Just what constitues "a collector's item" in our hobby? IMHO something is collectible because; A. Its desirable by the person who wants it. B. Its scarce C. Its unusual D. It has some appreciative value in monetary terms and E. It has some reminiscent value to the person who wants to own or collect it. Any or all makes something collectible.
Now to the case in point....Last month I went to a large trainshow. I spied several unbuilt Rail Line Hon3 boxcars on one guy's table. Figured that maybe he would want to "wheel and deal" on them because he had a little sign on his table that said "getting out of the hobby" I asked what he wanted for them...would you believe $45.00 each because they were in his words "A collector's item" BULLHOCKEY....The kits sell for less than $12.00!..NO SALE!!!
A friend of mine asked me to look for a used Atlas Hi-Hood HO GP38 for him. Said he would pay up to $50...ok that's reasonable. Ok I found one ....a little worse for wear but would make a decent loco with a re-paint and some details. Asked the price...the response..."They haven't made that loco in years...its a collector's piece...I can't take less than $125 for it..." HORSEFIDDLE!!!...The things sold for $19.95 from the mail order places...You can't make me believe that the value of a used one in only fair condition has gone up over 500 %..NO SALE AGAIN!!
The same friend had also asked me to pick him up some used Athearn 40ft boxcars if I saw some and they were reasonable....OK that shouldn't be a problem....there's millions of them floating around. Found some....priced $10-$15 each!!! Most had broken stirrup steps! I asked, "Why so much?" (I played dumb hehe!) The answer..."They are very collectible and go up in value every year." OH JEEZ and CRACKERS!!!....The cars sold for $1.98 - $3.98 when they were new!!! The prices were still on the boxes!!! LORD!!!....I DIDN'T JUST FALL OFF THE TURNIP TRUCK!!! NO SALE HERE EITHER!!!
The whole purpose of this post is to let the "newbies" to this hobby who might start attending and buying at trainshows know that you should take anything you might be told about something being "collectible" with a grain of salt. If there is something that you're really looking for and want, do some research on it first and determine what its really worth before you just buy on impluse.
BTW... I did get my friend some Athearn 40ft boxcars....20 of them for $50....and they didn't have broken stirrup steps!!!! and some had Kadees on them!!!
Now to the case in point....Last month I went to a large trainshow. I spied several unbuilt Rail Line Hon3 boxcars on one guy's table. Figured that maybe he would want to "wheel and deal" on them because he had a little sign on his table that said "getting out of the hobby" I asked what he wanted for them...would you believe $45.00 each because they were in his words "A collector's item" BULLHOCKEY....The kits sell for less than $12.00!..NO SALE!!!
A friend of mine asked me to look for a used Atlas Hi-Hood HO GP38 for him. Said he would pay up to $50...ok that's reasonable. Ok I found one ....a little worse for wear but would make a decent loco with a re-paint and some details. Asked the price...the response..."They haven't made that loco in years...its a collector's piece...I can't take less than $125 for it..." HORSEFIDDLE!!!...The things sold for $19.95 from the mail order places...You can't make me believe that the value of a used one in only fair condition has gone up over 500 %..NO SALE AGAIN!!
The same friend had also asked me to pick him up some used Athearn 40ft boxcars if I saw some and they were reasonable....OK that shouldn't be a problem....there's millions of them floating around. Found some....priced $10-$15 each!!! Most had broken stirrup steps! I asked, "Why so much?" (I played dumb hehe!) The answer..."They are very collectible and go up in value every year." OH JEEZ and CRACKERS!!!....The cars sold for $1.98 - $3.98 when they were new!!! The prices were still on the boxes!!! LORD!!!....I DIDN'T JUST FALL OFF THE TURNIP TRUCK!!! NO SALE HERE EITHER!!!
The whole purpose of this post is to let the "newbies" to this hobby who might start attending and buying at trainshows know that you should take anything you might be told about something being "collectible" with a grain of salt. If there is something that you're really looking for and want, do some research on it first and determine what its really worth before you just buy on impluse.
BTW... I did get my friend some Athearn 40ft boxcars....20 of them for $50....and they didn't have broken stirrup steps!!!! and some had Kadees on them!!!