Lionel New Jersey Central Train Set, ca. 1955
Watch
GUEST:
It was a Christmas gift from my parents somewhere in the mid-'50s, and I've had it ever since.
APPRAISER:
And you've had it ever since. Here you've lived in Manhattan, you've had this in an apartment in New York.
GUEST:
Queens, actually.
APPRAISER:
Oh, Queens. Right. I mean, I'm always amazed when somebody keeps a toy from that period of time that long and in such great condition.
GUEST:
It's a prized possession.
APPRAISER:
It really is. Well, these were very expensive in their day. Most kids were told by their parents, "Take care of it," so we do have these show up once in a while in this condition, because it is... but it's super. What's interesting, as we say, it's from the 1950s, it's Lionel. Of course, Lionel was the top train for anybody to have in those days. They made some of the best. '50s was sort of the late era for Lionel. But certain sets really have a sort of magic from that era. And this happens to be one of them. It is plastic, plastic locomotive. What I like about this, this is the Jersey Central line. They would make a lot of different railroad lines, but the Jersey Central in this configuration is really nice. And of course, this was before Amtrak. Now they're all Amtrak. But there were all these separate lines running. This is a very modern set with the aluminum cars with the observation thing, which... more like you saw out West. You didn't see them too much in Jersey. What I love about this set, it has that wonderful bullet nose rear end, which is... of course, that's where the club car was, where you'd go back for your martinis as you're cruising through North Jersey. I love that you have the boxes. We love those. Always the boxes. They're really, really crisp. A set like this, in this condition, could bring around $4,000 to $6,000 at auction.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
You did mention this all came in a big set box-- do you remember that?
GUEST:
No memory of that whatsoever. I just presume that it came in a set box.
APPRAISER:
Oh, yeah, it came in a set box, and it had some labels.
GUEST:
No memory.
APPRAISER:
The set box for this set, $1,000.
GUEST:
Wow.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
