Model Forum / General / Railroads / May 2004

In general, check completed eBay auctions where the item actually sold.  

This only works for items that are sufficiently plentiful to have had sales
there.  

Ebay LMAO

Are you buying, selling, or insuring?  It depends on what kind and how old.
"Collectable" toy trains are usually those no longer being manufactured,
such as Ives, Lionel Corp. of New York, Gilbert American Flyer, Varney,
metal Athearn, etc.  Most of these types have well established markets,
published price guides, and good information on common vs. rare variations.
Try www.kalmbach.com for their series of "Greenberg's Guides".

For more recent items, try you can get a good idea by visiting a larger
train show near your home.  Most of the major hobby magazines list upcoming
shows by state.  You can also visit the websites of auction houses
specializing in toy trains, some of who list prices from recent auction
sales.  These tend to be a more reliable source than ebay, which seems to
have wider variations in prices.

Make sure you get a good assessment of the condition of your pieces - mint
condition items in the original boxes command  premium prices, while broken,
scratched, pieces with missing parts may have very little value.  Also note
that a quick sale of a large collection usually requires a discounting
prices, as compared to selling items one by one over a period of time at
larger shows or at on line auctions when few similar items are listed.  Gary
Q

Jack Phillips wrote:
does anyone know where I can find out the price of old model train
engines, box cars, etc.
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Charles Siegel has an on-line price guide for toy trains:

http://www.traincity.com/shoppg.html

NMRA's Guide:

http://www.guesswork.com/~stev/NMRA-valuation.html

Bill
Bill's Railroad Empire
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