The Jim Seacrest Auction

Bob posted:

I have personally sold through Stout Auctions and they collected a commission on the low end of the range that MACHINIST posted.  The idea that "The hammer price is all paid to the seller" is nonsense.

This is correct - I worked as a runner for Greg for several years and sellers didn't get the final hammered price - they paid a fee.  Buyers paid a premium in the 15% zone back when I was holding up trains at Stout's Indianapolis auctions, and the earliest auctions at the Williamsport site before the glass cases were installed.

mwb posted:

And you're right Ed, most of the older run brass has not held its value.  

It's worth paying for the better quality, at least now until everyone is buying ACEs and ES44's.

And that might not be all that bad a thing for the average more budget aware modeler that wants a lot of cars in their trains, cannot afford $300/car, and is also satisfied with how those older cars look rolling by on the track from 3+' away.

There are also only so many PL PRR X23's that I'm willing to acquire, and then put in the time to paint & letter for the CVRR.

If you had a time machine back to 1995 you could pick up Pacific Limited x23/r7's for a hundred bucks Martin!  Did that at the Merchantville show back then. Of course back then  money was much tighter and that was like a $600 Kohs car is nowadays. 

Simon, Many of those Key units were bought new by Jim Seacrest. Some he even negotiated with Key to be unpainted. All of them were put away and never saw time on the rails. He had an excellent painter in Omaha.  Indeed he was essentially a collector. He also had a conservative side,[hard to believe!] that he thought Kohs was not worth the price. He liked a bargain and you will see the indiscriminate side of his collecting on later auctions although there are more nice things to be brought out, unless someone creamed the collection.  

MTN posted:

Bob posted:

I have personally sold through Stout Auctions and they collected a commission on the low end of the range that MACHINIST posted.  The idea that "The hammer price is all paid to the seller" is nonsense.

This is correct - I worked as a runner for Greg for several years and sellers didn't get the final hammered price - they paid a fee.  Buyers paid a premium in the 15% zone back when I was holding up trains at Stout's Indianapolis auctions, and the earliest auctions at the Williamsport site before the glass cases were installed.

That is what my understanding of how these auctions work, the house is collecting from buyer and seller.

Now, I wonder how many of those items sold will find their way onto ebay for a profit?

Rule292 posted:

mwb posted:

And you're right Ed, most of the older run brass has not held its value.  

It's worth paying for the better quality, at least now until everyone is buying ACEs and ES44's.

And that might not be all that bad a thing for the average more budget aware modeler that wants a lot of cars in their trains, cannot afford $300/car, and is also satisfied with how those older cars look rolling by on the track from 3+' away.

There are also only so many PL PRR X23's that I'm willing to acquire, and then put in the time to paint & letter for the CVRR.

If you had a time machine back to 1995 you could pick up Pacific Limited x23/r7's for a hundred bucks Martin!  Did that at the Merchantville show back then. Of course back then  money was much tighter and that was like a $600 Kohs car is nowadays. 

If............If wishes were butterflies, mine would be crushed on the front grill of someone’s car.

And if pigs could fly.........although I am given to understand that with sufficient thrust pigs are surprisingly aerodynamic.

And a $100 in 1995 was far more than I could freely spend on just about anything.  Something about family and career topping the list and consuming all funds and time....

oscaletrains posted:

Now, I wonder how many of those items sold will find their way onto ebay for a profit?

Well, wonder no more.  The PRB Rock Island cars are there.  I'm sure the same seller has more items from the auction, but those are the ones I recognized immediately.

ecd15 posted:

oscaletrains posted:

Now, I wonder how many of those items sold will find their way onto ebay for a profit?

Well, wonder no more.  The PRB Rock Island cars are there.  I'm sure the same seller has more items from the auction, but those are the ones I recognized immediately.

He is fishing in a bigger pond!

Who is the seller?

oscaletrains posted:

Who is the seller?

