Boxes, Boxes, Where do you draw the line?

[azflyer]

Boxes, Boxes, Where do you draw the line?

I'm an operator first, and collector second.  I do keep the boxes of engines, and cars that I think might be of value. They also come in handy for keeping my trains in good condition when they are not running on my layout or on display. 

The question is: Do save the boxes that are torn and you feel don’t have any value. Should I save the boxes that these cars came in, for when your ready to sell that item some time in the future? If so, do I repair the torn ends with Scotch tape? I was thinking about doing this and storing them all, flat in a large plastic storage box that would take up less room then they do now.  

AZ-Flyer

[AF53]

AZ - Good to hear from you. What I like to do is when I buy something and it has the original box but a rip here or there I use clear packing tape for a repair, it's about 2 inches wide. Some of my old Flyer boxes from my original 1953 set where just tapped recentley.

Just last year I bought a 1926 Flyer set in it's original box, they are stong boxes, that I tapped the corners as they were starting to wear.

I think we all see on ebay and elsewhere that an item does sell higher when it has the original box.

Ray

[Bob Keller]

If you are talking about modern trains - save the boxes. They will not increase the value of the trains, but will make selling them easier. Envision walking into a train shop with a box of loose rolling stock to sell versus one or more boxes with filled boxes. Chances are the retailer will be more pleased to put boxes on his shelves rather than individual cars.

 

 

[RockIsland52]

Of all of the useless "junk" and "debris" one accumulates over the years, I can't find it in me to NOT find room to hang on to the fond memory of opening that very same box nearly 60 years ago.  No matter its tattered condition, dollar value, or lack of functionality. 

AF Ray.....I'm with you.  One cannot unthrow out that box and the memories that go with it.  If confronted with a space issue, I have plenty of other useless things I can donate or discard to make room.  Newer boxes?  That may be a different story.

 But that is me.

Jack 

[Anonymous]

Here is the way I look at it... if the box wasn't important then the item wouldn't come inside it! I keep mine inside rubbermaid bins under my layout. I know I have more boxes than I have bin space, and some boxes don't fit in the bins, these just get stacked on top of the bins. I don't care if the box is worth money or not, when I need to transport my collection I want to ensure the items make it from point A to point B without damage and the ONLY way to ensure that is to keep and use the boxes.

[sir james I]

As a train show seller, I can tell you that if you have any interest at all in value or selling, a boxed item will bring a higher price and is usually an easier sell.

[cnw1995]

I cannot stand to keep boxes, whatever the cost to a resale. I am fortunate to be able to store all my rolling stock and engines in 'open staging' somewhere on the layout (that has the added benefit of reminding me what I have to swap out to run).  If I ever resell something - it's clearly without the box - and I pack and wrap things up well. At least I've not had any  problems with these transactions. I think this is all because I don't have a lot of space to store them and, I am a bit of a freak about moving lightly through life, without a lot of stuff like this around.

[laz 57]

Hi GUYZ,

  The cheaper rolling stock,($10-25) boxes are gone.  I kepted the more expensive ones.  Also all my engines still have the original boxes and packing cartons.  This isn't gonna matter to much for me because when I die, the wife will set up a table at YORK and put a price tag on the table $10 for all rolling stock and $150 for all engines.  She asked me already and I said yepper whatever you want DEAR.  Said she will take a nice trip to the islands for a week or so.

laz57

[AF53]

[quote user="laz 57"]

And I said "yepper whatever you want DEAR."  laz57

Laz - You've been married a while, right???? Smart man!

Ray

[mersenne6]

 I agree with many of the comments already made - keep the boxes and use them as they were intended - protection for the trains.  My wife knows the situation and should I go first the names, addresses, internet sites, and phone numbers (updated from time to time) are in the safety deposit box. If that time comes she can strike the best deal with whatever auction house she chooses and ship 'em and sell 'em and be done with it.

[azflyer]

lionroar88

Here is the way I look at it... if the box wasn't important then the item wouldn't come inside it! I keep mine inside rubbermaid bins under my layout. I know I have more boxes than I have bin space, and some boxes don't fit in the bins, these just get stacked on top of the bins. I don't care if the box is worth money or not, when I need to transport my collection I want to ensure the items make it from point A to point B without damage and the ONLY way to ensure that is to keep and use the boxes.

