Putting Prices on Containers

Question: You’ve written about people who collect cigar boxes and bigger boxes--namely, trunks. Actually, there are plenty of collectors who simply collect all kinds of boxes and categorize them by size, country of origin, etc.--E.M.

Answer: Undoubtedly, there are hundreds of collectors who specialize in finding unusual containers that have collectible value. There are ornate wooden boxes more than a century old that were used to store everything from buttons to tobacco; leather and porcelain boxes that once held foodstuffs and utensils, and beautifully decorated desk boxes designed for writing instruments.

In fact, early Americana specialists will tell you that the box, big and small, was an essential storage item for the 18th- and 19th-Century household, which tended to store items in bulk. Eighteenth- and 19th-Century candle boxes, for example, are valuable finds at country antique stores.

Value generally turns on the material from which the box is made, but not always on condition. Elegant boxes made of, say, silver, should be in good condition if you’re going to pay a high price. But condition may not play a big part in judging the value of a copper box that was used around an early New England farm to store a variety of tools and that got banged around. In the latter case, age and authenticity override a few dents and bruises.

Another collectible category involves tea and spice boxes used by the early settlers. Such items are eagerly sought by collectors interested as much in expanding their Early Americana collection as they are in adding to a box collection.

Mailbag: Thank you, Warren Anderson, for “A Collectors Guide to Documents from the Old West,” a 52-page, illustrated booklet, which we recommend for collectors of Western Americana. We found chapters on stocks and bonds, checks, autographs, express and telegraph documents, maps, photos--all items of interest to collectors who specialize in finding and evaluating items from the Wild, Wild West.

Warren, a dealer, collector, writer and a former Southern Californian, also puts out a newsletter on his inventory. His address: Distinctive Documents, P. O. Box 100, Cedar City, Utah 84720, telephone (801) 586-9497.

Because we were once asked about the scarcity of autographs of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Robert Parker and Harry Longabaugh), we’ll let Warren tell the story:

“Despite the fact that their autographs are never seen for sale today, the pair forged phony names on robbery money following a train holdup.

“In July, 1901, Cassidy’s Hole-In-The-Wall Gang held up the Great Northern Express train near Butte, Mont., and got away with some $80,000 in currency, most (of) which turned out to be unsigned bank notes for the National Bank of Montana and the American National Bank, both in Helena. As practiced during this time, currency was signed at the bottom by the bank president and cashier.

“Imagine Butch and the Kid’s disgust to find unsigned currency still in uncut sheets during the robbery. Not to be outdone, however, the currency was cut up and Butch signed ‘Thomas B. Hill’ as president while Sundance signed ‘John R. Smith’ as cashier of both banks in order to spend the money. It is believed that many of these bank notes are still scattered around the West and that owners of the currency are unaware of (its) historic significance.”

Ronald L. Soble cannot answer mail personally but will respond in this column to questions of general interest about collectibles. Do not telephone. Write to Your Collectibles, You section, The Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.