I have a question I have not been able to figure out on my own. So what I want to know is what trains that are modern and older are collectibles or if all trains are collectibles and if there are any good recources to refer to. I have been working on and enjoying the hobby of model railroading for four years now along with trying to educate myself more since I have been purchasing trains in that period . If it is any help I have been collecting mostly atlas trains and have a PROTO steam locomotive.
The trainline I collect is Boston & maine and Guilford models.
Most collectors I know have a theme or two that their collections are centered around. Usually there is one or several prototype railroads (like you have), and a focus on a particular type of equipment (such as MOW, steam locomotives, brass models, a particular model manufacturer, or cabooses, etc). The key to learning about a given prototype railroad is joining their Historical Society and buying and/or reading books written about that railroad. Specialized Yahoo Groups are another good resource.
But I don’t think that was your real question. Reading between the lines, I sense you are looking to find out which models are good investments for a monetary return. If there is public consensus on what is a good investment, then those items will be promptly bid up to prices where they are no longer a good investment. In any case, I prefer to buy what interests me rather than worry about what will bring a return on investment. If my hobby funds generate some kind of return for my heirs - great - if not, then I enjoyed the models while I was alive. And when I say enjoyed that means modifying them to better suit me, which generally destroys any collectible value.
my thoughts, your choices
Fred W
…modeling foggy coastal Oregon, where it’s always 1900…
In general, “collectors” in model railroading are usually dealing with toy trains like Lionel. Engines, cars and accessories can vary greatly in value, based on popularity, color, decoration, condition, being all original etc. In HO, N or other 2-rail model railroaders or more “operators” - they buy engines and cars to run, often weathering them and adding details like airhorns, radio antennae, winterization hatches, different tenders and so on.
It’s pretty hard to determine what products being made now will be “collectibles” in the future. Lionel often only makes a particular road name of engine or car for one year, and then may never make it again, so most likely in time the value of that piece will go up. But you never know, I remember when I was a three-railer 25 years ago wanting one of the new Lionel FM Trainmasters decorated for the C&NW. It sold new for $225, and in a few years was up around $600 since it was only made for one year. However, I checked earlier this year and now you can get them for around $150-200, largely (I suspect) because newer engines have better motors and decoration, and have sound and Legacy control (a version of command control) undreamed of in the eighties, and so are more desireable to many folks.
Among the HO scale faction of the hobby there is no recognized formal collecting, or collectability, like there is in regard to Lionel, brass, or in some cases N-gauge. What we do have are individuals collecting a broad range of nonspecific items that happen to personally interest them. There have been any number of attempts by the manufacturers to offer “collectible” cars and trains to HO hobbyists, but outside of brass items, none have retained any value as “collectibles”.
What collecting is done by individual HO hobbyists generally centers around either a specific type of locomotive, or car, along with certain roadnames. Regardless, as one can see from eBay sales, there are no “set” prices for items and values of even vintage brass have declined in recent years. The fact is that what one hobbyist might consider as a collectible to them may well be just junk to another. There are a number of hobbyists that collect Tyco today, but the majority of hobbyists general look down their noses at these. Examples like this go on and on.
In short, if you are looking for items that might increase in value with time, look elsewhere than at scale model trains (outside of maybe vintage Lionel HO).
It’s really a crap shoot. Basically, we each define what is collectible. If one is lucky, 50 years from now one’s grandkids may be able to sell the trains we leave them for a good price. But the price is relative, isn’t it. If the HO hybrid one-of-2000 purchased for $500 today nets $500 on 50 years, it would be a miracle if one is to judge by the prices other now-no-longer-made HO stuff nets. If it could command $600, it would be spectacular, but still not enough to cover inflation. At best it retained much of its value. It should suffice that a price of $900 would make it somewhat of an investment, but not a very good one. Land would do much better. I’ll bet if you had the world’s only working 8-track or VCR in 50 years it would be a much better seller than the Q2.
So, to me, the collector is myself…I am he. An interested buyer in the years ahead would have to identify him/herself as the same type of collector. But if there are 500 of the same thing available, and not just 20, then I would not expect the Q2 to be a good investment over time. Instead, its real value it current and only to me. I value it for the fun and pleasure it affords me.
