Are tatty boxes worth keeping?

From: Glenatacme_at_aol.com <(Glenatacme_at_aol.com)>
Date: Sun Aug 8 20:15:44 1999

Tony Duell inquired:

> > A couple of months back I bought a second-hand Commodore 1570 disk
drive.
> > It came in the original box, which is, alas, in very poor condition. The
> > polystyrene is cracked and has chunks missing. The cardboard sleeve is
> > torn/ragged.
> >
> > Is there any point in keeping it? I don't normally care about the
packing
> > boxes for computers, but I know some people do. Also, I believe the 1570
> > is not the most common CBM drive, so presumably the boxes for them
aren't
> > that common either.

Sellam Ismail replied:

> I think its worth holding onto because its a part of the history of the
> product. It tells a bit about the company at that point in its life in
> terms of the packaging design and such. If the styrofoam is making a mess
> then perhaps it'd be best to throw that out, and then maybe fold the box
> up and stick it away somewhere to preserve it for posterity.

In general, Tony, I agree with Sam. The packaging can provide insight into
both the packaging technology of the times and the marketing strategy (some
of the claims on those old boxes are outrageous, and the graphics can be
interesting, too!). Additionally, collectors will certainly pay a premium
for an item which includes some or all of the original peripheral "trash."

The foam does tend to break down, especially if it is in contact with other
plastic items such as cables, etc, but it is still worth keeping. My
solution is to wrap the foam -- and each item it contains -- in _stable_
plastic bags, and then stash the whole mess in a larger cardboard box. This
of course requires a certain abundancy of storage space . . .

Glen Goodwin
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Received on Sun Aug 08 1999 - 20:15:44 BST