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

By M. Stella

Somewhere in the Lionel Modern Era some collector first thought it would be a “collectable idea” to have Lionel rolling stock autographed by various toy train folks thereby adding to the collectability and value of otherwise quite common pieces.

I remember a few decades ago that someone got Johnny Cash to autograph the boxcar with his picture on it and then sold it as a club fundraiser. Former Lionel owner Richard Kughn has signed a number of cars including boxcars and tank cars and even locomotives. I guess when you own the company your autograph on a Lionel piece increases its value.

One of the nicest Lionel people around today and one of the most recognized is Lenny Dean. Lenny has autographed countless Lionel cars, most with a “Lenny the Lion” theme.

As a fundraiser for the upcoming TCA 2003 National Convention in Ontario, California, I ask Lenny Dean to sign just a few more Lenny the Lion Hi-Cube Boxcars with the added notation of “TCA 2003 Convention.” As a special added bonus they come sitting on a piece of track mounted in a protective plastic case. One of these special 2003 TCA cars will be available at the opening welcoming party silent auction.

BUT OF SPECIAL NOTE to all TCA members that cannot attend our California 49er Convention is the opportunity to bid for an exact car on EBAY that will close at approximately the same time as the party auction.

As an ADDED BONUS to those attending the annual banquet there will be another autographed Lenny the Lion boxcar for the always fun filled LIVE AUCTION and ANOTHER EBAY CAR set to close at the same time.

This will be everyone’s chance to add a great car signed by a great Lionel personality to his or her collection. I hope many of you will log onto EBAY and bid Bid BID.

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.

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