LGB STAINZ - The Train Sets, year 1988

The year 1988 marked the 10th anniversary of the LGB Club in Pittsburgh /Pennsylvania. From August 01 to Aug. 04 1988. Al Lentz and Howard Gombert were among those organizing the show. LGB honored the club's loyalty and their ongoing impact on the sales volume for USA by issuing the 

LGB 1988 BTO 1

LGB 1988 BTO 1- Courtesy of liveauctioneers.com

The edition was 500 which did not leave much stock to be sold to interested non-club LGB fans.

But wait - there is more....

LGB also issued 20 (!!) train sets in all black for the same occasion

LGB 1988 BTO 2

LGB 1988 BTO 2 - Courtesy of picclick.com

This is the only image we could find. Don't expect these to come on the market often. YT is taken a wild guess by assuming this set was made for the "upper ten" of the LGB Club Pittsburgh/PA...

Well, LGB was on a roll concerning the 'tiny-series' edition volume train sets. On they went. After the city of Dortmund and their LGB club got a special edition train set (LGB 20536, see previous blog) , the home-based Nuremberg club didn't want to be left in the outfield... and got the 

LGB 20539-1

LGB 20539 1- Courtesy of Only Trains

Volume was 950 and the set was sold exclusively by Schweiger (LGB dealer) again. This time, Schweiger got another identical train set, too. With an edition volume of 50(!) the same set was made with the loco displaying a gold (colored) steam chest. 

LGB 20539 2

LGB 20539-2 - Courtesy of a now defunct business

 All 1,000 sets were numbered starting 1 through 1,000.

Maybe LGB finally figured  that after all there was actually no "method in this madness" since they stopped manufacturing these tiny volumes. If a business needs to make roughly $80 mill in sales a year just to make ends meet you're wasting your energy on dwarf series like that. So back to business as usual and 

LGB 21401

LGB 21401 - Courtesy of Only Trains

This set could be assembled from stock on shelf at LGB Nuremberg. The engine was the regular # 2020 and the cars were on regular catalog offer as well (# 4010, # 4042). The set was featured in the 1988/89 main catalog and the set came complete with a transformer, tracks and figurines. Price was DM 315.00 or about US$ 150.00 (relating to $ 350.00 today).

With all the LGB club hype going on that year in the USA LGBoA wanted some piece of the pie and got the 

LGB 21988

LGB 21988 - Courtesy of Only Trains

LGBoA got this Circus train set as an USA exclusive with an edition volume of 12,500. But as always, it didn't take long for the set to make its way back to Europe. With 12,500 produced - no wonder. They are still on the market and currently (mid October 2021) for sale  on eBay for roughly US$ 200.00.

++++++++++++++++++ to be continued...

LGB STAINZ - The Train Sets, years 1986/87

The year 1986/87 brought six new Stainz train sets into the LGB world. After the success of selling good quantities of Stainz train sets to manufacturers or big dealers exclusively LGB sought to continue this trend a little longer. 

LGB 20533 loco - Courtesy of Bigtrainworld.com

LGB 20533

Another Schweiger set came out in 1986 celebrating 150 years of "German" Railroads with the Schweiger image printed red and white while the train set was colored green and yellow.

LGB 20533 - Courtesy of worthpoint.com

Schweiger was the biggest LGB dealer in the Nuremberg region  and for a second time had gotten an exclusive edition with the limited set number of 1,150. To be sold exclusively through Schweiger. That didn't sit well with the toy dealer association of which Schweiger was a member. So LGB had to do the  inevitable and give an exclusive set to VEDES (toy dealer association's name)

LGB 20533-02

Look closely and you can see that were the Schweiger label was LGB glued over it a sign labeled "VEDES" 1988 and a running number verifying the customer got a limited edition with a designated volume number...  Uhh, the workings of jealousy ..

Meanwhile back on the ranch... Marshall Fields, Chicago's flagship store with ties to the really mighty LGB club wanted another exclusive set and got the 

LGB 20534 MF

LGB 20534 MF- Courtesy of Only Trains

It was pretty much the same as two years before but at least LGB printed a current "1986" on the set. The edition volume was 1,000.

Now the race was on, next in line was Schweiger again with the 

LGB 20535

LGB 20535 - Courtesy of Only Trains

This set was again commemorating "150 Years of German Railroad" and was so labeled " 150 Jahre Deutsche Eisenbahnen". Schweiger received 1,400 sets.

In Dortmund,  a city in Germany's coal and mining center, Luetgenau Toys wanted in on the game and got the 

LGB 20536

LGB 20536 - Courtesy of worthpoint.com

Luetgenau got 1.500 sets for exclusive use/sale. Luetgenau had to close its doors for good just this summer of 2021 after 84 years in business.

Marshal Fields got into the game one more time with the 

LGB 20537

LGB 20537 - Courtesy of Only Trains

That same year Marshal Fields was sold to the British conglomerate BAT/BATUS and should see its empire being shrunk to little more than the flagship store. 

After all this ruckus about toy dealers and department stores selling LGB sets the Metro-Group (a  West-German wholesaler/retailer similar to Publix, Meyers or Anderson) wanted in on the game. A power player in the West-German grocery/wholesale market it was better known for doing business the rough and half legal way, forcing its will onto suppliers. LGB exclusively issued the 

LGB 91401

LGB 91401 (PRIMUS) - Courtesy of Only Trains

to the PRIMUS Co, a sub-company to Metro. Primus had to close its doors a few years later, riddled in lawsuits. Metro is still active but has lost a good portion of its size and power. The edition volume was never published but can be assumed at 10,000.

+++++++++++++++++ to be continued.................