Need help with this 252 Set

Lionel cars of this period usually exhibit small paint runs, especially starting in the windows corners. I use this to determine if a car or loco had been restored.

Ron M

Thanks Ron,  I'll be sure to check it out and report back.

Hi,

 I have a few Lionel pre-war tinplate sets and I believe the more original a set is, (including paint), the more valuable it is. This is were the quality of  original condition comes into play.

 The set that you have pictured is a combination set of freight cars and passenger cars and was put together by someone.

John

Pre-war Lionel is definitely worth more with original paint as opposed to a restoration.  No matter how good the restoration, it is still a restoration.

I would have to see some close up pics of these trains to try to see if they are in fact repaints.  You can usually find some wear marks where fingers rubbed against the original paint putting them on and off the tracks, and usually some nicks or scratches or other usage indicators.  Not to say you won't find them on restorations, but they are "different."  Not sure how to describe it in words, you just have to know when you look at them.  None of this is to say there is anything wrong with restorations.  Although almost all of my tinplate is original, I do have some restorations that I really like, and some I really prize that were done by my father. 

anyway, my advice would be that if you like them and the price seems right, go ahead and get them and run them around on the tracks and enjoy them...that's what they were intended for.

Hank

The TCA grades restorations no better than "good".  Regardless of restoration, that 252 is considerably more desirable if it originally came with an E unit.