debox or not?

[Artemesia's Garden]

keep her in the box and trade or purchase a loose one.

I agree with this and with Taffeta.

Also I think any damage will not get worse for leaving her in the box.

[Epona]

Can that type of box be opened without damaging it further?

[otocolobus_manul]

If the box is fire damaged, debox definitely. I agree that keeping a pony as new as possible should not come at the cost of the pony itself.

[NovelNerd]

If its fire damaged in any way, I'd debox carefully and save the box (but keep it away from ponies). A smoky, sooty box could damage the pony and then what good did it do letting the pony stay? Of course she could be completely fine, but I'm personally not big on risking things when it comes to damaged boxes. I prioritize the pony instead of prioritizing damaged cardboard.


If you don't want to debox because someone might love her, which is totally possible, you could see if anyone is interested in a trade. Someone might be willing to trade you the deboxed pony for her.

This

I personally would debox in hopes of saving the pony, even though I know most don't agree with that.

[ponycake]

What's it being saved from? I mean if it looks like soot got inside I guess but it was only mentioned that it's stained the outside of the box a bit. Q wasn't to save it was it, mainly about value.

[Icicle]

Is it possible to see a shot of the back of the box/card for comparison?

Personally, other than it being a "vintage MIB" I wouldn't really put any value to it because of the soot damage plus the box looks pretty dang crumpled and would just open it myself (especially not knowing what smoke/soot damage might have gotten into the box to potentially damage the pony within, which obviously could further bring down the value of not only the MIB aspect, but just the pony itself). But I know for a fact that is not a popular opinion, so it really is your call.

[Mermaid]

What's it being saved from? I mean if it looks like soot got inside I guess but it was only mentioned that it's stained the outside of the box a bit. Q wasn't to save it was it, mainly about value.

I was also wondering this. I mean she's lasted this long. It's not like she's going to melt inside the box. I personally feel she will hold more value still in the box damaged or not. If she's loose, pristine condition is still going to be less than mib.

[Aflame]

in the box !!!

[mlly]

Unpopular opinion but unless you have plans to sell the pony and you don't like her that much or don't plan to keep her for too long I think there is nothing wrong with deboxing her. And in some cases keeping toys in their packaging for way too long will not keep it in good condition but do the opposite due to heat, dirt accumulating inside the box.

[Einhornbaby]

What's it being saved from? I mean if it looks like soot got inside I guess but it was only mentioned that it's stained the outside of the box a bit. Q wasn't to save it was it, mainly about value.

I was also wondering this. I mean she's lasted this long. It's not like she's going to melt inside the box. I personally feel she will hold more value still in the box damaged or not. If she's loose, pristine condition is still going to be less than mib.

A fellow german collector purchased a MOC Italy Sunbeam years ago with a similar kind of damage to the card. Sunbeam herself looked amazing! She though wanted to save her, being afraid the card could ruin her, unpacked her and... discovered a nasty black mark, about the size of a grown-ups thumb (full thumb not only the tip) on the non display side where the pony had touched the card. So the card is now totally ruined because of the unpacking and Sunbeam is super ugly with the black mark. She still, after many years, complains she should have left the pony on the card, it looked way better then it is now.
The same person bought a MOC Tuneful years ago, unpacked her only to discover that her whole NDS was pressed flat from lying on the card for so long. She was looking sooo good on the card.

Thought it fits here Again, its totally up to you since you are the owner!!

[kestral_kitsune]

What's it being saved from? I mean if it looks like soot got inside I guess but it was only mentioned that it's stained the outside of the box a bit. Q wasn't to save it was it, mainly about value.

I was also wondering this. I mean she's lasted this long. It's not like she's going to melt inside the box. I personally feel she will hold more value still in the box damaged or not. If she's loose, pristine condition is still going to be less than mib.

there's a chance depending on how hot the box got, that the bindings melted into the pony, and the smoke damage can cause the hair to go brittle depending on what degree of damage. plus there's the smell.

[Artemesia's Garden]

Just checking back to see what others have to say.  I sympathise with this situation, especially since it was a present. I'd probably hang on to it for a year just displaying the back and then try to swap or sell it. That's just me though.  I love these debates.

[karrie91]

Oh I would debox for sure. Think of it, how often are you getting the opportunity to debox a G1? The damage gives you an excuse to do so!

[Duenia]

Initially I would have gone for debox, but Einhornbaby and kestral_kitsune bring up some really good points that would be enough to sway me to leave that one alone and maybe try some of the packaging cleanup ideas first. Then leave her if it works, and reaccess the risk vs benefit if it doesn't.

[LadyMoondancer]

I'd leave her in the box, which honestly doesn't even look that bad.  This pony managed to even survive a fire while staying MIB, it would be a shame to debox her.

I too am highly skeptical that being in the box is "damaging" the pony, especially with that style of box.  Even if she needed to be aired out due to a smoky smell, that could easily be done without deboxing her.

I'm sure you could find someone willing to trade you a loose mint version of the same pony for the MIB one, if that's what you want.