Rarities At Noel Barrett

Lot number 1374 at yesterday's fantastic Noel Barrett auction included two rare Dorfan light fixtures. I talked with a very experienced, long time collector who told me that, while he knew about these lights from Dorfan catalogs, he had never seen examples of these lights before. This lot sold for $4K. There were plenty of other interesting items at the auction. It was a great opportunity to see some real rarities.

It's York week and this year the semi-annual TCA Spring trainfest is sandwiched in between two significant tinplate train auctions, the Noel Barrett auction yesterday, and the Bertoia auction next weekend. Hey guys, spread 'em out a bit, will ya?

Jim

Lou Hertz On Ives

"One thing is absolutely certain. Every collector, regardless of his original interests or intentions, sooner or later is going to have to face the matter of Ives trains, for Ives unquestionably dominates almost the entire landscape of such old model collecting like a gigantic mountain, or, as some new fans who have not yet fallen under the spell (as they almost invariably sooner or later do), may insist, like a gigantic cloud." - Louis H. Hertz, Collecting Model Trains, 1956, p. 49.

This well-worn old trooper of an Ives #195 caboose was an earlier example in my collection that I have since replaced with a caboose in better condition. However, there's something strangely charming and nostalgic about these old soldiers that have seen better days.

Anyway, there are some blockbuster auctions coming up at Bertoia and Noel Barrett, and York is just a few short weeks away, so there is plenty of excitement in standard gauge tinplate. I can hardly keep up with it all.

Jim