Factory Errors versus Clean Outs

[Terry]

I was writing eBay listings for trains I used to collect, but don't want anymore and I found a few odd 4-wheel cars.
First is a common 902 peacock gondola. Nothing special about it.

 

But if you look at the other side, you see it has three Lionel plates and only one number plate:

 

I call this a factory error. The person putting the plates onto the car, put the wrong one on.

Here's a different car:

 

This is an uncataloged 807 caboose from about 1935 with brass number plates and nickel Lionel plates. You can find this same variation in the 804 tank car.

I think this is more of a clean out. The Lionel plates went on everything. They'd certainly use the brass ones up.

Terry

[starfire700]

I have the 807 and 804 you refer to with brass and nickel plates, but not the 902 gondola.
I agree with your conclusions.

[early0electric]

I'm assuming this Corporation 801 would fall under factory errors. One side of the cupola did not have the window punched.
 

[starfire700]

Here is a Winner 1016 litho tender with the orange field over 1/2 inch off-register....too high. This is definitely classified as a mistake. 

[starfire700]

Also definitely an error that got out the factory door,
here is a Lionel 2679 Baby Ruth boxcar with the litho cock-eyed, off-register
the photos speak for themselves

[starfire700]

Error or a special? This 258T got dark red stripes instead of orange.

[Terry]

Here's a factory error tender:

 

This and the 513 stock car with the door off centered were the most obvious errors my dad and I had.

Here's the stock car:

 

Frank Petruzo wanted the stock car bad, but my dad always kept it. When I sent the trains from after 1925 to Stout in 2013, neither of these cars brought any money. The tender was about $35, the stock car maybe a hundred.

[starfire700]

Terry, your Jr tender beats mine, with litho upside-down, also very weird that the 513 stock car got out the door. It must have been made on a Friday before a holiday.  Ha Ha Ha
Here is a 1680 early Ives litho tank car. It was apparently not sold, so Lionel placed a Sunoco decal over the Ives name, so it could go in a later set. I have never seen another like it.
This would be classified as a Clean-out.

[starfire700]

This tin early gondola, which I believe was made by Non Pareil, is in the mistake category with all stamped graphics upside-down on 1 side.

[starfire700]

Correction, the graphics are probably litho, not stamped.

[Terry]

On the Sunoco over IVES tank, I bet there are more of those out there.

A lot of collectors have no idea what they have.

I had about 15 different 1680/2680 tank cars. That series was my first attempt to get every variation because I could afford the $2-4 cars.

[starfire700]

The 1680 tank car is one of the oldest ( to me) items in my collection. I am sure that I bought it for $5 to $10 back in the late 1970's, just because it was a "car". Only after sitting on the shelf and staring at it for a while, did I realize that it was different. In those days, there were only the TM books and Ladd checklists.