Maybe MTH would reconsider making a quality repro? Maybe they could do a BTO quantity?
I wouldn't care for that at all. Repros hurt the market for the real thing.
Perhaps, but NOT everyone is a collector. Many of us are operators who prefer new and shiny, and the originals should always be worth more to collectors. It is a big tent.
I have a lot of stuff, but still consider myself an operator, not a collector. I throw my stuff in boxes and drag it to shows and meets etc to share and run, so I tend to stay away from originals.
Steve
The main goal is to ENJOY whatever you have!
I think the repro market has a place , but I would love to see anything repro MARKED as such , or has enough of a physical difference so it is easily spotted ... Direct 1:1 repros do hurt the collector market because you will always get someone uneducated or unscrupulous enough, to be trying to pass it off as an original at some time in its future ... I would rather see a company making something completely ORIGINAL along the same lines or taking visual cues off something that has a potential future of BECOMING its own "collectible " and in that way positively contributing to the hobby in the long run, not only by increasing the market range, but doing it affordably rather than pioneering itself at 90% of the asking price or more of an original and riding the coat-tails of desire-ability...
Lets face it 99% of our sort after vintage beauties did not originaly present themselves as being collectible, but rather they were an affordable exercise to add to the hobby .. it is time, patina, and survivabilty that made them have a value that has increased , rather than an inflated sense of worth due to artificially boosting their desire or limiting their production by going for the big score markup initially ... our forefathers saw the sense is selling 10,000 products for $5 profit each , rather than selling 100 products for $200 profit each.
The latter example builds personal wealth, the former builds nations 
The former gives employment over the long term, it allows more people to engage with the company, and it helps retailers, workers, and the purchaser get the better deal... Too often its all about the quick high value $$$ grab 
( steps off soapbox)
oh and as @Tinplate Art
Says "The main goal is to ENJOY whatever you have! " 
FATMAN: We will have to agree to disagree. What you essentially espouse is akin to collector snobbery. Accepting a less than identical reproduction, properly marked as per TCA standards, would be unacceptable. Without the fine repro work of MTH and others, those of us who desire pristine examples of classic tinplate trains and accessories would otherwise not be able to afford them.
Please dont think I am going down the collector snobbery path because that is not my motivation whatsoever for the previous post or my love of collecting (mainly) clockwork trains
I certainly have no problem with any particular manufacturer reproducing the style of things gone by , and selling them at an affordable price point, thats part of any hobby , they also help limit the sometimes astronomical costs of the "real deal " item ,be that for good or bad ...I personally do not "collect" as an asset building exercise or to resell at a profit... for what its worth I have not sold a train for profit full stop , my collecting is of things that inspire or interest me , its a lousy financial decision and when I pass there will be one hell of an estate sale in which I predict things will sell at bargain prices as my relatives have little idea of worth or investment in them LOL!
I just think that a reproduction should be able to stand on the merits of its production and admit to what it is in such a way that it too will become a collectible in its own right in its own time That could be as simple as a tiny pressed "By XXX" stamped in an out of the way place not clearly visible, but accessible to deter future confusion.
To be completely honest I CANT AFFORD MTH etc LOL , I am a low level collector on a fixed income that many people would struggle to live on, so we are probably approaching the hobby from vastly different circumstances
I just think there is something more ethical about stamping your name on something you are proud of and giving that product a life of its own and the opportunity to be a collectible in its own right .
Remember in this context I was not commenting on MTH or anyone in particular, but it was regarding the signal itself in question which is beautiful and is not reproduced at this time , but if it were to be reproduced I personaly would love to see it in a form where it could stand on its own, no matter who did it .
Else how else would the next generation of "collectors" have items to choose from ?
We would just be buying and selling old stuff and new old stuff , and new new old stuff
On the other hand, how many collectors could find an excellent original Marklin Leipszig Station at a price they could afford? IF they could even find one of these priceless gems, most could never afford one. Enter MTH with its recently released replica of this beautiful station in an equally handsome replica box. I rest my case. Again, respectfully, we will have to agree to disagree.
I will now step off my soapbox. LOL!
Tinplate Art posted:On the other hand, how many collectors could find an excellent original Marklin Leipszig Station at a price they could afford? IF they could even find one of these priceless gems, most could never afford one. Enter MTH with its recently released replica of this beautiful station in an equally handsome replica box. I rest my case. Again, respectfully, we will have to agree to disagree.
LOL OK you got me ( kinda) there ... but in resting my case imagine if they produced an equally as stunning building with the same build quality and packaging with "Dresden Hauptbahnhof" instead of Leipzig
That way it stands on its own and is collectible in its own right ...
But yes we agree to respectfully disagree ( and that is more than ok ... I do have an enormous respect for you thru your posts here )
Tinplate Art posted:I will now step off my soapbox. LOL!
Ok ... NOW I promise
FATMAN: I also enjoy your posts, your collection and knowledge shared here! THANK YOU! ☺
FATMAN and TINPLATE ART, thank you for this discussion and the respectable and honorable fashion in which you carry it out. When people can respectfully agree to disagree it make this hobby and this forum much more enjoyable.
I would rather see more MTH type originals than exactly reproducing Lionel. I've got a nice example on my desk right now that I'm selling for my model railroad club. It's a 260E with a builders p[late that says "Mike's Train House". It's gunmetal with an eight wheel tender, a combination that Lionel never made and the tender says New York Central Lines. So it could never be confused with a locomotive made in the 1930's.
Reproductions are OK and I don't think much about them either way. As I've said before, what I really wish one of the manufacturers would do is turn out some 9 1/2" litho boxcars with side lithography to match ANY of the billboard reefer schemes that Atlas has offered in O scale. If they did I'd have to go into serious negotiations with the family CFO concerning volume purchases.
Craignor posted:I got my first Standard Gauge layout going in my trainroom Thursday night, here is a photo from the inaugural run.
Great start Craig - nice room!
Jim
mlaughlinnyc posted:George S posted:I found two sales upon a quick look. One at Stout in 2008 and the other at Bertoia in 2016. Both went for $250, but were in a little nicer condition than yours. The Bertoia one had a box and track. I would think starting at $95 would be reasonable. Don’t use the offer feature. It’s annoying for something like this. The first bid wipes it out anyway.
Even new castings can have zinc pest. I think the screw mounts seem a little too perfect on your head. It would normally come unpainted. So, that explains the paint. Either way, if you aren’t keeping it, an auction should help get the true value. You should probably say “possible replacement parts or restoration”.
Good luck!
George
Thanks for the help George, it'll go on auction this week.
For those who would like to follow this story to the end, it's now listed as "American Flyer 2230 / 4230 Prewar Roadside Flashing Signal" on a 10 day auction.
