mwb posted:Rule292 posted:Slight qualification needed...
Some brass may be losing value but quality brass is not..
This is actually true. For example, the Overland Palace Poultry car currently at $590 on eBay with 2 days left. I have clear memories of thinking these were outrageously pricey when they were selling in the mid-$300's...... Silly me, should have bought every one then, but who knew.....
OTOH, people that think that model trains, brass, etc. are investments are welcome to that mindset and that element of risk. It's only really worth what you can sell it for within a very short time period. If you need to liquidate it tomorrow......to pay for that emergency hangnail surgery....
Martin... Not trying to take issue with your perception of the OM Palace Poultry car being quality, but help me understand why your comments wouldn't reflect as much the scarcity of this model coming onto the secondary market as much as a reflection of its quality??....which is the only basis mentioned in the quote.
IOW, would the modified response, "Some brass may be declining in price, but truly scarce brass is not", also apply?....and maybe more so to the larger market?
I have often paid more than original msrp for an item or two....including brass. But, not because I was on a quest for quality, but because I knew they were few and far between...and my own mortality kicks in and says 'I may not be here tomorrow or a year from now when the next one comes along....I'm going to bid/pay NOW!'.
I've always thought of brass products by Kohs to be exceptional, highly detailed, very expensive (by my budget standards) at the original purchase price. Probably their products would fit the ambiguous term 'Quality', too. They're certainly made in small quantities, but the market for their products is also small. That said, I've seen a few of their early products selling for less than the original price, or, at least, not selling at a price that keeps pace with inflation. I don't think that makes those few items of any less quality than the rest of Kohs products. I believe Kohs has a very consistent expectation/demand of quality in all of their products.
Sorry to belabor this, but I'm part of that hoi polloi (love that term!....from the York thread!) brass-buying group that understands scarcity/rarity more than...."quality".
I know....maybe I'm just trying to better understand 'elite' terminology/rationale.
Rejoice. I'm done. finis.
KD
