@lionelflyer posted:I tend to disagree with the OP. There may be some odd ball outliers and certainly some rare pieces still demanding high prices, but run-of-the mill postwar is getting harder and harder to sell. I buy a fair number of collections and I'm really only paying as low as possible for them.
ZW's were selling for up to $325 each at one time. Now you are lucky to get $100. I'll only calculate the value in a collection at $50 at best since they invariably need a new power cord, new rollers, and possibly new circuit breakers and rectifiers, plus the time to fix them.
2020 turbines were getting upwards of $150-$200 each. Now you are lucky to get $100, if you can even sell one. A moving price might be more like $75 unless in pristine condition with boxes. They have shown up with great regularity in recent collections I've purchased.
The last train show that I was at a couple of months ago there were tables FULL of common black steam engines of various numbers and none were moving.
I had someone contact me with a small collection with only a 665 w/2046W tender and a couple of cars including a Great Northern 6464 (don't know which one). He doesn't have and won't put together a list of the rest of the items and doesn't really have a price in mind except a "fair price". I'm hesitant to even go look at them since it is an hour away and with tolls. My real concern is that he will be insulted with what I would be willing to pay for them. There are no boxes and condition is completely unknown. A 665 w/2046W is a nice engine and generally runs well but I already have one in excellent condition in the boxes so this would be for resale. How long might it take to sell it and for how much? $75 to $100? Here's the thing. He wants me to come and look at them as I'm the only person to have contacted him about them. 10 to 15 or 20 years ago, I would have jumped all over the opportunity to purchase this small collection.
Just my humble opinion of the state of postwar Lionel. You are free to disagree. However, I still love running them and am just going to the basement layout to find out why my 364 log loader isn't working!
This gentleman summed up the current state of postwar perfectly !
