www.StandardGauge.com LibertyShip.com
State Set Details   |   Late State Cars   |   Sefton's State Sets   |   Home  |   Back
 
Four-car "Ives" State Set
 
Here is something that you don't see everyday. A Department Store Special (DSS) with a 381E that was reopened by the factory, and then 1934 Orange tape was put on top of the original Green-Red Train pre-1933 tape. Probably to re-lube the locomotive and see if heat had wrecked the original Green acetate flags. There are no flag poles on this loco, so it probably was sold with loose White metal flags. See the Olympian set listed on eBay Jan. 22, 2005 (similarly re-taped and flagged).

The four cars with this set are Ives 419-418-431-490 with Ives decals and Ives paper labels put on top of the Lionel rubber stamping and labels. The set is all boxed. See the photos below. A lucky kid -- $60 in the height of the Great Depression! Is this worth more today than a Blue Comet set in similar condition (with boxes)? Likely not, but it is sure a lot more scarce. I saw a similar set when I first began collecting Standard Gauge in 1973. Hard to remember now, but I think it was in Frank Petruzos' collection. Lionel was in bankruptcy and clearing its shelves. The dialog below is with the original owner.

"Jerry, the train set was purchased at the largest department store in Brooklyn for Christmas of 1934. The store was Abraham & Strauss (referred to as “A&S) on Fulton Street.  I was six years old. My Mom took me to the toy dept on the 5th floor and asked me to pick out whatever train set I wanted. There were several shelves full of all kinds, but I liked the Green one the best. I remember looking at the one above it. It had a Blue steam loco, but I did not like the Blue cars. As it turned out my best friend wound up with that set. I remember waiting in the sun parlor every day after school looking for the UPS truck to bring the set. It finally came one evening when it was dark. I saw the driver carrying the big box and called my Dad to open the door. I could not open the box till Christmas though. What a great day that was for a little kid. I was allowed to play with them all year as we had a finished basement. The only catch was that I had to put them away every night. I guess that’s why the boxes got beat up.

I remember the price was $60. I think the Blue set was $65. I used the train all through grade school, but got busy through high school and didn't use it as much. I think it had something to do with going to the movies with girls. We moved after high school and was not afforded the room of a large finished play room. We had to take care of our toys because we did not get a second chance to break anything and only got one toy for special occasions. The only thing I had done to the train was to have 4 new driver wheels installed about 20 years ago by a Lionel pro. I have never tried to clean any of the cars or loco as I did not want to destroy any of the original color."
 
Here is the set in 2007 navigating some rough terrain.
 

 

 

 
The locomotive is a normal 381E. Since there are no brass flag poles screwed in the stanchions, the loco likely came with small, loose White flags.
 

 

 

 
The cars were originally made up for the Ives line in 1930 and were catalogued in a set pulled by a 390E with brass Ives nameplates. Four years later, Lionel was in bankruptcy and clearing out anything they could. Many department stores marketed un-catalogued sets. These cars are the normal 408E set of four Apple Green cars save for the Ives decals and oil labels covering the Lionel markings.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The 381E box was re-opened at the factory, and the original 1929 tape was covered with Orange 1934 tape.
 

 

       
 

 

 
Here are the 1930 car boxes with wide plain tape over the Lionel tape, and large Ives labels over the Lionel service instructions printed on the boxes.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
       
 

 

 

 
Christmas 2006 -- the happy boy 72 years later.
 

 

State Set Details   |   Late State Cars   |   Sefton's State Sets   |   Home  |   Back