I know there are as many ways to enjoy this hobby as there are modelers and to each his own, but $1000+!!! It's an N scale boxcar guys.
I'm with you Adam, for 400 bucks I'd rather invest in MTL directly. I'd get half a yard's worth of rolling stock and encourage MTL to produce more of what we like.
Though it was not been devulged why, or how many were produced, the gold colored Virgin Islands State car is a legitimate Micro-Trains model that was purloined from the firm's manufacturing plant. Though it was supposed to have been destroyed (like a number of other unreleased MTL products), the model was acquired, then listed by an individual who was unaware of the origin, status, and/or preceived value of specific acquisitions within his n-scale lot purchase(s). Not an author or special-run car, the model is safely in the hands of a knowledgable Micro-Trains variations collector.
I know a guy who picked up a misprint at a N-scale convention for $20.00 turned around and threw it in the auction at the same convention and got over $700.00 for the car in the matter of hours.
the almost a state series is silver in color ... while this design is from that series, the base coat of gold paint is what we are debating over
