Take a look at this huge life long collection for sale on E-bay. Read the details. Don
http://cgi.ebay.com/Lionel-tra...c11a2#ht_6937wt_1167

And he even slipped in the Obama shot

Very nice collection. Will be interesting to see if he gets any bids or not.

WOW!

Yea, it's a hard sale with no shipping. That much stuff will fill a truck. Please lets not political on this one. It's just the times we live in. Don

quote:

Originally posted by Lionelbill:
WOW!

Hey Bill,

Hmmm... Seller doesn't live too far from the club. Anybody there know who it might be? Some one should tell Shakey about it.

Richie

quote:

Originally posted by NickyBigBoy:
And he even slipped in the Obama shot

Yeah, I saw that too! My last visit to the WIN job center for my work history
update, I asked the folks where of where was all this stimulus money ! One old
gal turned and said to me: "Keep that kind of remarks up and I will call security!" I told her to go ahead and call them cause I wasn't gonna shut up.



Rufus

quote:

Originally posted by NickyBigBoy:
And he even slipped in the Obama shot

Yeah. Convenient. The fact that he writes like he has a 3rd grade education probably has nothing to do with his troubles.

It's a nice collection, mostly common stuff and not in overly great shape. Tough sell in today's market, especially with how many postwar and pre-war collections that are coming onto the market almost daily, with tougher pieces, in better conditions.

Good luck or a fish is needed for this fellow.

noplactogo since 2001. noplaclikehome might have been a better choice of screenname.

quote:

Originally posted by Richard Cuozzo:

quote:

Originally posted by Lionelbill:
WOW!

Hey Bill,

Hmmm... Seller doesn't live too far from the club. Anybody there know who it might be? Some one should tell Shakey about it.

Richie

I'll ask him in the morning. Funny thing is that 10 years ago, when I was really crazy, I might have entertained the idea of buying the collection.

Bummer...who's got a $40K line to Paypal?

I doubt it's worth over $20,000. I'm suprised he's not taking Best offers.

quote:

And he even slipped in the Obama shot

The guy is not too smart. Never pays to alienate potential customers with such bitter political statements. IMHO it would be better to say nothing but of course it only takes one customer to make a sale.

.

.....Wow, poor guy. Hmmmm The new prez has been in office about 10 months and this guy already has to sell off everything. I really dont want to hear it.

Friggen loser.

Yeah, lets blame the president instead of taking responsibility for his own actions. Probably bought more house than he could afford, more car than he could afford and not to mention all the trains you see him selling.

Typical mentality today. Its someone elses fault......

quote:

Typical mentality today. Its someone elses fault......

Funny how that works, huh?

I looked at the ebay posting to see what was sad about it. I expected to hear about someone's wife being sick, or a widow who lost her husband and had to parcel out his train collection, or someone who needed a transplant for their kid.

What I found instead is an old curmudgeon who bought himself every train he ever wanted. Now, after years of collecting, he's trying to sell off his collection by griping about Obama or the economy or something equally irrelevant. He doesn't discuss the joy he had in collecting, or the joy that the buyer presumably might derive from owning the collection.

Studying his feedback, it appears to me that this man knows nothing about joy of any kind--either giving or getting it. Both his mean-spirited comments towards resolving conflicts and his unfriendly demeanor as a seller are major warning signs. Even if you are attracted to his collection, this doesn't look like a pleasant person to deal with.

So what is sad about this? Hoarding and then having to part with your hoard doesn't make you a better person, and there's nothing to feel sorry for here. If I encountered this kind of person in the hobby more often, I'd get rid of my collection too. Luckily, most people in O gauge tend to have more joy, more generosity, more courtesy, more patience and more optimism than this grouch has ever known.

I went through the locos line by line and perused the rolling stock, allowing for incidentals I come up with 17K-18K tops. That's the price to acquire for resale.

quote:

Originally posted by Seaboard99:
I looked at the ebay posting to see what was sad about it. I expected to hear about someone's wife being sick, or a widow who lost her husband and had to parcel out his train collection, or someone who needed a transplant for their kid.

What I found instead is an old curmudgeon who bought himself every train he ever wanted. Now, after years of collecting, he's trying to sell off his collection by griping about Obama or the economy or something equally irrelevant. He doesn't discuss the joy he had in collecting, or the joy that the buyer presumably might derive from owning the collection.

