Wow ,
Just watched a postwar zw sealed in original box sell for $1,000 shipping included. The highest I've ever seen for something like that was $400. My guess is a true collector wanted it.
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Actually, at least two collectors wanted it badly. My interest would be the third highest bid amount.
EDIT: The bid history is quite interesting. 
I saw a factory sealed ZW-L go on Stout for around $1,700 about 3 months ago.
As these next few years pass us by, I doubt there will be a whole lot of 'serious collectors' of these trains. Those of us who were fortunate to have been born around the time of WW2 are the best candidates for these due to the nostalgia factor and we're 'phasing out' more and more as the years pass. Best sell your top shelf PW and Pre War soon while there are still a few crazies who will pay $1700 for a sealed ZW out there!
@c.sam posted:As these next few years pass us by, I doubt there will be a whole lot of 'serious collectors' of these trains. Those of us who were fortunate to have been born around the time of WW2 are the best candidates for these due to the nostalgia factor and we're 'phasing out' more and more as the years pass. Best sell your top shelf PW and Pre War soon while there are still a few crazies who will pay $1700 for a sealed ZW out there!
Imho - it’s already started….with the postwar stuff….they will almost be giving it away.The newer stuff will be close behind.
@c.sam posted:As these next few years pass us by, I doubt there will be a whole lot of 'serious collectors' of these trains. Those of us who were fortunate to have been born around the time of WW2 are the best candidates for these due to the nostalgia factor and we're 'phasing out' more and more as the years pass. Best sell your top shelf PW and Pre War soon while there are still a few crazies who will pay $1700 for a sealed ZW out there!
Unless one enjoys having unopened boxes from 60-70 years ago sitting on the shelf, imagine all the nice runners that one could obtain by selling a shelf queen that you can't actually see.
While I appreciate seeing a mint train item, I've never understood why someone would pay a premium for a sealed box - you can't see it and you don't even know what kind of condition the item is actually in.
After the war my dad became enthralled with collecting Hummel figures. He was a charter member of the USA collectors club. He would put his latest addition on the bookcase, and admire it for quite some time. When he passed, my sister and I split the collection (there was a lot), and I thought they would be valuable some day. A few years ago, one of my sons sent me an article about what poor investment values those figurines were. Oh well, my dad liked them, and they look nice on my bookcase.
I can not help but make the connection between those and Lionel postwar stuff. They're of value only to those that value them. I value them.
Good Grief C.SAM......... "phasing out". I kinda like that term!
"I've never understood why someone would pay a premium for a sealed box - you can't see it and you don't even know what kind of condition the item is actually in."
It's akin to those millionaires who collect wine and brandy from the 1800's. They never drink it...it's too valuable.
@texgeekboy posted:I saw a factory sealed ZW-L go on Stout for around $1,700 about 3 months ago.
I prefer the CHEAP broken ones and take my chances on repair 
In a few years when all these electronic transformers crap out and there are no parts available my postwar ZW will still be humming along. Better stock up now.
Buying a new, unused ZW in an un-opened box is like paying big bucks for the boxes of the Lionel trains most of us threw away.
Charlie
Collector VS Runner. To each their own.
That's wild. I would love to know the story of how an items squeaks through half a century without being opened.
There will always be a market for premium vintage Lionel, AF. Just like with coins etc. Seeing many buyers that were born well after WWII. One does not have to look hard to see many YouTube channels of Lionel fans under the age of 25 who buy the premium items regularly. Its a new generation that shares unboxings etc. But for all collecting its about enjoyment regardless of how one prefers their items. Not about profit. Like with Hummels. There will always be core collectors and those who appreciate the quality...and there will be Hummels that command a premium if the demand is greater than the volume. Not all were made in numbers that flooded the market. Most mass market crazes end up disappointing people because everyone jumps in for the wrong reason.
What is just as crazy was an Ebay item, an empty Lionel outside box, not the printed orange and white but brown cardboard had been bit up to $400.00 with about a day left.
Dick
I grew up in the 80's with HO scale and preferred brands like Athearn and Marklin. I considered products from brands like Tyco to be junk (they were close to it) at that time but I was always intrigued by the whimsical color schemes and gimmicky sets. Well now days I am feeling sentimental and try to find sealed Tyco sets to have a few token examples. When a truly nice sealed set appears they easily sell for 5 times original issue price. Brands like Tyco have an iconic history much like that of Lionel although Lionel maintained a base level of quality up to the end in 1969. People always revert to wanting to connect to the past.
Check out Stout auctions. There are thousand's of collectors still paying high prices for trains.
Fellas-you have to understand the BIG picture. There are people that have a billion dollars that love Lionel trains. What they pay means nothing to "them". Nick
It wasn’t all that many moons ago before modern power was available, that the ZW was still king, ….good working order rebuilt ZW’s fetched 500 and north depending on the time of year,…..when dad had his Lionel train store, the waiting list for ZW’s was like a phone book,,….so I’m not surprised premium examples still command top dollar,….as Nick said, some folks got the money, and they don’t care what they spend, ….they earned it, they can spend it as they see fit…
Pat
@Mallard4468 posted:Unless one enjoys having unopened boxes from 60-70 years ago sitting on the shelf, imagine all the nice runners that one could obtain by selling a shelf queen that you can't actually see.
While I appreciate seeing a mint train item, I've never understood why someone would pay a premium for a sealed box - you can't see it and you don't even know what kind of condition the item is actually in.
And if you can't see that a PW ZW is actually in the box, how would one know that the box doesn't contain something else weighing the same as a ZW? ... such as a rock ... LOL! I guess one could have the Lionel ZW box X rayed ... LOL!
