To some collectors, the box the model originally came in is a large part of their collections. Certainly most people when purchasing models will pay a higher price for a boxed model than one without its original box.
Originally the boxes were designed to not only house the model, but also to reflect the companies desired image, that of model vehicles sold in a match box, hence the company name.
Initially the boxes were designed with a line drawing of the enclosed model on the front of each box, over time other aspects were introduced to each box design like the inclusion of foreign languages when the companies fortunes took off and the models were sold in more and more foreign markets, this lead to variations in the boxes themselves. Eventually the line drawings were replaced with a picture of the model.
As time goes on, marketing practices change and so did the boxes, in order to better present the models on the shelves of large shops and supermarkets, the box design was completely overhauled and changed to include a plastic ‘window’. These style boxes continued through many variations until completely changed again with the introduction of the ‘Collectibles’ range. At this change the boxes reverted back to an enclosed box, but without any picture of the model on it, they were a generic box to be used for all models and were designed mainly for distribution and shipping.
More information can be found on each box by following the links below
