Question: Cleaning the archives: any market for Lionel, MTH catalogs?

LionelJim, I am sort of in the same boat. I am cleaning and organizing my basement in preparation to build a layout. I decided to keep my MTH catalogs because I do refer back to them once in a while but I have an entire box of Lionel and K-Line catalogs. All  are of the modern era (1997-and up). I don't think a whole lot of O gauge enthusiasts collect catalogs. I know some guys collect the older Lionel catalogs but I am very interested to see if there is any interest in the catalogs.

The problem is even if there is interest they aren't worth hardly anything and they are very heavy and extremely costly to ship. I fear that if I decide to get rid of them they will go to the recycling center.

First, the five-volume Greenberg compilations, then electronic compilations and online archives offering convenient, space-saving access to catalogs may have diminished the modest market for individual paper catalogs.          

Check on well known auction sites for current values.  Catalogs can be shipped media mail, which is relatively less expensive.

You can still sell them, though. We even sold a bunch of Modern Era catalogs (in a group) for something like $1.00 each on Ebay. Ship them Media Mail and it won't cost too much, and make the buyer pay the postage. 

The Postwar catalogs (1945-69) if in EX or better condition do still get maybe $10-15 each on Ebay. I would sell those individually, not in a bunch.

Check Ebay listings to see what's selling and for how much.

I took a bunch of MTH catalogs to OSW a while back with a sign that said "free to a good home".  I brought them home and put them in recycling.

However, that All Nation catalog should bring a couple bucks on eBay.  Give it to a local hobbyist.

Pre 1965 Catalogs tend to be worth more and Pre- 1950 even more.

I collect catalogs to place the data in our master catalog and some of my friends who have ties to MTH or Lionel will get older catalogs in bulk that we give away at our train shows or when our modular layout is on display. Kids love the catalogs.

I trashed about 250 catalogs not to long ago. Not worth anything. I would keep PW catalogs if you have them. 

Certainly there are people who collect catalogs.

You mention having an All Nation catalog, that's got to be somewhat uncommon, someone must want it.

IMHO, catalogs generally have to be either unusual, or have some age to them for them to be desireable.

If I had the space, I'd keep one or two copies of every catalog, but I don't. So I decided to terminate my Lionel catalog collection at the year 2000. I brought the newer ones to a train show and gave them away.

Ship them to me post paid.  My wood stove burning season is coming soon. 

I find that RR rags do not sell well but I have traded cases of them for other vendor's train goodies during the last hour of some shows.

It is easier to trade some stuff than sell it.  Junk swapping.

I'd take the mth catalogs off your hands if you want to get rid of them for the cost of shipping