I run everything I have purchased, no sense in believing any of these cars will really be worth anything as a collectable.
I have a runner pack that I bought for $125 about 15 years ago and see them on eBay every once in a while for $75. The other day decided to open them to run and forget about trying to keep as a collectable. Fortunately they are the only items I saved as a collectable. I agree with tracktoo, seams like I buy high and sell low. LOL Works every time. Joe
I tend to buy only shrink-wraps and runner packs that are in my modeling era and location. It was with the foresight that if these never amounted to a collectable level where I could cash out with a profit.. I still had a product I could 'play with'. That said... I have not tried to sell any yet... and don't know whether I have winners or losers. Sent from my SM-J737T using Tapatalk
I always open and run. I bought 2 wrapped set of meat reefers at the Ohio N Scale Show a few years ago. Walked about 10 feet and opened and placed on layout. Was running them in about 5 minutes.
I remember many years ago I was at at a train show/swap meet at a mall in Denver. There was a seller there with several different shrink-wrapped sets, about half a dozen of each flavor. He had some of the special run two packs with the fire engine red UP and the mint green NP 40 foot boxcars that I had been looking for. The price, while not great, was reasonable, so I bought a set. As I gave him the money and put them in my bag, he remarked "Those will make a nice addition to your collection." I replied, "Yes, they will look good in my trains." "You're not going to run them, are you?" he asked. "Well, yes. One goes in my UP train and the other will go in my NP train." was my answer. "YOU MEAN YOU'RE GOING TO BREAK THE CELLOPHANE ON THOSE?!?" I thought the man was going to cry! I'm certain if I had told him that before he had the money and they were in my bag he would have refused to sell them to me. Such were the days when collectible Micro-Trains mania was running rampant.
150 TexNRails UP/NP mint special runs on the wall... take one down... run them around.. 149 TexNRails UP/NP mint special runs left on the wall... LOL Sent from my SM-J737T using Tapatalk
How collectible is N scale? Is there a large community trading these packs, or do most people buy the packs to run them? Has anybody actually sold their older packs for profit? I see collecting in the Lionel community and maybe a little in HO with Tyco, but what makes these packs collectible? Did the company tell you they were collectible so you just believed them? That is like giving yourself a nickname. You can’t force people to collect them. The reason they should be collectible is that they are rare, a not that they come in a cool box. Going to the dealership and buying a Toyota doesn’t make it collectible. A custom or rare muscle car is more of a collectible because they are old. Nobody forced the Mustang or Corvette to become collectible, so why should Micro Trains market the runner pack specifically to collectors when they don’t really merit a collectible item?
In my estimation the packaging for the runner packs was just too good to be for runners. The shrink wrapping on the other hand was more or less to keep the cars together until purchased. Just my take on the subject so if you want to run them then go ahead.
Micro-Trains is not promoting the shrink-wraps nor the runner packs as collectable... they do not make any claims of collectability for anything they sell. However... they do not interfer with other parties who are making claims of 'rarity' or short runs. Micro-Trains never announces the quantities produced and does not step in to refute claims (neither confirms or denies) by dealers or other special-run customers (like N Scale Enthusiast... and others). Of course... N Scale Enthusiast seems to be loosely affiliated to Micro-Trains and make alledged collectable short run items... many which are shrink wrapped (hmmm). So as I have mentioned... it is actually in Micro-Trains interest for there to be either a real... or perceived collectable market. It keeps them relevent... it allows for price increases to be accepted more readily since it supports the lower priced old 'collectables' to continued to resell at higher than their original prices. It's quite a slick gimmick... Sent from my SM-J737T using Tapatalk
BTW... regarding the UP/NP special run shrink-wrapped pair of Micro-Trains boxcars... they supposedly only ran 150 sets. These were released about 25 years ago and were not very popular... probably because of the hefty $50 price tag. I bought one and still have it shrink wrapped. They are still not particularly desireable to the 'collectors'... I have never seen an auction showing them selling for more than the original selling price. I guess in another 25 years I might get my money back. Sent from my SM-J737T using Tapatalk
A key data point which was true for a long time was that the minimum quantity of an N Scale Micro-Trains Special Run was 300 pieces. That could be split into two road numbers of the same paint scheme for 150 packs, or three road numbers of the same paint scheme for 100 packs. I don't know if that's still accurate or if there are exceptions-- it's enough for me to keep track of the regular runs for the UMTRR, never mind the special runs.
So if that was the former Micro-trains standard (minimum of 300)... then those early 5 and 6 car shrink wraps could be as rare as 50 or 60 sets. I know that often the hobby shops would split them up and sell each car undividually. Sent from my SM-J737T using Tapatalk
At one time there was much greater variety among those who commissioned special runs from MTL. Now there seems to be just three major players in the special run market - NSE, PWRS and Lowell Smith.
I think it is foolish for anybody to think that a shrunk wrap whatever is ever going to bring them a bunch of cash. Collecting for future value is a "bigger fool" proposition, and I think that the well of Model Railroad collector fools has just about ran dry (or broke). We're within years, if not already there, of the bottom falling out of any inflated values. It happened years ago in Standard Gauge, and I wouldn't be surprised if it is happening on a large scale with Lionel. A lot of folks are transitioning from "worrying" about collector values to thinking about Medicare premiums, drug costs and long term care costs. And that all doesn't just start at age 65.
Micro-Trains state car collections were selling for high prices. Now look at the prices. Just goes to show prices don't always go higher.
Yep. Is there even a market for those? If somebody offered me a complete set of 50 state cars or a random mix of 25 prototypical MT cars; I would definitely take the later. That ratio goes to about 10:1 if we're talking about MT Pepsi, Hershey, Smokey Bear and whatever other junk like that they pushed out.
When Pete Postel was still running BLW he used to commission MT to do special runs. Still have the three pack of P&WV boxcars he commissioned.