Or last week someone died and he inherited their lifetime collection and is out to make a fast(or slow) buck.

Only $150 each x 266

I bet the poor guy got hit with some medical bills, loss of retirement funds, maybe even forced retirment. Its all coming to a head. Sure we can point the finger at the President, but these things have been rearing its ugly head for quite some time, and I believe we have only scraped the surface.

This ebay posting is almost a cry for help. He should call an aution house or go through each item and start listing it with photos and descriptions, as a fellow train guy I wish him luck.

After looking at the sellers feedback, i'd have to disagree w/ Seaboard. He may be an old hoarder but with his number of sales and good percentage of positive ratings, I wouldn't be afraid to buy from him if he had something I wanted. Aside from that,he has a collection that he should have probably sent to a major auction house so they could have sold each item on it's own, for what it would bring. He'll take it right in the shorts trying to sell his collection this way.

Judging from my own experience, debating the merits of an Ebay seller is a death sentence for a thread. Say whatever you have to say now because I've got a feeling this one is going to the chopping block....

Okay - since this thread will be history too.... the sad thing is he doesn't get "too" vs "two"..... I never give $40K to a guy that can't spell.... just my own little problem......

quote:

He'll take it right in the shorts trying to sell his collection this way.

No he won't - it won't sell.... now he can tell the Mrs he tried but nobody thinks the stuff is worth $40K..... what's the listing fee for a $40K opening bid?..... money well spent - IMHO....

I'm not sure but I think once the asking price hits a certain point the listing fee remains constant even if the asking price continues to climb. I think the max fee is $200?

quote:

Originally posted by doctrain:

quote:

And he even slipped in the Obama shot

The guy is not too smart. Never pays to alienate potential customers with such bitter political statements.

< snip >

Exactly. That's why I left a pile of souvenir items on the counter at a certain rail-oriented tourist trap in Jackson TN about ten years ago. When I went to pull out some serious cash from my wallet, I saw a pile of leaflets next to the cash register about "unchristian liberals". While I spent 20 years in the Air Force so people could state their opinions, but I'll be d---ed if I'll spend my money where I'm insulted. Obviously the owner of that establishment had no idea those pamphlets insulted those Catholic customers who practice a "seamless garment" approach to life.

I also Wow...must have HAD money, nice shelving and home. He could have been one of the Bank executives who didn't get his bonus!

I don't see any layout....gee...how did he enjoy his trains????????

Tex

quote:

Originally posted by MrMuffin'sTrains:
... what's the listing fee for a $40K opening bid?..... money well spent - IMHO....

$6.00

I could be wrong, but the pictures of the wall display I thought I had seen before posted here on the forums.

He's wasting his time on Ebay. It will never sell for $40,000. Ebay is all about getting the bargain price or getting the hard to find item. His listing is neither. He's clearly having a bitter moment in life and made a hasty decision to sell his trains but he's uncommitted to really getting rid of them because his opening price is ridiculously high and he won't ship it.

Regardless how the seller is acting about selling these things, I agree that the value versus asking is just not there in today's economy.

The grumpy part is just a sideshow.

Seriously, "Grumpy" should have used a reputable auction house instead.

quote:

I don't see any layout....gee...how did he enjoy his trains????????

You didn't go far enough in the Picassa Album.

His layout has a unique approach to scenicking.

Without knowing the reason for the platform-style benchwork, the lack of access to the underneath, resulted in surface wiring (a topic just recently discussed in another thread). As he didn't have foam in which to carve channels, he used duct tape to keep them in place.

Then splashed some paint, to blend tape with the wood.

(I don't think I can "inline" the photos, because I don't "own" them. Do take a look.)

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Very different.
.

Wow - all those nice post war trains coupled with that layout effort.

Carumba

I wish this guy would of left the president out of his post. Come on guys I don't like his policies on the most part ether, but he has only been in office for less then ten months. I think it's safe to say that the cause of alot of our problems predate January 09.

That out of the way, it's a shame to see anyone lose their life long collection. I hope that he comes out of this OK. Anyone have a lose 40K laying around?

Politics aside, what's the deal with the hovering Bascule Bridge?

