Reproduction Marklin trains may seem innocuous at first glance, but how might they really be affecting the toy market. What is the potential for reproductions and even forgeries to affect the market values and rarity of original toys?

Märklin layouts have changed over the years and looking back to the layouts in the catalogs of the 1930s, we can see the different track plans when compared to a layout proposed in the 1960s or 1970s.

In this episode we'll objectively examine Hermann Goring's miniature railroad and the Marklin toys that he had at his hunting lodge, Carinhall. All of this thanks to a worldwide research effort which produced many interesting photos, documents, and accounts from the 1920s - 1940s.

In this episode we'll go on a historical journey through the annals of Märklin from its very beginnings as a small production house for girls' accessories to the company today as one of the world's largest and oldest toy manufacturers producing model trains of several gauges and technological toys for the young and old.

A printing code stamped on many Marklin boxes helps reveal the production date of the box and thus allows for accurate dating of Marklin articles. Sometimes the prices marked on the boxes and referencing pricelists also approximately dates an item because prices often changed from year to year.