1/100 chance out of 10,000 would be way better than 1/100 chance out of 100,000 or 1,000,000!!
...also subtract the many that still sit in unsold sets, the unknowing winners, and those who just don't or can't participate.

[Super]

Do you really think that they sell that many sets let alone ones that they include a gold ball with? I believe that Hank and someone else here said they did not have a gold ball in their set. And even if they did, you will have to increase your odds because of all the sets with gold balls that are sold outside of Japan where you can't enter and on top of that increase your odds again for all those family's that chose to enter the other option for the trip to the Theme Park instead of the chance at a silver Thomas...............better clear out a space on the display shelf as your odds are getting better and better Muddy.

My sister once entered a magazine competition for a computer disk drive (this is years ago back when home computers were the king), she ended up winning even though she got the answers wrong because although there were five up for grabs the magazine only received three entries

The point is, if the sets these golden balls came in are pretty rare and they are only in say 1 in 100 sets and only the purchasers in Japan can enter, and they haven't even sold them all, not to mention the collectors who won't even open the boxes, you could find the number in the draw is only in the 100's...

Of course I could be wrong and the odds are way different, but I reckon you're in with a good shot

Great points!
I forgot about prize A!!
The population of Japan alone is:
127,232,556 though too!! Lol
If they produced only one set per every 1000 people, that would be 127,000 units just to satisfy their own population alone...
To produce enough to make them available in 126 other countries globally is more math than I can do! Lol
But I would guess 300,000-500,000 units might be a reasonable number?
If 1 in every 100 sets holds a gold ball, that's 50,000!!
BUT that doesn't support the price of $100 for a single gold ball in a baggie!!
I'm gonna keep my finger on that auction now to try and find a pulse.

[Super]

When is the drawing?

Don't forget its a toy you are trying to win, so make sure to open all of your trains regardless the value or price.

When is the drawing?

Entry deadline is 5/30/18...not sure of the exact day of the drawing, but I would guess maybe another week or two to gather up all the tickets, and confirm them with the online forms? So maybe mid-June?

Don't forget its a toy you are trying to win, so make sure to open all of your trains regardless the value or price.

I thought there were multiple conversations on other threads about keeping toys NiB and opening them..?