Hi, everyone.
I have a question that some of you may be able to answer. Please bear in mind that this posting is not intended to advertise anything. I am only looking for ideas and feedback at this time.
My father passed away recently and now his HO scale layout, rolling stock, structures, scratch-building parts, supplies, tools, books, memorabilia, etc. needs to be passed on to others who may enjoy it. I am not sure of the best way to do this. I would like it to bring some money for my mother. So, my plan, tentatively, is to photograph, and document everything and then post a series of Ebay auctions over several months.
Is there a better way?
I value moms security and privacy so I don't particularly want a bunch of strangers coming to moms house to pick things up although I may be able to schedule mettings with people for some of the larger items or large lots of items. Her house is about a 2.5hr drive from mine. So I need to be able to take care of things remotely as much as possible.
I don't know when dad began collecting. If I assume he began when he was roughly 10 years old, then this collection has been accumulating for about 77 years. When I begin, I will post a notice on this forum somewhere, probably in a classified ads forum.
Thanks.
Eric B
If you are on Facebook, there are quite a number of buy/sell groups. Be aware some groups are scale specific( HO only) while others are all scales or buildings. I have bought a bunch of stuff over several years with pretty good results.
You don't state where you are located. If your father had friends in the hobby, you might offer the collection to them first. Perhaps they will help your mom sell it. If there are train shows or swap meets in your area, they would be your best bet. Catalog every item and take pictures. Research similar items that have SOLD on ebay and price your items accordingly. There are buyers that advertise in Model Railroader. They will buy the entire collection. Beware, they'll pay 10 to 20 cents on the dollar, because they will resell the stuff by the piece and need to make a profit for their trouble. Some hobby shops will sell collections for a percentage of the price. Ebay is always a good avenue, but it is a lot of work, listing packing shipping. Between eBay and Paypal you will give up as muchg as 20% of the selling price.
It sounds like you are approaching the task in a sound, logical way. You might want to ask around to see if there are any local swap meets in your area. It might be interesting to see what bringing some stuff to a swap meet would bring. Most swap meets charge (a modest sum, hopefully) for tables but our NMRA division allows free tables while supplies last at our monthly meets. My experience is that it makes more sense to price things at $1, $5, $10 etc and hope for exact change.
While the layout itself might seem like the biggest investment of all, as it usually turns out "stuff" sells far faster than any layout -- layouts are notoriously difficult to disassemble, move, and reassemble in anything like operating shape, for one thing. And to be frank the older the layout the more dated it may be in track plan, wiring, scenery, and so on.
When I got started in the hobby, the older layouts had scenery that was made with shredded asbestos (!!) so I am very glad it was never possible for me to acquire such an albatross, nice though they may have seemed at the time.
You mention books. If they are books about prototype type trains, as opposed to model railroad "how to" books, there may be an audience and market for those books over and above the model railroad market. Many older books sell for pennies on the dollar, but some of the real rarities sell for dollars on the penny!
Dave Nelson
First of all, welcome to the forum and we are sorry for your loss. My dad died 43 years ago and I still miss him.
Are you a model railroader? Do you know what you are looking at?
Quality holds it's value. There is a recent thread on the guys that run www.brasstrains.com If you don't know some engines and cars are brass, they can be quite valuable. I don't know if that's what he collected.
Not to disparage your dad, but some people collect what they like, not what is going to be valuable in 40 years. Some people have higher standards that I personally will ever meet and other less so. Trainset type locos and cars, tend not to be that valuable. The detail has improved vastly over the years as have the running quality. He may have added extra details to his rollings stock, or not.
Custom or kitbashed buildings are worth more than run of the mill kits. I see used buildings at train shows and most of them look like they were built and painted by an 8 year old with a jar of glue and a can of paint, and a big brush.
Your dad's friends probably are not in the market to expand their collection but is there a club in your area?
Unfortunately we don't have a classified section here. private message sent.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Just do e-bay. I sold most of my unused collection on e-bay. Used to be you would start at 99cents to avoid fees but that has all changed so sell in lots that you can start at $9.99, the only exception to this would be a very valuble item. Sure some items will sell for less than you might get but others will sell for more so it will even out, even junk sells.
Are we talking a complete layout with buildings and scenery... or are we talking about a collection of loose pieces.
.
It makes a huge difference.
