Are tatty boxes worth keeping? - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

8 Aug 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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