How do I sell my train collection? (2024)

How do you value a train set?

The value of vintage toy trains depends on the age of the model train. Most model trains are common and due to being well-loved, the value is in the memories your old train set holds for you. An old model train can be worth $100 or less, but it can also be worth $10,000!

Lionel trains can be worth anywhere from $20 to a few thousand dollars. It depends on how many models were made and the train set's condition. Lionel trains are typically worth about a few hundred dollars on average. The Lionel standard gauge is considered the most valuable Lionel train set ever made.

5th March 2020. One hundred years after the famed model railway brand Hornby was born, a rare example of its first model train is being auctioned in Tennants Auctioneers' Toys, Models and Collectables Sale on 10th June, with an estimate of £400-600 (plus buyer's premium).

You can expect an average train cost to be about $5,000,000 including both the engine train or locomotive, and the coaches used in the train.

When it comes to this market, old toy trains run the gamut when it comes to prices. You can find individual cars selling for anywhere between $10-$100, depending on their age, condition, and brand.

These are not rare cars, but this is a great engine. And the whole set together would easily bring $2,500 to $3,000 at auction.

Sell toy trains locally

If you're up for it, there are still many local model railroad swap meets where you can find willing buyers. Or, use digital venues like Craigslist, Kijiji (in Canada), and Facebook Marketplace to list items for sale. This typically works better for smaller collections.

Do Lionel trains appreciate in value?

Mint-in-box examples of vintage Lionel trains are still valuable and will continue to appreciate in value over time, because there are so few of them. That's the stuff you see on TV, because it's the exceptional stuff that makes good TV.

The Information Is Most Likely On The Model Itself

Fortunately, you won't even have to do any disassembly of your model to determine the exact age. As long as it's still readable and intact, you can usually find a small metal plaque attached to the side or bottom of the train.

The 6447 Pennsylvania N5C caboose is the rarest N5C caboose -- if not the rarest caboose -- produced during the entire postwar era.

You can still make money off your hobby even if investing in model trains directly isn't the best idea. You can still buy and resell them and make a modest profit. In that case, just need to think of it as a shorter-term thing than a long-term thing. Use a different window of opportunity and you can still make money.

In 2006, Lionel's electric train became the first electric toy inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. In 1969, they sold their model train lines to General Mills, but continued to operate until 1993 as a holding company for their toy stores. Its model trains are still in production as a separate company.

The first Hornby clockwork locomotive, made in O Gauge, was launched in 1920. Within 10 years, sales of trains had exceeded Meccano. The railway shown on the locomotive also determines its value. Those from the Southern line, painted green, are the rarest of the British model trains.

Collecting Hornby-Dublo

The rarest and most valuable Hornby-Dublo items are early (pre-war) or late period (1963/4). The majority of Dublo products are long lived and in plentiful supply, particularly 3 rail from the golden age, and early 2 rail from 1958-62.

Only around 80 people own private rail cars in the U.S. They are expensive toys—running upwards of $250,000. And that's not to mention storage and Amtrak fees, which can amount to $10,000 a year, and pulling charges, which on Amtrak run $2.10 per mile plus about $100 per night for parking.

“Each train will cost around Rs 150 crore. There will be also be capital and marketing costs involved, in addition to the haulage and power charges to be paid to the Railways.

How long do train engines last?

The Tier 4 locomotive is designed for a typical lifespan of 25 to 30 years.

Sell toy trains locally

If you're up for it, there are still many local model railroad swap meets where you can find willing buyers. Or, use digital venues like Craigslist, Kijiji (in Canada), and Facebook Marketplace to list items for sale. This typically works better for smaller collections.

You can still make money off your hobby even if investing in model trains directly isn't the best idea. You can still buy and resell them and make a modest profit. In that case, just need to think of it as a shorter-term thing than a long-term thing. Use a different window of opportunity and you can still make money.

A common Marx locomotive is generally worth between $10 and $50. The more features the locomotive has, the more likely it is to fall into the middle or upper end of that scale. A featureless steam locomotive with no headlight and no reverse function is more likely to fall into the $10 range.

The company discontinued the American Flyer train line in 1966 and finally declared bankruptcy in 1967.