Tinplate Model Trains

Most early model trains were made of tinplate. They were cheap, and relatively lightweight, allowing the clockwork mechanisms to work efficiently. And the lithography process, at the height of its use in the early 1900s, lent itself well to putting designs on tin. Tinplate train production stopped during WW2 and continued for a few years after, but was then phased out in favor of plastic for lower-end models. In addition to rarity, collectors look at the condition of the trains, and the intricacy of the lithography.