Original wrapping?

[Michael Quimby]

Hi All,

I have come across about 10 boxes of NG unopened in the original wrapper. Would it be wise to open, or just leave them alone? I believe they are around twenty or thirty years old...

[Paul Crist]

I have seen 1998-2003 eBay auctions where some premium has been paid for the brown mailers. Presumably issues so preserved will be near pristine, and that accounts for the premium. Before about 1996, they were not sealed at ends and so could be extracted without damage to the wrapper. I have a collection of the wrappers from 1970 forward, and astiduously preserve them as they come in. I do not think such wrappers have much intrinsic value, unlike advertising which indicates the times, however. I am also unaware if there are varieties of wrapers, though I assume the overseas members received theirs differently from domestic and Canadian ones.]

I will be interested in others' comments on this.

[Sam L.]

They would be great for a collector, since they are likely from the late 70s to early 80s. They have minimal value, but would recommend to keep them as they are, years from now they may bring in interest. Have occasionally seen ones dating back to the 50s and brought $3 per wrapper. Years ago a group from the late teens and were far more scarce. Supply and demand depends the value for the issues and containers, takes a lifetime to become valuable but worth it to someone who wants a full set with extras.

[Jean Thibault]

How about somebody who might want to look over, and maybe even read the magazines...? And simply appreciate the fact that they should still be in good condition when acquired....If you open the wrappers, then you actually know what you got.
As Paul said, the older wrappers were not sealed, and I have yet to see any that were bought in wrappers (of one kind or the other), that were in truly "mint" condition.
There are a number of Ebay dealers that seem to think that putting an old magazine in a poly wrapper makes it look better or indicates that it has been well cared for, which is rarely the case...

[Paul Crist]

This probably should more appropriately go into the Preservation discussion, but since Jean raised it here, I will comment that all my duplicates and collection are in mylar whether the wrapper is present of not. I have not bagged duplicates (except Titanic and holograms and maybe a few others) after 1960, mainly because I or kids use them, or I will ship them off to English programs overseas when they accumulate. The bags bought in quantity are relatively expensive, and until mid teens and back, I have not put in backing boards. Such boards (even in quantity of 1000) are not as inexpensive as the bags in quantity. For one of my multiple subscriptions, I keep the mailing wrapper in tact just because I sispect some idiot will someday pay some premium over subscription for a ten year run of nineties or aughts complete in original condition. May prove not only a poor investment (I know just from the subscription rate and storage), but also a foolish bet that paper collectors will still exist in 2013 when I thought I might offer the set, let alone in 2048 or 2063 when the task most assuredly would not be mine
Having been said, I would not pay $3 for a wrapper unless it was from twenties or before and would not pay much premium for a set with the wrappers over a set in equal condition that lacks such wrappers. I know others will (and have) but to me there is little institutional information in the mailing wrappers and really little intrinsic (versus preservation) value to them.
Final collecting reminiscence: One of the nice "garage sale" type of collections I ever acquired was not kept in brown paper mailing wrappers, but was one-year per brawn paper grocery sack. It was remarkable to me how so pedestrian a preservation step could work so well. When the Mayfair horde in Oklahoma City was first inspected by me ten years or so ago, one of my first suggestion to the guy trying to off load 30,000-35,000 was that continued storage in un-air conditioned outdoor sheds where roaches, silverfish and other vermin had ready access, was to fumigate often, and to use brown paper or paper grocery backs and then boric acid. With virtually no outlay other than $6/can for boric acid and months collecting volunteers grocery sacks, there was little or no further deterioration of his magazines over the nesxt three years of my inspecting them and helping the ayfair Center realize some value to what he had amassed.
Again, obsessive compulsion precludes rational behavior