Keeping old boxes?

[NIK]

Do you guys keep your old boxes? I keep my firearms in the safe without the box because of room. I'm organizing and they just seem to be in the way.

Any recommendations on what to do with them? Some are tupperware cases, the other are just cardboard.

 

[Jimbob2.0]

Its a hard choice and I think some "tactical" decisions can be made.

Generally I try to keep them, but they do take up a lot of space, pistols not so much they can all go in a box in a dry area but rifles are a pain. If you have an attic or something like that it helps, but paper and graphics fade.

I would use the following logic:

1. If its a gun that potentially rare, keep it and try to store it reasonably nice.
2. If its a gun that is rare with the box keep it.
3. If its not a rare gun (sometimes we dont know whats going to be valuable) but you are not going to shoot it much keep it.
4. If its a common gun like a Marlin 60 that you are going to shoot the snot out of, dont worry about it.

 

[rseymorejr]

Its a hard choice and I think some "tactical" decisions can be made.

Generally I try to keep them, but they do take up a lot of space, pistols not so much they can all go in a box in a dry area but rifles are a pain. If you have an attic or something like that it helps, but paper and graphics fade.

I would use the following logic:

1. If its a gun that potentially rare, keep it and try to store it reasonably nice.
2. If its a gun that is rare with the box keep it.
3. If its not a rare gun (sometimes we dont know whats going to be valuable) but you are not going to shoot it much keep it.
4. If its a common gun like a Marlin 60 that you are going to shoot the snot out of, dont worry about it.

This is pretty much what I do. I used to keep all the boxes. Then it just got ridiculous the amount of space they took up, although they were nice to have when we moved. After the last move I got rid of them, either that or devote a bedroom to storing them

 

[hairba111]

Think about this, if you had the original cardboard box Colt used for the 1911. I'm pretty sure it's worth a few bucks.

 

[Doctor_M]

That is especially the case with any older (C&R or older) guns. I have some boxes that are actually worth more than the firearms. Plain Jane, unmarked brown cardboard can probably go, but anything with identifying marks, you may want to try and hold on to.

 

[kenpo333]

I for one prefer to to have the box and all paperwork if I buy a firearm when used. I tend to buy shoot for a while and then trade or sell if the firearms loses it charm and the new owner always seem grateful for the box and papers. I just have a space in my attic to hold them till they to. Not as much a collector as a shooter.

 

[IndispensableDestiny]

Yes, I do. If you decide to sell the gun, sometimes it seems the box is worth more than the gun itself!

 

[BradMacc82]

Yes, I do. If you decide to sell the gun, sometimes it seems the box is worth more than the gun itself!

And it makes transporting it a lot easier and less noticeable.

 

[spclopr8tr]

Yep, I keep them all. I don't know about boxes worth more than the firearm, but I do know resales with the boxes seem to bring higher prices than those without any of the original OEM material.

 

[Uncle Duke]

I hold onto the boxes. If space becomes an issue, your wife will surely have some frivolous stuff that can be disposed of to make more room for the more important things. Like gun boxes!

 

[byf43]

At one point in time, I kept all of the boxes, but when we moved into this house, I cut the serial numbers off of the (long gun) boxes and cut the boxes down and recycled them.

I've never thrown away a pistol/revolver box.

I've got several long gun boxes stored between the floor joists, in my basement.

It's about time to toss them, although, my Beretta Silver Pigeon box and my Marlin 1895CB box will stay.

The reason I don't mind tossin' the boxes....... I'm never selling/getting rid of my long guns.

 

[1ceman]

This tells me that I need more boxes and what comes inside of them.

 

[beretta_maven]

I agree with keeping them...I've bought and sold a lot of guns and having the box (and original manuals) definitely adds some value.