Need some help please

[Chris Pearce 3]

Hi

I just signed up here in the hope someone might be able to offer some advice or help.

Basically my Dad was very much into RC Aircraft and collecting engines.

Sadly he passed away in 2013 after a nasty battle with cancer .

I am currently trying to help my Mum clear the house out and we have a huge amount of boxed RC engines and models that we would like to clear out.

Now as much as Dad would have liked me to follow in his Hobby footsteps, I just never got bitten by it. That is the main problem, I really know nothing about these engines and what their value really is.

The thing is that out of respect to my Dad I would feel terrible just posting them on Ebay and hoping for the best.

I know my Dad has some really rare stuff in all this lot, one in particular I remember Dad showing me was the smallest engine I had ever seen.

It is a boxed engine called NANO it is 0.1CC and is hand made by someone called Richard Gordon and is numbered 17 on the little certificate.

So you see there is a real assortment of probably valuable engines here and I have no idea how to go about 1:finding out a fair price for the stuff and 2: where the best place to sell RC items would be.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time.

[kc]

You need sombody expert to check what these engines really are. Somebody trustworthy who won't just buy them cheaply and sell them on! Rare engines sell at very high prices at specialist auctions ( Gouldings comes to mind as the name) That Nano miight well be the sort of thing to auction. On the other hand run of the mill used engines have quite a modest value but as they are not being made in quantity now they may become more worthwhile. So selling the ordinary items individually on E-bay or direct to local aeromodellers might be the best.

Get them sorted into used common engines and those unused like new in boxes or rare.

[Denis Watkins]

Chris, eBay is very much alive in the lock down, with buyers alert with little else to do.

Personally, I would sell UK only

Buyer collects Airframes, On " collect only "

and sell and post the motors one by one " signed for "

A rare motor will not get through without a barrage of bids

[kc]

As regards model planes, bear in mind that unstarted kits may well be worth quite a lot but the built models won't be worth much unless of super scale museum quality. So kits could go on Ebay, while you might find that selling the built models direct to someone who will fly them and appreciate the work your father put into them is far more satisfying seeing them go to a good home. Taking them one or two at a time to his local club might sell them to good homes. Value of ordinary models is just a bit more than the value of the radio , servos and engines they contain.

[Jon H]

I echo the comments of the other guys here.

If your father had a friend or club mate he used to fly with they could help with trying to sort it all out. However, as the guys point out some will try and use the opportunity to keep the best toys for themselves so be careful if its an unknown person who jumps up to offer advice.

Depending on where you are there might be a forum member nearby who could help. Im sure the guys on here are all decent enough to advise you honestly.

If you upload photos you might also be able to move some of the items on to forum members and not have to pay the ebay fees.

[extra slim]

I would give these folk a call Gildings model engine auction

[kc]

Yes thats right Gildings not Goulding! The most famous model engine auctions I think. Their website shows the possibility of a video valuation which seems a good idea at the present,

Dont forget that 'new in box' puts the price up a lot so ensure the boxes are present.

[Former Member]

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[kevin b]

Hi Chris.

Does your Mum remember any of his flying friends, or which club he was a member of ?

That might be a good place to start to get values.

If you are very familiar with ebay, then anything new in a box is best (and cheapest) disposed of that way. Particularly if you list it when there is a £1.00 maximum fees offer. However I would offer to sell Internationally as well, but with insurance (paid by buyer and PayPal only). Many American and European collectors are very interested in unusual engines.

Anything "used", or built will require time on your part to return its best value and its up to you to decide if the return is likely to justify the effort, or whether to put the whole lot through a specialist auction house.

Another possibility would be to contact a local club and ask if they would like to sell it at their next swapmeet on a commission basis.

[Chris Pearce 3]

Hi

I just wanted to thank you all for taking the time to both read and reply to my post.

One thing I have noticed is just how friendly and helpful Dads community was/is.

Something I didn't mention earlier that complicates things is that Mum and Dad moved to Germany around the 2000's so Mum ,myself ,and all Dads stuff is currently here.

Although I guess postage wouldn't be that much of an issue

Some really helpful things have been said and I think in particular the mention of Gildings which on reading their landing page seems exactly what might be the way to go for us.

At this point I'm thinking I should first of all take a good set of pictures showing just what we have here and then contacting a valuer at Gildings.

I'm not to sure what the rules are on this forum for posting external links but I would be really happy to share the pictures of everything with you all if that would be allowed.

It would be nice to have a knowledgeable set of eyes giving everything a once over before it all goes out into the wild.

 

Again many thanks for all the replies.

Edited By Chris Pearce 3 on 07/07/2020 17:23:31

Edited By Chris Pearce 3 on 07/07/2020 17:25:04

[Chris Pearce 3]

Sorry I just wanted to quickly mention that about 80% of the engines are all brand new in box and never run.

They mostly also have hand written receipts for the purchase.

By the way is it a problem that they mostly haven't been run ?

I ask because I vaguely remember hearing somewhere that you should at least turn them over occasionaly or there could be problems ?

