I would sell it as one lot. They aren’t in the best of condition, and the collection isn’t too big, so someone would be more willing to buy it. I would also put the known history of the models in the description, but that is just me personally.
Unless it’s a packaged set, it’s never a good idea to try and sell as a single lot. It’s better to sell items individually.
If I were selling it to an outfit like Trainz.com, I’d have to sell it as one lot. They wouldn’t really take it any other way. Selling it through Ebay or the like, I would sell all the Flyer stuff together, all the Ives stuff together, and the Lionel stuff together in those three groups.
In the long run, spending the money to have a skilled repair / restoration guy work on the train and accessories - especially getting the engine back together and running - may end up being worth the investment in the long run. Maybe ask around at local hobby shops, or go to a local model railroad flea market / show and see if they can recommend someone. Classic Toy Trains magazine might have an ad for a repair service in your area.
It is pretty amazing what can be done to bring old stuff back to life. Here is an extreme example with a European engine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10Dtl9fkrjM
Thanks for the input and video, but I really don’t have the time to search for such a dedicated restorer, wait for the work to be done, then go through the process of advertising and selling the items. I’ll be happy to sell it to someone like that and let them make the profit if they want to.
True, but…if you’re trying to get the highest Book Value Dollar or ‘BVD’ selling to a reseller is the lowest return as they typically pay less than 50% BVD$. Direct selling one item at a time is a lot more work but in the end the seller will net around 75-80% of BVD$
That is also true. In the end, the best option is going to depend on what Steve54 wants most of all.
I still have no real idea how much my items are worth, especially in their current condition, and I realize anyone who wants to resell them would have to pay a reduced amount in order to make a profit. I’m not especially concerned with whether I make $20 or $1000 – I’m more concerned that the amount I get is fair, and that whoever gets them will appreciate them for their history rather than a means to make a small “killing” in the market.
I would also very much prefer to sell the lot rather than the lengthy process to sell them individually. If selling becomes too complicated, I may just donate them to a model train museum and let them dole out the items to dedicated members/supporters.
Donating to a museum is a good idea. If you were to sell them to Trainz.com, they would, of course, be unconcerned with the history but whoever they sell the trains to probably would be.
There are a lot of train clubs around who would be grateful for such a donation. Most likely they would sell anything but the rarest items at local train shows to raise funds for the club.
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That’s what we (the VTCA) do with donated items and it really helps with the bottom line.
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