Thursday, October 30, 2008

Inherited train memorabilia

From: "Jen Gardner" jenerous@yahoo.com

My father passed away leaving me with a plethora of train memorabilia.
From Official Guides Starting in the 1910's to A "J" plate that evidently came from a train wreck, to Hand written logs from the 40's, to lanterns and locks stamped with official logos. I also have a book from "The Master Car Builders' Association" which is full of blueprints.

I am looking to get rid of this memorabilia but have no idea where to start. I looked on eBay but there are really no comps out there.

Just wondering if you had any advice at all.

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear of your loss.

Perhaps the following group might be of some help:
The Railroadiana Collectors Association, Incorporated

One nice aspect of eBay is that you really don't necessarily have to determine the value of each item in advance, as the bidders will do that for you.

If you don't want to do the eBay listings yourself, there are companies that will do the eBay listings, handle the sale, and ship the items for you, and there are also many railroadiana dealers that likely would be willing to handle an estate sale. Of course, it is much more expensive to hire someone, but much less time consuming.

Hope that this helps.

Best wishes.

10/30/2008 1:40 AM  
Blogger CPRR Discussion Group said...

From: "Larry Mullaly" lmullaly@jeffnet.org

I would urge you to contact the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. This material seems very valuable and I think it should be preserved intact.

—Larry Mullaly

10/30/2008 11:50 AM  
Blogger CPRR Discussion Group said...

From: kylewyatt@aol.com

My first question is whether you want to donate the material to a museum (which I encourage) or whether you intend to sell it (which will most likely be to a private party or parties – eBay is a viable approach, but it involves work on your part).

If you are interested in donating it to a museum, my next question is what railroad your father worked for, as that will suggest what museums would be most appropriate and interested in the material. There are good museums all across the country, each with its own interests (limited or broad, depending).

Kyle Wyatt
California State Railroad Museum

10/30/2008 11:44 PM  

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