http://www.ebay.com/itm/CUSTOM-KATO...157?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ae9bb4135 "new". Specific rules for calling something "new". "full-width diaphragms removed..... I removed by milling them off." New? "Factory paint, I used scalecoat were I milled the model." New? "skirts removed.... & added ALM underbody details" New? "CONSIST: U.P. baggage-RPO (not included)" Why even mention it then? All for only $615 plus shipping..and you can be the proud owner of some whacked cars.... Dave
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-MTL-GRE...536?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45f8b3ae38 At least one of them is still listed on the MTL site..with an MSRP of twenty three bucks. So, full retail for ten cars would be.....less than half the asking with zero warranty....and this is a GOOD DEAL at only (reduced) $506.99. Heck, we know each other here, make it $507 even plus shipping, of course. Dave
The "Circus" cars were popular, and I thought good sellers. But as I asked earlier, is there still a market demand to support a collectible type price?
The good thing about collecting nano scale is....you can put a whole lot into a small space. I don't know anybody who collects in n. Not that there aren't closet hoarders of vintage Arnold stuff. But in supposedly scale models, why would you have something prototypically painted and detailed and keep it hidden away in a box in a room under lock and key? The mind boggles....
Actually, collecting in N scale is a very big portion of the scale activity. It's more than just the old Lone Star Treble O, or Arnold Rapido, Revell, etc. I was one of those who helped launch the (N) Kadee (later MT) craze. It was the auction of my entire collection, back in the mid-1980's, which really pushed it into the main stream. Prior to that it was just small batches, to a much smaller audience. The fellow who auctioned my collection, after he sold his shop and "retired", founded this Group. Which has changed it's name once or twice since then: https://www.nscaleenthusiast.com/ N scale in the Puget Sound area was, and still is big time. Actually, there is almost a corridor from the Portland area to Vancouver, BC, just loaded with N folks including many noted collectors. The two scale modeling magazines are both published there. One in Shoreline, the other in Marysville. The annual swap meet in Monroe was founded and is still run by the same N scale Group.
collectors or operators? Every nano person I've run into is an operator, or at least a wanna-be. Have yet to run into one with shelves and shelves of vintage collectible n stuff in an alarmed, locked, underground vault.
I had most of the GN circus cars but sold them years ago (on EBay) just because the prices were so high for them. I don't remember what I got (its been YEARS) but I know I at least doubled my money on each car. Of course, something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay. As for the NYC XX199 1 of 60 car, the production run car was XX189. Apparently MT did 60 with the XX199 number for whatever reason. Once upon a time this car would have probably been worth that...but not any more (IMHO). 10+ years ago buying MT cars was almost an investment opportunity. You could buy the cars, run them, and still sell them for more than the purchase price later on (especially the rarer cars...of course MT never said how many cars they produced of any paint style so you never knew which ones would be rare). Not defending these people who think their cars are worth 'high book value' when nothing has come close to book value for years...
I prefer the word "accumulator," defined as "someone who owns more model railroad equipment than can fit on one's layout at one time." I think it's a pretty inclusive term. Referring back to the Kadee Micro-Trains New York Central boxcars, there is a vast difference in availability of the NYC 180189 and the NYC 180199. With respect to the GN Circus Cars, the first three are four are higher in the aftermarket than the last six or seven, which have dropped almost to their original MSRP. All of these are long discontinued. I don't think the GN boxcar available through MTL's site is one of these, but they very similar May 2015 release with the large "Great Northern" beginning on the doors (Catalog 023 00 352).
With MT not publishing production run numbers, it leaves us to guess. I think in the last 10 years or so they have run enough cars that there is no shortage or rare cars. With a few exceptions, MT cars on E Bay fetch less than their original price. I found some old black and blue label cars that have never been run, and are in their original boxes with the price tag. I'm happy to get $10.00 per car on E Bay. There are only a few lookers and less bidders. I've been selling N Scale on E Bay every week. When I open my cabinet doors, they are still full. I swear these things multiply in the night.
When you discover why, please let me know. I'll try the same fertilizer on mine and see if they increase!
Greed or a misguided idiot, you choose... http://www.ebay.com/itm/N-Scale-MBT...012?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4196386adc
If you read carefully, it seems the seller's idea of "rare" is that: "I have never seen another one of these on Ebay or any other site." But the real dollar value that confirms the rare and original part is: "Several years back I replaced the chassis/powered under frame with a new Amtrak powered mehano? chassis/under frame" So, you bought a POS MP engine, wore the chassis out, wore the paint down "The paint is not perfect, as shown in the photos above", replaced the chassis, probably wore that one out, too, and you add not just "rare" but *Extremely Rare* , and think somebody is going to pay you a BIN of a hundred and a half? Clueless. Ten tops, including shipping.
Note to seller - just because something is rare doesn't necessarily mean it's valuable (I learned that from Pawn Stars, lol). Cheers, -Mark
Biggest disappointment for me is that this seller and a lot of others refuse to sell to Australia, so we not only miss out on an exorbitant rare product bargain price, but also over the top postage, a real disappointment as most of these sellers are 100% rating.
