Ives 3235R restored value

I couldn't put a dollar value on it but from restoring my share of pre war tinplate by the time you have to buy replacement parts, cost of the set and all the labor involved in restoring the piece I wouldn't expect to make a killing if you thought about selling it. A original piece in better condition is of course more desirable to a collector. If you going to keep it it's going to be worth more to you in the sense of the real satisfaction you get from bringing an old piece back to life.

I agree with Chris.  The resale market of restored pieces, especially by amateurs is low.  However if you are like me, I love to bring a piece back to life.  I try not to get caught up on how much the restoration will cost me, but the satisfaction that it brings me.  

If you just need a strip and repaint, a couple of parts, and rewire.... that should be fairly inexpensive.  How much money do they want for it if you do not mind me asking?

I agree with Hellgate. A restoration does not have to be expensive depending on what parts it needs. I try to salvage as many original parts as possible but I'm not afraid of a reproduction part if something is missing or too far gone to restore.

Early in my prewar collecting days, and being a muscle car guy, I thought a less expensive way to obtain nice prewar was to restore them. How hard can it be?

 

It's not really, because they are small and easy to work with, compared to a car, but it is difficult to get colors to match properly, correct rivets, patina, etc, and usually, something is done differently than was done at the factory.

 

By the time you're done, you usually have as much money in the train as maybe buying one two grades better than what you're restoring. Problem is that restorations, unless done by a know restoration guy, are worth no more than an average train, and if you restore the wrong train, less. Imagine someone repainting a C-5 City of Denver in original two tone green. Some rare pieces may be better off  with a restoration, but generally, that is not the case.

 

So, if you choose to attempt this, it can be rewarding, but do it for yourself. If you like the work, have the time, and the base train is at a reasonable price, go for it.

 

But realize that even though we like this stuff, a lot of it is quite common, and maybe the best approach is to be patient, look around, and buy a nicer example up front. And, if it's higher end, sometimes it is better off left alone than repainted.

 

This topic sort of bridges the Modern/Original tinplate topic, and as such, I am sure there are different views, however, if you look at ebay, and auction results, you'll find that restored pieces, generally don't retain value much beyond a C-6 original, and actually could cost at least that much if not more to do. So in essence, you could buy an original C-6 or C-7 piece and be done. If made in repro, the same would hold true. You just can't do a restoration for the same cost as you can buy a completed one for, so it's hobby value you get from doing it.

 

Thanks for the information.

 

I think that the person was asking about $200-$300.

 

It does not look like the return on investment is there.

 

Frank G. Haymes