[degoat77]

Hey y`all,
                    Let me first thank anyone on this forum who takes the time to read my post, and reply!

Setting the stage for who I am, and why I`ve come here:
I`m a hobbyist myself (basketball card collector), and I know from my experience in the hobby......these forums tend to be the best place to get answers.
I recently purchased a home, the previous owner had passed and was a huge motor-head!
I know, because everything that was in the house came along with the purchase of the property.

Besides having enough cars in the garages to start a small used car lot, I came across a large quantity of vintage slot cars and complete race track sets. Many of them being unopened in original packaging.
Seems most of the cars in packaging are from "Aurora" (AFX G-Plus or Magna Traction), or "Tyco / Tyco Pro".
I almost have no Idea what I`m looking at with the cars that aren`t in packaging (hundreds).

I`m no stranger to the online marketplace (eBay, etc....), being in a hobby myself, I know this is a general "price guide" of the value I might expect to be placed on everything. Unless I discover another outlet from information potentially received here, everything will likely end up on eBay.

So, everything in original packaging (I would think) should be easy enough to list online.
However, with all of this loose inventory.......stuff that I have absolutely no clue on how to even properly identify or list properly....what is my best option to unload this stuff?
I pride myself in a solid reputation as a seller on eBay (been doing the sports card thing for years), so the last thing I want to do is misrepresent something that could either have the buyer upset at paying for something that wasn`t described properly, or have the seller (me) disappointed because he accidentally listed an item improperly that led to an undervaluation in the sale.

Not being in the slot car hobby, I don`t personally know anyone, or know of any place locally I can go to have this stuff evaluated.
I live in Southeastern Pennsylvania (near Philadelphia).

Wish money didn`t matter and I could just sell this stuff for whatever and not think about it, but I could use as much finacial help as possible from the sale of the contents of this house.........peeling away the layers of stuff has revealed some unexpected and costly issues.

Apologies for the long read here, but I didn`t know where else to start.
I appreciate any help / direction anyone can give.

Being a new user, don`t think I can post pictures. Can an admin confirm this please?

Thanks again for reading, and any help anyone can offer.
Josh


edit: If I posted this in an improper sub-forum, please excuse my rookie mistake and relocate the posting to the proper spot.....thanks admins!!!

[woodcote]

Welcome Josh  

My advice would be to contact a reputable dealer who could look at what you have and quote you a fair price. If you are interested, I could certainly give you a few East Coast contacts to try and you can see what they come up with. Despite the pandemic, the market in slot cars is buoyant and dealers do seem to be looking to buy collections.

[Mazda]

Hi Josh, Welcome to the forum  .
I have been a collector and racer of AFX cars for many years. 
As Andy said it would be best to contact a reputable dealer to look the cars over. Many are probably run of the mill cars but there maybe some rare cars amongst them. They all have a value especially as they sound as if they maybe in unused condition.
Clive

[degoat77]

Hello Andy & Clive,
       
                   Thanks for the welcome to your forum!!!
I did a little eBay / internet searching, and I`d say about 1/2 the cars in original packaging go for around $50 usd, and the other half ranging from $80-$100 usd. These were easy to identify, as the make and model numbers are on most of the packages.

As far as the cars in boxes, bags, and bins......most would be very difficult (and time consuming) for me to identify.
There were a few with distinct lettering that I could track down, and they seemed to be fairly on the rare side from what I can tell (in my pretty much non-existant experience). First one I looked up had sold last for $150 usd.

Now, I would have no clue how to "grade" the loose vehicles as far as condition and otherwise.

So, I think it would be quite helpful if either of you had someone within traveling distance that I could take everything to.

Am I permitted to post pictures here as a new member?

[JasonB]

Hi Josh,

Yes you can add photos.

Underneath the reply box, there is an attachment section. Just browse to your photos and select them, click on add attachment and wait for them to upload, then put your cursor into the reply box where you want a photo to show, and click Insert into Post.

[woodcote]

Josh. Here are some ideas worth chasing up if you want to sell the entire collection, or just parts of it...

• Contact the organizers of the Lehigh Valley Slot Car Show in Allentown, PA: www.valleygoto.com/slot-car-show-and-toy-car-show
  
• Contact Elliot Dalberg (njdcball@aol.com), organizer of the Maryland (Baltimore) Slot Car Show and Swapmeet
  
• Contact Pete Serraon (pserraon@aol.com), organizer of the Parsippany, NJ Slot Car Show
  
• Contact Guy Graziano (facebook.com/groups/Guysvintageslotcarsales)
  

Booking a table at a show might be an idea? The show organizers are more likely to help you with pricing if you are part of their show, rather than just selling on eBay! I was lucky enough to attend a Maryland show during a trip to the States in 2018 and it was a really friendly event. The chances are that anything very collectable would be bought early at a good price and you are likely to get offers for anything you have left over from dealers. If you want to turn the collection into cash quickly and without too much hassle, that might be a fun alternative to simply selling it all to a dealer.

There's longer list of US shows here: slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=985

Because the old 60s and 70s cars are collected by knowledgable and passionate enthusiasts, you will need to list items extremely carefully if you sell via eBay. The whole process will require time and research - and the humility that you'll get things wrong and have to deal with unhappy customers. There are collectors' guides for Aurora, Tyco and early Tomy models, listing all the variations and with notes on how common or rare they are. The guys listed above could help you get hold of those guides.

[KensRedZed]

Great advice!

Greetings Degoat77. I wish you great success in your newly discovered treasure. I hope YOU get into the hobby. 

I wouldn't worry about posting in the wrong place so much as trying to avoid the slot car police!

   

[degoat77]

Firstly,
           Thanks to all those who replied with advice and suggestions on how to handle things going forward (woodcote, the detailed list looks like it`ll be most helpful, I`ll be reaching out to those contacts shortly)

I tried posting pictures, first attempt was 16 files and it just froze up / lagged out before uploading them.
So, I guess I`ll just have to try a few at a time......advance notice, there`ll be a bunch of posts...

Pictures will be posted as followed:
Boxed track sets (some sealed / never opened).
Slot cars in original (as far as I can tell) packaging.
Loose slot cars (most of the yellow trucks, and several others were wrapped in original tissue paper, or in shipping boxes directly from manufacturer).
Bags of loose chassis, motors, parts, etc..

Would like to hear what you guys think about anything posted.

Thanks again to all you Slot Car Enthusiasts!!!!

[degoat77]

                   
Tracks....

[degoat77]

                   
More Tracks.....