What's best for re-selling brass?

[Anonymous]

I bought an Akane USRA Heavy Pacific 4-6-2 recently. It was manufactured in 1964, in Japan, and was professionally painted for the Erie Railroad.

 The professional paint job is in pretty good shape. The open-frame motor is in the middle of an overhaul and the guts are being greased as we speak. 

I would like to sell the model soon and wondered if I should take the time to scrape off the model's paint job down and polish it up for higher re-sale value. I don't know if that is advisable. Please send me your thoughts.

 Better yet, what is the best way to get maximum value out of brass anyway?

 

Ignatius. 

[cabbage]

If you remove the paint then you will quite probably remove about 90% of the value.... If you are selling a model of this vintage then your best bet is a specialist auction house. The "hand me down" Basset Lowke models that I have are worth far more with their paint as supplied than stripped.

regards

ralph

[hoofe116]

Better yet, what is the best way to get maximum value out of brass anyway?

Ignatius. 

Luck.

Les W.

[Curmudgeon]

Yes, anymore, with the detail quality of the new plastic stuff, I don't know anybody who actively is looking for Half-Zero brass anymore.

Akane was not quite the detail in '64 as later stuff, if I remember.

 

Leave the paint on it!

Let the consumer remove it!

 

To strip it, you will need to chemically bathe it to remove any tarnish and corrosion, and clear-coat it at any rate, so just leave that to the new owner.