I'm not sure this is the correct place to put this but I'll go ahead anyway. There is a whole topic concerning the value of the box. Here are some numbers to back up the reality of selling with the box. As I'm sure that some of you noticed in the last day there was 2 auctions on ebay ending for #142 Holland. One had a box the other didn't.

#2137 no box sold for 106.00
#3792 with box sold for 175.00 (which is exactly the ebay average I have for this piece over the last 6 months)

Neither piece is an exceptionally low number and both were listed in excellent condition. In this instance the box was worth 69 dollars. There are a lot of LE's you can buy for that.

>>I'm not sure this is the correct place ...<<

I appreciate your dilemna. Faced with twenty-six different boxes (forums), its hard to know what goes where. There's been enough messages on boxes, we really need a Box forum. And a Survey forum, where if some wacko felt compelled to take a survey, s/he was free to do so. And what about a Lightning Rod forum, goodness knows we could use of those. Of course we're missing a Junk Drawer forum where you accumulate messages on topics while you wait for your special forum to be constructed.

Orv, I think you're in exactly the right place! Maybe soon, we'll see empty boxes appearing on Ebay. Then somebody can track them and post the results in the Survey/Junk Drawer!

MOMBO



[This message has been edited by mombo (edited 08-18-99).]

The numbers confirm that to a large segment of collectors, boxes matter greatly. I am thankful that Harbour Lights has produced fairly sturdy boxes and that they have normal lids. My parents collect Snow Village, and those sleeves are never fun to deal with. With constant house remodeling, my Harbour Lights collection usually resides entirely in boxes (it's like Christmas whenever I get one out). The Bob Younger tree will present a bit of a stoarge challenge since its box isn't as durable as those for the lighthouses. Sorry for taking this topic in a direction away from secondary market values -- I just had to ramble about how important boxes are for me.