Value of S&W Box and Papers Going Forward

I agree with Sevens and USSR. It doesn't matter how insignificant or ridiculous the worth of a box might be to some (or most) gun owners; it does matter to collectors and there's a good chance that throwing a box away is the same as throwing money away.
 
If you went to buy a used car, would you look at if the owner had washed it before you came to look at it? A fella that keeps the finish in top shape is likely to have cared for the motor, too.

The fella that keeps his boxes is likely to take good care of his hardware.

That's not to say if you don't keep the box it's a sure sign of neglect, but having the box is a signal. It feels good to get a gun in the box, with the papers, just as if you bought it new.

If your goal is to use the heck out of that gun and never sell it, the box doesn't matter. It's a marketing tool and good thing to have when you ship the thing to the new owner. It's worth money, when it comes time to sell. An extra ten percent? Certainly more for an unfired collectable. (Guns is for shooting, not sitting in the safe! Go shoot it!)
 
If you watch the handgun market on GunBroker long enough, you'll see that those advertised with boxes and papers sell for higher $$$ than those that don't.
 
How much does box/goodies add? Depends greatly and would need to be assessed on a case by case basis of course. But while you show us a myriad of beautiful guns that you bought where the box absolutely did not affect the sale/price in any way, I will note that it appears that you didn’t throw away that extra stuff that isn’t a beautiful revolver.
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Of course I didn't throw away the boxes. I like original boxes, its part of being a collector. Here are a few boxes I have accumulated over the years.

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I still have the boxes and all the goodies that came with my S&W Model 17-3 and Model 19-3 when I bought them brand-spanky new in 1975. So clearly way back then I liked boxes or I would have thrown them away. I paid $125 for each of those revolvers back in 1975. What would they be worth with the boxes today? No idea and I don't care.

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I have bunches more boxes, those are just a few. No, I won't pay a lot for an old box.




This 2nd Gen Colt came with the box and all the goodies a couple of years ago. The box is a little bit beat up, but not too bad. Did I pay more because of the box? I kind of doubt it. I just checked Gun Broker, Colt prices are all over the place. I paid about the same amount for this SAA with the box that most are going for without any box. As a matter of fact, one clown is asking $375 just for that box alone. Good luck with that.

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