Marklin 81972 40th Anniversary Set

A few Marklin 81972 sets are still available. And the prices I have seen can’t be beat. If you have been collecting Marklin Z for awhile this set conjures up fond memories for the early years of mini club. The set includes 3 German Federal Railroad (DB) Era III locomotives and one static gold ingot mold: 1 class 89 steam locomotive, 1 class 03 steam locomotive with a tender, and 1 class V 60 diesel locomotive. The 3 locomotives and static model come housed in a glossy carton with wood-grain illustration reminiscent of the first box design for  Mini Club, “40 Years of Marklin mini-club” booklet with the story about the mini club along with illustrations, and a numbered  certificate. Of course these three locomotives have updated 5 pole motors otherwise they are cut from the same cloth as the early locomotives they are modeled on. In a sense they bridge the old with the new and celebrate the 40 year history of mini club: 1972-2012.

This One Time Series from 2012 is no longer available from Walthers, but I have found it in several stores with very attractive pricing:

AJC Kids has it for $340.65 http://www.ajckids.com/products/Marklin/81972

On Ebay the very reliable fit991 of Gutersloh, Germany has it for $219.99 + $19.00 for shipping http://www.ebay.com/itm/Marklin-Z-81972-Train-Set-with-3-Locos-Limited-Edition-/331750853065?hash=item4d3de449c9:g:yt4AAOSw3ydV6VS~

I highly recommend this set, the running characteristics of all three locos is superb.

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