model 4923 approx. 1930's marlines train

[Anonymous]

i have an old marx marlines train model 4923 from the 1930's. it says streamline electric train on the box and it came from spiegel catalog. there is an engine , a nyc side dumping car, a rock island cri&p #552 hopper, a coal tender, a sliding box car -union pacific #59, and a caboose #556. there is also a gate and a signal crossing. all are in excellent condition. i am just curious as to what this set may be worth. it is "o" gauge. if anyone has any info please e-mail me at [e-mail]. thank you

[Algonquin]

The value will depend a lot on the condition of the trains and if it is still in the original box. The best place to check for current values is Ebay. I just checked and there are several sets of the same vintage as yours currently listed on Ebay.

Regards,

Tim Pignatari

[Anonymous]

Well, the value can depend on different things. Having the box is very important to the value of it. Marx made many different engines and tenders in their time and they have different values. Try checking this site to see which engine and tender it is that you have http://fauxtoys.com/pages/490-identifying-marx.html . The cars are all of the 6-inch variety of Marx cars. I can give you the values for the individual cars, though. The Rock Island 552 is a gondola car, not a hopper car. It and the caboose are both worth about $10 to $20 depending on the condition. The 59 cattle car is worth $30 good, $50 excellent if the doors have slats in them and $15 good, $25 excellent if they don't. There are three different variations of the side dumping car. If it has a dark brown interior with a copper deck or a tan interior with a brass deck it is worth $15 good, $25 excellent, but if it has a dark brown interior and a brown deck, it is worth $20 good, $35 excellent. Of course, everything being together as an original set will be worth more than if everything was priced individually. I hope this helps you out somewhat.

[Dr.Fu-Manchu]

The Doctor is in[}:)] I like nothing more than helping someone find out the value of
the train set they have become caretaker(owner) of. What Algonquin (who is wise)
may be missing is that E-Bay is not a price guide, But an auction. And auctions are
not always the best way to find out what something is worth. I myself(lowly evil doctor)
use the current price guide and books that cover the items that I am trying to find the
value of. At an auction, the final price is what someone is willing to pay for a item.
When I bid on an item, either for my collection or for resale, I look at what the price
guide says is a current price based on condition and is it common or rare. And on
E-Bay, sometimes people get caught up in the moment and bid more than the item
is worth(not counting S&H) I have seen items in good condition go for 11/2 times the
price listed. Which tells me that some folk want someting bad and are going to over
-pay for it. So, Take the time to read the price guides and be aware that a dealer is
not going to pay full price for the item. He has to make a profit by reselling it. A collector
may pay close to the asking price, but it depends on how bad they want it. Bottom line
is: unless someone is willing to buy something, it has no vaule. I learned this from
selling used magic props, It may be of vaule to you, but if nobody offers you money for
it, it is worthless. Good Luck !