Lionel boxes

You are amongst folks who remain clueless as to why some folks will pay more for a box then it's contents.  It's a mystery, but there are those who desire boxes above all else.  

If i'm lucky enough to get a box with a purchase, it goes on the shelf, and the car gets run.

I know this is a long shot but I need a box for a TMCC Lionel GS -64 if you have one.

 

I think having the boxes gives you that warm felling that if its resold it will be worth some what more

 

Sometimes we are give the responsibility to keep things nice for others...

In any area of collecting, having the original box / packaging is desirable. Watch Antiques Roadshow for verification.

 

Why? - because its difficult to obtain items in original boxes, most folks threw their boxes away. Collectors want things that are difficult to obtain.

Some of the items Lionel made were most often found in sets, packed without individual boxes. Most of these items were also offered for separate sale, but sales must have been low.

For example: the 6473 Horse car without its box is fairly common. But they are difficult to find with an original box.

Some people will not buy an item, either Lionel, MTH, Atlas or K Line if there is No Box! I know a lot of them, for me if I am going to run what I am buying then I will most times buy it but I still prefer the item with the box. If it is something I think is either a collectable item or I am buying it to resell then it has to have a box . This is not counting pre or post war trains, most of the time there is no box but if there is a box it will sell quickly. 

Don't let people kid you, most want the item in the box! If you have the box it will be easier to sell. Just look at the for sale on the forum, almost all have the BOX! So keep the BOX.

Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes made of ticky tacky
Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes all the same
There's a pink one and a green one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same

 

 

Sorry, I just could not resist.  

 

Aha, I knew Malvina Reynolds was into Lionel!

People like to collect things because they are rare.  Or, at least the ones that collect anything they can be fairly sure will retain any sort of value.  As such, things like rare stamps, coins, comics, and even boxes are worth collecting to some people.  These are worth the trouble to collect because they are rare.  Most old boxes were thrown away long ago.  As far as anything modern, there is no value to the box because everyone keeps them now.  Sure when you buy an item you like it to have a box, but the box doesn't have any value beyond keeping things neat and original.  

For me, it makes no difference when buying if there is a box or not on a used item.  I buy things to run, and run till the wheels fall off, then probably run some more.  No sealed boxes or shelf queens here.  

I keep all the boxes, yes they do take up a lot of good space but I think they are part of the whole. Item and box need each other.

Sure, but I remember Pete Seeger as the writer and performer and the Womenfolk's version in '66.  Great album.  

Well, I give away or throw away all the boxes.  I barely have room for the locos and such - all the boxes, too?  No way.

I remember my father used to have a buddy who collected Lionel boxes...just the boxes.  He didn't own a single train.  He paid an unbelievable amount of money for some of them.

In the for-what-it's-worth department, I will not buy a used item without the box.  I am sure that there are a lot of us who feel the same way.

I will purchase prewar and postwar items without boxes, although there are some items that I specifically want with boxes.
I would not purchase a Modern era piece without a box. Usually I will only purchase Modern era items with all the paperwork too.

No one has touched on the basic reason I keep my boxes - I moved a lot during my working career; 13 times to be exact. I needed the boxes to protect my equipment and also to allow easier packing when the time inevitably came again.

I'd never throw away my locomotive boxes, especially for steam engines with TMCC antenna hand rails. Also helps keep "scale" hand rails aligned and un-bent in shipping and storage.

Along the lines of what D&H said, the boxes for the locos are the more important item. I too have moved a half dozen times in a decade and the loco boxes were the best protection. Any rolling stock that is really delicate would best be packaged as originally.

 

The postwar set I was given in 1998 had all the original boxes, so I kept them.  I keep those and the modern ones so I can store the trains.  I haven't settled down yet, so the trains will probably continue to be moved until I do.

 

I did sell a Lionel postwar New Haven F3 AB for someone as part of a collection once.  He offered to sell us the whole collection (over 4-6 paper boxes worth) for $2000.  This was the late 90s, so my father and I didn't really know any better or frankly had the money lying around to take a chance on, so we settled for a commission.  The New Haven F3 AB was the first we listed.  It was in great condition and the Greenberg book probably said $200-$300.  Within the first day of the auction, it was at $1200.  We started getting messages asking for pictures of the box.  Ended up selling for just north of $4500.  They had the original boxes, but it was the relatively plain cardboard master carton that held the two pieces in their boxes that everyone was interested in.  I guess you never know!

 

The end of that story is, the guy immediately thought the rest of his collection was worth millions so we sold the rest of it.  I did get to "test" it all on my layout before we sold it, but I ended up only being allowed to purchase a crane car, work caboose, and 1033 transformer.  My dad got $400 or $500 commission for selling everything and the guy ended up dying a year or so later in his early 50s.

I recently saw a post of Facebook where a guy says "The only thing Lionel boxes are good for." as he held it above the flames in his fireplace...

I will hold onto my boxes for the purpose of selling in the future.  One I have more room, I will transition from the traditional sized trains to scale.

No box lowers the value of the item.  I bought a Lionel gondola online for $12.95 from a major Lionel dealer because it had no box.  An eBay set breakup site wanted $29.00 for the same item.

 

There is really no hope of storing your cars on a cupboards shelf in an organized manner without boxes.  You may just end up buying plastic boxes to organize storage when you add enough pieces.

 

Without boxes your trains may just be a pile of junk to your kids.  With boxes they may be able to establish some value.

Boxes are a problem! I appreciate they are VERY important to buyers! But my closets are stuffed with, not clothes, but boxes! It will be for whomever comes after me to sort it all out. I'd like to toss the boxes but I recognize how valuable they are come auction or ebay time. And the worst offenders are locomotives! BIG boxes, inner and outer! I may need them to send the things off for servicing.

