It's human nature to want to know what something you have or have created would be worth if you wanted to sell it. Not that you would ever want to sell something that was dear to you of course, but it's still nice to know what you have is worth something to somebody and if god forbid that day came, at least you know you won't get ripped off because you will have all the knowledge you need to make an informed selling decision on the day.

Also, its good to know the value of these things for insurance purposes. I highly suggest that you insure your model trains against theft an fire and any sort of damage possible.

There are three major factors to appraising the worth of your model train collection. Of course the first thing, like any collectible is the rarity of the object in question. Production numbers can be used to do this quite well, but it's not the only way and probably not always the best way either.

A train is rare if only a few were ever produced, but the price also goes up on supply and demand. If there is no demand for this type of train, then it won't sell or fetch a high price. So you see, production numbers can be used, but it's not alway the best way to value you model train or model train collection.

Simple business principles apply here. If there is a high demand for a model train and there are only a few of them around and it's hard for people to find and buy one that they actually want, then this is where top dollar will be paid to you. It's only human to want something you can't have and want, and knowing someone else has that you want and cannot have!

The next factor to look at is the condition the model train is in. Bad condition trains rarely sell for a high price. This is probably not something you will be able to determine yourself especially if you are attached to the train. Try and get an objective opinion from someone you trust and get them to grade the train.