Over the years there have been many collections of model railroad equipment that, after the death of their owners, have been disposed of at drastically below market value, or even thrown into the trash by unknowing heirs in the middle of the terribly burdensome process of settling the deceased person's estate. Unfortunately, we who collect and love these models rarely document and insure them properly, so it is mostly the original owner's fault to begin with that their heirs have nothing to go on as to actual worth, or where they can be sold for the best prices. What everyone should know before deciding on how to dispose of these collections is that not everything that you might encounter is a cheap model available at every street corner hobby shop. Yes, almost all of us who collect and run model railroad equipment have some inexpensive pieces, and for many modelers this is all that they have. The vast majority of model railroad equipment available over the counter are mass produced, relatively low cost products. There is a level to this hobby, however, above that of the guys (and some gals too!) that just have some inexpensive models and a loop of track, or a set that comes out at the holidays. Most people that are not involved in this hobby don't know that there are, and have been for many years, hand crafted brass models, precision highly detailed limited edition pieces that sell for hundreds, some even thousands of dollars. Almost all modelers aspire to own such models, and many own one or two. There are those who are affluent enough to have shelves filled with them! Most people know that older, metal Lionel and American Flyer trains are worth something, but that is usually the extent of the layman's savvy. Unfortunately, there is no widely disseminated guide to brass HO and O scale models as there is with the very popular and easy to obtain Greenberg's Guide which allows one to price out collectable Lionel tinplate trains. Armed with a little knowledge however, you can successfully identify and separate out potentially expensive collectables from the low cost mass produced plastic and white metal HO and O scale equipment they will be found in and amongst. The first and easiest step is to look for the boxes that brass equipment comes in. Brass locomotives and rolling stock, as well as streetcars (trolley cars) come in sturdy, attractive boxes with foam rubber cutouts and usually labels and at least some documentation. These boxes look like the boxes that collectable keepsakes and ornaments, and expensive perfume sets come in. They stand out from the cheap, flimsy cardboard boxes with clear plastic windows and styrofoam or plastic trays inside to hold the models that inexpensive mass produced equipment come in. Even if the boxes you find are empty, just finding any lets you know to look for the brass models they held, which will be on a model layout or maybe in some display. Occasionally there might be models present that have no box. Over the years things get lost and misplaced. The next step is to carefully examine each piece of model equipment, and hold aside anything that is primarily made of metal, especially brass. Most collections of brass models are mostly unpainted models, and these will be immediately found, probably right in the original boxes. Many models, sold to customers who intended to put them to use were purchased painted and lettered from the manufacturer. These will be harder for the layman to spot. Separating the metal models from the plastic products is the first step. Next, pick up and carefully examine the metal models. Do the bodies seem thick and molded from metal, similar to the die cast metal trucks and cars that were more common in decades past, or does the model seem to be made from thin sheet metal, with very fine details and small, maybe delicate wire railings and small detail parts that seem like they might be easily broken off if mishandled? The die cast type models are not brass collectables. (Don't chuck them, though- These are still worth a bit- More later) The finer, fragile type will be the brass collectable we're looking for. Chances are good that the paint job, if it is very fine and is not peeling off,could be factory paint. Even non-factory paint, if it is done very nicely, tends not to hurt the value more than a few bucks, depending on the category of model. You should also know that many brass models have been marketed over the years as craftsman kits. I have some niche narrow gauge locomotive kits in my cabinet. They are brass kits, which require expert soldering, bending and assembly to complete. They are far more valuable in original, unbuilt condition than a totally assembled kit sells for, unless it is exactly and perfectly assembled and expertly painted. If you find unbuilt all brass locomotive kits, you definitely have something worth keeping. A brief mention on what to do with brass models and rare pieces that you wish to sell off. The lowest effort means of selling pieces that you need to convert to cash is by placing them with a hobby shop that deals in such models for consignment sale. This will usually take a while before a sale is made, but if you don't have the time and you can wait for your money, it will work. Another way, increasing in popularity is the forum you are looking at right now. Online auctions make for wide exposure and quick sales. You should be aware that these items are highly discretionary in nature and fetch the best prices when there are more bidders with money looking for something nice, such as at tax rebate time, as opposed to the 4th of July weekend when many won't be online at all. Auction houses that are hosting specialty train auctions are great places to sell high quality pieces and get the best prices, and with the newer trend toward online live bidding options that many of these real world auction houses are offering, it just gets better. Next time, Plastic Equipment- How to tell the junk from the good stuff.