QVC—RIP—PDQ

e*Train Issue: Apr 2003 | Posted in: 1970-now Modern Era, Collecting

By Bob Mintz

There turns out to be two sets that were made exclusively for QVC but, unlike 4 previous sets, were never sold through their cable channel. Both were limited to 500 (or so they say) and had a certificate of authenticity signed by the present Lionel President at the time of manufacture. In the recent past, QVC and Lionel had teamed up to produce the 6-21784 QVC Soo Line set in 2000; the 6-21785 QVC Lionel Mines Gold set in 2000; the #6-31909 QVC Santa Fe Shell Oil set in 2001; and the #6-31910 QVC Soo Line set in 2001. Why the end of this coalition in 2002 is anyone’s guess.

PART 1

The outer carton of set # 31934 “Lionel Twentieth Century Express” is dated 12/05/01.

It may appear that both sets were made while Richard Maddox was still President, although Bill Bracy took over in July 2002, yet both of these sets came to market around October York 2002, well into Bracy’s tenure.

The 4-4-2 engine and tender is listed as having a maintenance-free can motor; operating headlight and smoke unit; traction tire; die-cast boiler, frame and tender trucks; with whistle in the tender and was numbered #6-28619. The box is dated March 5, 2002.

The caboose has die-cast trucks and couplers and has interior illumination; is numbered 6-26572 and is dated March 1, 2002.

All boxcars have die-cast sprung trucks and a stamped metal frame and have different graphics on each side.

#6-36245 covers the period 1900-1925 and the box is dated February 23, 2002

#6-36246 covers the period 1926-1950 and the box is dated February 25, 2002

#6-36247 covers the period 1951-1975 and the box is dated February 22, 2002

#6-36248 covers the period 1976-2000 and the box is dated February 23, 2002.

Part 2

The outer carton of set # 11006 “Lionel Lion Train Set” is dated 06/05/02.

The Lionel Lion caboose lacks die-cast trucks and couplers but does have interior illumination; is numbered 6-26579 and is dated June 7, 2002.

#6-26038, the Lionel Lion gondola with packages has magnetic couplers and Lionel cardboard packages and the box is dated June 3, 2002. These would win the trivia question as to what was the smallest cardboard box ever produced by Lionel. The next runner up would be #6-32922 Highway Barrels.

#6-36719, the Lionel Lion Bobbing Head car has operating couplers and the lion head bobs up and down. The box is dated June 10, 2002 and this particular boxcar is a slightly different color variation than the #6-26782 Lenny the Lion Bobbing Head car, which I think would look well with this set.

Shop Amazon and Help TCA

TCA members who shop at Amazon.com can have each of their normal purchases generate a modest payment to TCA! And it won’t cost you anything!

The Train Collectors Association is now a participant with AmazonSmile, which is a special website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com.

The difference is that when customers shop at AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers.

The process is simple. Just search for and select Train Collectors Association when you sign up and shop at smile.amazon.com.

You use your regular Amazon.com username and password, but when you log in to smile.amazon.com, you’ll see that you are supporting TCA with your purchases:

Note that if you just log in to the regular amazon.com, this benefit does not operate.

There are no costs to either you or TCA, but TCA benefits!

This is a great way for TCA to earn extra cash to offset costs, so sign up today to help support TCA.

* Note: TCA is not a party to any of your Amazon transactions, and does not endorse any products or vendors.

Helping TCA with your ebay purchases when you use PayPal

If you’re an ebay user and have a PayPal account you use to make payments, you can designate a donation for TCA when you’re checking out — any amount, small or large.
If you’re a regular seller on ebay, you can pre-designate a percentage of your sales to be donated automatically in your name to TCA as long as the purchaser pays with their PayPal account.

In both cases, you will receive a donation receipt from the PayPal Giving Fund, and enjoy applicable tax advantages.

How to do it:

Click on the image above, or use this link. This will take you to ebay, where you will see the following page (log in to ebay if you are not already):

This offers TCA as an option. Click on the “Add to My Charities” button where indicated with the red arrow. Thereafter, when you make a purchase, at checkout you will be offered the option to make a donation to TCA in any amount of your choosing. Small amounts add up, larger ones are great! It’s always up to you!

The option will appear at the lower part of your checkout page, something like this:

If you’re a regular seller on ebay, you can allocate a portion of your sales proceeds to be donated to TCA. Look at the green arrow marked “Optional” above to see how to do it. Details on how ebay calculates the donation may be read here. This is a wonderful way to share the financial benefits of your hobby with the organization that promotes it!

An added benefit to TCA is that these donations are not subject to normal processing fees, so that makes your donation work harder!

* Note. TCA is not a party to any of your eBay transactions, and does not endorse any products or vendors. PayPal issues the receipts to you for your donation, not TCA.

QVC—RIP—PDQ

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