From watching E-bay for a while these are the models Ive observed which seem to be the most valuable and have sold for the most $$$(all protosound 2)

R-1
R-17 (graffiti version)
R-21 Redbird
R-32
R-36 Worlds Fair

Prem: R-32's are nearly Twice of what they listed for, which was a MSRP of 500
While the Prem R-1 are only a couple of hundred at best over list but at some point will follow.

Now as far as RK versions, all have doubled or better their original 300 MSRP which has now been up'ed to 400 MSRP for PS2 sets

The R-36 is probably in the lead at #1
followed buy a tie between the Redbirds &... R-17 w/ blue stripe fighting for second.

It's a rough call as to which but it's probably the Redbirds with the R-17 being third by a hair.

The Graffiti set doesn't even come close to top three RK versions.

quote:

Now as far as RK versions, all have doubled or better their original 300 MSRP which has now been up'ed to 400 MSRP for PS2 sets

No way There are still plenty of Railking sets out there uner 300. As for the R32's there are two version The original N train sells for over 1000. The graffitti R32 sells for about 450
The R36 is definitely the best RK set selling for about 800. The second is the R17 in silver blue They sell for about 500-600 The R21's ( which are my favorite by the way ) sell for about 450.00 I have five sets of those babies

When I said all have doubled or better, I was referring to the ones the original poster & I have mentioned, not all the sets made

Which is why I referred to the older 300 MSRP.
Any current set with the MSRP of 400 are most certainly no where near doubled. In fact that white set sold for 250 up until recently which finally fetches just over 300, which is still way under the MSRP

ps, does anyone even really count that premier w/ graffiti on the doors seriously into the mix, I don't

I've recently seen 2 new R-36 sets go $450 and $470 on ebay.
There are deals out there!

Thanks- this gives me a better idea about what some of these sets I want might go for.
I wonder if there will be more sets available on E-bay now that York is over and Christmas is around the corner.

quote:

Originally posted by Sidetracked:
ps, does anyone even really count that premier w/ graffiti on the doors seriously into the mix, I don't

thats a big mistake,because the graff set can be obtained for far lesss capital than the non graff set.i know someone that purchased a set for as low as 375$,and it looks just as nice.all one has to do is get a matching blue paint marker for the doors and then some ta sticker logos and now you have a clean r-32,plus its a D-line.the non graff set is a N-line.i aquired both sets,because they are diffrent lines and the graff can be altered as i just mentioned

What about the Inter-Borough set Mike put out? Has that set
increased in value?

I think there could be more than one reason why the R-36, R-21, R-32, R-1, R-17 Subway sets seem to sell for more than MSRP.

One reason is that MTH underestimated the market demand for those five sets.
If MTH doubled or tripled the production quantity of these particular sets, I doubt they would still be so expensively priced on the secondary market.

A second reason could be the popularity of the R-1's (and similar looking R-4's, R-6's, R-7's and R-9's) and the Stainless steel Budd R-32's.
They also seemed to last a lot longer than the ten R-11/R-34'S.

Another reason could be the nostalgia factor. For example, more people probably remember riding the R-21 redbirds or R-36 World's Fair cars when they were brand new or on their first date than ever riding the LoV's, BMT Standards or rebuilt wooden Q cars.

While one could interpret the question "Which MTH subway set is the most expensive on the secondary market?" several ways, there is also about a $100 price difference between Railking Loco-sound, Proto Sound 1 or Proto Sound 2. For example, some of the earlier 1998 and 1999 non-scale R-42's with Proto 1 sound also appear to be in nearly the same asking price range as the scale R-32 Premiere MTH subway sets.

www.njhirailers.com

Another way of looking at it could be "how much is it worth to you?" I've found that I didnt mind paying a bit more if the end result was something that brought me pleasure. My graffitti set cost me nothing (at first) as it was a family gift. my first set (R42 D set) cost me half a weeks pay, but the thrill of finally having a bona fide subway overrode the sticker shock. My R1 and my Standard both remind me of two nostalgia rides I took with my grandmother, 30 years apart. another thought. the most expensive thing you own is something you only use/wear once. I've run my trains more this year than ever before, and they brought me much pleasure.

quote:

Posted November 01, 2009 07:08 PM Hide Post
What about the Inter-Borough set Mike put out? Has that set
increased in value?

I don't think so since MTH made those 2005 Lo-V INTER-BOROUGH sets in both olive green and Museum red colors. They then re-issued them again in 2007 in yellow work train colors and with either the original olive green or light green roofs.

I prefer those with the olive green roofs since I never saw a real LoV with a light green roof. I rode those Lo-V's when they ran on the Lexington Ave IRT EXPRESS #4&5 Lines until the early 1960's (before the grafitti era).

Similarly I prefer the original two tone gray R-12's as were used on the #7 Flushing Line than any of the other MTH R-12's subsequently issued in white, red, and yellow colors. I wish MTH would or could re-issue the original picture window R-36 World's Fair Train cars.

www.njhirailers.com

I think in this case, people want most what they can relate to.

Hello Again,

I have quite a few sets of Subways. The one I found interesting, I found at York last year the day before the show opened at the Hotel Ballroom Show. Brand New in the Box.

RailKing
30-2448-1/3
LO-V 4-Car Subway Set with Proto-Sound 2.0 - MTA Red) Car #'s motor 5443, trailers 5496, 5466,5483

Quoting from the MTH Website;

"As the IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit) subway expanded in New York City, the need for additional equipment prompted the ordering of 600 low voltage type motor cars. One hundred of these cars came from Pullman in 1916 and 1917, while the remaining 100 were purchased from American Car and Foundry in 1924. An additional 510 non-powered trailer cars entered service between 1916 and 1922. Typical of subway equipment of their day, the steel-sided cars featured rattan seating and rather dim overhead lighting.

The LO-V cars, as the low voltage equipment came to be known, used a low voltage controller, or throttle, to control the high voltage that actually powered the car. This marked a dramatic improvement in safety for the motorman, who in previous HI-V cars had his hand on a controller directly connected to 600 volts of direct current on the third rail. The LO-V cars incorporated a master controller powered by a 32-volt battery, enabling the motorman to control the 600 volts passing through the DC group switches located under the car without fear of electrocution. The LO-V cars served for nearly four decades before being replaced by new cars with plush seating and bright fluorescent lighting.

The RailKing LO-V subway set features transit stop simulation available only from M.T.H. Designed specifically for our municipal transit cars, the unique Proto-Soundr 2.0 transit program features Station Stop Proto-Effects, allowing you to program the train to stop automatically at designated station stops, even in Conventional Mode. When configured to run on automatic, the LO-V subway stops itself at locations you define and calls out station names that you select in advance" the subway essentially runs itself. And when you program the LO-V for an out-and-back route, it even reverses itself and heads back downtown when it reaches the end of the line - stopping along the way at each station to broadcast the name of the stop and the hustle and bustle of passengers coming and going.

Did You Know? The IRT Division of the New York subway was the first built, and its narrower tunnels require smaller cars than the BMT and IND Division."

I think these cars are beautiful. Mike always does a nice job on his subway stuff. Everythig his company does is perfection all the way. I just wish they would put lighter trucks on the subway coaches so the motor car would not have to work so hard. Thank you MTH for your superior superior product.

IC Man