Receiving a brand new figure is quite an experience. The figure and all of its bells and whistles is one thing, but for some collectors even the box is an integral part of the collectible.
However, as a collection grows, the amount of boxes you have grows as well. For some this creates some space issues as the boxes begin to pile up. I found myself in this very scenario just a few months ago. I finally found myself wondering; What to Do with Your Figure Boxes?
Keep Them!
Obviously the most simple solution is to just keep the boxes whole. This is certainly the best option for those collectors who have the space to spare. This is also the move to make if you are a collector who tends to sell figures off after a point. As a collector who does not mind buying loose figures, I think I am in the minority. Most collectors try to buy figures in the box when they buy them second hand. In this case, saving the boxes leads to a bit extra resale value.
In some cases however there is just a box that is so gorgeous that even I have to keep it. I try to make those decisions rationally and really keep the special ones. Even then, the space situation is tight as a college student, especially for collectors in Hong Kong! Everyone has space struggles, but sometimes there is a box just too good to pass up!
Toss Them!
The other option is of course the much harder one; get rid of the boxes. Granted, there are still some options available. Obviously you can just toss the box in the garbage and forget all about it. It is a bit difficult at times, but having the extra space can be an absolute godsend. However, there are a few things that you can do if you are planning on getting rid of boxes.
Some recent Hot Toys figures have had small sleeves on the inside that cover the plastic blister packaging. These are flat and gorgeous to display, and much easier to store than full boxes. Another possibility is to just break down the art box cover and keep that. That way even if you are forced to trash boxes you can at least keep a bit of a memento.
Closing Thoughts
At a certain point a collector has to take a step back and really evaluate the status of their collection. I hit the point where the space that my boxes took up ended up overshadowing my actual display. At that point I realized that these bits of colored cardboard and plastic didn’t have that much value to me. As someone who does not sell their figures very often, I kept about 10 percent of my boxes. were compressed into some flat pieces of artwork that takes up an extremely small amount of space. Perhaps one day I will be able to sit down and make a piece of artwork from all of the bits of boxes. Until then, I would like to ask our readers a question: What to Do with Your Figure Boxes?
