Seems like everyone inquiring about a gun for sale and the potential buyer always asks if it comes with the box. Unless someone is an investment-grade collector, why do ordinary shooters care if there is a box? I get a new gun and I trash the included gun lock and cheap box it all came in.

My guns are stored in a humidity-controlled safe. I don't need the box for anything. Really! Keeping the box is kind of OCD. You'll never use it for anything.

That is a textbook description of a shooter vs. collector way of thinking

To the shooter, everything you say is true

Collectors cringe at the thought

This is only my opinion, but to me, having the box and the original accessories demonstrates that the previous owner(s) exercised a certain degree of care with the firearm. Not having those items reduces the price I will pay, to a degree. I am a shooter, and not a collector, but still . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

As with every other item that is bought or sold, having the box and associated paperwork and accessories will always add value. This might be less true for more modern items but surely holds true for anything vintage.
The market demands it so that's how it is.

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Wilderness First Responder

I'm sure, the guy back in 1931 who bought the k22 outdoorsman I now own, thought the same thing; "who needs this cheap pasteboard box". Last one I saw go on eBay sold for $800.

Depends on the original buyers personality.Im sure my ex saved every box and piece of paper that came with anything she bought.Her parents were the same way.Too bad they never bought anything worth collecting

great response arjay! It made me laugh. Thanks

If I kept the box for every gun I have purchased I would need to rent a storage garage. I tend to keep the newer plastic cases, but even those are a pain in the butt to keep stacked up and out of the way. Sure, it would be no big deal if I only owned 3 guns. And yes, I might be tossing out a box that might be worth $800 some day (presuming enough other people throw them out to make them rare) but not living in a cluttered hole that looks like an episode of Hoarders is worth way more than $800 to me.

A "Potty Mouth" Po talking TeleTubbie with box sells for over $50 on eBay!

There's one box I wished I saved. I have more than my fair share of 5.56mm AR carbines. In the early 90's at a gun show, I bought a new Green Label R6520 with the AR15 A2 Gov't Carbine roll mark. $750 plus tax. The ones currently in the gun stores were "Sporters" and they had a sear block built into the receiver.

I shot about 20 rds thru the 6520 and was absolutely amazed at the perfectly round apple-sized group at 200m with small aperture peep. I cleaned it up and said I was going to "save it". It stays in a BoreStor in the back of my safe. I know... stupid. I do have the label that fell off the end of the box but it would be nice to have the packaging in case I wanted to sell it. Ehh... who am I kidding.... I'll never sell it.

I like to get the box etc. when I buy a used gun, but it sure isn't a deal breaker. I store my guns in their boxes (if I have them). It makes it easy for me to identify what's inside. When I don't have the box, I buy those cheap wooden boxes and put a coat of stain and poly on it. Somehow I feel a gun needs a box like a boy needs a puppy.

All that being said, I'm NOT paying a crazy price just to get the exact box for one of my guns that doesn't have one.

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I'm gonna grow fins.

The boxes are rarer than the guns because everybody throws the box away. Nobody throws the gun away.

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Dr. B

To each his own. If anyone has any useless older S&W boxes please send them my way. Even better if the papers and goodie are included.

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Patriots Forever!!

Anyone have a pre war RM box and paperwork want to unclutter their possessions?

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Sure you did

Would folks pay a lot for one of those?

I would never pay more for a gun just because it had the original box.....that said .....I would never throw one away because of how many people seek those guns out

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witty signature goes here

I don't consider myself a "collector".
But if I find a gun I like for a good price and the numbered box and papers are included..... I consider it a bonus.

I like to get the Box when possibile & I do save Them & All Papers,But I don't worry that much about not getting 1,There is a fairly big Market for Boxes if Fakes are out there especialy Colt Boxes.

I went to a lot of trouble to save this box just because it was original to the pistol. Is it worth anything - probably not but it is the box that came with the gun.

Attached Images

	Box 1.jpg (81.1 KB, 195 views)
	Box 2.jpg (73.5 KB, 197 views)
	Box 3.jpg (41.5 KB, 179 views)

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Patriots Forever!!

I agree. It also makes for more of a complete package. Not having a box won't keep me from buying a pistol, but I consider it a plus when it does. I'm no collector; I shoot all of my guns.

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Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

never had either, or a RM, but would like to find out.

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Sure you did

I've sold a number of empty gun boxes for between $100 and $600. I've seen others top $2,000.

Send me all the nice old boxes you have and I'll gladly reimburse shipping and buy you a beer.

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"I also cook."

I think you should buy yourself one for a retirement present! You deserve it!!!

One time I was selling off a small collection that I had purchased.
When I was selling a pretty beat up Win 1892 to a guy that I knew, I ask him, hold on a second, do you want the box?
He really laughed! I have no idea what that box would even look like.

I would love to have the case for my pre 29.
And my P- R 629. Oh yes I would.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

I like boxes for many reasons.

Many call us gun nuts.
Our wives complain about our hobby.
And now lawdog gives us trouble for liking boxes.

I should've stayed in bed this morning.

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Scoundrel & Ne'er-Do-Well

I'm like the OP. I want the gun nor what it came in. Most of my guns were bought without boxes. However since so many people make a fuss about it I just keep them.....al 3 or 4 of them. If they feel like it was taken care of better or worth more then it's more money in my pocket on trade in. But I rake care of my guns exectly the same with or without the box.

You always hear "they don't make that gun any more", guess what, they don't make the boxes for that gun any more either……….

Semper Fi!

Having the original box and papers adds a tone of correctness to a transaction. Serious collectors of anything will add importance, if not also value, to any item that can be tied to a time or event, and can be seen in the original condition.

