Model Train Journal

Does anyone have a copy of Greenberg's Price Guide to Lionel Trains Post War O and O27 Trains 1945-1982? I can't get it through my library's network. Another library has it but it's for in-library use only. 2 hours away. I'm specifically looking for prices on the MPC era Southern Crescent Limited locomotive and passenger cars. Thanks in advance to anyone who can provide the information.

Richard

Look at eBay completed listings. Cars sell $35.00 free shipping or $20 with $14 dollar shipping. Locomotives $270-325.

Thanks Robert. I acquired 3 of the cars plus the tender for $18 a piece at an in-person auction. Next, I'm interested in the locomotive and the observation car and am trying to establish a reasonable price. Your suggestion of ebay's completed auction is a good one. My local hobby store guy tells me they're "sought-after". These aren't "must-haves" for me; I just think they look cool.
Richard

I haven't looked at one of the Greenburg guides for quite awhile, but back in the day I typically found them not to be terribly accurate valuation-wise. They seemed pretty low-ball, at least when I was working on acquiring or selling something. This might have been the product of the venues I was going to. Now prices have come way down for the operator-grade stuff; I was never in the market for high-end, mint condition type examples. They were much handier if I simply used them as a guide to all of the product numbers and the many variations, together with an approximation of the date of manufacture.

Later came Doyle's books, and I found those to be pretty worthless. Inconsistent, incomplete, and with many errors; his Flyer book is especially bad (IMHO).

I remember the stupidity of Greenberg's all those decades ago.

We always asked each other, where did they come up with the numbers?
We started watching and taking notes.

NOBODY from Greenberg's ever showed up at a train meet and took notes on sales prices.
But you'd see all the newbies clutching their personal copy at shows.

We quit trying to convince them that the 736 on the table really was marked at $125, and you don't need to pay us $300 for it (or whatever the numbers were).

Then we found every new issue (just to make more money) seemed to address sections. Like 027 Lionel went up like 10%, not quite across the board. Next issue, MARX. Next issue 031 Lionel.

The pricing is stupid. Remember the Firefly...."It's worth what it sells for". NOT what Kalmbach/Greenberg says it's worth.

I learned long ago that price guides and stuff of that ilk in the collectables marketplace were generally something that were worth money to the publisher and printer, and had very little to do with reality.......except to/for the cultists that ran around clutching them to their chests as if they were dogma....well, for some maybe they were.....

It's great to have guys like all of you around. I hadn't considered Robert's recommendation about completed sales prices. According to them I got the cars for half price. They're operator's grade with no boxes which is fine with me. It was my first model train auction and I didn't have a clue about what I was doing. I was curious as to what the Greenberg's guide had to say about the prices. Apparently, it's like using Zillow to determine real estate prices; not too accurate. Although I did use Zillow as part of my argument to convince my home insurer not to increase my house value by $200,000.

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:I learned long ago that price guides and stuff of that ilk in the collectables marketplace were generally something that were worth money to the publisher and printer, and had very little to do with reality.......except to/for the cultists that ran around clutching them to their chests as if they were dogma....well, for some maybe they were.....

BINGO! A collector would be better served to know the rarity of an item.

Wait until the last half hour of the auction before bidding but write yourself a note, keep it where you see it, and be careful not to forget.

E7 wrote:

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:I learned long ago that price guides and stuff of that ilk in the collectables marketplace were generally something that were worth money to the publisher and printer, and had very little to do with reality.......except to/for the cultists that ran around clutching them to their chests as if they were dogma....well, for some maybe they were.....

BINGO! A collector would be better served to know the rarity of an item.

Combined with desirability......it may be rare but if nobody wants it.......

Even assessing rarity can be highly subjective (and presented inaccurately). Prototypes are one thing, especially if they were never moved to production, but the excitement over factory errors is something I don't really understand.

Me personally, I want to run everything, so I have little to no interest in that stuff. If it doesn't run, or can't be restored to running condition, I've not much use for it.

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:

E7 wrote:

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:I learned long ago that price guides and stuff of that ilk in the collectables marketplace were generally something that were worth money to the publisher and printer, and had very little to do with reality.......except to/for the cultists that ran around clutching them to their chests as if they were dogma....well, for some maybe they were.....

BINGO! A collector would be better served to know the rarity of an item.

Combined with desirability......it may be rare but if nobody wants it.......

How much time do you spend looking at stuff you're NOT interested in?

E7 wrote:

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:

E7 wrote:
BINGO! A collector would be better served to know the rarity of an item.

Combined with desirability......it may be rare but if nobody wants it.......

How much time do you spend looking at stuff you're NOT interested in?

Too much. Every time I walk up an aisle at Timonium -- 99% HO.

But every now and again I find a gem or 2. Last Sun at Timonium I picked up an AN brass tank car with trucks for $25. Also snagged a pair of brass LCL containers that I remember seeing on a trolley car a few years ago - big ticket item for me - $6 total. And, a nice pamphlet on NY trolleys for $2.

You bloody spendthrift!

E7 wrote:You bloody spendthrift!

Yeah, it was embarrassing.