The Box It Came In

From 'The Box It Came In' at the web's largest private collection of antiques & collectibles: https://www.ericwrobbel.com/collections/boxes.htm

Many of the things I collect came originally in great boxes or packages. I’m always glad to get things for my collection in those vintage original boxes. Sometimes I’ll buy something fairly ordinary—just to get the box.

From 'The Box It Came In' at the web's largest private collection of antiques & collectibles: https://www.ericwrobbel.com/collections/boxes.htm From 'The Box It Came In' at the web's largest private collection of antiques & collectibles: https://www.ericwrobbel.com/collections/boxes.htm
From 'The Box It Came In' at the web's largest private collection of antiques & collectibles: https://www.ericwrobbel.com/collections/boxes.htm From 'The Box It Came In' at the web's largest private collection of antiques & collectibles: https://www.ericwrobbel.com/collections/boxes.htm

And sometimes I’ll buy just an empty box—some box that’s appealing even though it doesn’t really fit into any of my collectible categories. So now of course in my mind such boxes now become a collectible category. Obviously, I make up the rules as I go along.

While it isn’t always easy to find an appropriate place to display some of these boxes and packages, the Christmas items have a guaranteed run of prominence each December.

Two holiday favorites are the necktie gift boxes you see here from The May Company and Bullock’s department stores (Los Angeles, c.1950).

From 'The Box It Came In' at the web's largest private collection of antiques & collectibles: https://www.ericwrobbel.com/collections/boxes.htm

A little window displays the goods in this cute Desirée Hearts Desire Lingerie box (Cape Underwear Manufacturers Pty. Ltd., South Africa, c.1958).

Vintage box of Ciné-Kodak Kodachrome Safety Color Film movie film (Eastman Kodak Co., USA, 1936). From 'The Box It Came In' at the web's largest private collection of antiques & collectibles: https://www.ericwrobbel.com/collections
Vintage box of Ciné-Kodak Kodachrome Safety Color Film movie film (Eastman Kodak Co., USA, 1936). From 'The Box It Came In' at the web's largest private collection of antiques & collectibles: https://www.ericwrobbel.com/collections

The Ciné-Kodak Kodachrome Safety Color Film movie film has an aura of old Hollywood about it (Eastman Kodak Co., USA, 1936). Fitting, since I actually found it in old Hollywood.

This early Nestles Crunch chocolate bar was manufactured by Peter Cailler Kohler Swiss Chocolates Co., Inc., N.Y., USA, c. 1940. Likely stale by now. Actually, I think it is a dummy and was used for display.

From 'The Box It Came In' at the web's largest private collection of antiques & collectibles: https://www.ericwrobbel.com/collections/boxes.htm

More nice packages/boxes include the Majestic radio tube (Grigsby-Grunow Co., Chicago, USA, c.1940), Testors PLA Decorative Enamels model paints (USA, c.1955), and the Deceptograph Transistor Lie Detector TK-611 “psycho galvanic reflex tester" (Takeikiki Co., Ltd., Japan, c.1960). Does she or doesn’t she what?, pray tell...

From 'The Box It Came In' at the web's largest private collection of antiques & collectibles: https://www.ericwrobbel.com/collections/boxes.htm

Sometimes, the package IS the collectible. Can you imagine collecting a loose stack of old Kleenexes? Probably not! But in one of the two boxes you see below? —yes!

From 'The Box It Came In' at the web's largest private collection of antiques & collectibles: https://www.ericwrobbel.com/collections/boxes.htm

The blue & white box of Kleenex Tissues bears a copyright date of 1938 (International Cellucotton Products Co., Chicagao, USA), while the Kleenex Tissues in “Flare Red” (wow!) are dated 1960 (Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Wisconsin, USA). The shoe box is from Buffums department store (Los Angeles, c.1962).

Vintage collectible Kleenex boxes, Buffums Department store box, Nu-Kote carbon paper. From 'The Box It Came In' at the web's largest private collection of antiques & collectibles: https://www.ericwrobbel.com/collections/boxes.htm



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