Author Archives: Paul

From Germany with Love, Train Sets Shipped Home during WWII

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As discussed in previous articles, the Marklin factory continued production during WWII. American soldiers operating in the area are said to have visited the factory specifically.  Not only were they there to collect intelligence, but also indulge in some toy shopping for those back home.  The Marklin factory had an in-house showroom with all the latest models running and many promotional dioramas on display.  Although there are few first-hand accounts available to tell their stories, the memories are passed down to children and grandchildren. Several readers have sent in photos of PX (“Postal Exchange”) sets that were sent from Germany to the USA, typically dating from 1943-1947. The most common sets contained locomotives SK 800, HR 800, or the e-loco RS 800.  One such set retained the original receipt from the factory!

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Marklin factory receipt dating 12 June, 1945

The receipt above likely was a return visit as the products are primarily track, accessories, some diecast cars, tons of rolling stock and passenger cars.  The first big purchase must have been a large set or a few locos and the smaller purchase came later!  As the main cover image of this article shows, many of the sets came in large brown cardboard boxes or heavy-duty wooden crates.  Crates filled with military equipment now contained toy, trains and accessories!  They were perfect in protecting the trains during the long journey from Germany back home to the USA. The sets commonly have an APO address (“Army Post Office”) and appear to have been sent through New York before reaching their final destinations.  All packages are careful to note that the crates contain “NO GOVERNMENT PROPERTY.”

Label affixed to crate shows packages were routed through New York

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Sets included enough track, switches, and a transformer to make a layout

Marklin crate

Former military crate now contains trains!

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Complete example of a SK 851/4 set dates to 1946

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Sent from Sgt. G. Moeers 7711 of the 45th Air Repair Squadron in Hanau, Germany APO 757

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Sent from Sgt. Hartley to Mrs. George Hartley of Medford, Oregon. Army APO stamp dates to 1946

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Postage stamp dates to 1946

 

 

Gauge 3 Steam Train a Century-Old Family Heirloom

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Occasionally readers of the MarklinStop blog send me emails about trains which they would like to learn more information about. Many are modern digital trains, some are vintage trains from the 50s and 60s, and rarely I am treated with something very special.  Upon opening the pictures (shown below), I gazed at my screen in disbelief.  Before me was a very large Gauge 3 train produced from about 1900 to 1910 with a cattle catcher for the American market.   After letting the owner know what he had and providing him with an image of the loco from a 1904 catalog, I was delighted to hear the story behind the locomotive.  Here’s what the owner had to say:

My great grandfather was a maintenance man in a hospital and a doctor gave it to him back in the 40s I believe, the Dr’s kids were tired of playing with it.   He gave it to my grandfather to play with as a toy.  It then went into storage until he was an adult with his own home, and he displayed it on his fireplace mantle.   They went through a lot of touch financial times for about a decade and him and my grandmother never sold it.  My grandfather died in 2004 and my grandmother put the train in her closet.   I have since bought my own home, that has a very large fireplace mantle.  That train taught me a lesson at a young age that some things are more valuable than money, so I begged her to let me have the train to display it on my mantle, and I promised her it would stay in the family no matter what, until I pass it to my children only after they are grown and i can teach my them importance of the “train”.  Well she finally gave me the train, so as much as I appreciate the offer I am going to have to pass.  Sorry for the long story.  If you could point me in the right direction to find some track and possibly the coaches it would have come with, it would be greatly appreciated.  I know it would not be cheap, but I would like to put it together if possible for my grandmother to see.

 

Collectors focusing on rare and high-quality Marklin pieces

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There’s no doubt that prices for Marklin and certainly other toy makers fluctuate greatly, trending in different directions over the years. Factors like condition, provenance, having an original box, and ephemera have a dramatic effect on price. As a recent example, two wonderful examples of the Marklin CCS 66/12920 Krokodil in the United States and Germany sold for $13,000 and 21.000 EUR (approx. $23,000) respectively. The difference? Although both were in great condition, the one that sold for almost $10,000 more than the other had the original box and supposedly retained the original wrappings from the factory.  The hesitation here on saying these are original factory wrappings is that it’s very difficult to tell whether this loco was truly never unwrapped.  The factory paper could be from another loco or was simply in the box when found and then re-wrapped.  The crocodile is a rare piece on its own, often the prize of a Marklin O scale collection.  And one with original factory wrappings and an original box adds even more excitement to the piece.

