Prewar Lionel Model Train Sets — A Diverse Array of Collectible Models

An entrepreneur based in Monrovia, California, Saint Jovite Youngblood serves as president of Youngblood Metals Mining, through which he facilitates the acquisition of wholesale inventory on behalf of antiques and coin collectibles dealers. Saint Jovite Youngblood has extensive experience in pre-Victorian jewelry, as well as in vintage toys.

One of the iconic toys of the early 20th century is the Lionel model train, created by Joshua Lionel Cohen for a New York City toy store display in 1900. Surprised when a customer bought the train for a good sum, the owner of the toy store placed an order for half a dozen more. This marked the start of a quickly expanding business, which went on to manufacture a “faithful reproduction” of the Baltimore & Ohio locomotive in 1903.

Over the next decade, the company expanded into a dozen distinct metal-cast train and trolley sets. This included a unique military train with two cannons that was only manufactured in 1917. In the early 1920s, dual-motor locomotives significantly increased the power of the Lionel trains, and in the 1930s, Bild-A-Locomotive kits were introduced. Today, a number of prewar models, such as the “E” version no. 381, which has a bell and automatic reverse, are highly sought after by collectors and can fetch prices in the thousands of dollars.