STEP SEVENTEEN: Metro Train Traffic Signal Light

$1,806.40 becomes $1,946.40

April 9, 2012

So the lamps are going to be a loss, or a near loss.  I certainly won't double my money on those, so live and learn on that one.  While I take my medicine for that mistake, let's look ahead to something that will make some profit.




The same house I bought the fire call box from I noticed a large railroad stop light mounted in their front yard. I asked whether it was for sale and they said they needed to think about it.  Several months later, I saw the same light listed on Craigslist with a price of $60.  I drove right over. These things are highly collectible, very sought after when the glass lenses are in tact and heavy as all get out.

The seller helped me uproot the cinder block and concrete ball from deep in the ground. Then I carefully moved it into the back of my van.  I didn't even haggle with her on price as I thought it was a fair asking price and didn't want to further take the price down any after the profit from the call box.  Once I got home, I soon learned that the light wasn't from a railroad at all, but rather from the elevated metro in New York. The "P" on the sign indicates Pelham (made famous in the movie Pelham 123) and the "K" and serial number enabled it to be tracked to a specific place.  There were several collectors from the NYC area who were very interested in this but I think the shipping charges were a bit scary for them.  Still, the item sold for $200 after a busy auction on Ebay.  Packaging it up, I made sure to use multiple layers of cardboard to protect the glass lenses.  The buyer opted to skip having the pole shipped as it was not original and saved him significant shipping fees.

Step Seventeen: Bought for $60, sold for $200.
Project Profit: $1,946.40

1 comment:

  1. Sometimes you actually should listen to the voices in your head.

    ReplyDelete