First, I want to thank everyone for the great responses. I am leaning more to keeping the boxes the cars came in. I well be storing them in rubbermaid bins. But I think I will unfold the flaps on each end and lay them flat in the bins. That way I will be able to store more boxes with out taking up a lot of room where my wife's Christmas decoration are stored.

Yes, Dear, we still share 50%-50%

 

[rtraincollector]

azflyer

lionroar88:

Here is the way I look at it... if the box wasn't important then the item wouldn't come inside it! I keep mine inside rubbermaid bins under my layout. I know I have more boxes than I have bin space, and some boxes don't fit in the bins, these just get stacked on top of the bins. I don't care if the box is worth money or not, when I need to transport my collection I want to ensure the items make it from point A to point B without damage and the ONLY way to ensure that is to keep and use the boxes.

 

First, I want to thank everyone for the great responses. I am leaning more to keeping the boxes the cars came in. I well be storing them in rubbermaid bins. But I think I will unfold the flaps on each end and lay them flat in the bins. That way I will be able to store more boxes with out taking up a lot of room where my wife's Christmas decoration are stored.

Yes, Dear, we still share I get 30%-you get 70%

 

[Penny Trains]

As a rule I gather them up in large lots as-is (uncollapsed) and then store them in the attic in garbage bags.  I have a lot of garbage bags up there! 

As far as sellers are concerned, I think it's different wherever you go.  One LHS I like to frequent displays the pre, post and MPC equipment along with all of the modern engines in glass cases.  Modern cars are boxed on the shelf while boxes for the displayed items are kept in a closet.  Another LHS displays all product in boxes if they have them and only puts un-boxed items in their display cases.  Of course all buyers want the boxes if you have them.  But whether or not a buyer will pay more is largely a matter of the buyer's valuation of an item.  A boxed 1937 700E commands greater cash than an unboxed version, for example.  But it's very hard to guess whether or not a new 2011 hudson just bought at the LHS will follow that trend.

At any rate, most of us will be long gone before any 2011 items will garner added value from having the box.  It's for 2 or 3 generations down the line to gain or lose from our actions of today.

Becky

[cnw1995]

Is it acceptable to ask a larger question about sealed storage in this thread?

Are there any negative effects to storing track, transformers, engines and rolling stock in a typical big plastic bin?  I'm betting it depends on the environment the bin sits in. I kind of randomly store extra items in these bins. I've not done so for long, but I wonder about your experiences?

[railroaded]

  Depends on conditions. Is it a damp basement? A hot, dry attic? Sometimes the boxes need to breath to keep condensation out, some times they need to be protected & sealed against water infiltration from a leaky roof, or a dead sump pump in the middle of your vacation. Who knows? I try to store everything up off the floor, and I also keep those little silica bead packets that come in store bought items and toss them in with the train to try & reduce the moisture inside the container.

  Anyway, I keep all the boxes, #1 becasue I like to be organized, #2 I like everything to be presented as original, #3 the value thing, #4 I also like the intangible feeling of keeping something tattered, torn, & taped up because every one of those rips and scars gives that item a little bit more charecter and there's a story behind every one of them. "this flap fell off on X-mas morning back in .....whenever....."

[webenda]

azflyer

...I think I will unfold the flaps on each end and lay them flat in the bins. 

I was thinking of the same thing, flattening the boxes, but an E-bay seller sent a tank car in the original flimsy Lionel single ply cardboard box protected only with wrapping paper. It was slightly crushed on one corner but the contents were unharmed. Gave me new appreciation for Lionel packaging. That stuff inside the box is engineered to protect the contents in the event of a drop test. I am glad I decided to keep the boxes with the foam or plastic stuff inside them, even if they do take up a trillion times more space.

[Boyd]

Imagine walking into your trainroom and seeing your brother flattening most of your train boxes and throwing them away,, you get upset and that doesn''t matter to him,,,,, he just keeps doing it. Happened to me 25 years ago. I wasn't happy.

[Penny Trains]

Happened to me too!  Let me guess, your brother was older than you too? 

Becky

[Anonymous]

Boyd and Becky,

                                 My brother, who is also older than me, tried to do the same with some of my boxes.  He also likes to move some of the items I have on the wall every once in a while to mess with me.  Probably didn't think that I'd notice.

I keep every box regardless of condition.  To me they add to the overall value of an item.

 

[Boyd]

Yep that brother is older,,,, all 5 of my brothers are older. I was the last one and have no sisters. When you have to move its easier to just put the car in a box than to have to wrap all of them with dusty newspapers.