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Comparison of Marklin CCS 66 12920 crocodiles. Image attribution to Auktionshaus Selzer and Bertoia Auctions

What this comparison doesn’t show is the historically low price of the crocodile without the original box.  Another fine example of this loco was sold in the US in October of 2013 for $18,500 and just a few years before that several crocodiles sold on eBay Germany in the range of 19.000 to 21.000 EUR.  Counterfeits and reproductions may have the biggest influence on prices of original models.  This phenomena was discussed previously in our article on Fakes, Forgeries, and Reproductions which shows that reproductions can drive down the prices of original examples.  Well-known manufacturers like Selzer and Hehr have produced high quality reproductions of the CCS 66 12920.  A rumor circulated that other less reputable members of the Marklin community produced a small number of crocodiles with both original and replica parts.  Perhaps complete reproductions had their common parts like wheels, pantographs, and linkages replaced with originals.  Switching out parts tricks collectors into thinking the entire locomotive is completely original.

Prices for Marklin HO scale toys and trains have been hit as well by similar market trends.  While most HO trains are at a lower price point, a large percentage of trains offered on the market are reproductions or fakes.  The R 700 locomotive is perhaps the most commonly faked or “tampered with” locomotive because of its many rare variations including the American version with cowcatcher or the versions in LMS and LNER liveries.  While some of these rare versions sold in the range of 5.000-6.000,- EUR a piece, some original examples have sold recently at almost a third the price.  Perhaps bidders lost confidence in what they were buying, unsure of what was original or fake.  Owners of such rare pieces can find some security in determining if their example is truly an original.  An opinion from a reputable dealer or collector could help in establishing authenticity when the time to sell comes.

Collectors interested in economics and global trade may also note that the exchange rate between the Euro and the US Dollar changed dramatically during the past several years.  As the dollar strengthened against the Euro, European bidders found the American market less attractive, causing relative prices to fall in the United States.  This may explain the historically low result achieved by the previously mentioned crocodile sold in the US.

Exchange rate USD per EUR provided by xe.com

Exchange rate USD per EUR provided by xe.com

 

What does this mean for Marklin collectors? 

 

For collectors that enjoy Marklin for the incredible brand that it is, pricing doesn’t mean much.  The quality and excitement isn’t going away, but rest assured the prices will continue to change.  Toys and trains that had very high prices several years ago encouraged fakes and reproductions, which in turn has lowered the price on the original models in several cases.  Prudent collector-investors might look to collecting pieces that are of extremely high-quality and rarity that will excite collectors if and when the piece comes up for sale in the future.  There’s no doubt that an incredible rarity coming up for auction can sell for an extraordinary price regardless of the current exchange rate, price history, or other market trends.  If two collectors battle each other at auction for a piece they’ve been seeking for decades, the price might be the last factor of consideration!

Layout Combines Simplicity of Vintage and Realism of Modern

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It’s a rare opportunity to see a layout that combines both the appeal of a vintage Marklin layout and the realism of modern layouts.  Stephen Best of the United Kingdom blends these two styles together, creating a wonderful Marklin layout.  Mr. Best is an experienced professional model maker and some of his work can be found on his website.  

At first glance of the layout, one’s attention immediately goes to the jagged rocky mountain sitting in the middle of the layout.  A train runs right through it while passing a bank of arched retaining walls and rock facing on the other side of the tunnel.  The surrounding areas remain relatively simple, allowing the trains and track to take center stage.  This style was common with Marklin layouts from the early days.  Marklin  00 Scale factory layouts from the 30s to the 50s commonly had nothing more than track, a few lights, signals, and buildings all on a single color high-gloss table.  Today many layout builders recreate this surface by using vinyl sheets or tiling.  The simple table places all the attention on the trains.  After all, Marklin’s incredible feat was in design and engineering and not trackside scenery!   The main train station on the layout was cleverly renamed to “GOPPINGEN” as a homage to the Marklin factory in Goppingen, just a few hours outside of Stuttgart in Germany.  When building the layout, Stephen tried to balance the style of the old tin accessories and track with the more detailed Vollmer buildings.  

The layout provides a wonderful setting for the many trains that run on its tracks.  To name a few, the DB 800 K railbus sits adjacent to a 3-stall roundhouse.  Pulling a long string of passenger cars, the steam locomotive F 800 chugs around the layout and ventures up to an elevated track that runs around the roundhouse.  Smaller in size, the 3003 hauls some vehicles and tank wagons.

