Lionel 6017 A.T.&S.F. caboose

[rtraincollector]

My price guide states 3 different times and value. There is 

6017-185 (59-60) Figured out this one is the gray one. 

6017-225 (61-62)

6017-235 (62)

My standard catalog of Lionel Trains 1945 - 1969 only talks about the last one. 

[teledoc]

The Price Guide is totally wrong with the “-225” listing.  It does not exist, and never did.  It is just one of many errors in the Price Guide, which keeps perpetuating the errors, year after year.  I never ever use a Price Guide for actual research, because of that.  I use Greenberg Catalog guides, Paul V. Ambrose guides, & J. Schmid’s Guide books.  The only thing decent with Doyle’s Guide are the photos, which he also has mistakes.  Doyle can NO longer produce any guides related to model train, as his material was basically plagiarized from Paul Ambrose’s previous wor.  Doyle was sued by Ambrose, and lost in court, barring him from future publications.  I gave a complete & thorough answer to the numbers of the caboose and box number on the OGR forum.

[Roger Carp]

Hi Teledoc,

 

I read your entry on the 6017-235 caboose and appreciate your insights. Since I edit the annual Greenberg Pocket Price Guide to Lionel Trains, I would like to talk with you about the errors you have noted so we can eliminate them. 

 

Please contact me at Classic Toy Trains:

 

Roger Carp

Senior editor

262-796-8776 ext. 253

[Flintlock76]

So THAT'S why I haven't seen any new Doyle's guides!  Well, well.

Anyway, as I'm really more of an operator than collector I use price guides as more of a info source as to "ball-park" figures.  Supply and demand changes all the time.

In the end, I'm not into running down variations of the same article or running down "rare-ees."  If I like it, I buy it, IF I think the price is reasonable and I can afford it. 

I have to say I haven't gone wrong yet. 

As an aside, when I worked in a gun shop there was a standard reference work as to antique gun prices that was authored by a gent who shall remain nameless.  He's passed on anyway.  The general consensus (from people who knew him) was "If he owned it, and wanted to sell it, it was worth a lot of money.  If he didn't own it, but wanted it for himself, it wasn't worth a lot of money."  

Not saying this applies to our toy train world, but just sayin', you know?