How to find out the value of vintage lionel trains

[Anonymous]

I have recently come across some vintage lionel trains and I am looking to sell them. I cannot seem to find any online guides for pricing them or finding out the value of them. If anyone has any ideas I could really use your help

[Sturgeon-Phish]

You can track values on ebay, but they flucuate a lot.  The library may have a greensburg guide.  They are updated annually and a good guide.

Jim

[brianel027]

Jacquie, there are no on-line price guides. Even the printed boook price guides are only ball-park guides and hinge very much so on the condition of the trains you are selling. For an good idea what people are currently willing to pay for the trains you have, you could look on eBay.

Most train engines and cars have a number on the side of the car... this is more than likely the number of the item. There are some important factors to consider here:

Do you have original individual boxes?

If this is an orginal train set, do you have the original box? That box will have a number on it, and may bring you more money for a complete original set.

Do the items work? This is important... an engine that is untested and may not run (even if it is fixable) would be considered junk by most price guides and therefore is something like 60% below what it might be worth.

Are trains complete with all pieces? Are they dirty and scratched or chipped? Dirt can usually be cleaned, but scratches, dents and chips are another story.

All these factors play in heavily to the price you might expect to recieve. If you sell everything at once (depending on the size of this collection) you will probably receive less money than if you take the time to sell them individually on eBay (outside of items that came in an original set with that packaging).

May I suggest you try posting here the numbers you see on the train items, or giving us a good description here on this forum and I know folks here will offer some sound advice.

[Anonymous]

*cough* go run them, you'll find value to em for yourself to keep em :P

[bfskinner]

Jacquie23,

You will have slightly better luck searching under "Greenberg's" guide.

Remember, it's just a guide. Most folks discover that on the open market their trains will bring  fewer $$$ than the guide suggests.

If you are a member of eBay (no cost, no need to bid or buy anything) you can search "completed" auctions as well as the current ones, and get a better picture of the market.

[LS1Heli]

Can not be stressed enough that it is a guide and only a guide. Some of these people believe it is the bible and won't sell or buy unless the price asked is what it says in the "book".

If you have beat used trains or trains that are in decent condition w/o boxes the most credible sources are TM or Greenbergs guides.

If you have collector quality condition items you can then shred the guide- because there is no guide for a collectable train. People like myself will pay almost anything.

In my opinion the WORST place to send a novice to price or "guide" prices is on eBay. There are so many variables from time of year, auction ending time, quality of photographs, etc. that affect the price.  And most importantly there are so many unexpierenced indiviuals selling (to make a quick buck) that these people are listing rare items and not even aware of it- like 2 months ago when the auction title stated Lionel #50 coal car (turned out to be a centered horn w/ gray bumpers and two green men, etc.)

If your interested in gauging the $ of your equipment you should purchase a guide and consult with an expierened Lionel collector. 

 

 

[BDT in Minnesota]

There is allot of information that would be needed to begin to answer your question, as Lionel produced low cost and expensive "collector" items at the same time ..The first thing to inform (or warn) you about are the boxes....The cardboard boxes that the trains came in may be worth more than the contents...So, in the mean time, be extremely careful with the boxes and do not attempt to do any tape repairs. ..Sounds crazy, but I recently seen a empty Lionel locomotive box sell on eBay for $1400...Some of this stuff can be nuts...Even the lower cost items of yesterday can bring a premium price in the right crowd..HOWever,,The majority of the treasures that people find in the attic will fail to bring these results....Lionel is (was) a toymaker, and produced toy trains by the thousands..So it is understandable that most of the "finds" are  well used toys,  not in the best of condition.  Locomotive and car numbers would help in approximating a value, along with alot of close up photos...Please, I beg one thing; when the photos are done, don't stack the cars up like a pile of chord wood...They should be treated with care, reguardless of conditon....BDT

[C_Siegel]

Try this link.  These are free on-line price guides which should have info for you.  Hope they help.

http://www.traincity.com/price_guide/

 

[Frank53]

oh my - an oft visited topic.

The dreaded Greenberg Guide where recently discovered trains immediately get absurd values placed upon them by sellers who figure anyone offering less than the far right hand column is trying to cheat them.

Throw Greenberg values out the window. While I have a Greenberg full guide, as well as David Doyle's book, I use these for reference regardnig models and material and rarely give them a second thought as it relates to pricing. In today's market, these are unrealistic and sellers typically over estimate the condition by more than a step or two.

Ebay will give you the best barometer for what trains are going for, so long as you view completed auctions.

I recently visisted the web site of a major post war seller and was amazed at the artifically inflated pricing. Folks will end up sitting on this stuff for a very long time. . .