 

I just bought a used loco from across the country entirely. Thank heavens the owner kept the inner and outer boxes for it for safe shipping!

 

Collapsing the boxes seems not an option either. They are filled with foam and plastic inserts that can't be collapsed. Trains are one offender but I have another hobby too that has its own boxes!

 

The basement is not an option for box storage either. Too damp for long term storage.

 

Strange this thread should come up. I have been thinking about boxes for awhile. I don't see any solution though. Much as I'd like to, I just can't see throwing them out.

cute.

has something to do with the value of the item in the box.

if you have the box the value goes up.

Lionel boxes and their desirability seem to rank up there with finding unbuilt Heathkits in their original packaging.  The difference there is that someone might buy an unbuilt kit for 10 times what it is worth, but if they built it, they'd have a kit that is worth less than the 45 year old kit price.  At least the Lionel would keep it's value.

Forget about storing O gauge boxes....how about G gauge boxes?

 

 

I read somewhere some time ago the box is worth 10% of the item total, whether that is true ?  I see more and more where on the bay folks are actually selling the shipping cartons separately, i.e. $35 USD.  I only keep the boxes of engines, dummies, and specialty or vintage pieces.  It takes a lot of room to store 100's of boxes (in some cases) particulary due to the foam inserts (can't collapse them).  You know who likes boxes; termites!  Ever watch one of those foam inserts go up in flames!  I'll take the hit when it comes time to sell, but will still provide a suitable (baseball card) box.  After 20 years, I'm glad I burned all those boxes, and I've never looked back!  I'll sell to operators, not collectors (obviously).

 

Rich 

quote:

I read somewhere some time ago the box is worth 10% of the item total, whether that is true  

 

Depends on the item. Sometimes the empty box is worth more than the contents. That might be a good number for recent production stuff.

 

saw a box for a post war lionel  caboose

go on ebay for $150.00

chaching.

don't know what was so special about that particular caboose???

If it has the box when I buy it, great ( most of my stuff is bought used) if not oh well.  If there are 2 identical items for sale & 1 is more b/c of the box I wouldn't pay it. All the box will do is sit in my attic in a plastic crate.  What if I resell it? Then I'll deal w/ that if/when it happens.   But that's just me. 

I'm lucky to have the room and go on the save side.

This is a photo of just one of several shelf's that I store train item boxes. I also have a considerable amount of factory shipping boxes that I break down and store.

 

If it's a train item in here , then the box is to.

 

Larry

 

 

I think, when it comes to O gauge trains, to many folks the original packaging adds to the feel of completeness of the item. The boxes make the trains feel more like they were originally, as they were made and shipped from the factory, and genuine, and that's why the original boxes have value. 

 

Postwar era boxes are valuable by themselves; they are scarce not only because they are old, but as has been pointed out, in those days there wasn't much thought of future value. Lionel trains were mostly seen as just toys and most purchasers threw the boxes away. Today, it's not just that the boxes have historical value, but buyers want them to go with the particular Postwar engine or car that they already own. It completes the set, so to speak.

 

As to modern boxes, yes, they are good for protecting the items, and yes, they are a pain because they take up so much room. For some operators who have no interest in collecting or future value, they're unnecessary. But for many, keeping the boxes enhances the ownership value; they're seen as a part of the original item, and they do significantly enhance the future value when, inevitably, someone will have to sell the trains. 

Well to each his or her own, or whatever floats your boat. All my boxes have gone to recycling long long ago. When i'm gone i'm sure i won't be worrying or concerned about the fate of my trains, and for all i care they can be tossed in the trash. i've had my enjoyment from them for a lot of decades.

However, i do get a number of trains sent to me for ERR TMCC installations in the original boxes. The amount of postage these customers pay is staggering for those long boxes, when wrapping them tightly in foam sheets, bubble wrap, or last Sunday's newspaper, and then packing carefully in a well padded solid box will accomplish the same thing for about half the shipping cost. If it moves at all in the original box it's subject to damage.

But for you who like saving boxes, more power to you!

 

jackson

What do you do with styrofoam or plastic inserts, or are you referring only to the old one-piece cardboard boxes?

 

 

 

 

What, me worry?

I have a drop ceiling above the train layout. There is about a foot of space between the ceiling tiles and the floor above the train room due to the spacing of the floor joists above.

 

I just pop up one of the tiles and toss the boxes up there. There must be about 200 stored in that space.

 

 

I have the room and do not save the boxes except for the engines.  I do not want the hassle having to move them etc.  I have sold many items without boxes without a loss because of it.  If it is a limited item and someone wants it, they will buy it, without a box. I have read that a box can make most items worth around 10% more.  Not worth the hassle of keeping them around to me. To paraphrase a great old movie "Boxes? we don't need no stinking boxes".

re:  Drop ceiling storage.  If I was in FLA I'd tell you that is not an option.  Palmetto bugs would have a field day unless you had enough boric acid spread around to chase them off.  I had a drop ceiling in a house down there once...you know that scene in the movie 'Aliens', where the fellow raises a ceiling grid and sees the creatures coming?  I did that one night when I heard scritching coming from mine. That movie scene was accurate even though the bugs were not as big.

 

I'm not sure how you can tell that no loss was suffered if you sold something without a box, unless you also sold the same thing at the same time with a box. 

 

The numbers I've seen for boxes adding value are closer to 20% (sometimes more), which correlates with my experience, but of course there are a good many variables. 

Bob, one of my favorite songs, can't help but sing it going through a development (of course what it was written for, Levittown houses). I remember the song from Alan Sherman but just recently bought an Pete Seger Albam and found out the song was by him.

 

As for train boxes if it comes in a box I keep it, but have many train items without. I would especially keep may LOTS Convention Car boxes and engine boxes.