RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted August 5, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 5, 2015 I'm hoping that some of you can help me here. As some may already know I've been dealing with a friends estate, part of which is the complete set from edition 0 - 240 of MRJ's and i'm trying to ascertain a value for them. They are not being sold as I will take them but want to pay his widow a true reasonable value for them. I've seen various sums bandied about but that was some time ago, I've got an idea of what I think they are worth and would like others opinions. Any help gratefully received. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suddaby Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Here's a bound set in Robert Humm's to give you an idea: Runs of modern journals Model Railway Journal 1985-2010 Ref: Run 197 Price: £800.00 New in the market Volumes 1-26 comprising issues 1-203 together with the elusive preview issue "0". Produced 8 times a year by Wild Swan Publications. Standard A4 format, about 300 pages per year (slightly fewer for the early volumes), profusely illustrated with photographs, drawings and diagrams. All the original covers have been retained and with the annual indexes. The set is bound two years per book in uniform dark green cloth by DJ Book Binders. The binding style is repeatable for subsequent volumes if the buyer wished to extend the set Kevin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allegheny1600 Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Phew! There was an advert in the back of issue 239 for a "complete set" plus all three compendiums for £350. Personally, I took my time and managed to build a complete set for approx £1 per copy but that was a few years ago now and all the more recent ones have been closer to cover price. HTH, John E. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted August 5, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 5, 2015 There was an advert in the back of issue 239 for a "complete set" plus all three compendiums for £350. Don't know how I missed that ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRat Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 They can have mine for a lot less, can't give them away! I think 26 bound volumes are obviously worth more, but recent postings of mine, trying to find a good home for a cpl of hundred MRJ's elicited 1 approach. Good luck. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium skipepsi Posted August 10, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 10, 2015 I sold my collection on e bay 0 to 220 MRJ compendiums and even a programme for the show, £186 for the lot. Sadly complete sets are no longer as valuable as they were due to exactly the reason this collection has become available. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 5944 Posted August 10, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 10, 2015 If you can't flog them Dave, we can always use them to replace the 1970s Railway Modellers under the club room floor! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted August 10, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 10, 2015 If you can't flog them Dave, we can always use them to replace the 1970s Railway Modellers under the club room floor! You heathen. We could use some 2mm association mags for that but we'd need twice as many. Ok I'll get me coat.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRat Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 You could always try the Titfield Thunderbolt book shop in Bath. The owner, Simon Castens is a great chap and would give you an honest indication of value. Simon has also recently taken over Wild Swan, iirc. Good luck. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Colin_McLeod Posted August 11, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 11, 2015 With estimates ranging from "can't give them away" to over £800 there does not appear to be an agreed value. It can't be easy dealing with the estate. Perhaps the widow might gift them to you as a "thank you" for all your work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Not Jeremy Posted August 11, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 11, 2015 Thanks for that Neil! Value-wise, I think the responses here pretty much sum it up. I recently put a complete set (0-100) tht I'd been trying to sell for £100 complete with four stout plastic carrying cases out for sale at £2.00 a pop £1.50 if tatty, with the rare issues 0 and 1 for a bit more and I have found more takers this way. This is obviously tricky without a shop, although ebay will work well. On balance I think Colin's suggestion is a very good one, there's not really any great value to be had but they are all great reads. Speaking for myself I have enough already!! Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Lamb Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 This came up a few months ago. The answers were very much as this time around. If a couple of people are in the market for them then they have a value. If not they don't. Bound volumes might be more attractive to a club but on the other hand a club might not have much spare cash. There will be a set of mine available when I go and I suppose there must be a good few sets collected by my generation that will come on the market over the next 10-15 years. Bernard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted August 11, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 11, 2015 With estimates ranging from "can't give them away" to over £800 there does not appear to be an agreed value. It can't be easy dealing with the estate. Perhaps the widow might gift them to you as a "thank you" for all your work. The trouble is that I've actually known his widow for longer than him as she is the mother of my best friend. She's been so thankful for not having to deal with this part of the estate that if I just mention that I may have a use for something she automatically says "keep it". She has very generously given me some items already and at the end of this process there will be a mountain of paints and tools that I will keep as they are too awkward to sell or will achieve nothing, and I'll be more than happy with them. But sadly death has its costs and the more I can make for her the better her situation, I've also purchased a couple of items but to save any arguments I've put a pseudonym on the spreadsheet. A couple of years ago if I asked this question I think that there would of been values of £1.00-1.50 per magazine but now it's more like 75-80p after you take out the postage/courier costs. Jeez we're all getting old! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium skipepsi Posted August 11, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 11, 2015 Offer £200 and see what she says would be my advice, if she declines to take £200 you made a reasonable offer in good faith. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted August 11, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 11, 2015 Offer £200 and see what she says would be my advice, if she declines to take £200 you made a reasonable offer in good faith. I could offer a fiver and she would take it, There were many things sold from the estate (finished those wagons by the way....) but she has also given away just as much to the clubs he belonged to. I've been reading the older ones and found them really interesting so thought I'd keep hold of them and wanted to pay a reasonable amount. