Kudos again to Bachmann Spares. Two Farish bodies ordered Saturday pm and arrived today. No fuss, just simple good service.

This meant I can now swap my class 25 bodies for a pristine green SYP, a weathered green SYP and a weathered blue.
Also I can swap out one of my class 24s from this....



to this.......



The whole lot (other than pristine bodies) will be sent off to be weathered by Rob which will further dirty the already weathered ones (and blacken the red buffer beams)

One thing to consider when disposing of a collection is to check everything runs ok before you try to sell it.

I sold a fair chunk of my late fathers today but I hadn't had time to do anything with it. Everything worked fine just over a year ago when he last was able to use it but today, of course, a majority of the locos wouldn't or barely moved. They all really needed a service which would have certainly resulted in a better return but now the shop have to take a chance on them and hope a good service will get them running again.

A couple had suffered mazak rot in the last year, cheers Hornby!

Overall happy with what I received from Compass Models: http://www.compassmodelrailways.co.uk/frames.htm

Quote from: Foxhound on <strong>Today</strong> at 12:16:43 PM

Quote from: Southerngooner on <strong>Yesterday</strong> at 04:01:01 PMI've always kept a spreadsheet of my N gauge stuff, right from when I first got a PC. I include full details of the item, the price I paid and the list price at the time. All stock has a unique number which is also on the bottom of all stock, put on with a Poska white pen. This means the original boxes (kept in the loft) can fairly easily be matched to the physical item.

After reading this thread I'm going to add another column with my current view of its worth, which I can update annually. This should help if I pass before my wife does, and hopefully give a good guide for auction, which I think is the best route. I'll also keep my suggested auction house and contact details on the spreadsheet.

All I've got to do now is make sure my wife and son know how to find it!

An interesting thread, very useful.

Dave

I have a spreadsheet also, and keep prices listed in 2 columns - RRP (or what I paid) and average current 2nd hand price.

Logic suggests you subtract the latter from the former and that's the cost of your enjoyment.
Then again - who cares?

I'm glad this has got folk thinking about what will happen to their prized collection. As I get older it's more and more on my mind, especially as more medical issues detract from what I can/can't do.
I urge anyone to talk to relatives about the subject, and it's not just limited to model railways. Don't think there is a taboo on it

Quote from: Southerngooner on <strong>Yesterday</strong> at 04:01:01 PMI've always kept a spreadsheet of my N gauge stuff, right from when I first got a PC. I include full details of the item, the price I paid and the list price at the time. All stock has a unique number which is also on the bottom of all stock, put on with a Poska white pen. This means the original boxes (kept in the loft) can fairly easily be matched to the physical item.

After reading this thread I'm going to add another column with my current view of its worth, which I can update annually. This should help if I pass before my wife does, and hopefully give a good guide for auction, which I think is the best route. I'll also keep my suggested auction house and contact details on the spreadsheet.

All I've got to do now is make sure my wife and son know how to find it!

An interesting thread, very useful.

Dave

I have a spreadsheet also, and keep prices listed in 2 columns - RRP (or what I paid) and average current 2nd hand price.

My wife has sight of the list - which was amusing when she realised just how much stuff I have. The boy is down this weekend so we might mention it to him then. but I'm only 57 and intend to get in at least another 30 years if I can!

In terms of what value I'd put against my stock, here's my plan. I've sold a few spare Mk1 coaches in recent weeks on this forum and eBay. I got between £20 and £25 for them, but know this is from personal sales. If I give them a nominal value of £10 should they go to auction then that represents a fair view to me, and one I think would help my wife should she have to go down this route. Of course, I also have friends in the same position so no doubt there would be some mutual help should one of us end up having to help the other's partners.

Dave

Quote from: njee20 on <strong>Yesterday</strong> at 10:15:48 PMYou've mixed your Gooners up in your tagging Nobby, amazing that we have two of them here I know 

Thanks, Nick. Now amended

You've mixed your Gooners up in your tagging Nobby, amazing that we have two of them here I know 

Your point is valid - nothing wrong with noting a second hand value, but yes the value of that item on eBay is very different to its value when offered as part of a collection to a dealer.

I'm not entirely sure that tracking 'current value' is really a worthwhile exercise, the market is fickle, a new run/tooling of a product will markedly change the value, and many items don't sell in the sort of quantities that give you an accurate figure.

