How to make extra money

[Tinman]

It annoys me! Such things shouldn't be separated

I agree, you lose all historical facts by splitting up models.

Assuming that the box and model were pared together at the factory and not later (or mixed up with a different box by the owner).

[kwakers]

My main interest has always been in finding Lesney model variations at reasonable prices. The prices of boxed variations have gone through the roof lately, just as Joe and others have stated above because of a wild demand for them 'paired' at any cost. I don't think investors are completely to blame, but they have helped fuel the insanity. It seems a shame or a crime to sell each separately, but I will pay top dollar for a rare variation without it's box, while Boxnut Jim could care less about the casting on that same model. He sees huge value in a certain rare line of text on the box that I never cared enough to study. We all collect as we wish within the limits of our desires, our knowledge, and most of all our budget. The present trend in splitting models and their (thought to be) 'original' boxes for top prices seems tragic for history as Moyboy correctly states, but brilliant for Seller's final profits. This trend is in fact helpful to me in buying more realistically priced toy castings rather than paying extra for their duplicate, triplicate and beyond spare boxes to stuff away for another forty+ years in a dark box or drawer.
I enjoy seeing Forum members' models displayed in proper conditions with their original boxes shown, but my boxes will always be hidden away rather than suffer from any improper long term display problems we may have in our older home. We are all in the same hobby, but we each enjoy it a bit differently....... kwakers

[ford_a_30]

I am with Kwackers as I too collected based on the models, not the boxes. However, as many folks do once they have collected most of the available items in their direct line of collecting, my affections have turned to the boxes as well. One bit of advice I would offer to any new collector is to always be willing to give a little extra for a boxed model the first time, as adding all those boxes later is a very expensive way to collect.