reading the thread on whether smoke harms a lighthouse's condition raised another concern for me. I find that many e-bay postings talk about the box. Does the condition of the box enhance the item of the lighthouse? In other words, are the box and lighthouse considered one item? Does the stuffing in the box have to be the original stuffing to maintain the value of the item? I'm an 8 month novice at this and have become curious.

When I first started collecting, I never even considered keeping the boxes. They went right out into the trash. Then I moved into a new house (which is smoke free by the way, along with my truck in case any of you were curious). Having the boxes would have made trasportation much easier. Storage also comes into play with the boxes. If you don't have enough room to display all of your lights, the boxes come in very handy (stinky or not). Now the question comes,"what do I do with all of these boxes?" If you don't have enough room to store the boxes with the styrofoam, I believe (John could tell you for sure) throwing the styrofoam away is acceptable. In other words, fold the boxes up to save room.

As far as the box and the lighthouse being "one" - it's pretty much up to the individual collector. This topic has been discussed a couple of times on the forums in the past. Generally a box can add a few more dollars to the sale. I'd pay an extra ten to fifteen dollars for a light with a box versus one without a box. I wouldn't pay $50 though. Basically, it's whatever you want. I hope this helps you out a bit. I'm sure there will be some other opinions to follow.

Jared

I agree with Jared 100%. Boxes are a nice to have item, but, don't overpay just to get the box. Also, keeping the foam insert if you plan on selling is important. If it's your personal collection, keeping the insert is directly proportional to the amount of storage space you have. It does not distract from the value of the lighthouse.

Rich

Yes, it's nice to receive the original box when you purchase an HL. Is it absolutely necessary to have the original box with the piece? I would say no. Does having the original box make the piece more valuable on the secondary market? I would say yes. Would I skip buying a piece I needed for my collection because it didn't have the original box. Absolutely not!

Bob