Antiques Roadshow Guest Stunned by Value of Lionel Blue Comet Train Set

You know how one small thing, an inheritance, a garage find, a toy you almost forgot about, can turn into something unexpectedly big in the collecting world? Recently, on Antiques Roadshow, one very unassuming toy train set did precisely that.

The guest brought a vintage train from the Lionel Company, specifically the famed Blue Comet set from the early 1930s. When asked how he came to have the set, he told the appraiser, “Everyone in my family cherished it for years. It belonged to my uncle, and my cousin got it. Then my cousin died, and his wife asked me if I'd like to have it.” He added that he hadn't known much about Lionel trains until then, except that they'd been in business for a very long time.

The show's appraiser, Leila Dunbar, filled in the blanks for the guest.  "First of all, Lionel was the middle name of Joshua Lionel Cowan, earlier Cohen, but later Cowan. He came over to the States, and in the late 1800s, he developed the flash powder that photographers use. And it was so successful, the Navy contracted to use this flash powder for mine detonation. This is how he got his stake, and he could start the Lionel Train Company, which he thought of when he saw a small fan, and he tried to figure out how to use it." She went on to explain that Cowan began with small toy trains and went on to create the standard gauge. Said Dunbar, "What he endeavored to do with standard gauge was to make the most beautiful, luxurious trains for kids possible." 

She told the guest that The Blue Comet was one of Cowan's most significant accomplishments. Released in the early 1930s, it was based on a real train of the same name that ran between 1929 and 1951. Appraiser Karen Dunbar shared some history that brought the piece to life. “It was called the seashore’s finest train,” she explained, noting that the Blue Comet was designed to rival the Pennsylvania Railroad. “It was painted blue because of the Jersey seashore,” Dunbar said, adding that it was so striking, “people would wait for it to come down the tracks just to watch it go by.”

She described its luxurious details, including triple-cushion mohair seats, a bathroom, a smoking room, and an observation deck—features unheard of in a Lionel train of that era. Then came the moment of truth. Dunbar smiled and asked the guest for his guess. “Between $2,000 and $4,000, possibly,” he replied, unsure of what was coming next.

Here’s the kicker. In the 1930s, this set would have cost about $70, no small sum during the Depression. But the appraisal? “For auction, I would put this at estimate $8,000 to $10,000,” Dunbar said. And the guest’s reaction? "Oh, my! Good heavens!" Dunbar added that similar sets went for up to $11,500 in the past, and The Blue Comet could get that too. "That makes me want to treasure it even more," the guest said in the end. 

You may also like:

Train collecting passion comes accidentally for man consigning collection