None of them are a better investment than a stock index fund. There have been the odd item or two that have gone up a lot in a short time and a couple of years when prices jumped, but these are the exception and not possible to predict. Over the long haul they aren’t a good investment.
Many of us here are collectors of one sort or another. Personally, I occasionally pick up items that appeal to me even though I have no plan to use them on my railroad. I have no organized system and have collected Athearn, Lionel, Bachmann, etc. in various scales At some point I’ll display them, at a later point my heirs will dispose of them.
I suggest you collect what appeals to you. Join the TCA if you want the fellowship of serious collectors. Do you’re investing in the stock market.
I have Something called “Lone Star Treble O” It is British about the size of “N scale”. I had it set up in a 5’ x 10’ layout a few years ago. I had been making some calls around to find out if it had turned collectible. I got a call back from a guy who then drove fifty miles to see what I had. As it turned out I had a couple of the more rare items in the line and he made me a very good offer on everything I had. I thought about it for a few days and in the end couldn’t part with what my dad and I had put together some 45 years earlier.
What the guy had offered was very good. As a $ return on the initial investment? He probably offered ten times what dear old Dad paid for it. But that was after 45 years. For the most part if your looking for investment, trains are the wrong place to park your $. The question is do you want to collect it? If so collect it and enjoy it, but chances are when you go to that big roundhouse in the sky your collectibles may end up at Sally Ann. Just my[2c]
There is a saying that anything labeled as a “collectable” is not!
I guess what you are after are those that will appreciate in value. In my experience (Ebay, etc.), the major roads do best, and of course the item has to be in like new condition with all the papers and packing. And of course, it pretty much has to be a quality item.
The thing is, we are going through bad economic times. So a Santa Fe loco that might go for $200 in good times, may get $125 or so today. Obviously, there is no hard and fast rule and a lot of guesswork in trying to figure out what will be worthy down the road.
My advice is to buy quality items, carefully enjoy them, and keep all the paperwork/packaging.
The definition of a collectable varies with who you are:
To some, it’s anything with enough variety that it takes some time, effort, and money to get a sizeable number, with items different enough to be interesting. Postage stamps, coins, trading cards,plates, figurines. Whatever. Some of these have value as an investment, more are just for the fun of doing it. If you ask me, train stuff falls into the latter category. If I were you, I would collect trains for the fun of collecting them, not for any potential investment value.
Of course, if you are posting something for sale on e-bay, you likely call everything a collectable!
An item is only “collectable” IF someone collects them.
The value of a “collectable” is only the price someone is willing to pay to add it to their “collection”.
Just because it is a “collectable” now, does not mean people in the future will “collect” them, or even want to add the “missing items” to their existing collection.
Just because it is new now does not mean someone will want it 20,30 or 50 years from now.
Just because an item is “old” now does not mean it is worth anything.
Just because an item is expensive now or a “limited run” does not mean it won’t be worthless in the future.
As was previously posted it’s a crap shoot really.
Yes, and anything marketed as being “collectible” isn’t. Such as trains/other things offered by Franklin Mint and other such firms.
Many people not in the hobby have the idea that all model trains are collectible, and therefore valuable. No doubt some time in their past they’'ve heard stoires of huge prices paid for rare Lionel equipment, and think all trains are valuable. I’ve seen well played with toy trains stuffed into a box, brass track and all, with an asking price of $50.00 at an area flea market. I’m sure if it were a box of old model cars the price wouldn’t be the same. Another table had a standard blue box Athearn heavyweight passenger car priced at $25.00; they were new at half that price. And so on!
Anytime I see somethig marked as a “collector’s item, rare, or vintage” I have to chuckle to myself as it is usually an item being pushed by someone with absolutely no knowledge of the item they are trying to sell but usually have a very over inflated idea of it’s value.
As an example, the guy at the flea market with an old Tyco set from the 1960’s with the sign “antique train” on the box and some sort of rediculous price on it.
