WHoa… this guy is asking $1,000 for an empty Lionel box… am I missing something here??? it never ceases to amaze me what people will try and sell on ebay!
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Asking an amount and getting it in an auction may not happen. However such items have probably commanded such a price in the past, and may again. I recall an auction several years ago for a cardboard Lionel display. It was fairly large, with a man in a railroad cap standing over a roundhouse. It sold in the $17,000.00 range!
It’s not empty, there’s a bridge in that box…somewhere. There better be after what I just payed for it![:-^]
Yeah, but there you are talking about a colorful display… this is a plain, outer cardboard box… amazing!
Is this the same box that sold awhile back on ebay for I think in the $700+ range?
Thats just a beat up *** old box! Where’s the proof that its from the year and use of what he says it is?
Aggro,Lionel collectors can read those numbers and know how old it is…You won’t find casuals like us knowing the difference unless of course you are a season Lionel collector and the question you asks says you’re not.
I know several Lionel collectors that look for good Lionel boxes of all kind.The box raises the value so I been told.
Aggro-There is a Sears shipping label that says Lionel Train Set and a stock # on it. All of which would be very EZ to fake if you had half a brain.
I think the sellers last name is Barnum.[:-^]
original lionel boxes are often worth more than the train item they contained, why?
no one saved the boxes, and a shipping carton, that’s liquid gold to a classic lionel collector.
it’s like this, say you have a perfect mint condition micky mantle rookie card, worth some money right?
now suppose you have the complete card set from that year to go with it?
see the collector trying to keep his cool and pretend it’s no big deal, but the value just went way up!
now just for giggles, tell that collector, that you also have the original wax wrappers, bubble gum, and the sales box, and watch him loose control of their bodily functions.
the more complete the item is, the more value it has.
the train set may be worth 5-10 thousand dollars in mint shape, but that 1000 shipping box may jump the value to a collector up by 100% or more.
Absolutely! I never could understand Lionel collectors until I met some…Fansanating group of guys…Hard to fool or BS.They know their Lionel.
You have no idea how hard it is to fool a season Lionel collector.These guys know a fake,a recondition or other types including the cheaper reruns.They know the dollar value of Lionel far better then we do…
Unlike some on E-bay they know when to walk away from a overprice item by bid or “Buy It Now”.
It’d be pretty hard to tell a fake from the real thing on E-Bay. Even with those “quality” photos.
I don’t know whether there’s a bridge in the box or not but if you are really interested in bridges I own one over on the Colorado River at Lake Havasu City, Arizona. I will part with it at a fraction of what I paid for it just a few short years ago; you’ve probably heard of this particular bridge - it is quite famous and used to span the Thames River at London, England!
By the way, I also own that bridge spanning the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn in New York City but its not for sale at this time.
You know! I still can’t believe the absolutely ridiculously low price that that salesman let these things go for; they were even cheaper than empty Lionel boxes!!!
And here’s ole’ R.T.'s [i]Picky! Picky! Picky!] of the day: the word is PAID; PAYED is what you do with a rope as “He payed out the line until the current drifted the boat under the bridge and it grounded firmly on the lip of the dam.” That, by the way, is a line from the novel I am not writing!!!
This is an ebay Live Auction …held by a real auction house, so the online bidders are up against live in house bidders.
Actually the Brooklyn bridge was indeed put up for sale. A private company eventually stepped in and bought it. The City was simply too tired of physically and the cost of maintaining the bridge.
I’ve seen sellers gouging for packing materials before, but this is ridiculous. I hope the shipping is gratis.
So do they pack it in another box, or just fill it with peanuts and slap a shipping label on it? If they use a larger box, does that make the larger one valuable as well? “This is the carton that contained the carton that contained one of the rarest Lionel sets ever! We have the documentation to prove it. Low starting bid of $500, no reserve!”
If it ends up crushed in transit, how do you make a $1000 insurance claim on a shipping carton without someone laughing in your face? [(-D]
Darn, I threw a box that looked just like that into the recycling bin the other day. Time to go dumpster diving.
Stop the insanity! [:O]
I am a Lionel fan but I don’t know much about the Postwar era, which this box came from. However, the box looks very legitimate, especially since the shipping card is included. If the train was included with it, it would sell for twice as much, maybe even more.
Nope. It says shipping & insurance is $40.
If you look at his other items, you’ll see that he certainly knows what he’s selling and what his market is. I think he has a GG1 listed too and maybe the other original cars from the box. More power to him. I wish I owned that stuff to resell and I’m thinking most people would.
I sold this vinyl peel and stick Lionel sign a few years ago for well over $200. It was in mint condition and the sale made two people very happy.
$1000 for an empty box does seem exorbitant, but we are talking about Lionel collectors - they seem to be a breed apart. Anyone prepared to spend big money on tinplate junk would have no qualms about buying a $1000 box, eh?