Jon

He probably won't get a $40 grand offer. Selling by the piece on E-Bay would result in a monthly income for quite a while.

quote:

Yeah, lets blame the president instead of taking responsibility for his own actions. Probably bought more house than he could afford, more car than he could afford and not to mention all the trains you see him selling.

Typical mentality today. Its someone elses fault......

Yup. Some people will blame the President for anything and everything, just because they are from the opposite political spectrum. Go figure.

I like how you guys can sit around here and determine who this guy is based on his feedback score and a handful of sentences that he typed on an Ebay add. Your mothers would be so proud.

quote:

Wow - all those nice post war trains coupled with that layout effort.

Maybe he was a collector, or more of an armchair model railroader.
IMHO, armchair model railroaders are a lot more common than many people think.
I don't think anybody would be impressed by my current layout, and I have a nice train or two.
I started out as a operator, became more of an armchair model railroader, and then a collector.
I plan to do a new layout after I retire. While I appreciate the beautifully sceniced layouts some of you folks make, mine will be in the style of a Lionel display layout. I was also thinking about going with a solid birch plywood top, finished in orange shellac, with track and accessories, no grass, etc.

My guess this is an old timer and the place he has worked at his whole life, probably over 30 years, has closed and he doesn't have any retirement and wants to sell it all in one lump sum because he may be in failing health and does not want to deal with the time involved in selling everything individually. I don't think that he's going to get a bid, he might be better off contacting Trainz.com, they buy large collections like this.

Or this is Scott Smith trying to make some room because the new catalogs are out.

Paul

quote:

I like how you guys can sit around here and determine who this guy is based on his feedback score and a handful of sentences that he typed on an Ebay add. Your mothers would be so proud.

Ain't that the truth?

quote:

Originally posted by C W Burfle:
mine will be in the style of a Lionel display layout. I was also thinking about going with a solid birch plywood top, finished in orange shellac, with track and accessories, no grass, etc.

That actually sounds refreshing. Maybe using some of that Nock grass mat in areas would also add to the ambiance. Good luck!

Paul

Well, to keep this civil, I am not going to comment on his politics or speculate on his character. But, I will say that from the photos I looked at, I didn't see anything to get excited about. And, what about that Virginian Trainmaster? The description says it's blue and yellow but from the photo, it sure looks like Jersey Central orange.

Hmmm... I wonder if the seller will throw in the case too?

http://i.ebayimg.com/22/!BdNqk...NBK34iWYMm!~~_35.JPG

quote:

Probably bought more house than he could afford, more car than he could afford and not to mention all the trains you see him selling.

Well I can say much about the trains but judging from da'Bay if this Guy is from West Islip, NY... he is lucky to afford A house at all! To top it off, the taxes out on the island itself is not what it's like in the majority of the country plus all the other higher expenses.

quote:

My guess this is an old timer and the place he has worked at his whole life, probably over 30 years, has closed and he doesn't have any retirement and wants to sell it all in one lump sum because he may be in failing health and does not want to deal with the time involved in selling everything individually. I don't think that he's going to get a bid, he might be better off contacting Trainz.com, they buy large collections like this.

I think Serows1 has a pulse on this guy.

Quick, somebody call Scott Griggs!

may be he was just tired of the whole thing, maybe he's looking at a motor home,or he figured he sell now while he still here and makes sure he gets half way decent price.

quote:

looked at the ebay posting to see what was sad about it. I expected to hear about someone's wife being sick, or a widow who lost her husband and had to parcel out his train collection, or someone who needed a transplant for their kid.

You missed the only sad part of the guys statement..
"I was never able to display all my trains there are to many I would need twice the room you see in the pics"
PW accumulators with an attic full of cruddy trains, mostly multiples of the same items waiting half a lifetime for the arrival of pay day.
Joe

quote:

Huge collection for sale, but very sad.

I still don't see what is sad about this situation. People collect/accumulate all sorts of things, and then they give it away, pass it on, or liquidate. That's the way life works. That's how inventory winds up in the member halls at York, on EBay, and on "widow's tables" across nations. Presumably, that is how he acquired his collection, and now he too has to sell. I seriously doubt that his random accumulation is worth $40K even if sold at retail, on a piece meal basis. But I'm sure he knows that already.
_________________________________________________________________________________
After all, are we not all just custodians of what we own?