Quote from: Jeebee on <strong>Yesterday</strong> at 11:02:10 AMHaving cleared out my father's lifetime collection of O gauge last year I've learned a few bits that would make life easier for those sorting it after we have gone - although morbidly, it's not our problem any more!

- think about who will be doing the sorting. Do they know what they are looking at. Can they tell a brake coach from a first? This was a big one for us because a Lima O gauge mk1 and a Heljan Mk1 are very different in price! I had to spend a lot of time re-sorting a lot of what my brother had boxed away as best he could. The less knowledgable your heirs, the more you might want to prepare things for them.

-Ebaying is hard work - boxing, photographing, testing, communicating. You have to work for the extra money. And on top of all the other grief and admin, we just didn't have time to do it. The dealers will offer less money of course, but they do provide a service, and it keeps the money moving in the hobby. Happily recommend Footplates of Kidderminster who were very helpful, respectful, travel nationally and are fairly priced. But plenty others out there. You could consider approaching a dealer yourself to get an estimate ahead of Your Time, and using it to inform your successors. They might charge for this valuation service which is fair enough. But be realistic, a lot of models that were once state of the art are now very dated and hard to sell.

- Identify any things that have particular sentimental value for you or your successors. Projects you're proud of. Stock they remember running with you. My Dad was a prolific kit and scratch builder so glad to keep some locos he's made himself. Far less bothered about RTR items.

-Similarly, any unique or high value items you should identify them (in writing or stickers) or sell them yourself ahead.

-keep things organised. Any projects keep all the bits together in one project box. I spent hours trying to match chassis to bodies and tenders. I knew what i was looking for but my siblings would have had no chance. A box of "incomplete Brittania Project" is a much more attractive sell than "box of unknown brass bits and wheels". things that run together should be boxed together.

-getting organised will also help you enjoy your hobby time you have left, and safer too. The mess in my dad's garage made it unusable and so he didn't get to play trains much in his final years sadly.

-But enjoy what you have while you are here to enjoy it. There will inevitably be some work to be done by your successors, no avoiding that. There's a balance to be made.

Many thanks for your advice. This is much appreciated.
Actually I have started to do something similar with an xls file.

Quote from: Southerngooner on <strong>Yesterday</strong> at 04:01:01 PMI've always kept a spreadsheet of my N gauge stuff, right from when I first got a PC. I include full details of the item, the price I paid and the list price at the time.
After reading this thread I'm going to add another column with my current view of its worth, which I can update annually.

@Southerngooner
The problem is, Dave, we all tend to have an exaggerated view of what our prized stock is worth. I'd suggest you maybe take a dozen of your items to a dealer and ask them what they'd give you for them. This would, at least, maybe help you in your valuations

Quote from: Moonglum on <strong>Yesterday</strong> at 04:12:55 PMMick @Newportnobby , can I suggest that you copy @Jeebee 's post across to here. He makes some very good and valid points in his post.

@Moonglum
Tim, I have copied JeeBee's post into the one made on this thread. See above, please.

Quote from: Train Waiting on <strong>Yesterday</strong> at 04:38:25 PM@port perran made an excellent point. One could get more money if one made a lot more effort and had plenty of time. But I was looking for a quick and effortless solution and was willing to be paid less.

If executers are involved, this is important.

As a matter of principle, I normally write off the value of models at the time of purchase. I never give a thought to any residual value

@Train Waiting
The latter is maybe the optimum way of thinking, and probably why I will keep purchasing anything taking my eye right to the last.
I'm assuming I won't be around to watch over any sale but just want to get the best overall price as my Will states a charity very close to my heart reaps the benefit.

I used Ellis Clark Trains when I got rid of my 'H0/00' stuff prior to our flitting. I tried three retailers - one hopeless, one worse than hopeless and Ellis Clark - excellent.

A chap came from Skipton to collect everything and payment was instant.

I kept the Wrenn models and when I sell them it will likely be by auction.

@port perran made an excellent point. One could get more money if one made a lot more effort and had plenty of time. But I was looking for a quick and effortless solution and was willing to be paid less.

If executers are involved, this is important.

As a matter of principle, I normally write off the value of models at the time of purchase. I never give a thought to any residual value and am content to give away surplus 'N' gauge item to members of our FabulousForum who will get pleasure from them. Because ...

'N' Gauge is Such Fun!

With all good wishes.

John