Discovering The MOST Desirable Lionel Boxcars From 1970 To 1999

The top 20 most desirable Lionel boxcars from 1970 to 1999 on this episode of Toy Train Tips & Tricks. Hello again, this is Mike with another episode of Toy Train Tips & Tricks. Spring train show season is upon us and many of us will be browsing, shopping, and spending our way through hundreds of local and regional shows over the next few months. And on most of the dealer tables you will find boxcars. Especially boxcars made since 1970. Why? Because of the sheer quantity of models produced. Between the 9200 series, 9400 series, and 9700 series boxcars alone, which shared the general style of the post-war 64-64 boxcars, some 200 examples were produced between 1970 and 1986, plus similar boxcars in the 7500 and 7600 series. Then there were some one-off models and then of course all of those that were made after 1986. Add it up and that's a lot of boxcars. While most of these boxcars can be acquired for under $30, even in mint condition, some are more desirable and thus more valuable than others. Either due to smaller production runs, coordination with other popular brands such as Coke or Pepsi, and or attractive color and design schemes. For the purposes of this video, we will ignore prototypes and items produced in the single digits. Items that may have been presented to influential Lionel customers or potential customers for example. Also missing is the famous girl set reissue Mistake car, most of which were destroyed by Lionel, but a handful of examples and only a handful escaped out into the wild. We will also ignore the various boxcars with special sound packages as they are in their own price ballpark altogether. We will focus instead on boxcars of various sizes with production of at least 100 examples including U.S. mail and other operating types. Even so, some of these regular production items, even some catalog items, are rarer than a Bigfoot sighting at a UFO landing spot. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but you get my point. So using the latest edition of Greenberg's pocket price guide of Lionel trains as a guide, here are the top 20 most desirable Lionel boxcars made between 1970 and 1999. First, an honorable mention should go out to the most desirable Scout-type small boxcar on this list, which actually placed in a tie for 21st place on our value chart, the number 16207 True Value boxcar from 1988. This blue car was only available in the special 11761 version of the common Cannonball Express set. Like other special sets made for retailers like Toys R Us, one of the cars in a common set was replaced with a special limited edition car. And in this case, not only is the car hard to find, but the set is rare as well. There are other True Value cars from other sets, but this one is the most desirable of the bunch. The latest edition of the Greenberg's pocket price guide to Lionel trains lists it at $168 in mint condition. Prices for this and the other cars on the list fall off sharply for non-mint examples. And now for our top 20. In 20th place is a standard O car, the New York Central Pacemaker number 9464 car, specifically the one marked as number 174940. This is curious as the car was part of the number 17248 four-car set from 1998, so one would think that all four cars would have the same value and rarity, but for some reason they do not. And the number 174940 car is listed with a higher value than the other three. Perhaps this is a quirk in the numbers due to an unusually high sale price at a particular auction, but in any case this car is listed with a value of $170 in mint condition, somewhat higher than the other three cars in the set. In 19th place we go north of the border for the number 7705 Canadian Toy Fair box car from 1976. While this is an uncataloged item for a special event, more than 100 were produced so it does qualify under the guidelines of this video. Mint examples of this car are listed at $175 in the guide. Number 18 is the first High Cube box car on our list, the number 19242 Donald Duck 50th anniversary car from 1991. Distinguished from most of the Disney High Cube cars by its sprung metal trucks, this unique car is listed at $180 in mint condition. The next three box cars all come from the same set, the number 11846 Calcan Express set from 1997. While the three cars should be of equal rarity, some designs appear to be more popular than others leading to a slight price disparity. In 17th place is the number 16297 Sheba box car, while the number 16296 Whiskas box car comes in a whisker ahead. See what I did there? And the number 16294 car has better pedigree than the others in 15th place. Alright, that line was for the dogs. Moving into 14th place is the number 9762 Toy Fair box car from 1975. The combination of rarity, with only a few hundred produced, and the special Lionel 75th anniversary decoration makes this a doubly special car, and the Greenberg Guide calculates its value at $193 in mint condition. While the next car was included in the regular 1978 catalog, it was nevertheless limited in production, and its colorful graphics and collectible tie-in make it especially desirable. In this case, I'm referring to the number 9666 Pinocchio high-cube car from 1978, another car from the Disney high-cube car collection. It is listed in 13th place by a nose with a value of $195. There was always a friendly competition between Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse, and Mickey gets the better of his feathered friend with his 60th anniversary high-cube car, the number 19241 from 1991. This car, like the Donald Duck car, features sprung metal trucks and comes in 12th place with a value of $197 in mint condition. And now it's time for our long-distance dedication... Oh, sorry, wrong