12 replies to this topic

[Debby Smith]

I have a Vintage Marx Electric 1964 #22940 road racing set. It is all there even the small clips for the track, paperwork... everything...

The box is in good shape; the track and cars look like they have never been put together or used.

Can anyone tell me what is it worth? I am sorry but I don't know anything about slot cars at all and I am not even sure I am posting this on the right scale of cars...

Please if you can give me any info I would greatly appreciate it.

[Cheater]

Debbie,

I think this is a 1/32 scale set, so I am moving this thread to the appropriate 1/32 forum.

There's no question it's larger than HO scale.

[TSR]

It's also larger than 1/32 scale, more like 1/29. Unfortunately not too many collectors like these odd cars and track, so the value of these sets is rather low. I think that $50.00 is about all it would bring at auction.

[MG Brown]

OK - I'll bite, if the above is true, why does the paperwork say "Marx HO Speedway"?

[TSR]

The paperwork may have been mixed, because unless the hands under the cars are from a three-year old child or a pygmy, the cars are the 1/29 scale models... this set was issued in 1963.

[tlbrace]

OK - I'll bite, if the above is true, why does the paperwork say "Marx HO Speedway"?

Good question. Assuming that those instructions actually go with that set, it's an error on Marx's part. Those are 1/32 scale, more or less. HO cars are about the size of a Matchbox or Hot Wheels car.

Marx wasn't exactly a slot car leader. Most of their sets were of marginal quality. They insisted to have their own system for their 1/32 cars, so those cars wouldn't run on the Strombecker, Eldon, Revell, Monogram, Atlas, Aurora track of the era, or vice versa. Which meant that kids with these sets couldn't race against most of their friends who had sets by the other makers who more or less followed relatively similar standards.

Marx finally got it closer to 'right' when they built some decent-looking and running (for home set cars) 1/24 scale slot cars, with actual 1/24 scale plastic track.

[Debby Smith]

Thanks for all the info on this set.

As I said I don't know what the size is or how to tell. No, the hands under the cars are my husband's; he is definitely not three years old or a pygmy LOL. He will appreciate this comment. LOL...

The cars are definitely NOT the size of Matchbox car... they are approximately 3-1/2 to 4 inches long.

As I said this set was left to me in an estate. I am trying to figure out that if it isn't worth any more than $50 then why did she keep it. The person that left it to me collected antiques and this is way out of her normal collection routine. So if I decide to put it on eBay would you ask about 50 to 60 dollars and see what you get.

As far the paperwork inside, that is how the box came to me... It was sealed up when I got it and as I said before it doesn't look like anyone has ever used it...

Thanks again for the help/ You guys know your stuff...

[TSR]

Debby,

The answer to your question is quite simple actually. Like with all old toys, the ones that survived did so either because they did not work well and were relegated to the attic quite quickly, or because they are very common because they were successful toys. As a long-time toy collector, I see lots of the common toys at auction, and prices are low.

Another factor is condition. A pristine Marx set similar to yours MAY bring more, but interest for these is still very low, because the collectors simply do not care for them. But for an outsider to the slot car collecting world, anything old appears to be valuable until... they try selling it. The disappointment comes when their ambitions are not met by the demand.

A typical example is this Schuco toy that this seller has been trying to peddle for over a year now. It started a year ago at $1,000.00. Not only the condition is very poor, but the price of a MINT and boxed identical item hardly exceeds $100, simply because they are very common toys (they sold by the thousands and most have survived in some form) and there is no desirability factor. A recent "American Pickers" on the History Channel saw an average example sell for $50.00 and resell for $75.00. THAT is the real world.

Sorry to be the bearer of not what you would like to hear...

[Debby Smith]

TSR...

Thanks for the info... you are not the bearer of bad news. I just had no clue what this is worth and I did not want to be the person asking $1,000 for a $50 item.

This was just so far from the realm of what she collected that I found it difficult to believe it was not worth something because she wasn't the type to hang on to $50 to $100 stuff. She would get rid of that because she collected high-end antiques. Someone must have told her is was worth more than it was but we will never know I guess what was in her head.

Thanks again.

Debby

[MG Brown]

Side comment... in Forensics class 2 semesters ago, we learned the crime scene photographer is advised to use a scale/ruler or lacking that, a US coin to provide something that can be used to approximate the size of the object being photographed.

Unless a background conveys some important information, try to photograph the object on a blank nonreflective background. I have found plain cardboard to be excellent for this purpose.

I feel that these would be a good photo practices to follow for model sellers on eBay/other auction sites also.

As a wise person once said: the value of an object is what someone is willing to pay. This is the great thing about auctions, online or in-person. One can determine the "value" of something at least among those that have viewed the item. Who knows? Perhaps there is an obscure Marx toy collector that might salivate at the thought of adding this to their collection??

[Ron Hershman]

I am thinking that maybe "she" kept it because her "dear husband" and/or "precious children" might have got hours of enjoyment from it many years ago.

It may have had great "sentimental" value to her.

[Cheater]

In collectibles, the ultimate value of an object depends on two factors: supply and demand.

Where there is a tiny supply and a huge demand, value is maximized.

Where there is a good supply and a small demand, value is minimized.

Where there is a good supply and a decent demand, you gotta be careful! LOL!

[TSR]

In the case of the Marx line of "Indy" slot cars, the only ones that bring any decent value are the Lotus 29 models mostly because they are hard to find. You can hardly give away the others. they exist as the Gurney car (white) and the Clark car (green). the "Gurney" car is shown here behind what they call the "Willard Battery Spl." and which I refer too as the Platypusmobile.



The Clark car can be seen here too:



Both were issued in 1964, at a time when Marx had a tough time selling those ugly things to anyone, especially as Revell and Monogram were introducting superb models at similar prices.