Belt Auction

Why is it that boxes and wrapping?

...seem more important than the item inside when collecting "vintage" or antique items? Just look at any collectible on eBay and you'll notice a HUGE price difference between identical items if one is in its original box, and the other is not. Are the boxes more important and expensive than the articles within them? I don't get it!

Public Comments

1. If they are in mint condition then yes, i don't know why though.
2. Boxes matter for several reasons: - A sealed box 'proves' the contents are original and unaltered, in new condition - For 'antique' items, it's the rarity factor - many people keep the toy, many fewer keep the box, too, so a toy in the box is MUCH more special. The box is usually much more fragile than the toy, too, so if IT survived, the toy was probably VERY well-cared-for. - For some toys and eras, the graphics on the box are amazing, and some people find them more appealing than the toy itself In effect, yes, the box can be as valuable as the toy. You sometimes even see the empty boxes for sale on eBay for almost as much as the toy itself, and even on 'Antiques Roadshow', it's common for an antique toy in the original box to command almost twice as much as just the toy. The moral is, on Christmas morning, SAVE THOSE BOXES!