Purchasing & Consigning with CTTF

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CTTF will consider purchase of toy train collections. In order to finalize a sale a number of steps must be taken. First a complete inventory of the collection must be made. This is done in Excel with the following information: Manufacturer, Item #, description of the item,  and whether the original box is included. 

We offer performing an inventory of the collection for a modest fee. 

Following completion of the inventory and an assessment by us of the condition of the items, we conduct an appraisal from which we can calculate a purchase offer. Please note that our experience is that owners over evaluate the condition of their items and that there are very strict criteria for what constitutes mint, like new and excellent and other conditions. The purchase offer is made with an explanation of how we arrived at that amount. The offer contains an expiration date. 

Once an offer has been accepted we make arrangements to take possession of the material promptly. Payment is dependent on all items in the inventory being present at the time of exchange of the collection. A purchase agreement is signed and payment is made at the time of the exchange. Payment is generally by company check.  

To start the process click below to send an email with your Name, contact information (email and or phone number). Also send some information about your train collection (Gauge O, HO, N), era (pre-war, post-war, modern) and the approximate size of your collection (number of cars and engines, buildings, accessories).

You can also reach out to our President Anthony (Tony) Dower, via phone at   609-865-2766  or email at coloradotoytrains@msn.com

CTTF looks to conducted 6 to 7 auctions per year.  We have auctioned gauges from Z to G. We include items such as scenery and buildings, track, switches and trains. We do not handle magazines or paints and other solvents. 

When a collection is consigned to CTTF, delivery of the items to us is the first step. We have members located throughout the Denver and Colorado Springs areas. Delivery is usually to one of the members unless it is a large collection. Large collections are either delivered to our storage facility or directly to our auction preparation location. 

Upon delivery of a collection, an inventory of the material is completed and a consignment contract is signed. Currently, 15% of the gross sales of the collection is retained to cover our expenses and our sales commission is 20%.   Commissions are used to build our Foundation and to fund future Foundation endeavors.  The owner retains 65% of the gross sales. 

CTTF insures the collection while it is in our possession until the material has been auctioned. We store it in a secure location. We place the items into lots for auction and photograph the items. The lots are entered into an auction catalog. In general we sell 400-450 lots in a full day auctio. The auction catalog and photographs are placed on our web site for free viewing by potential buyers. 

We hire the auctioneer, arrange for the auction hall, set up the items for viewing and conduct the auction. We collect all winning bids and disburse the items to the winning bidders. We collect and pay the sales tax due. 

The owners of the collection are paid the week following the auction via US mail. 

To start the process click below to send an email to CTTF with your Name, contact information (email and or phone number). Please add some information about your train collection (Gauge O, HO, N, G), era (pre-war, post-war, modern), and the approximate size of your collection (number of cars and engines, buildings, accessories).   

You can also reach out to our  President Anthony (Tony) Dower, via phone at   609-865-2766  or email at coloradotoytrains@msn.com