Congratulations Stephen on an incredible layout.  Here’s some photos of his work:

Mixed Results at Selzer November “Fall Auction” 2014

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The three-day November auction from Auktionshaus Selzer provided yet another offering of interesting toys and trains.  For those unfamiliar with this auction house, it’s located in Rüdesheim am Rhein, a wonderful picturesque city located on the Rhein River in Germany.  It’s one of Germany’s most popular tourist attractions and a perfect setting for the display and sale of treasured Marklin toys.

Days 1 and 2 of the auction brought to market a large collection of Wiking models, newer Marklin trains, accessories, spare parts, and items from various other brands.  But the real excitement began on day 3 of the auction.  The French 2-4-1 mountain locomotive ME 66 / 12920 presented itself in both black and gray variants (lots 3119, 3296 and 3123/3124).  The black one interestingly enough was sold in two separate lots, tender in one and locomotive in the other.  The gray version with “ETAT” inscribed on the smoke deflectors fetched 2,700 Euros against an estimate of 2,200 Euros.  The more common black version sold for a combined price of 2,500 Euros.  Both prices seemed to fall well below previously achieved prices for such a rare and desirable locomotive.  Later in the auction a similar gray model (Lot 3296) under the number ME 70 / 12920 sold for 6,000 Euros, clearly a large price discrepancy between the other gray model.  The two noted differences are in their reversing systems, one 66/ with manual reverse and the other 70/ with reverse through the change in DC polarity introduced later in the 1930s.  One also features “ME” to the smoke deflectors and the other “ETAT.”

Items from the Marklin Liliputbahn also made a grand appearance in the auction, despite the main clockwork Liliput train remaining unsold.  The wagons fetched a high of 3,000 Euros and the hand-built houses fetched from 300 to 800 Euros.  More can be read about the Marklin Liliputbahn and its history in this article.

The larger gauges turned out relatively weak, an overall good offering but with many unsold lots.  Notably the Marklin Central Station 2013 for the French market in creme/red remained unsold at its starting price of 6,500 Euros.  A similar station also for the French market was sold in the UK from the Ron McCrindell collection and achieved a result of 5,000 GBP.

The 00 gauge trains began with a selection of rarities Noch in letzter Minute eingeliefert (added in the last minute).  The back-stamped 342 LMS, a model for the English market converted back with over-stamping for the domestic market during WWII, fetched a price of 1,600 Euros. Another rarity, the prototype 372, remained unsold at its asking price of 400 Euro.  Here it seems the inaction from the bidders voiced a concern about the model’s authenticity.  Clearly an original prototype model of this rarity could easily, and certainly has in the past, fetch thousands of euros.   Following these great lots were a series of boxes of varying rarity and quality, some described as original and others as replicas.  Two British rarities, the 343 LMS cars, were also passed over by bidders at a price of 300 Euros since they did not have the original LMS stamping and were sold in reproduction boxes.

Lot 5179 offered a rare R 800 SLNE with an illegible LNER stamp to the tender.  The bidders spoke once again that this item might not be original as it was left unsold at an asking price of 2,000 Euros.  Such models are easily reproduced and imitated because of their resemblance to the common domestic version, the only difference a golden LNER stamp to the tender sides.

Two red SLR 700 locomotives appeared in the auction, one newly painted and the other original.  Lot 5244, the restored one, was unsold at 1.500 Euros and Lot 5270, the original, was also unsold at 4.000 Euros.  The distinct paint damage to the cabin side and other areas make this locomotive easily identifiable.  The same locomotive was offered and sold once before in the November 2013 auction for 6,500 Euros against an estimate of 5,500 to 8,250 Euros (Lot 5157).  It is not known whether the previous buyer actually continued with the purchase or had buyer’s remorse and returned the item.

Various other rarities remained unsold including models of the CCS 800, TW 800, HR 700, and SK 800 to name a few.  It’s difficult to not notice the increased occurrence of restoration and reproduction boxes that seem to dampen bidder excitement.  Collectors in this auction put a premium on high-quality, original items while easily passing on the lower-priced models with restoration, reproduction parts, or questionable authenticity.

Ending the auction, the 00 accessories included two rare 406 Nazi flags in the original box.  The flags appear to be original, differentiating themselves from the reproductions that have much darker red flags.  The box as well seems original and dates from 1942 according to the barely legible date stamp.  Together the pair of flags in box fetched 3,500 Euros which seems a fair price for such a rare item.  The 406 flags are one of a few models Marklin offered with the historically-relevant Nazi symbol.

Reference:  The featured image for this post is from Auktionshaus Selzer’s Fall Auction 2014 catalog.

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