1939 lionel 191w

[Anonymous]

Hi,

My father has a 1939 Lionel 191w set and wants to sell it. He'd like to know what the set is worth. Are there web sites that have values for old trains like his?

thanks,
gary

[tjsprague]

What is the condition of the trains?
Is the original set box, and componenent boxes in good shape?

Let me know and I'll give a quick search of the guidebooks as well as an opinion based on personal experience.

If it holds together as a "set", excellent condition/all boxes it will sell well as a set. otherwise the best money can be found by breaking up the set and selling the individual pieces on ebay. You'll need access to a decent digital camera and spend a little time researching how and where to list. I would suggest that you list the condition to potential buyers per TCA grading standards
<http://www.traincollectors.org/>

Good luck,

Tim

[Anonymous]

Hi TIm

They're all in great condition. He has the full set including the individual small boxes for each part and the large box. He said the box is in very good condition but not perfect. He has all the parts and would much rather sell the whole set than attempt to sell the individual parts.

I got involved because he put an ad in the Pennysaver (a local "for sale" newpaper) and had someone call right away and wanted to run over to get it. I don't want him to sell it for $50 if the set is worth $500 :)

I'll check out that web site you mentioned to see how they should be classified.

thanks,
gary

[tjsprague]

Hi Gary,

If the set is complete and in the condition you've stated, it's best to do a little homework. This is what I've learned in researching the set;

from Greenberg's Guide to Lionel Trains, Volume IV, PreWar sets;

OUTFIT No. 191W (1938-39)
226E locomotive, 2226W tender, 2815 tank car, 2816 hopper, 2817 caboose, eight curved track, three straight track, RCS track, 67 whistle controller. (like most of the higher end outfits, the set was sold without transformer)

The loco and tender are black with silver lettering and nickel journals. The freight cars should all have nickel journals and plates. The 2816 hopper should be red. The 2817 caboose came in light red. The tank car in 1938 sets was aluminum with a Sunoco decal, the 1939 sets had an orange tank car with SHELL decals (SHELL versions are generally valued a little higher.)

Depending on condition, I'd say you're looking at a value range of $500 - $1500. I'm going on your description of "excellent" Just note that "excellent" has strict meaning when conversing with a collector. So I'd suggest you go with the TCA grading (c-5, c-6, c-7 etc)

Let me know what you come up with. I know someone who may be interested in purchasing. Otherwise ebay may be the way you want to go, or at least you'll know what you got when placing an ad in the paper. I'd just give a week or two, as a lot of collectors will be heading off to the York meet in PA.

Feel free to send me an email directly (click on my profile). Or just post here.

Tim