108spoplar

mwb posted:

Rule292 posted:

mwb posted:

And you're right Ed, most of the older run brass has not held its value.  

It's worth paying for the better quality, at least now until everyone is buying ACEs and ES44's.

And that might not be all that bad a thing for the average more budget aware modeler that wants a lot of cars in their trains, cannot afford $300/car, and is also satisfied with how those older cars look rolling by on the track from 3+' away.

There are also only so many PL PRR X23's that I'm willing to acquire, and then put in the time to paint & letter for the CVRR.

If you had a time machine back to 1995 you could pick up Pacific Limited x23/r7's for a hundred bucks Martin!  Did that at the Merchantville show back then. Of course back then  money was much tighter and that was like a $600 Kohs car is nowadays. 

If............If wishes were butterflies, mine would be crushed on the front grill of someone’s car.

And if pigs could fly.........although I am given to understand that with sufficient thrust pigs are surprisingly aerodynamic.

And a $100 in 1995 was far more than I could freely spend on just about anything.  Something about family and career topping the list and consuming all funds and time....

Best ever was my best bud's Hungarian dad (in his thick accent) - "If your aunt had a wheel she'd be a wheelbarrow".  .

I think I bought one or two brass pieces a year back then, given the funds available and the price.   Interestingly, PSC cars were fetching around a hundred bucks back then.  Not much different from now. 

jefferson posted:

Simon, Many of those Key units were bought new by Jim Seacrest. Some he even negotiated with Key to be unpainted. All of them were put away and never saw time on the rails. He had an excellent painter in Omaha.  Indeed he was essentially a collector. He also had a conservative side,[hard to believe!] that he thought Kohs was not worth the price. He liked a bargain and you will see the indiscriminate side of his collecting on later auctions although there are more nice things to be brought out, unless someone creamed the collection.  

Jefferson,    I didn't have the pleasure of knowing Jim personally, but he seemed like a nice guy with a good sense of humor. I never talked with him, nor do I know what he bought in the way of models. That said, not trying to be a know it all or petulant, but looking at the road names on the boxes, I only recall one that had CB&Q on it. Most of the others that were painted CB&Q had DIFFERENT road names on the boxes and had what I would call "shovel nose" style pilots, like the early E1 thru E6 units.  I'm NOT a CB&Q expert by any stretch, but I don't recall any of their E7 or E8/9 diesels having any type pilot other than the passenger style. (Anyone knowing otherwise, feel free to correct that.)

For those who are interested, Part 2 of the Jim Seacrest collection has been posted on the Stout Auction website.

http://www.stoutauctions.com/?p=331

If this doesn't knock the bottom out of O scale freight car prices nothing will.

Not a lot to go crazy over here....     With credit quality deteriorating globally and a slowing economy in the US; prices are going to come down more.   

Even with the economy going sideways as it has over the past many years I surely didn't see any slowing in the prices that the PSC and Pac Limited cars fetched in the last auction! 

I have bought items from 108spoplar with no problems and I live 16,000 miles away.

I have that name listed as one of the sellers I deal with because they have done the right thing by me.

Auctions like this are to confusing for me it's really for you blokes, of course if you live overseas and don't have a financial problem and not worried about expensive shipping costs bid as much as you like.

I'm confident that a couple of things I like at the auction will eventually come up elsewhere with the shipping costs to West Australia clearly stated, then I might make a move. You have to be patient if your an O scaler overseas and wait your turn. Roo.

 I Bet that so few folks will have the patience to go through all 22 pages of that mess that some real bargains will transpire.  After the third page, I gave up.

Set the per page to 200... makes it much easier...

Rule292 posted:

Even with the economy going sideways as it has over the past many years I surely didn't see any slowing in the prices that the PSC and Pac Limited cars fetched in the last auction! 

There is obviously a limited core market still into these cars, after all you can not own just one. Similarly I would think for quality passenger cars  Wasach, Key, PRB etc, it does not take many bidders who are willing to spend for models they want to keep prices high. JMO