Lionel Minuteman Switcher value?

[trainmaster247]

So I see boxes and inserts for this sell for 300 dollars on ebay (jeez that is some expensive cardboard) is the switcher worth as much it is the white one. There is also a bunch of tube track but I don't know if that would really be worth anything. A friend said it was his grandfathers and he doesn't know if he wants to sell it but I want to find an answer for him anyway.

 

Thanks

[cwburfle]

Do you see them sell for $300, or do you see people asking $300?

The minuteman switcher is a desirable locomotive.
Condition is everything, and prices have been falling for all but the absolute best of the best.

The best way to determine value is to look at sold items on EBay. You'd have to compare pieces in similar condition, and look at several listings.

[trainmaster247]

cwburfle

Do you see them sell for $300, or do you see people asking $300?

The minuteman switcher is a desirable locomotive.
Condition is everything, and prices have been falling for all but the absolute best of the best.

The best way to determine value is to look at sold items on EBay. You'd have to compare pieces in similar condition, and look at several listings.

 

 

I saw the box sell for that much, I wasn't having much luck finding sales of the original on the bay so was wondering if anyone on here had sold it themselves.

[Leverettrailfan]

(Sorry for the late, late late comment)

Usually, boxes that are worth such high ammounts, are worth that much, because of how rare they are, and because there is a demand for them. I would not factor box value into this, unless this locomotive has a box. In general, a train is worth, well, whatever people are willing to pay for it! A train is worth more, if it is clean, undamaged, and over all, in good condition. If this locomotive looked practically brand new, it could be worth a few hundred dollars to the right person, at the right time. But, a dusty, dirty and discolored one, with some patches of rust, and a few scratches, well, that’s going to be worth considerably less. I would figure, that if it’s in the latter range, it would probably be worth between $40 and $80? This is literally just a guess! Unless you’re going to try selling it, I would say that there’s probably not any easy way to get your answer. And if you do sell it, the answer is, lf course, how much someone is willing to give you for it. Some pictures would probably help others give you an idea of what you’re looking at, but I figure if no one’s given you an estimate by this point, it’s either from lack of information, or lack of answers.

[trainmaster247]

I'll try and get some photos for you, the ones the person showed me made it look like it was actually fairly clean they didn't test it to see if it ran but from the inside photo the electronics looked fine. Thanks for the reply though I was mainly just saying I was surprised how much people payed for the box.

[cwburfle]

I'll try and get some photos for you, the ones the person showed me made it look like it was actually fairly clean they didn't test it to see if it ran but from the inside photo the electronics looked fine. Thanks for the reply though I was mainly just saying I was surprised how much people payed for the box.

There should not be any electronics (circuit boards or solid state devices) inside a postwar locomotive. Only a motor and an e-unit. No light bulbs.
One of several reasons that the minuteman switcher is desirable to collectors is it's color.
The white plastic tends to discolor over time.

Also look out for cracks around the screw holes and/or damaged window struts.

I am fairly certain that it has been reproduced in the modern era.

Here is a link to the Tandem associates page on the postwar #59

Sorry if I am repeating information already provided.

[trainmaster247]

cwburfle

I'll try and get some photos for you, the ones the person showed me made it look like it was actually fairly clean they didn't test it to see if it ran but from the inside photo the electronics looked fine. Thanks for the reply though I was mainly just saying I was surprised how much people payed for the box.

There should not be any electronics (circuit boards or solid state devices) inside a postwar locomotive. Only a motor and an e-unit. No light bulbs.
One of several reasons that the minuteman switcher is desirable to collectors is it's color.
The white plastic tends to discolor over time.

Also look out for cracks around the screw holes and/or damaged window struts.

I am fairly certain that it has been reproduced in the modern era.

Here is a link to the Tandem associates page on the postwar #59

Sorry if I am repeating information already provided.

 

 

By electronics I meant that stuff it had no circuit boards I didn't really know the word I would use to describe it I know a little about the odler stuff but not a huge amount.

[cwburfle]

By electronics I meant that stuff it had no circuit boards I didn't really know the word I would use to describe it I know a little about the odler stuff but not a huge amount.

No problem. I just wanted to let you know that the switcher was reproduced with electronic innards.
I'd call the general insides of a postwar train "guts", but that doesn't really tell the reader anything at all.
With all the reproductions, reissues, and reuse of old terms, it can be difficult to accurately describe our trains.
For example, Modern era Lionel continued to call their electronic reversing boards "E units". So, in order to be clear about the older, non-electronic reversing units, many of us have gone to calling them "electro-mechanical E-units".