Rare or Collectable Hornby 00 Models

[robmcg]

Hi All,

 

As a long time buyer and collector of certain Hornby 00 steam models, I find myself increasingly drawn to the idea of some becoming particularly rare or sought-after, or both. Not for profit, but for the same enjoyment as some get from other forms of collecting.

 

I sold a pair of unopened mint Black 5s  the '15 Guinea Special' R2686A and B 44781 and 44871 respectively back around 2012 and got a great price for them, and wonder if there are others which might be equally valued.

 

Then there was the debacle of the original Sanda Kan R3115 ? 34001 'Exeter' becoming highly-prized, but the eventual replacement has no such rarity value.

 

Then I found the last ? old tooling Duchess , R2341 'City of Bradford' very hard-to-fing among usual larger retailers, and see very high prices asked for some models on Ebay and in s/h sections, certain West Country models, and Britannias. Yet many outstanding models are  being sold very cheaply, Kings, S15s, K1s, 700s, B17s all come to mind.

 

Yesterday I bought R2892 LSWR T9 120 (no, I don't own a blue box SECR C-type full-paint version!), but I don't expect to ever make money out of any purchase, my decisions being based on enjoyment of the model. I might someday if I sell a model get a little bit back, if there is a market for it.

 

I enjoy looking for the rare or hard-to-find model, and wonder if Hornby models will become more and more like stamp-collecting, where rarity is generally, but certainly not always, valued.

 

So any guesses as to which might become sought-after are welcomed.

 

Cheers,

Edited December 19, 2017 by robmcg

[Anglian]

Well the obvious one is the SECR H Class which sold out as a pre-order. 

 

Anything that is a limited edition and painted in a livery other than BR would be my bet but it has to be an attractive model in a fairly obvious way. Look how the SECR C Class sold so well for Bachmann but the brown LBSCR E4 didn't although you may struggle to find the Collectors club version. I'm sure it was the brown livery that made this model perceivably less attractive.

[Legend]

William Stanier

Huntley and Palmers Peckett

APT

GWT Green HST

[Big James]

The model I’ve got that’s the hardest to find is 34008 padstow. Dunno if she particularly rare but she has gone up to silly money.

 

Big james

[bike2steam]

Turkish (Proses) 8F.   

[robmcg]

The model I’ve got that’s the hardest to find is 34008 padstow. Dunno if she particularly rare but she has gone up to silly money.

 

Big james

 

Curses! I think I sold mine.... at least I can't find it.... 

 

cheers

[toboldlygo]

Curses! I think I sold mine.... at least I can't find it.... 

 

cheers

 

I made Padstow rarer, by renaming one Along with a number of other Hornby Ltd Editions   

[sjp23480]

Bournemouth Belle train pack with Britannia (Alfred the Great) and three 12 wheel Pullmans and the extra coach pack with another three 12 wheel Pullmans seem to go for silly money.

 

Once managed to pick up both packs with sound chipped loco for £100 and a managed to sell them on for around £450. :-)

 

Steve

[John M Upton]

I would check that LSWR T9 if I were you as a lot have self destructed. Makzak rot around the Moto bracket has become a very common problem on these.

[robmcg]

I would check that LSWR T9 if I were you as a lot have self destructed. Makzak rot around the Moto bracket has become a very common problem on these.

 

Do you mean the motor mounting?  Or chassis in general?

[locoholic]

The Hornby loco that seems to go for really silly money is the air-smoothed Battle of Britain in workshop grey, R2286 Fighter Command.

[luckymucklebackit]

Having been looking for a Clan, I would say that they are definitely in the "look rare" category

 

Jim 

[PrestburyJack]

The Hornby loco that seems to go for really silly money is the air-smoothed Battle of Britain in workshop grey, R2286 Fighter Command.

This was a commission by "Much ado about trains" (or was it toys?) of Stratford-upon-Avon about 15 years ago.

I remember at the time he had trouble selling them all and they lingered in the shop, sadly now closed, for a long time.

[didcot]

The Lord of The Isles sets from the 80's do appear to go for silly money and there is always a few floating around. One I have, but never see is The Rocket set. Although the box got lost when I left home! But I'm not planning on selling it and James May would through the box away anyway!

 

The old 4-4-0 Counties used to command a good price, but seam to have lost desirability against the new loco drive version.

 

Matt

[Big James]

Some of the earlier rebuilt light Pacific’s do seem to be going for silly money. I dunno if browsing eBay is a good way to judge though. As I’m not very clued up on valuing model railways.

 

Big james

[JSpencer]

This will be quite a big list now that production runs are less than a 1000.

 

I generally find prices spike just after release IF they are sold out elsewhere and then drop once they are no longer the latest fashion accessory to have on a layout. Of course as e-bay no longer charges just for making an announcement, you will find plenty of die hard ebay sellers hoping to sell for the highest price possible for a good few years after which gives a false impression.

 

There has been a kit built D class with coaches on sale there for the past 3 years at £850 for example.

[Forester]

A whole load of caution is recommended here.

 

Market dynamics have completely changed in recent years and so have the producers' abilities to respond to market demand.