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave47549 Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium petethemole Posted August 11, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 11, 2015 I've collected a load over the last three years, all off Ebay, at prices varying from 99p to £2.80 excluding postage. Prices over £3 are often seen but I ignore them so I don't know if they sell. Averaged out they probably cost me about £1.50-£1.80 per issue plus postage. I don't have Issue 0 but No1 didn't cost me much. Perhaps if you valued them at £1 each? Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bourneagain Posted August 12, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 12, 2015 The best way to ascertain a price is to contact a Book Dealer, there are a number of them who regularly advertise in the model and railway press each month, on the pretext of wanting to dispose of them and ask what sort of price they would offer. Remember Robert Humm is running a business, so that the prices that he advertises, has to cover his overheads and make a profit, or on the other hand he may never sell those MRJ`s for that price. I wonder what price he paid for them in the first instant? Another tip is not to sell odd copies and break up a long run, you will be left with those copies that nobody really wants. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRat Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Estates are very difficult when it comes to model railways! Just over 12 months ago, Bodmin in P4 was advertised for sale in The MRJ. Built by Norman Soloman for a client, it had also featured in the mag. To cut a long story short, I was the only one to make an offer, just under £2,000 and I ended up being given the layout for FREE. I have since donated it to the lovely lads at SWAG. Anything is only as valuable if someone is willing to pay a certain price. I think when it comes to 'fine scale', much has limited appeal and compared to some rtr can be almost valueless. As I have been de- cluttering I have found that scratch built buildings are worth a fraction of resin rttp ones, kit built wagons less than rtr, and magazines, even the MRJ are virtually worthless. Like I said, I couldn't give them away! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted August 12, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 12, 2015 Estates are very difficult when it comes to model railways! Just over 12 months ago, Bodmin in P4 was advertised for sale in The MRJ. Built by Norman Soloman for a client, it had also featured in the mag. To cut a long story short, I was the only one to make an offer, just under £2,000 and I ended up being given the layout for FREE. I have since donated it to the lovely lads at SWAG. Anything is only as valuable if someone is willing to pay a certain price. I think when it comes to 'fine scale', much has limited appeal and compared to some rtr can be almost valueless. As I have been de- cluttering I have found that scratch built buildings are worth a fraction of resin rttp ones, kit built wagons less than rtr, and magazines, even the MRJ are virtually worthless. Like I said, I couldn't give them away! That's pretty much what I've found, I did warn his widow that as he was a P4 modeller that some items wouldn't be worth much, but the general items and tools have raised a reasonable sum for her which she is very grateful for. She gave lots away (such as the layout) partly because that's what he would of wanted and partly because it had minimal value. Some items I could of held out to get a bit more but you have to balance time against gain and so long as the amount was reasonable enough I'd take a sensible offer on things. Many on here purchased from me and seemed happy enough with what they got, although I'm waiting to see just what gets built or added to their own "to do" pile Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Chris 5 or 6 years ago I sold my collection and was very pleased with what I got, it was the early ones that made money, but I have noticed now prices have plummeted. I guess some of the early ones are still in demand but later additions may be valueless. I guess its with modellers passing away more items are coming to the market, the time, cost and trouble of selling a large quantity's of these mags drags the price down. They are worth what a person is willing to pay, in bulk to a dealer not much. Personally I think £200 is very generous on the other hand not bad value at £1 each to the buyer Good luck, a tricky solution Paint cannot be sent via post so has little resale value unless sold at a swapmeet or show Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougN Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Herein Melbourne I know of 2 rather complete sets from a couple of estates that may unfortunately end up in the recycling bin. Our little band of fine scale group has pretty much a full set each! I have noticed that the reduction in the collection value might be proportional to the up take of the Internet and forums such as Rmweb and Scalefour forum. The more active on that the less a full set of MRJ, BRM, RM seems to be worth. I haven't even seen any mags for sale at any recent exhibitions! Interesting this all is but I certainly won't be binning my full set. I think I only needed the first and second compendiums to be complete... Though it could be just the first one! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Picking up on what John said, you might be better just trying to sell, say issues 1-20 individually, though I appreciate that breaking up a full set might go against the grain. You might make just as much money yet find more buyers who are interested. The truth is that later issues have little value, postage/courier costs are out of proportion, and how many people actually need a full set, most buyers will be wanting to fill gaps, particularly early issues. Some years ago I wanted to complete my set of Locomotives Ilustrated, issue 1 cost me more than 2, 2 more than 3 etc., by the time I was filling in gaps in the teens, I was paying less than cover price. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted August 12, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 12, 2015 Thanks for the help chaps, I've worked out a reasonable sum to give her. I'm just not sure how to put £.s.d. on the spreadsheet. Looking at the early MRJ's they make a good read, if I pick up an old RM or similar some articles are interesting but I find I speed read them, with the early MRJ's I find that articles and techniques are still relevant and I've been bookmarking them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
modfather Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 a complete set 0-200 has just sold on eBay for £51.50. slightly gutted I only bunged £50 on before work tbh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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