countdown. Remember the three pet food boxcars? Well, there was another boxcar in the set, and it comes in just shy of our top 10. It's the number 16295 Cow Can boxcar, with a listed value of $200 in mint condition. Before we get to our top 10, I'd like to take a moment to ask if you're enjoying the video so far, please like the video, subscribe to the channel, and leave a comment about your most desirable car, one that may or may not be on our list. Oh, and if you want to see weekly updates about new O-Gage products, follow the link at the end of this video and subscribe to the What's New in O-Gage channel, and click the notification bell so you never miss an update. And now, back to our countdown. At number 10, we find the first Christmas boxcar on our list, and it's doubly collectible as it's a 75th anniversary edition. Yes, it's the number 9778 Seasons Greetings Lionel 75th Anniversary boxcar from 1975. The car in 9th place is out of this world. Well, not really. It's the number 9668 Pluto High Cube boxcar, but it's decorated for Mickey Mouse's dog, not the planet that was a planet but isn't a planet anymore. Like the Pinocchio car, it was included in the standard 1978 catalog, but a combination of small production batch, colorful graphics, and a popular character make this car more desirable than most other cars in the series. In 8th place is a change of pace, the uncatalog number 16279 Dodge Motorsports boxcar from 1996. Originally available only in the uncatalog number 11933 Dodge Motorsports set, an example of Lionel's successful motorsports licensing that continues today, this boxcar finishes strong with a value of $220 in mint condition. In 7th place is the only car from the highly collectible Spirit of 76 13 car set to make our list, the number 7610 State of Virginia car. There is a story in the collecting community that the rarity of this car is due in part to the government of the state of Virginia purchasing many of the cars as gifts for state officials and dignitaries. Coming in with a listed value of $230 in mint condition, one is more likely to find this car for sale as part of the complete 13 car collection than as a separate sale item. This is also the only car from the top 20 list in my own collection, although my car is definitely not in mint condition as it does see track time at least once a year. In 6th place is another one of those cars with a combination of rarity and cross marketing. The number 16265 Georgia Power Boxcar was available only in the uncataloged number 11819 Georgia Power set from 1995. Adding to the car's collectability is its decoration for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. While this car doesn't take the gold medal, it's still very desirable, listed in the guide with a value of $241 in mint condition. And which cars will make our top 5? Each of these top 5 cars have a listed price of $300 or more in mint condition, according to the Greenberg Guide. At number 5 is the number 9490 Christmas Car, made exclusively for Lionel employees in 1985. While limited in production to around 300 examples, more than a few have made it out into the open market, so it does qualify under the criteria of this video. However, in order to qualify as mint condition, the accompanying letter to employees must be included. Truly mint examples are given a value of $300 in the Greenberg Guide. At number 4, we actually have two cars, but they are related in such a way that they merit a single listing in our countdown. These are the number 6464-500 Timken Boxcars, produced in 1970. Nearly identical to late post-war cars, the original boxes must be included to be considered mint condition. The two cars, one in orange and a slightly more valuable variation made in yellow, were produced exclusively for Ohio train dealer Glen Ul. Approximately 1,300 of the orange cars were made, and some 500 of the yellow versions. The orange version is listed at $319, while the yellow comes in at $358. At number 3, it's Christmas once again with the number 16292 Lionel Employee Christmas Car of 1998. This sharp-looking car features die-cast trucks, and it is listed in the current guide with a value of $369 in mint condition. And then there were two, both with values above $450. What could they be? Surprisingly, our number 2 car was a regular cataloged item. Not surprisingly, it's Disney-themed. It's the number 9667 Snow White High Cube Boxcar from 1978. This colorful car commemorating the first feature-length animated film is very desirable, with a listed value of $473, but it is not the fairest of them all. See what I did there? The top boxcar on our list has it all. Limited production, sharp graphics, a popular license tie-in, and a milestone anniversary. The most desirable Lionel boxcar made between 1970 and 1999 is... the number 9672 Mickey Mouse 50th Anniversary High Cube Car from 1978. This car is even more desirable than the Mickey Mouse Express U36B diesel that was designed to pull it, if you ever had the nerve to take it out of the box. Another interesting thing about this car is there is no Made by Lionel marking of any kind on the car. It's all Mickey, all the time. This pinnacle of boxcar desirability comes in with a listed value of $484 in mint condition. Remember that values drop off significantly for items in less than mint condition, so you can find an example of this car on eBay from time to time for under $100, but only in good or excellent condition. So, when you're out there shopping dealer tables looking for great items to add to your collection or layout, keep your eyes peeled. You might just find one of these gems ready to pluck at a bargain price. Until next time, keep the trains running, and we'll catch you again with more toy train tips and tricks.