I'm talking about current and recent production here, not traditional Hornby-Dublo/Wrenn etc

 

It is now easy for manufacturers to see which models are sought-after and just as easy to set up a secondary run. There are even ways around the "Limited Edition" issue by releasing a further run with nothing more than a different crest or with weathering.

 

I have owned a considerable number of models which sold out immediately and secondhand prices shot throught the roof but where a further run caused the secondhand prices to fall back substantially.

 

Take the Hornby Collectors Edition "Manston" (late crest) R2260 only around 500 made. Prices rose to £250-£300. A second (different) Collectors Club Edition "Manston" (early crest) R3249 was released issued and the secondhand price of the early one fell back to well below £200. Even though still a very Limited Edition the market bubble for the first was killed by the second Manston as it fully satisfied demand..

 

So we can expect to see in due course a "Duchess" City of Salford to satisfy those who missed out on Sir William Stanier, the price of which is then likely to fall back substantially. Fine, if you bought Stanier new, it will always invite a small premium, but if you are thinking of buying a Stanier now at the bubble price thinking it will only increase in value, you may suffer a big loss in future.

 

Other models currently with very high secondhand prices likely to fall back sustantially with a new run include: Clan Class, Unrebuilt Merchant Navy, SECR liveries, Rebuilt West Country (demand still unsatisfied in this case despite many releases).

 

People can and do still make money by correctly identifying models likely to be insufficient in number to meet demand on intitial run - but Only by selling at the peak, before the manufacturers respond with another similar model. There are very few indeed that have maintained a seriously large premium and are worth collecting for that reason alone.

 

If you want to do that you have to go back to Dublo/Wrenn etc where there can be no further production.

[JSpencer]

Even Hornby limited editions in the 1990s were a vague promise not to do another run for 5 years.

 

Since then, the term has been used so much is does not mean anything. The other is Exclusive. Rails did an exclusive (250 units) on the NRM Q1 and sold out, they could probably do a repeat run but equally have probably prevented Hornby doing the exact same loco in the same condition for a period of time as well.

 

Additional runs though take time to set up. They cannot phone up China and have something sent within 3 months. Indeed it might take 2 years to do so, and then - in this particular case - only if Hornby are doing more Q1s. They doubtless be more expensive though given the on-going price increases. The latter is making re-runs on anything now look totally nonviable.

 

Sir William Stanier is more likely to appear in another colour (like LMS black but British Railways markings and numbers) than a pure rerun in BR late crest crimson. Once other Ivatt Duchesss (or Princess Coronations) appears, its uniqueness on the market will start dwindle.

[Co-tr-Paul]

Some humble 0-4-0s have a production run of less than 1500 such as the orange Terry and the 47 47480 Robin Hood, less than 500 ! Values are still cheap though...... .

Edited December 20, 2017 by Co-tr-Paul

[John M Upton]

Do you mean the motor mounting?  Or chassis in general?

 

It's the motor bracket mounting primarily but the rest of the chassis can also be affected too.  If the body is starting to look a little wonky on the chassis or is difficult to get off then its a goner I am afraid.

[robmcg]

Having been looking for a Clan, I would say that they are definitely in the "look rare" category

 

Jim 

 

Indeed the Clan is a rare beast, as are certain Bulleid Light Pacific rebuilds 34053 'Sir Keith Park' and a few which had short production runs, not to mention spam can 'Manston'.

[robmcg]

A whole load of caution is recommended here.

 

......

 

we can expect to see in due course a "Duchess" City of Salford to satisfy those who missed out on Sir William Stanier, the price of which is then likely to fall back substantially. Fine, if you bought Stanier new, it will always invite a small premium, but if you are thinking of buying a Stanier now at the bubble price thinking it will only increase in value, you may suffer a big loss in future.

 

Other models currently with very high secondhand prices likely to fall back sustantially with a new run include: Clan Class, Unrebuilt Merchant Navy, SECR liveries, Rebuilt West Country (demand still unsatisfied in this case despite many releases).

 

People can and do still make money by correctly identifying models likely to be insufficient in number to meet demand on intitial run - but Only by selling at the peak, before the manufacturers respond with another similar model. There are very few indeed that have maintained a seriously large premium and are worth collecting for that reason alone.

 

If you want to do that you have to go back to Dublo/Wrenn etc where there can be no further production.

 

 

Wise words, which add a certain intensity to the feelings about the ongoing viability of Hornby PLC in its current form.

 

cheers,

[mark374]

I belive City of Carlisle is rare 

 

i have the black window APT but no box or pantograph

 

Not excatlly Hornby but what about the Rocket  and Monster Double trainset,  I have both sadly the trainset has seen better days

 

Mark

[John M Upton]

As a guide to how the market can go, when Lima went bust, their Class 60's started to change hands for ever increasing sums, well into treble figures which for a loco that retailed at around £45 new was quite a shock.  As soon as the new Hornby one appeared, the prices plummeted and you can barely give them away for the cost of the postage now.

[Colin_McLeod]

https://m.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2056088.m570.l1313.TR2.TRC1.A0.H0.Xlima+class+60.TRS0&_nkw=lima+class+60