Folks can spend their money as they so choose, however, I like to always see what I'm purchasing before I purchase and definitely inspect the item upon arrival. Just sayin!
@trumpettrain posted:And if you can't see that a PW ZW is actually in the box, how would one know that the box doesn't contain something else weighing the same as a ZW? ... such as a rock ... LOL! I guess one could have the Lionel ZW box X rayed ... LOL!
Folks can spend their money as they so choose, however, I like to always see what I'm purchasing before I purchase and definitely inspect the item upon arrival. Just sayin!
Trumptrain is 100% correct!!! DO NOT BY A POSTWAR ZW without being able to return it if you are not satisfied or seeing it in person and being able to look inside of it and make sure the coil is not burned and gouged due to worn rollers!!!
These transformers can be as old as 73 years. Even if it is good and the seal on the box has never been broken, the wire insulation and the power cable may be dry-rotted and cause short circuits. Don't purchase a "Trojan Horse" on Ebay without checking the seller's feedback rating and having the right to return the product if defective or if you are not satisfied.
I don't tell anyone how to spend their money. If that is what they want and it makes them happy then go for it. I personally have no interest in an unopened transformed but then again I don't have any interest an unopened bottle of wine either.
I have seen where folks have a x-ray of their sealed items. While it doesn't prove much about the condition it can prove there is something other than a brick in the box.
@BillYo414 posted:That's wild. I would love to know the story of how an items squeaks through half a century without being opened.
Squeaks through a half century without being opened? How about c. 90 to 100 years without being used.
For example, 9 factory sealed lightbulbs in the master carton of 12
Or some factory sealed accessories from the 1930s.
The seller opened the box at the upper right and the results are spectacular, even for a relatively common item
As for why someone would pay big bucks for something like this, theoretically, they are one of only a few factory mint, unopened items that exist as of the present date. In my opinion, if someone has the extra funds to spend, they have the option of spending their money any way they like.
NWL
There are two fundamental questions when it comes to those who love toy trains:
- Are you a collector or an operator? Collectors are finicky and will often pay big bucks. Operators are practical and don't like spending big bucks.
- Are you a tinkerer or do you expect it to be perfect as it comes out of the box? Collectors are finicky, will pay big bucks, and will pay even bigger bucks if its anticipated to be perfect coming out of the box. Tinkerers often prefer to find one that's not quite perfect and then fix it.
Both apply here.
Mike
@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:There are two fundamental questions when it comes to those who love toy trains:
- Are you a collector or an operator? Collectors are finicky and will often pay big bucks. Operators are practical and don't like spending big bucks.
- Are you a tinkerer or do you expect it to be perfect as it comes out of the box? Collectors are finicky, will pay big bucks, and will pay even bigger bucks if its anticipated to be perfect coming out of the box. Tinkerers often prefer to find one that's not quite perfect and then fix it.
Both apply here.
Mike
I'm an operator and a tinkerer and I will spend big bucks. The $$ is secondary to my enjoyment.
@trumpettrain posted:And if you can't see that a PW ZW is actually in the box, how would one know that the box doesn't contain something else weighing the same as a ZW? ... such as a rock ... LOL! I guess one could have the Lionel ZW box X rayed ... LOL!
Folks can spend their money as they so choose, however, I like to always see what I'm purchasing before I purchase and definitely inspect the item upon arrival. Just sayin!
X-ray!
Ron
@EscapeRocks posted:I'm an operator and a tinkerer and I will spend big bucks. The $$ is secondary to my enjoyment.
You're fortunate. Today's economy has shut down all big purchases for me.
Mike
@MartyE posted:I don't tell anyone how to spend their money. If that is what they want and it makes them happy then go for it. I personally have no interest in an unopened transformed but then again I don't have any interest an unopened bottle of wine either.
I have seen where folks have a x-ray of their sealed items. While it doesn't prove much about the condition it can prove there is something other than a brick in the box.
Marty:
I am sorry if I sounded as if I was telling him how to spend his money. That is everyone's individual choice. It was meant as an alert to a possibly inexperienced buyer, of which there are many, that may be walking into a scam. As a former dealer and also as a person that, in the past, got cheated by falling for a similar scam, I don't want to see others suffer the loss that I once did. If the man is a collector and wants a sealed box for a personal collection, then I like the recommendation by others to request an X-Ray of the box's contents.
Also, thank you for bringing the tone of my previous post to my attention. My apologies.
@Randy Harrison posted:Marty:
I am sorry if I sounded as if I was telling him how to spend his money. That is everyone's individual choice. It was meant as an alert to a possibly inexperienced buyer, of which there are many, that may be walking into a scam. As a former dealer and also as a person that, in the past, got cheated by falling for a similar scam, I don't want to see others suffer the loss that I once did. If the man is a collector and wants a sealed box for a personal collection, then I like the recommendation by others to request an X-Ray of the box's contents.
Also, thank you for bringing the tone of my previous post to my attention. My apologies.
Randy
By no means was this aimed at anyone. It was a general statement as to how I feel when these threads come up and some folks say they don't understand. We all have our hobbies and participate in them differently.
@Nation Wide Lines That is awesome!! Somewhat off topic but I bought a McGuffey Reader from 1879 the other day. It has tons of scribbles in it and wondering the stories of the people that scribbled really interests me. Same with all these unopened boxes in your post. Were they just purchased for collection reasons? Were they purchased but not able to be used because of unexpected events? It's fascinating to think about! Thank you for posting those items!!!
See I'm different. If I found something like that and purchased it.... I would open it and use it. I would love the unboxing as much as the using.
What I find in NWL pictures is interesting is that the railroad block signal has a 'STOP ON SIGNAL' sign! Like a grade crossing signal.
