Knife Boxes = Value?

I got more out of the divorce than she did. As the years have gone by I realize how lucky I am and I still have my knives. She is a bitter woman and I am a happy man.

When someone asked if I have a box for a knife, it got me wondering how folks in general feel about buying a knife without one.

Yeah, my lawyer was lacking in the guts department. He wasn't a knife person and just wanted the case over.

Thanks for all the replies.
 
I keep the knife in the box if it is a backup (duplicate) of a knife I have and use ... but once they get taken out and used the boxes get tossed in a huge cabinet in the garage or thrown away if they don't make it to the cabinet ... so I may or may not have a box for any users ... but I do save boxes for any that aren't being used yet ...

which reminds me I finally decided recently that with a couple exceptions for special models ... I need to sell all the duplicates ... I have more users then I could ever wear out if I'm being honest with myself ...

so thanks for reminding me to SELL SOME SHARP THINGS SOON !!!
 
I suppose if you kept them new, it'd be hard to sell "NIB" without the "B".

If I'm going to keep and use the knife, the box goes in the burn bag.

But until then, I keep the box as I realize folks will pass on a knife if it don't have box, papers, etc. Helps to resell sometimes.
 
I generally don't think knife boxes are worth much. But if you buy a knife as a collector piece or you suspect you will later sell it, I would keep the box.

Gun boxes are a different animal especially guns that are sought after by collectors.

What do I do? I generally keep them. Don't really think about it much. But I have no plans to sell any knife.

Ask yourself a question? Would you pay for an empty knife box? In general, I doubt they are worth much more than the cost to ship them.
 
ALL collectors want everything that came w/the item in its original condition NIB or LNIB.

The best example of how a box can enhance the value of a collectible is with toys, where the boxes are usually thrown away and the toys heavily used. Compare the price of a NIB vintage toy w/used w/o the box and you will see HUGE differences in the prices offered. Guns too, especially pre-70 vintage guns. The existence of the box in like new condition can add substantially to the value of the gun.

I don't think that the box is as important for knives BUT, it can make a difference. I am mainly a knife "collector" and I will ALWAYS discount how much I am willing to pay for any knife that does not come w/a box and I have sometimes purchased a 2nd knife w/a box to replace one I bought previously w/o one (that I then resold).

Of course, the condition of the knife and the box are also important in placing a "value" on the knife. For "collectors," EVERYTHING matters.
 
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specgrade said:
I got more out of the divorce than she did. As the years have gone by I realize how lucky I am and I still have my knives. She is a bitter woman and I am a happy man.

When someone asked if I have a box for a knife, it got me wondering how folks in general feel about buying a knife without one.

Yeah, my lawyer was lacking in the guts department. He wasn't a knife person and just wanted the case over.

Thanks for all the replies.
Click to expand...

If your attorney got you more than she got, he did his job. I don’t do family law, but I’ve been in front of enough judges to know that you weren’t going to get anywhere with the box issue without a shit-ton of documentation on how the lost value. That’s the sort of argument that people pursue and end up hurting themselves because judges will take everything else you have to say, including your good arguments, less seriously. Be glad your attorney was smart enough to tell you your idea was stupid.

Velitrius said:
I suppose if you kept them new, it'd be hard to sell "NIB" without the "B".

If I'm going to keep and use the knife, the box goes in the burn bag.

But until then, I keep the box as I realize folks will pass on a knife if it don't have box, papers, etc. Helps to resell sometimes.
Click to expand...

Harder to sell NIB without the N. “Used in box” doesn’t add much value.
 
If I’m buying a used knife or gun, the box adds little value to me, if any. If something is NIB, that is more desirable, to a degree.

I have a bunch of knife and gun boxes I’m debating dumping. All they do is take up space and collect dust.

I even have the boxes from a few of the LEGO sets I had as a kid in 1970’s. Sure, there’s some nostalgia and maybe even collectors value to those, but I’m just tired of having stuff clutter up the place.
 
Getting a box on a “BNIB” or “NIB” or similarly advertised sale is also another small way of verifying the validity of the claim when you receive the knife. I have bought a ton of “BNIB” knives off of FeeBay, most completely legit. A few, not so much. I bought one ZT “BNIB” where the box didn’t match the knife. It went back. I bought another ZT “BNIB” with a box completely missing a label altogether. It went back.
Don’t freakin advertise “BNIB” if it isn’t. Advertise “FOS” instead. Origin completely comes into question.
Also, I can easily tell when I knife was removed from packaging for picture taking only, and when it was removed and carried or used or disassembled and otherwise not BNIB despite being advertised that way. Those go back as well.
I generally only buy brand new knives as it seems half of the used market sellers are FOS on their claims.
If I really want a rare one, then I’ll buy used and deal with what I get.
 
I always prefer to have the box and any paperwork, especially for knives going into the collection, but as others have said, if it's a user it doesn't really matter. Or if it's just so rare that I don't want to pass up the chance to get it.

I know they may take up more space with boxes, but to me it makes storage easier, and they are more protected. Also makes it easier to store the knife outside the sheath, yet easily keep them together. I have a few old Blackjack knives that had no boxes, but there is a guy on eBay that bought a ton of them when they went out of business, so have bought a few from him. I also bought a few boxes meant to store sports/game cards that are long and skinny...perfect for knives that didn't have their own boxes.
 
The box does have practical value as well, as shipping a loose knife isn't the best idea - trust me, I've been on the other end of that.
 
I have been collecting various things for more than 40 years. Anything that goes into a collection still has an original box, including most of the knives that I bought NIB. Very few knives were bought "new" without a box and accompanying papers. Throwing the box away is to me similar to getting rid of the scabbard for a knife. I even have the original boxes for the collectible LOR displays. Takes a bit of extra storage, of course, but worth it in the long run. I have the boxes and papers for two knives that have since purchasing destroyed themselves -- one has a broken spring, and the other, a Remington Bullet, R1615T, broke both bolster liners, in storage, closed. This one is the 2001 Mariner bullet, that was manufactured by Camillus, now out of business. Big disappointment. Save the boxes and papers.
 
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