'Rare' Postwar items at York

Greenberg price guide hangover meets reality via eBay marketplace.

Roving Sign posted:

Greenberg price guide hangover meets reality via eBay marketplace.

Yes, an advance search of items actually SOLD on eBay brings the real world into focus. Gone are the price guide's "wishful thinking" nonsense.  

Joe Hohmann posted:

Roving Sign posted:

Greenberg price guide hangover meets reality via eBay marketplace.

Yes, an advance search of items actually SOLD on eBay brings the real world into focus. Gone are the price guide's "wishful thinking" nonsense.  

Thing is - I think a lot guys looked at their collection - and thought they were rich!

Resulting in a bunker mentality - tons of stuff in storage - that - once let loose...led to lots of "very good" PW stuff hitting the market - eventually...for cheap!

I think there has never been a better time for PW/conventional operators to bulk out!

But - the best PW stuff - condition-wise - still brings "the big..."

Not sure how long that can go on - the pool of serious collectors is diminishing...

Condition is king!

And age is not kind to the equipment finishes nor us! 

Postwar stuff is worth about the cardboard box it's put in today. Good luck to the folks who want serious cash.

The real story: only the best of the best (C9 condition, box is a brick) is going to bring reasonable dollars. Everything in lower condition is dropping in price like a rock. So if you like it, it means you can own those great locos that were out of reach 10 or 15 years ago. Expect that situation to continue as a mess of this stuff hits the market with fewer buyers. Truly rare for postwar these days means mint in original boxes.

Roving Sign posted:

But - the best PW stuff - condition-wise - still brings "the big..."

Not sure how long that can go on - the pool of serious collectors is diminishing...

Condition is king!

This goes for just about all vintage items, not just trains. People don't "collect" any more like they used to. Rather than have "one of everything", now it's "have enough in excellent condition to make a small display" (A few of mine are sand pails, cap guns, and 1930s colorful Kodak cameras). The "new" collector does not store stuff in boxes, nor kid themselves about these things being "investments". I believe there will always be a market for pre and post-war trains, but that does not include 90% of what is currently for sale.

Price guide's main goal was to sell price guides. To sell volume 2, 3, etc., you had better show a rise in prices to keep sellers and collectors happy (and buying the latest price guides). Buyers would think "OK, I better buy now before they get more expensive". Then eBay came along.

I bought this mint 1503WS, with all boxes for only $475 plus auction house charge and shipping.  Engine only test run and cars have never been run.  Shows how even mint stuff is reasonably priced.  It appears only the 'top dollar' mint items draw big bucks: ie, SF diesels with 4 passenger cars, etc.

I bought it (only set I have like that, everything else is run with no boxes, except contemporary boxes kept) because it reminds me of 1953 when I got my brand new Lionel set: which happened to be the SF diesels with 4 passenger cars.

I put it in a dust free cabinet.

The 64 year old SF set still runs like it's new and have gotten my parents then $90 worth out of it! 

The bulk of the items are 'original' Lionel items.  No boxes, everything gets 'played with',

including the 4 neighborhood kids come over to 'run' them.

Joe Hohmann posted:

Roving Sign posted:

Greenberg price guide hangover meets reality via eBay marketplace.

Yes, an advance search of items actually SOLD on eBay brings the real world into focus. Gone are the price guide's "wishful thinking" nonsense.  

I chuckle whenever I see a guy with a price guide in his back pocket at a meet.  Unless he is using it as a way to keep track of his inventory or his "wants", it's essentially useless.  And the same thing goes when I see an item with a sign saying that it's priced at "20% below book value".

You can find most of these so called "rare" P/W trains at just about any large train show. The only advantage that York has is that its the largest train show with far more variety. As a result, you have a better chance of finding the so called "rare" item there but it will cost you more and I'll tell you why. While York is certainly a great experience for a train buff; when you factor in the travel expenses for two days there, most attendees have dropped $400-500 just to get in the door. 

I bought this mint 1503WS, with all boxes for only $475 plus auction house charge and shipping.  Engine only test run and cars have never been run.  Shows how even mint stuff is reasonably priced.  It appears only the 'top dollar' mint items draw big bucks: ie, SF diesels with 4 passenger cars, etc.

I don't think anybody here ever claimed that every mint postwar Lionel item was extremely valuable.

The 2055 is a good runner, but as far as I know, they have never been particularly prized by collectors. Even though I already have a couple of them, I wouldn't mind having a excellent, boxed or mint one. Or having your set for that matter. Don't know what I'd be willing to pay, I guess it would depend on my mood at the moment.

Surely your set is worth more and would be an easier sell due to the condition.

Congratulations on acquiring such a nice set.

I agree that not all 'mint' is valuable (case in point), but I find it amazing that I can find something that is 64 years old and like new.  It even had all the paper work and inspection tags.   I never buy stuff for investment (except stock) but buy it just because I like it and can enjoy it the rest of my life.  This, as well as my other interests, are just hobbies and I treat it 'as such'.  I'm a buyer and not a seller and when I die, I could care less about what they are worth.