I think the proof of all this will be evident by Saturday night. For me, I have certain pieces on my wanted list but also have a maximum amount I'm willing to spend for them. As far as sales go, I will have a LOT of excess that I need to get rid of and I'm not overly interested in bringing it back home.
Some items that are truly rare or hard to find, I'm looking to get what I can out of them but negotiable.
Common items like VG condition rolling stock will be in the $5 to $20 range and postwar black steam engines will be under $100.
I see at shows way too many folks trying to sell common steam engines in the $150 range and they just sit on the tables forever. Just how many 2020, 2026, 2035 engines can anyone own and how many collectors/operators already have all of those.
Of 120 items on my Lionel list (postwar & MPC) 70 are $20 and under. Only 25 items are in the 3 digit range and that includes full boxed and unboxed sets. I really don't think the high prices folks are seeing are real or sustainable.
My feeling is that most plain old TCA member & York table holders like me will be looking to move items, not pocket as much money as possible like back in the late 90's early 2000's.
Hope I don't get in trouble posting this.
LionelFlyer
