Just gawking at some brass stuff on ebay and other sites that sell brass engines, now the question: I saw 6 different 4-8-4 locos from well known brass makers,different makers, different model numbers, different railroads, now the prices ranged from $2000.00, $600.00, $850.00, $400.00, $1400.00 and so on. What constitutes the huge varience in prices?? they all seemed to be looking pretty much the same, lots of detail etc etc Is it the amount of engines in a run? the quality? the detail? the manufacturer? just what makes the huge gap in prices? sure, a few bucks either way, but $1500.00 yikes ! ! If the answer is the volume of the run, why not make 10 and charge $25,000.00 per engine??? any help out there?
I understand hand crafting a model from brass brings a high price. Great detail and smooth mechanisms will cost money. But thousands of dollars? That seems a little extreme. (or as they say where I come from “HELLA extreme”) Mabey the name on the label jacks up the model well above what the actual selling price should be. That brings ‘prestige’ or whatever the hell it is with these models. I really would like to know the differnece between ‘high end’ and ‘low end’ brass. Probably not much other than a few pipes and jiggers.
I would like to meet these guys who pay $3000 for ONE locomotive.
For that much, that model better be able to cook me breakfast!
Disclaimer: I do not harbor ill will to those who can afford to pay $2000 for a model. Assuming they did no evil deeds to aquire said money. If they are good human beings then they deserve good fortune.
Some of the factors are:
Factory Painted
Quality of mechanism
Amount of detail - particularly where it may not show in photos like the cab interior.
Rarity - brass is usually a particular prototype and some have been done more than others.
Availibility of the same engine in plastic.
Popularity of the prototype
Age of the model - older ones seem to cost less.
As with any small collectors market prices can vary widely for seemingly no good reason. Sometimes there is no good reason just different opinions as to value.
My suggestion when buying used is too see it in person and see it run.
Enjoy
Paul
As stated there could be a number of factors causing the price differentials. I have a PFM HOn3 K-27 “Hi-Grade” Mikado that runs better than the proverbial Swiss watch, has detail to the “Nth” degree, and was produced in a limited number. I paid $165.00 for it and paid about $100.00 for custom paint and lettering about 25 years ago. Although it was “used”, it had never been out of the box and was still factory wrapped.I recently saw an ad from a well known establishment offering an unpainted “Hi-Grade” for a bit over $850.00 ! Is it worth this much ? This is the grey area of perceived value. Will it sell for that amount ? Probably. Market value is a fickle subject. I guess it boils down to if you want it badly enough and you can afford it, it is worth it.
Doug
I have bought a few off of ebay so here’s my take on it: the newer it is the more you pay -more detail, better motors and drives(maybe), condition of the box (originality) and packing foam,wheel plating condition (how much wear). If you can’t see it in person check those photos CLOSELY, some of my “display only” locomtives must have been on display at a hammer factory (made for an educational experience) showroom. PS I do have them all mobile.
I wi***here were some good sources out there that gave the accurate value of the brass locomotives. At this point, I feel like I’m flying completely blind when it comes to brass values. It seems some folks will pay big money for brass just because it’s brass. You’ll see some items on ebay and watch the bids just go through the roof. Way beyond my budget.
Tatans - Pricing on the brass market is a highly complex affair and values vary for reasons even far beyond those cited already. Prior to late 1980’s one often saw locomotives offered that were representative of a railroad-specific general class. Later, it became common to see the same model brought in with greater detailing and a better drive, that was subclass-specific. In certain cases, there were models done a specific locomotives! At the same time, production runs dramatically decreased in size. It was not at all unusual to find that a given model had been brought in as 1000 units in 1970, while the highly upgraded (better looking, better running) version of 1995 included only 200 units in four subclasses, making the model you actually purchased one of fifty instead of one of a thousand. The newer version typically forced the value of the older models down and if you were looking for an example of a particular subclass from the fifty unit run, chances of finding one were very small, so the resale value went up further.
Certain earlier models were classified as “Crowns”, variously considered as limited run, specially built/assembled, or models of higher detail quality than the general production run. These, of course, demanded a much higher price too.
And then there is the old standby that no matter how high you price an item, there’s always someone out there wanting it bad enough to pay that price…or a seller willing to hold on to a model until he gets his price.
Thus, it is not at all unusual to see the same general engine, made by different manufacturers and varying in quality one maker to the next, from different time periods, painted or unpainted - paint perfect or chipped, with or without significant wheel wear, causing the asking price to range all over the scale. It’s not unrealistic to see that, it’s really to be expected!
CNJ831
WJ;
The value of any particular item is what someone will pay for it. The most public source is eBay. I doubt that you will get information for dealers. The word on the street is that brass values are dropping, but I do not think by a substantial amount.
- SCARCITY
- CODITION
Most brass today is bought by collectors.
A few years ago, someone published The Brown Book which gave estimates on the value of HO brass engines. AFAIK, unlike stamp, coin, and other collectors’ handbooks, the book has never been updated. And a few models shown in this book went for a few thousand dollars, back in the time when brass could be had for $300 -$400.