cv_acr Buy it because you want it yourself, not with any plan to necessarily retain any real value.
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The same is true for art. I own several large original oil paintings, and I will never care what they are worth. They are meaningful and glorious for me, and they will never be sold. I bought only what I wanted.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Looking at anything model railroad related as an "investment" is probably a bad idea. Buy it because you want it yourself, not with any plan to necessarily retain any real value.
If you want investments, talk to your bank.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
I think that if collectibles are to be considered investments, there has to be a group of people who are interested in buying what you have several years down the road.
Unfortunately, with many things once collectible, I think people who want brass are departing this earth. A ever diminishing pool of buyers.
Same goes for Elvis memorabilia. Beatles. Some day, the popular question will be, "who are they?"
Maybe even the same thing with 1960's era muscle cars. Who will be around to remember when those cars were popular?
Stuff doesn't remain collectible forever. At least not at ever-increasing prices.
- Douglas
MjorstadBrass trains hold or appreciate in value enough to be considered a reasonable monetary investment?
Depends a C&O G9 2-8-0 is still over $400.00 while a lowly U.P 0-6-0 may be had between $200-250.00.
My brass United Santa Fe 1950 Class 2-8-0 cost me $125.00 plus shipping and its already custom painted and decaled for Santa Fe..A very happy bargain for me.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
When I was a brass dealer for almost 20 years...Piermont Division which became Brasstrains.com in '05, never once did I tell a customer to purchase as an investment...only buy because you like owning a brass loco, or need to fill a spot on your roster. Some folks did invest prior to 1997 which was the peak of brass activity, and yes many did make substantial profits. Brass models are an art form, and like any form of fine art....have values which could easily appreciate or drop considerably. There will always be people who will appreciate brass trains as they are quite literally hand made works of art vs. a mass produced plastic or die cast counter-part.....me being one of them.
Much can be learned about brass at the new Brass Expo coming up in the fall. There will be clinics on many subjects on what this thread is about (Note to moderator....this is not a plug as I am not involved with the expo)
HZ
Mjorstadcan Brass trains hold or appreciate in value enough to be considered a reasonable monetary investment?
In a few cases maybe, but as others have pointed out, brass trains are generally a way to lose money.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Brass as an investment has passed into the history books for now. If you had bought models in the late 1960's and early 70's before the prices shot up, even at todays prices you could turn a profit. But with the rise of brass level detailed plastic with all the electronics, the modelers at large are going that route and less so with brass models. Much better ways to invest one's money. But if you like brass models as many of us do, buy the ones that you have interest in, not the ones that "might" go up in value(highly unlikely). Its a buyers market right now, and many older models need only a basic cleaning, a can motor and decoder to run with the newest on the market. Mike the Aspie
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome
I’d say brass is becoming less and less of an investment. The amount of detail available in plastic nowadays devalues any brass locomotives with higher end plastic equivalents. Only the stuff without another alternative could hold value, but you need a willing buyer. The detail available in plastic today pretty much eliminates the need for anything brass.
Of course you could tell those no-modelrailroaders that you are buying it for an investment just so they don’t act very confused when you spend $1000 on a single locomotive!
Regards, Isaac
I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!
Brass prices are falling. Now is either the time to "Buy Low", or the market will continue to drop and you will lose all your money. Without a functional crystal ball, who knows.
I have only been in the brass market for 5 years or so. I have acquired dozens of pieces, and almost all of them can be had now for less than I paid for them.
Not a good investment as far as I can tell.
Part of the problem is that newer brass is better made, so older brass loses value. And while they are expensive, they really aren't art in the sense of say Rembrandt - more like collector plates from Franklin Mint and others, which while some may like them don't go up in value for the most part.
I bought the 2 pieces I have, to enjoy them. Investments are in stocks.
Paul
In my opinion, Overall I would say no to brass trains being reasonable investments. The value of brass trains has been in a down turn for several years. Mostly because of the newer locomotives having sound and DCC right out of the box, ie Broadway Limited. If you look at the value charts that appear at the bottm of all the listings on Brasstrains.com, you can see how 90% of the locomotives have lost value in recent years. There are a few locomotives that may hold their value, because they were made in low numbers or a unique style. Sold listings on auction sites will also further reinforce my opinion, plus I have been able to pick up several brass locomotives at train shows for next to nothing. In the end, I do like brass loccomotives because of their good drive mechanisms and detail, but I would never expect to make any amount of money when I decide to sell them.
So as I‘ve online-browsed brass trains that I can’t afford, I’ve been led to wonder. How do brass trains, as collectibles, fare as investments? Some invest in classic cars to hold their money (as well as to have the pride of owning a classic car) and I was wondering if brass trains could work in a similar vein in holding value over time. Obviously, the trend may vary from model to model; a 1 of 10 handbuilt model will accrue more worth than a slowly-rusting piece of crap that doesn’t run, but on the whole, can Brass trains hold or appreciate in value enough to be considered a reasonable monetary investment?