Collection: Just take it all back to your place and list it on eBay with your best description. Start all auctions at 99 cents so everything sells. You will get a fair price on almost everything, and you can be done in a month easily with a steady effort. No big deal at all. Get a street address mail drop at the local UPS store and use that if you want to protect your privacy. I do not see the need for that.
Do not fall into the trap of thinking that anything is worth money. Most used equipment has very low value. Get what you can and do not inflate your mother’s hopes of what the old trains are worth. If there are unused brass models in the original boxes you might have something. Otherwise HO holds few examples of real collectibles.
If it is a layout… you need someone like me. I have removed several layouts and only charged what I can remove and use myself. If you have a lot of nice buildings, I will be cheerful to do this. If you have quality trackage with no ballast, I will be thrilled. Tortoise switch machines… JACKPOT! I will come in with a saw and remove all the good scenes. I will remove what I can use, and 95% of it will go to the landfill. Layouts have no value. If you can get it removed for free, you are doing well. Make sure the person you find knows what he is doing. You can really damage a dwelling trying to remove a layout that the builder intended to be permanent.
Maybe a local railroad club knows of someone that can do it. If you allow club members and friends to "Cherry-Pick" the layout first, forget about having it removed for no charge.
Good luck. I feel for your loss. I lost my father over 20 years ago.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Eric B ... my sincere condolences to you regarding your loss of your father. There are dealers who buy estate sale mmodel railroad items. Maybe some model railroaders can help you find one.
Some dealers will drive to your location to pick up the items after you sell them to him . You will not get an amount close to what your Dad originally paid . Values of used trains typically are much less than new prices. Of course, the dealers must buy at lower amounts than what they will be selling the items for.
You won't make much money but the items will be acquired by people who will enjoy them.
Best wishes
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Gentlmen,
This is exactly the information and encouragement I was looking for. I am not a model railroader due to space limitations and other interests. However, I grew up around "everything trains". I am not an expert. But I do have a fair idea of what these things are.
This is what I would consider an extensive collection. The layout covers the entire room above a 2-car garage and master bedroom suite. It has 3 -4 levels of trackage. I recently made a video that almost covers an entire trip around the main line at a respectable speed (not racing the way kids want to run their trains) and the video is 35 minutes long. Dad collected what he liked, not necessarily going for what would bring high dollars at a sale. But with that said, dad liked the good stuff. There are brass engines, many other kit engines and cars, plastic and wood kit buildings, scratch-built structures and rolling stock. He did a scratch build of the Hazleton, PA station from black and white photos and memory. He did the same for the Cranberry Coal breaker near Hazleton, PA and both are impressive models. Over the past 10 (almost 15?) years or so, He had been converting many loco's to digital control. I have several 3-ring binders with the DCC data sheets for each locomotive that has been converted. He had several friends who called themselves a railroad club, who would visit each others homes regularly for operating sessions. Dad even had a scale clock system set up for operating sessions. Some parts of the layout may be sellable. There is a working turntable with, I believe, a 7 bay roundhouse that I know can be removed safely as It has been in 3 different homes over my lifetime.
Dads favorite road was the Lehigh Valley. So there is a heavy influence of the LVRR. There are many books about trains and railroads. There is also a lot of building supplies and materials. There are also some oddball things in other scales, such as Lionel items. I will group many things as "lots" to sell. I know most items will sell for much less than their original retail value. That is the nature of these things.
Here is a link to the video. It is not publicly listed on Youtube due to its personal nature. But you are welcome to view and see the extent of what I am describing. The video is a little bit rough. I was in a hurry to get it done in time for dad to see.
Eric
What area do you live ? If you are near Va we have a member in the NMRA here who assist folks like you and distrubuting the RR stuff from people who have passed. You can PM me and we can discsuss details off line if that is better for you. I dont think he charges for this. All proceeds go back to the family is my understanding.
YGW
I am in the Greenville, SC area. Mom is about a 2.5hr drive away. I believe I will stick with my original plan until most things are gone, then get someone to help with the remainder if necessary. I have already told her that this will take some time. My brother and I will keep a few small items of sentimental value and Mom wants a small diroama including a few special scenes fom the layout. Everything else goes.
I'll try linking the video again. It didn't work using the link tool. The moderators seem to have me on probation or something. My posts take about 8 hours to show up. I've never had a forum site act this way before.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XulL9YwMeRc
This may be my last post here. I have begun the process. You are welcome to visit.
LJWrailroad(dot)com
Thanks everybody.