Rivarossi Archive Auction

[Nova Scotian]

Couldn't find this existing, and wasn't 100% where to put it.

E-mail from Rails of Sheffield informing an auction on April 12th, the first, of about 400 Rivarossi items from the archive. https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/special-auction-services/catalogue-id-srspe10484/search-filter?brand=Rivarossi&mc_cid=f34d19bd8a&mc_eid=24f8e8e809

 

I went through and told my partner we'd need to sell our belongings as there's a couple of grand I want to spend there! Always had a soft spot for some of their HO.

 

However, is this because there's no museum anymore? It seems sad that this is all being flogged off, when it could be better served as a history of the brand? Maybe people aren't proud of the brand anymore, as it's very much a shell of what it used to be, and with foreign ownership why would the parent want to buy it all out?

[TT-Pete]

Gosh! Well found! Well it's definately A collection, but not sure that it's THE collection. With the Como building having been demolished I reckon that most of it is now boxed in crates in a dusty hanger somewhere in Margate (ala Indian Jones) apart from the bits in the visitor centre;

 

http://www.rivarossi-memory.it/Stabilimento/Stabilimento_Museo.htm

 

But maybe so, and yeah, quite a selection and definitely a few interesting items in there! :^)

 

(When is pay-day this month?)

[5944]

I believe it is part of the Rivarossi collection. It used to be about 7500 items! Rails sold a load off about 5 years ago, so this is some of what remains. There was certainly a lot of bad feeling towards Hornby in Italy when the first batch came up for sale.

[Nova Scotian]

I have an early Rivarossi E8/E9 and it's extremely good for the age. Very quiet too - but apparently the motors are quite flaky. They're metal geared in the rear bogie, with a round motor (pancake like?), but vertically mounted driving what I think is a spur gear? Anyway, I've been quite impressed, and been trying to pick another chassis up cheap for my unpowered unit so I can reverse the wiring and run double headed (the criticism is that they're a little underpowered).

 

I really like some of their french outline HO too - they were some of the best at moulding in Europe at the time I reckon. Them and Lilliput. 

 

Added it up, at the mid-level estimate I'd drop 4000 GBP on what's listed there (30-40 items). Obviously that's not happening - but if I had some lying around I'd definitely take a punt on a couple of my favourites!

[298]

21 hours ago, TT-Pete said:

Gosh! Well found! Well it's definately A collection, but not sure that it's THE collection. With the Como building having been demolished I reckon that most of it is now boxed in crates in a dusty hanger somewhere in Margate (ala Indian Jones) apart from the bits in the visitor centre;

 

http://www.rivarossi-memory.it/Stabilimento/Stabilimento_Museo.htm

 

But maybe so, and yeah, quite a selection and definitely a few interesting items in there! :^)

 

(When is pay-day this month?)

 

So the same Hornby who fell out with Rails over the Terrier and Bannergate have now instructed them to auction their crown jewels..? They must be desperate...

[Nova Scotian]

16 minutes ago, 298 said:

 

So the same Hornby who fell out with Rails over the Terrier and Bannergate have now instructed them to auction their crown jewels..? They must be desperate...

So it’s possible that what’s seen here isn’t owned by the parent company - if the best of that collection went to margate. This could have any number of potential owners, though it’s presence in the UK seems odd? Surely it’d gain higher prices on the continent?

[TT-Pete]

@Nova Scotian Thanks again for posting that. I was off sick today and so was able to watch the auction from the start at 10:00 off and on; the Rivarossi stuff was up into the 400s. Interesting to see what went, and what didn't. Bidders obviously knew their stuff as the desirable stuff went for (what to me) were high prices, but quite a bit also dribbled out just under the estimate. The CIWL coach sets that I was interested in rapidly went outside of my max price range, but I did nab one SNCF loco lot that I will be very happy to get my mitts on. :^)  I now do think that a fair amount of it must have come from that dusty Margate hanger...

[Nova Scotian]

1 hour ago, TT-Pete said:

@Nova Scotian Thanks again for posting that. I was off sick today and so was able to watch the auction from the start at 10:00 off and on; the Rivarossi stuff was up into the 400s. Interesting to see what went, and what didn't. Bidders obviously knew their stuff as the desirable stuff went for (what to me) were high prices, but quite a bit also dribbled out just under the estimate. The CIWL coach sets that I was interested in rapidly went outside of my max price range, but I did nab one SNCF loco lot that I will be very happy to get my mitts on. :^)  I now do think that a fair amount of it must have come from that dusty Margate hanger...

Glad you got to pick something up - which SNCF? Photos when it arrives? There were some gorgeous ones. 

 

When I think about the quality of some of the Rivarossi and Lilliput steam locos coming out compared to the rough Hornby at the time... My father used to travel for work and would always hunt out the model shops when abroad - I loved the Roco and Fleischman he bought for their weight and smoothness, and the Lilliput and Rivarossi for their detail. Jouef always seemed a bit more hit and miss, and Lima too (though near the end the motors etc in their contintental outline were much better).

 

So, will we see boxes of old Lima sent to auction some day? Joeuf? Or did those days already happen?

[TT-Pete]

@Nova Scotian

 

I had my eye on one of the 141Rs and the BB 67000 twin pack (even though I don't have any TGVs to drag around). I'd set myself a maximum limit that I'd be happy with spending and stuck to it despite temptation and "the heat of the moment", so in the end I only got the pair of diesels. I've hankered after a cab-forward since the 80's and had a bit of a bid, but really couldn't justify it to myself after the price reached a certain point.

 

A bit like you our home layout had all kinds of stuff that Dad picked up on his travels, and like you say Roco/Fleischmann were good solid runners and Rivarossi was the gold-standard for detail. In the early days I was only allowed to play with the "toy" Jouef and Lima stock which got quite bashed and painted about like most pre-adolescent trainsets are.

 

If there is any family silver left, then I'm sure it will be flogged at some point.

[Nova Scotian]

No doubt many of you have received from Rails - but part 2 of the auction catalogue now up here https://mailchi.mp/railsofsheffield/the-rivarossi-archive-auction-part-two-21805?