At the time of publication, Atlanta Gold & Coin met with hundreds of coin sellers each year and often saw people discard the boxes and original government paperwork issued with coins and sets. Keeping boxes can be bulky and can require considerable storage space. Even so, original government packaging can represent a meaningful part of the value of certain coins and sets.
Original boxes can add value to coins and sets, and at the time of publication they could also affect whether coins qualified for IRAs, an approach that was becoming increasingly popular. For example, proof American gold and silver eagles qualified as IRA investments only when their original government paperwork, including the coin box, accompanied them. From a value standpoint, a proof American gold eagle without packaging was typically treated as a standard bullion gold coin, while one retaining original government packaging sold at a premium.
Keeping every box and piece of paperwork issued with a coin or set matters, but their condition matters as well. Writing, damage, and wear caused by improper storage typically reduced the value of boxes and, in turn, the coins or sets they accompanied. The same principle applied to silver proof sets minted in 1964 and earlier. An original envelope in good condition translated into a higher payout for a set, and an unopened envelope increased the set’s value further.
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