How much do boxes add to value?

[23669d]

Can anyone give me a ballpark number or percentage of value that original box papers and tools would add to value of 1980's vintage Smiths?

 

[23669d]

Can anyone give me a ballpark number or percentage of value that original box papers and tools would add to value of 1980's vintage Smiths?

 

[likestoshoot2]

To me they add 20% if they are the orignal box with numbers and papers, if just a S&W box 5 to 10%.

 

[H Richard]

If the gun is in "collectible" condition, it may add $20 to (?)$150, depending on the gun and the box and condition. An old rare gun box will be worth much more than a recent issue Mod 10 box. I've heard of up to > $300 for a Registered Magnum box. It all depends on the gun and the condition of gun and box.

 

[papalondog]

I can't put a fixed dollar amount on a box so to speak, but I have refrained from buying a gun because it didn't have the box, and would have paid more, if it had.....

Does that make sense???????

 

[GF]

If it's a "no excuse" gun, as in a high 90's condition revolver, buy it and find a box for it later. I like to buy boxes for the older two piece blue box & gold box guns. The newer one piece boxes probably don't add that much value to a revolver but I like the look of a complete package, so I even get those from time to time. So it's not always about adding value, sometimes it's just cool to have.

Here's a Mod 19 that I "e-bayed" a box for...

A Pre Mod 10 with a gunshow bought box...

Now, the ser# on the box is as close to the ser# of the gun as I could find. But that's still a few YEARS apart. If you want to go closer it's going to be harder to find and more "correct" but I think a non-original box is a non-original box to most and it's not worth it to me to sweat it.
"Period correct" is good enought for me!

 

[Ga Johnny]

So it's not always about adding value, sometimes it's just cool to have

well put.

 

[FinnMike]

We're all different, thank goodness, but I'm concentrating on boxed 90% and up N and K frames these days. I like the idea of maintaining originality and a boxed example will always command a premium with me.

 

[Win52C]

Seems to me the 1st question out of ANYONES mouth these days is do you have the original box? If your selling something anyway....

 

[2na]

I actually look for guns WITHOUT the box, so I get a better deal on the gun.

 

[Revolver King]

it really depends on the person buying the gun. Some people won't even consider buying a gun without the original box. Others like myself really don't care. But I would use that to try and get it cheaper. Most pawn shops don't have the box most of the time.

 

[rburg]

Originally posted by H Richard:
An old rare gun box will be worth much more than a recent issue Mod 10 box. I've heard of up to > $300 for a Registered Magnum box.

I'd buy all you can find at the $300 level, or even higher. But I wouldn't stand in front of you while doing it. I'd get run over by MerlinDB, Bettis, Bruce,Tom, and a host of others jostling for position.

There is no set amount a box adds. It depends on the gun, how popular the model is right now, how rare the box itself seems to be, and you being lucky and finding a willing buyer. This thread is in the post war section. Boxes from this era run from $20 or $25 up into the hundreds. Early gold K22 boxes have passed the $100 mark, as have K38, 44 3rd, M1950, etc. Some postwar boxes are getting harder to find, like the "black" boxes from the mid 1950s.

Believe it or not, idiots study this stuff (me included.)

Once you move to the prewar boxes, the sky is the limit. There are so many variations and the boxes are so rare each is a separate case. All we have are guidelines from similar boxes from the past. Once you get into this area, you best have cash money and a willingness to part with it at a moments notice. You'd also better do your homework and know what you're looking for. Anytime prices reach a level that sounds crazy, fakers may see a potential to profit from the counterfeit production.