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Valuing older Model Railroad items
Usually notes start off with something like I just found an old train set in my fathers attic, and I was wondering . .. Well, you are not alone. A lot of people find older model railroad items hidden away in their family houses, or sometimes, after someone gets older, they decide that it might be a good to find someone who will appreciate the collection that they have spent many a pleasurable day working on. You have several avenues open to you, depending on what your purpose is, and how much work you want to put into it.
The NMRA and the Valuing of Your Collection.
Due to NMRA policy and IRS regulations, we are unable to estimate values of models
Where to turn for help estimating the Value of Your Collection
First off, there may be collectors and evaluators in your area. Check in your local phone book under Hobby Shops (or check our online listing), they might be able to help you themselves, or might know of someone who would be able to help you. If you cant find local assistance, The Train Collectors Association may also be able to help you find someone to evaluate your collection. If you are interested in doing your own research, there are also The Greenberg Guides available from bookstores or directly from Kalmbach Publishing. These books may help you determine the value of your collection if you can find a guide that is applicable.
If you are asking because you are interested in selling your collection, and are interested in getting the best possible price for your items, you have several options. You contact a local hobby store and see if they would be willing to allow you to consign the articles, but you will still need to figure out the price you wish to ask for each item. One other suggestion would be utilizing one of the online auction sites, like Ebay (or more specifically their model railroading section) or Yahoo! Auctions (or more specifically their model railroading section), to name two. These services will offer you some amount of privacy, a large market of potentially interested buyers to sell your items to, and sometimes even assistance in receiving payments for your auctions via credit cards online. Before just jumping in, try reading through the auction site looking for auctions of items similar to yours. This will allow you to decide how successful you might be, based on the number of people bidding on similar items, and get a feel for what the market is currently paying. Ebay also has a online guide to help you get started, as does Yahoo! Auctions.
You could also consider a Donation
The NMRA is a non-profit corporation, and currently maintains a Museum at our facility in Chattanooga, TN. You can contact the museum committee chairman at Email: hdmuseum@hq.nmra.org. Other contact information for all the rest of the NMRA officers and Directors is available here.