I've seen flea market coin "dealers" who clean coins so people will buy the sparkle. Pity is, that destroys the collector value.

I don't much care about boxes until I take a gun to put on consignment. Not all guns survive the honeymoon. The box, papers, and original tools / locks / etc. do add value, at least in the market I am in.

A lot of buyers of used Corvettes want the "window sticker" that was on the car when new. You can buy a reproduction for a little under $100.

Different strokes for different folks. What if we were all the same, yuk. Some like blondes, some red heads, me like brunettes with big......⚽️⚽️

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USS ZELLARS
DD-777

Plus the boxes are a lot nicer and useful as carrying devices especially the S&W blue plastic boxes with the carrying handle.

Agree, I long have been interested in boxes, original paperwork.
My wife finds this quite amusing and has dubbed me the " Kardboard King"

I also am a shooter but I have a few collectable revolvers but only one has the original box & paperwork. My latest purchase is a 66-4 3" unfired but no box. One very close but fired with box went for $700 more than I paid. In the distant past I threw the boxes away & lost at least two presentation cases.

The real value in the box, if you can verify that the label hasn't been altered or removed and replaced with a forgery, is it is another thing to authenticate the firearm. If a factory letter is worth $50.00 to a $100.00 shouldn't a box be?

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Join the NRA today

Heck after listening to you guys I sure wish I would have asked for the box my 66 made puma skinner probably came with. Did not know they came boxed way back then. Recall the knife was mounted in a wooden display case. Hate to think how many valuable boxes have been tossed!

There always seems to be differences between buying and selling.

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Birds like shiny new toys too.

You...can...sell..a firearm for more money with the box.

There ya go! True! One LGS I frequent separates their used & consignment guns into boxed and no box. Guess which side I shop first!

Everybody already knows that I'm a big "box" guy and have explained it 5 or 6 times before so I won't repeat my mantra here. Original factory box = good. No box = not so good.

It is also a fact that I own a box that is worth more than the gun that came in it. I'd never sell either (it's a family heirloom thang) so it's kind of a moot point... but it is a fact!

Ford has / had a free window sticker generator. Just put in the VIN and out pops a nice reproduction. Did it for my 2003 Escape & now that I remembered it, I may create one for my Flex.

Speaking of those window stickers, years ago, in my checkered past, I worked at a body shop that specialized in fiberglass. No offense to any that might be on this board, but Vette people are just a little out there. It wasn't uncommon at all for a new Vette owner to bring in his ride & have us remove the window with the sticker(I believe it's called a Mulroony?)& replace it with a brand new piece of factory glass. It wasn't cheap, either! That way if he ever sold it, he would bring it in & have us trade the glass out, & his sticker would still be perfect.

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Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

My thoughts exactly. Plus, the box and accessories almost always add significant value if you resell a gun. Not that I buy guns with the idea of reselling them, but it does happen occasionally for one reason or another. I consider myself to be a "shooting collector" in that I shoot most of my guns, but I also take very good care of them so that they will hold their value.

I'm still waiting for the "little out there" part

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witty signature goes here

Whether you personally find the original box to be useless is fine, but irrelevant. The fact is that having it has been shown to enhance demand and therefore value in older guns, and for whatever reason, it seems to be a real positive when selling/trading newer ones. People generally seem to prefer a used weapon coming with all the factory stuff, if possible.
I wheel-n-deal on the local used market via Armslist and another site, and I tend to be put at ease getting into a used gun when it comes with the original box, papers, all mags, and even the receipt.
Just yesterday I got in a small pizzing contest on a classified site with some guy selling a new-production pistol, but didn't have the plastic hard case, or the expensive 2nd magazine. This always rings alarm bells with me, since these are items that virtually NOBODY would throw away.
If we're talking about a WWII-era Walther P38, then sure, no box and only one mag isn't suspicious, but when we're talking about a PPS, that's only been out a few years, not having the nice factory hard-case, papers, and especially the expensive extra mag, is a big red flag, for me anyway.
Since tossing the boxes from my first several weapons purchases back in the 80's, I've gotten in the habit of just tossing the cardbaord boxes up in the attic, and generally keep pistols in the factory,plastic case. It's no trouble, and I feel it's been a helpful selling point when selling or trading, so there really isn't any downside here.

I agree that it shows someone might have taken care of it. Would it help the value of a Smegma? No. Would it help the value of a Registered Magnum? There ya' go.

Well, after reading all the responses, I guess I really shouldn't have trashed the boxes on my two Bren Ten's.

Like I said earlier, not having a box won't keep me from buying a pistol I want, but it is a plus for me.I still have the box that my 686-2 came in some twenty odd years ago. I didn't know anything about the OEM box adding value back then, it just made sense to me to keep it. Whenever I get a new or new to me gun, It gets placed in a Boyt pistol rug. The box goes into my storage unit, in a bag full of boxes. They are wrapped in a thick garbage bag to keep them from mildewing. That's the way I've always done it & I will continue to do it that way.

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Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

I can tell you that it is nice to have the factory box for your FBI 1076!

All of my weapons are tools and I have the box for each and everyone. I don't expect much resale value of any of my guns as they all have scratches and dents. They are well maintained internally and function flawlessly. Some day I guess the box may be worth more than the gun. : )

Yep, you 86'd $300 to $400 minimum worth of corrugated paper with that move. Those boxes are a proprietary size and along with the rubber stamped address in the corner, cannot be replaced.

Bruce

Such as life. Your not alone. Many have tossed a box or two, without regard of the cost impacts. We make decisions everyday and I make mine without regard to what others think here! Live and learn

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USS ZELLARS
DD-777