@Brian Schmidt posted:[quote="TonyH"]Yea, have been looking for Cupid and Blitzen as well. Cupid is usually on eBay but they want $440+ for it. I will pass at that price.[/quote]
Here's another for the faint of heart...
We (LHS) had a Cupid car when they first came out, MSRP ($44.99) stickered. Went through the Christmas season...no sale. Sat on the shelf until March. Dept. mgr moved all the seasonal stuff upstairs. The following Christmas season...around mid-November...the Christmas displays were again set up, all the stuff upstairs included...
Except for Cupid. Someone overlooked it, so it went through ANOTHER Christmas season w/o being sold.
That summer, the boss had the store inventoried. Cupid was re-discovered...dusty, forgotten. Boss not happy about 'lost' items like Cupid.
Around Labor Day that year a guy came in early shopping for "Christmas stuff". Boss happened to hear his inquiry, sez "How about a Lionel Cupid car?" Guy said 'Naw, that's not what I had in mind.' Boss: 'I'll make you a deal you can't refuse!', and fetches the dusty box. Guy looks it over, obviously still not eager to bite.
Boss sez..."Half Price!"
Customer..."Well........OK."
Hey, we can only hope that his $22.50 (plus tax, of course) purchase of a Cupid car has been duly rewarded.
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Be patient, though. Back when MTH was selling Rail King flatcars with 2 die cast autos attached, one of their first offerings, a flat car with two 1952 Caddies, rose to similar heights. By the time the 2-auto flats became a collectible run for many enthusiasts, that Caddy flat was HOT! At a 1997 train show in Maumee, OH, there were a couple....at $400+! Checking the current Sold's on Ebay....$25-$40 is about what they're currently going for.