Are these worth anything?

[EngineerKyle]

Hi guys,

Been a while... I'm sure there is a forum just for this, but forgive me for posting it here.

My neighbor showed me these and I thought I'd get an appraisal for her from the forum. Junk?

More pics of them here;

engineerkyle/donna - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

They seem pretty old, any info would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[brakie]

Junk?? Not likely! I am not a Lionel collector but,those looks like pre war Lionel..It looks like its in poor shape but,still worth money because Lionel collectors can refurbish such items to their original condition.

 

[MasonJar]

Absolutely not junk! Even if they are in rough shape, they certainly still represent good times in days gone by for some little (or not so little) kid.

What's her connection to the items?

Andrew

 

[EngineerKyle]

Andrew,

She found them in the attic of her old house.

10 bucks each? 500 for all three? Can anyone ballpark these?

Thanks for the responses so far.

Kyle

 

[MasonJar]

Probably your best bet would be to get a good description and search for similar items at eBay, craiglist, or other sale/auction sites. At least try a Google search for collectors or whatever.

Andrew

 

[MadHatter]

I've heard many times from my friends who collect old Lionel, Hornby and American Flyer that it's better to leave the items in poor condition than to try and refurbish them- they are more valuable since it's original.

 

[ezdays]

I've heard many times from my friends who collect old Lionel, Hornby and American Flyer that it's better to leave the items in poor condition than to try and refurbish them- they are more valuable since it's original.

Based on watching shows like "Antique Roadshow", it is understood that anything in it's original condition is worth more than something restored. But they do say that condition is important and that certain things can be restored to increase its value. Old cars are one of them, old toys are another. These look to be in really bad shape, the paint is almost gone, the metal seems to be rusted and I doubt that they run. Their value is minimal in this case, restoration can only improve it. The only way to find out their true value is to find someone that is willing to pay something for them. Even an appraisal is only one person's estimate, that usually why they always give appraisals in ranges.