At least Z holds its value and in most cases increases in value once items are discontinued. Not that I could sell them
I know, that F45 went for almost 2k. There is a couple SD75i for sale starting at around 400 used. I can say I've added fuel to that fire and have paid insane amounts for some engines. The little MT moguls for example. paid around 500-600 ea but had to have the set. At this point any modern era AZL brass is money. And I'd be scared at how much I would pay for a GS4 #4449 to match my brass daylight car set. And don't get me thinking about the A-B-B E7 Daylight.
It's well over several thousand dollars for me.........but then I've been running Z scale trains since 1972 when Marklin introduced Z scale to the world.
For me after more than 30 years of collecting Railex and other, should be between 100000 and 200000. But anyway it is somewhere also investing.
Do you feel that someday you will be able to sell these items and make profit or just break even? You must have a fantastic collection, as that has got to be a lot of trains. You must have some pretty large display cases or a lot of boxes. Wow!
Hi Loren, often I think people may underestimate their investments, but it is not the quantity that make the price, more the specialities. If you have goodies from Railex, Heckl, Krüger, Westmodel,Freudenreich, Schmidt and other, and calculate 200 items about 500$, they will not take much place in a box. Much less than all the Märklins and later standard manufacturer take place for less. And for 35 years it is just about 6 toys per year.
I understand the value one puts into something that is treasured by that person. A rare item of course increases in value if others want that item also and the supply is small. That concept is coined as supply side economics I believe. Simply put, if you have 10 items and no one wants them, they are then worth very little, but if you have one item and 10 people want it, well then, the dollar signs begin to grow very quickly. When I first began to sell MTL products on Ebay, I observed two apparently 'new to the hobby' guys fight over a package of MTL flex track. It currently lists for over $37.00 by most dealers. In this instance, the two kept bidding until the selling price topped out at about $72.00. I was both amused and shocked that two guys wanted the track that badly. They obviously did not know I offered track at a much better price. I wanted very much to contact them both and say...."whoa, you guys are nuts......I will sell you track for much less" It was none of my business and would have been against policy I'm sure, and would I have loved to sell both guys a package of track for $70.00?...... You bet I would have. I don't hear the term "Newbie" very often these days, but those first entering the hobby often get all jazzed up and buy a lot of items just because they like them and think they need them or perhaps they will go up in value. That's always the dream of buying and hopefully selling later at a tidy profit. I've done it and I think most have. I guess the bottom line is that those who collect, (me included on occasion) find pleasure and enjoyment in what they purchase and no one should fault them for their love of the collectables. We humans have strange and funny habits don't we. I think so far you are the leader in "How I spend my pocket change" Anyone out there care to throw his or her hat into the ring for the title of 'most spent'? And isn't it amazing how little space our little treasures take up. I once told the wife of a couple at a train show that there were two good reasons why Z was so good to own. #1, the husband could build a complete layout and keep it in the walk in closet if need be and he would never hear his wife yell..."get this thing off the kitchen table" #2 was that a guy could buy a $100.00 locomotive and sneak it into the house in his shirt pocket and his wife would never know. I don't think the lady was very amused at my #2 reason for owning Z. )
I don't think I can ever try and figure what I spent. It is funny I want what I want. There are things we all want and it can change in a blink! That to me is the basis of the hobby. If I can swing it, I get it, if not I wait. I truely enjoy Z like no other scale. It is both enchanting and fustrating at the same time. I appreciate all the manufactures out there that try to give what we want, and I will always try and support. (Heck I own a GP 38 for pete sakes!) In the end it is simple, enjoy life, it can be short. We have a great community. We have great products. Sometimes I am fustrated, other times I am pleased. I can say without a doubt is is over 15,000 perhaps as much as 25,000 but so what. When compared to a car it doesn't seem unreasonable. That said I truely enjoy my toys. To me they are tiny 3D peices of art.
I have 52 loco's and 960 wagons and my obsession has cost me $48,000 so far, but the enjoyment factor is priceless when i watch 60 or so wagons cruising around behind 4 diesels, or 30 or so wagons behind a miniature steam wonder.
