On July 10 and 11, New England Toy & Train Exchange (NETTE) conducted an 870-lot auction of antique and vintage toys and trains. The sale was well attended and, overall, prices were strong, according to company officials. Live attendance was in the 90s, with buyers coming and going as their categories were sold, partner Naomi Karagianes reported that more than 400 online buyers were registered and 145 mail and left bid buyers had reported in.
There were 334 Friday evening lots sold consisting of all gauges and ages of trains from 1930s parts lots to Modern MTH Production, but the craziness was during the box lot section as auctioneer Mark Tobias stepped up the pace with candor and excitement.
The 540-lot Saturday sale began with a small brass HO gauge section and went next to Lionel postwar 1945 through 1969. The top lot of this section was a boxed Lionel 1963 Super Chief set. Clean and graded EX+, this six-piece set headed by a Santa Fe F3 diesel pair, sold in active bidding for $2,310. A rare Lionel 6816 black flat with bulldozer in its original box pushed its way to $960, while a 3666 Sears Cannon Car shot past presale estimates of $200/300 as it landed at $440. Proving that condition is key, a fairly common Lionel 2338 Milwaukee Road GP-7 diesel, which routinely sells in boxed condition between $180 and $250, saw an LN example topping the charts as it sold to the floor for $520. A tougher brown 6468X B&O boxcar brought $260, and a boxed 175 Rocket launcher sold for $330.
A boxed 2332 GG1 hammered for $370, and a clean 6416 boat-loader floated to $220. A boxed Lionel 2344 New York Central F3 ABA set sold for $465, an unrun set of 2409 series passenger cars brought $220, and a boxed 6119-50 work caboose topped its high presale estimate of $200 when it hammered for $265 in active bidding.
The prewar section featuring tinplate trains from 1890s to 1940s saw most of the high dollar bidding. Top lot in this section was a boxed Ives steam freight set from 1912, featuring a bicycle wheel 1100 with Newark passenger cars. Not only was it in great shape (C7+), it retained its original set box. Opening at $1,100, it soon sped to the $5,500 hammer price. Some trains were made exclusively for department stores. In 1936″7, Lionel made an executive gift set called the Baby Rail Chief Set for Macy’s in New York City. A very good example with its original boxes hit a top floor price of $4,290. Another special set was a clean American Flyer Golden State set made for JC Penny in the 1930s, which hammered for $830.
A popular set with tinplate collectors is Lionel’s Blue Streak Streamliner. Made in 1936, this light blue and white set was also made for a special buyer with a few pieces of extra track. This uncataloged version soared to $2,650 to an avid collector who successfully submitted an absentee bid through the mail. Speaking of tough streamlines, Lionel also made a Flying Yankee set. This was modeled after a local streamliner that ran the Boston & Albany route. The second version was silver painted with red loco top, that was made uncataloged in 1935″6. A boxed set example hammered for $2,530 to an excited phone bidder from Dallas.
Standard gauge is still popular with collectors as a 1930s American Flyer 4672 steam set sold for $2,860, while an early Lionel 3 trolley in orange sold postauction for $4,400. A boxed Lionel gunmetal 400E hit $2,430, while a matching 392E loco brought $1,730, and a clean Orange 9U Electric reached $1,590 in active bidding.
Other train lots of interest were an American Flyer S gauge Washington set new in the box, which sold for $1,650. An AF Northern Pacific set hammered for $690, while a G Fox Billboard with a small blemish in its front whistled its way to $1,320.
There was a small toy section in this auction. Several boxed Cortland trucks were offered, bringing between $90 and $240 each. An incomplete Lehmann Duo brought $330, while a boxed Buddy L camper set traveled to $520. There were several boxed Schuco vehicles, most bringing $90 to $220 each, but a Curvo motorcycle zoomed its way to $1,160 in active bidding.
A rare Ives cast iron floor train with a brown president coach brought $1,210; a boxed Marx Gull service station filled up at $550; and a matching Marx fire station surged to $440. The one Marx play set, the Blue & the Gray later version, battled its way to $520 in active bidding. A tough 1930s Structo roadster with its original key, while only in fair condition, still sold for $460.
Prices reported include the ten percent buyer’s premium. For information, 203-730-1404 or www.newenglandtoytrainexchange.com .
