If you are a collector like me and you main focus lies on pre WW2 toy/scientific steam engines, it always interesting if you have some sort of identification reference.
Catalogs could be interesting to have.
But If we are talking about an original, prices for a small booklet covering only on year, can get up to prices way beyond prices you pay for an average steam engine.
Unless you are into collection original catalogs, I find it ridiculous to spend my money on that.
Next in line are the reprints, some come with reasonable prices.
I got some nice Bing reprints for €12 at the bing museum in Freinsheim.
But also reprints can go into crazy prices, like the brown Carette catalog with an average of €180
But still it only one year, some reprints maybe 3 Years, and we're talking only the favorite common brands.
The internet maybe the most cheap way to find information, with some luck you find a few free catalogs.
A well known site to go to is "The Historytoy" site, with some free catalogs to look at.
https://www.historytoy.com/Toys-manufacturer-catalogs-cataloguesBut since yesterday I'm the owner of 3 marvelous Schiffmann collectors catalogs, published by Mr.Reinhard Schiffmann.
If it comes to pure static steam, rollers and hot air engines than a must have are 3 books "Band 21/22/23".
Mr. Schiffmann made a huge effort describing pre war German produced engines.
I think these books are the best references to German steam engines I've ever seen.
And they come at a very reasonable price.
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But I'm going to be honest, in my opinion there are also down sites to the books.
They cover only German engines, and I'm convinced that the od engine, or special edition will not be found there.
I think 98% is there.
But if you search for a Weeden, you can search for long time…
They only come in German language, but that should not hold you off, most of it, is in pictures, and that little text there is, can always be run through Google translate.
Unfortunately all pictures are in black & white.
And what perhaps disturbs me the most are the value appraisals.
I'm sorry, but in my view, that is really irrelevant information.
Prices are determent on two factors demand and offer, and perhaps one can ad interest.
Those factors rule mankind way of trade and can be different from day to day and in what part of the world you live.
So in my view he better left that out.
But despite the negatives, these book are a super valuable collection to have in you book case.
For those interested, I think it's best to buy them direct from Mr. Shiffmann at his website:
http://www.schiffmann-verlag.de/sammlerkataloge/index.phpMr. Schiffmann has also publications on trains and all that is attached to it, I haven't seen them yet.
But if they are as good as the books on steam engines, they also should be worth while…
Cheers,
Danny