What to do with a collectrion of a lifetime?


NTRACK

New Member
Hello
My father was a lifetime collector of trains. He started with HO, switched to N and even collected some Z. His collection ranges from Atlas and Flieschman to Minitrix. He has Brass, sound and smoking steamers.
The sad thing is, he spent his life devoted to the model railroad belong to many clubs and participating in shows across the US. He unfortunately lost his fight with cancer and there is no one to continue on with his collection.
We are looking for ideas as how to deal with the collection and or where to sell it.
My father has several engines that he had disassembled but never put back together. We have boxes and bags of motors, bodies, frames, wheels and small parts that we know would be of use to somebody who has the time to tinker away at assembly. We just don't know what goes with what or even if all the parts are there. Seems a shame to toss it.


If any one has any suggestions, we are open to ideas. Send an email 2brs@cogeco.ca

Thanks
 
Sorry to hear about your loss. I don't know how long he has been gone but is there a reason it has to be liquidated quickly? It would be a shame to act quickly only to have second thoughts later.
 
If he belonged to clubs, contact them. The hobbyists in the club may be interested, but more importantly may be able to help you sort some things and they are the ones who would want the collections of bits, odd and ends for their own projects. A lot of the rest of the whole assembled models you could go online and try to find what it is and sell it via e-bay or something.
 
While the club members are probably your best resource for disposing of your father's collection, there are other alternatives.

The most likely alternative is to sell the items yourself online. E-Bay is a popular auction website. They have the largest listing of trains of all kinds. You can research to determine an approximate value of the items you have. Selling on e-Bay will take a considerable amount of your time but you will gain the most on sales.

Another alternative is to locate a collection service, a company or individual who buys collections for re-sale. This won't bring you the most value, but it will get the entire collection off your hands quickly.

Ask your father's club members first. They are probably the most knowledgable resource for you and they are more likely to treat you properly and not try to cheat you on values. Maybe one or more of the club members would be willing to help sell items on e-Bay for you. It won't hurt to ask.

Very sorry for your loss and wish you the best success in sidposing of your father's collection.

Darrell, quiet...for now
 



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