I think the main thing is that it's important to me and also my mother that we honour Dads memory and not just dump everything he collected on Ebay.

[Chris Pearce 3]

For those that are interested in seeing the Nano I took a few pictures.

Not trying to sell this here I just thought it was such an amazingly crafted thing I wanted to share it with you all.

Nano 1
Nano 2
Nano 3
Nano 4

Edited By Chris Pearce 3 on 07/07/2020 17:50:46

[Frank Skilbeck]

Chris, lovely. If they have been stored in the dry in their boxes, and bagged by the looks of it, then they should be just like new.

[kc]

New in box will fetch the best prices because that's what collectors want. Don't turn them over or anything!

I think Gildings have the most well known auctions for model engines and it may well be worth bringing the engines too them if they are collectors items.

Edited By kc on 07/07/2020 18:33:05

[Chris Pearce 3]

Right got it, don't turn them over

I'm going to spend tomorrow taking pictures of everything so I hope its ok if I share them.

[Peter Miller]

It would be helpful if I knewwhich area you in.

If in the right area I might know someone who would give you good honest advice.

Otherwise Gildings is probablyhe best palce to go. Remember that autioneers charge commision to sellers AND buyers so they want the highest possible prices.

[David Davis]

Peter, Chris lives in Germany. Post at 17.00.36 refers.

[Chris Pearce 3]

I managed to get photos taken and uploaded of the boxed engines and thanks to being pointed towards Gilding's I think my next step will be to contact one of their valuers if there is anything interesting in this collection.

There are also probably around 50 unboxed engines that I still have to deal with but one step at a time

In case anyone is interested in seeing the pictures of the engines the Album link is below.

Boxed Engines

Thanks once again for all your help chaps.

[Richard Clark 2]

Posted by Chris Pearce 3 on 08/07/2020 15:22:12:

I managed to get photos taken and uploaded of the boxed engines and thanks to being pointed towards Gilding's I think my next step will be to contact one of their valuers if there is anything interesting in this collection.

There are also probably around 50 unboxed engines that I still have to deal with but one step at a time

In case anyone is interested in seeing the pictures of the engines the Album link is below.

Boxed Engines

Thanks once again for all your help chaps.

 

Chris,

Your father was quite a collector.

The Taplin Twin could be worth a lot. maybe as much as £1000

The 'Nano' is interesting. It was never a 'production' engine, It was a design for home building from a drawing published in a model engineering magazine so the quality varies enormously and the price will vary. similarly. But yours appears to have been be made by the designer.

The 'CS' engines were rather poorly made Asian copies of (mostly) UK engines so wont be worth a lot.

I suggest you get Gildings opinion rather than just put them on Ebay, but bear in mind the 'value' of something is what someone says he will pay for it and actually does. Not an auctioneer's or anyone else's estimate (including my estimate of the Taplin above).

PS: I just noticed that the Taplin Twin  box says 'Airplane'  rather than 'Aircraft' or 'Aeroplane' so it might well be made later,  somewhere in Asia, where they are  known to have made some after Taplin and his company Birchington ceased production,  If so it would be worth less.

Edited By Richard Clark 2 on 08/07/2020 16:02:49

[Chris Pearce 3]

Thanks Richard, you really seem to know your stuff

The information about the Nano is very interesting and something I wasn't aware of so thanks for that.

Also the Taplin, I got the box back out and it does say "Manufactured in India" so you may well be right.

I guess I will see what Gilding's say in regards to the Taplin

[Nigel R]

Many will be best served by putting on ebay with a low start, certainly the more everyday ones. Those will have been traded on ebay before and completed auctions/sales can be checked for an expectation of value. I have sold quite a few engines on ebay this way and received fair value for them most every time. Maybe others on here can advise, but, my experience suggests:

Worth figuring out where best to sell:

Taplin Twin is quite a gem, GMark twin quite nice, Wain TV72 looks interesting, but don't know if it is a valuable one. The Nano could be worth a bit

I don't know about the following, some rare, maybe worth something (but maybe not):

Rustler 500, Forster 29, MK-17, Modela co2 motor

Most engines you have I would personally go straight to ebay with:

OS Max-III 29 C/L, Enya 19-VI boat engine, Thunder Tiger 15

The CS engines, AM 1.5 diesel, OS MAX 20, Veco 19, K Mills 75, cox peewee .020

RCV, Enya SS 40, Magnum GP 10, the MDS engine

The following lot, Ebay again may fetch a higher price:

MPJet 40, Letmo MD 2.5, MVVS diesel, PAW 100, PAW 149,

Super Tigre 40 rear exhaust (maybe, if brand new it would, I think)

HB 61 PDP marine, as an aero engine might get a bit, not sure about the marine version

Hope that helps

[Denis Watkins]

Definitely as Nigel says, fair prices at the moment

With many buyers " at home ", now is the time to move some stock

[Chris Pearce 3]

Nigel thanks ever so much for all that detailed info on the various engines.

That really helps Mum and I out a lot.

[Peter Scott 6]

Chris, did you ever sell those engines ?

[Former Member]

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