There are lots of these on EBAY as there appears to be no shortage of garage sale crap that someone has picked up for next to nothing and thinks they have struck gold because someone, somewhere told them that old trains are “collectable” and therefore worth a lot of money.
I have seen this many times over the years, someone has an old, rather common set of Lionel thrown in a box, dirt, rusty tack, broken pieces and all and wants to know what I think it is worth. Usually when I tell them what they have and what it’s worth they get offended and tell me that “so and so” told them that Lionel trains are worth a lot of money. I usually suggest at that point that “so and so” should buy them if they know so much about it.
The main point here is, if someone offers you a “collectible” do some research before proceeding, chances are it’s just another piece of crap that someone is trying to unload for some overinflated price to fatten their wallet at your expense.
If you happen to own a Marklin gauge 1 train set from the pre-WW I tin plate era in mint condition, than congratulations to you - you have a real collector´s item - more than that - a treasure! A gauge 1 Swiss “Crocodile” of the 1920´s will also qualify. The same might apply for Lionel trains from that period.
Whatever is advertised as a collectible today is not worth considering. Don´t expect it to appreciate in value - enjoy having it, and let your great-grand children worry about its value.
Fed , You clarified my question for me along with all the other responders. I guess I do not want to collect trains to sell them later . I want to enjoy looking at them , watch them running on my future layout , study the purpose they had or have , and be able to pass them on to my kids.
When I initially asked the question I just did not know what the protocol was for collecting trains was but now I know what the object is to be a train collector. From the advice I got it is to pick out trains that show interest to yourself and from what I have found out in my four year of collecting trains there are alot of big time road names and it is fairly difficult for me to find my favorite roadnames which is Boston &maine , Guilford , Pan Am , and any New England railroads (which is where I have lived all my life). All in a nutshell it is a mission (a fun one) and if I can find any New england railroad trains in hobby stores , antique shops , tag sales , or flea markets then there is hopefully many fun missions accomplished.
Thanks to you and everyone else to make me realize what a real train collector is because I do not want to see $ signs on my trains I want to see the roadnames and numbers on my trains. Thanks for helping out a rookie.
tycoforums.com is a fun site especally if you like the toy trains portion of HO. Tyco was inexpensive, no money making investment here. I have a lot of Lionel. Some of the more modern stuff especally, is worth half of what I paid for it now. When it was purchsed no one had any idea that would ever happen. My best friend is a horder of everything. He says everything has value. I say to him yes but you have to find that one person in all of southern Calif who wants to buy it. He ignores that part.
I think there must be a distinction between “collectibles” (if someting is collected isn´that what it is?) and “valuable collectibles” (as in rare things collected for being rare and possibly increasing in value).
As mentioned before; Elvis plates, nor rare or valuable but people who likes Elvis like to collect them.
On the other hand we have (modern) Art where the collectors don´t necessarily like them, but rather collects them for it´s value.
The same must be applied to model trains. Because all trains are collectibles as they are surely not disposables! And as such we have to define them as valuable (rare, old or both) or collectable (as in ordinary but likeable).
Items whose value is only 10% of their original purchase price one year after purchase. They are called ‘collectibles’ because the manufacturer of the items has collected your money.
I accumulate Santa Fe, Rio Grande, Mopac, and Colorado Southern trainlines because they fit the theme of my model railroad. On the other hand I collect just because I like them and “to have”: cabooses, fantasy fruit crate reefer cars, Alco PA locomotives, and passenger trains. Something is only as collectible as there is someone who wants to collect it. Likewise something is only as valuable as someone else is willing to pay for it or you are not willing to sell it for.
There are many types of collectors in this hobby that is more then willing to pay top dollar for a hard to find item-my guess is: its the excitement of the chase and then finding the rare item…
Of course being a horse trader one must keep up with what is currently in demand. You see a Hooten Hollow & Western boxcar may be a hot item today and a ice cube tomorrow.
Here is a very rare car that is very hard to find as is its mate…
I been offered $75.00 for this car…The guy has the Landmark/Uniopolis car and wants the Landmark/Columbus car.
