not sure what I have here...

[pdfermat]

 Hi all, I have 2 train sets that I was hoping you could help me out with.

First, I have an American Flyer 466 set(?) with some accessories.  Second I have some wind-up trains labeled "Hafner", and what looks to be a couple of pieces of track from that set.  Would these be of value to someone in the collecting world, or is this kind of thing fairly common?  Would the fact that I could perhaps sell these as a set increase the value?  Everything is in working order.  I'm an astronomer, so I'm looking for some $$ to fund a new telescope.  Below is a picture of what I have, thanks so much for your time...

 

 

[rtraincollector]

What I would recommend is to goto ebay and serch for what you have and then watch and see how it does. then you will have an idea whats it worth. second if not in a hurry I'd wait till after thanksgiving and then list them on ebay as your bound to get more $$ near xmas as more people are looking just befor the ho;idays than any other time of the year.

[pdfermat]

 Thanks for your response.  Yes, I've been looking through ebay, and while I've found pieces of the set here and there, I haven't been able to find things like this being sold as a set.  I've also been calling around to some local shops, and it seems no one is versed/interested in this kind of thing.  I think there is a swap meet coming to this area in the fall, so maybe I'll attend that.

 Again, thanks for the response.  I'm sure you hear from people like me all the time - someone finds some old trains in their attic, and thinks they've come across thousands of dollars of collector's items, where that is most likely not the case.

 I actually kind of wish I was into this sort of thing.  It seems like it could be fun researching and restoring this vintage stuff.

[wallyworld]

rtraincollector

What I would recommend is to goto ebay and serch for what you have and then watch and see how it does. then you will have an idea whats it worth. second if not in a hurry I'd wait till after thanksgiving and then list them on ebay as your bound to get more $$ near xmas as more people are looking just befor the ho;idays than any other time of the year.

 

 

I bought a similar amount in two lots at two different locations as far as the Hafner stuff about ten years ago. The cars averaged about 10.00 per car and the engines went for 20.00 and it came with two switches, and some straights as well as some switches. All is sum total was about 125.00 but that was ten years ago and I haven't bought any since. It's great advice to check on e-bay for similar items. For all I now, it was simply what I was willing to pay. I do know I check from time to time and Hafner seldom "pops up"...If you have problems, contact me off line.

[stebbycentral]

pdfermat

 Hi all, I have 2 train sets that I was hoping you could help me out with.

First, I have an American Flyer 466 set(?) with some accessories.  Second I have some wind-up trains labeled "Hafner", and what looks to be a couple of pieces of track from that set.  Would these be of value to someone in the collecting world, or is this kind of thing fairly common?  Would the fact that I could perhaps sell these as a set increase the value?  Everything is in working order.  I'm an astronomer, so I'm looking for some $$ to fund a new telescope.  Below is a picture of what I have, thanks so much for your time...

 

 

In the toy train collecting business condition is everything.  The black/silver Hafner locomotive appears to be missing it's drawbar (coupler), and so do several of the cars.  Overall however the paint appears to be in good condition, which is a plus.  Since you don't have enough Hafner track to make even a simple oval, you would probably be better off selling the items piecemeal, instead of as a set.  Except for the blue/yellow locomotive, which goes with the blue/yellow tender.  That I would sell as a pair.

The AF you could sell as a set, as you do appear to have enough track.  If it runs, that's a real plus.  It looks like it needs some serious cleaning up though, especially the "dome" car.  I do hope that's dirt, and not rust.  This after all is not Antiques Roadshow, where they will tell you to never even blow the dust off of Aunt Tillie's favorite ottoman that she left you.

One thing about pricing on eBay though.  In my experience eBay is populated by two kinds of sellers; the pros who know what an item's "bluebook" value is, and demand top dollar for items in very good condition.  And then there are the people cleaning out their attic/garage who have no idea what an item is worth, so they either grossly overprice it or grossly underprice it.  That is why you may find a lot of wildly fluctuating values for the same or similar items.  Evaluate carefully.

[aflyer]

All of the responses indicating eBay as a good source of price information are good.  Condition as noted previously is important.  I have added a URL below

 for Port Line Hobbies, he has many used AF listings, you can see what he is asking for the items you have.

 He also has books fro sale with current values for AF trains and accesories.

 http://64.251.10.24/~worldofw/cgi-bin/shoppl.pl/page=results.html/SID=3012620542/query_string=used

Good luck with your adventure.

 George

[arkady]

pdfermat

 I actually kind of wish I was into this sort of thing.  It seems like it could be fun researching and restoring this vintage stuff.

 

That might not be a bad idea.  Consider it carefully before you make a move that, a couple of years from now, you could regret very much.

 

[pdfermat]

 Thanks everyone, again for the responses.  I think for the time being, I'll put them in safe, dry storage.  From what it looks, I could maybe get a few hundred for everything if I worked at it, which doesn't really put that big of a dent in funding a new telescope.  Maybe someday one of my kids will get into something like this, and they might really get a kick out of restoring and collecting something their grandfather actually played with in the 50's.