Was this a joke?
That’s what I wondered when I saw the label on the box of items on the auction table. The box looked like one of those clear plastic restaurant takeout containers.
The label, written in black ink, stated:
“DO NOT OPEN. SURPRISE PACKAGE”
It was no surprise to me because I could see exactly what the box contained. It held a brown metal box, vintage cigarette case, tobacco tin, deck of cards and matchbook. I figured that there must be more to it than what I could see. So I shook it a bit to see if a surprise object was hidden on the bottom. Seeing nothing else, I figured that the person who put this package together had a great sense of humor.
The box was one of three that had been placed side by side near the edge of the table. One bore the label “SURPRISE DON’T OPEN,” and held two decks of cards, a cigarette lighter, a bottle opener, pocket knife and more. The other box, labeled “SURPRIZE! DON’T OPEN,” contained a belt buckle, pipe, pen and a couple pocket knives.
When the surprise packages came up for bids, the auctioneer told their story. They had belonged to a woman who had owned an antiques shop for years but had closed it. She was finally cleaning out the stuff that was never sold. These boxes were among the leftovers.
This wasn’t the first time I’d seen a “gift” at auction. Once, at another auction house, an unwrapped Christmas gift had made its way to the auction table. I never found out what was beneath the wrapping because I wasn’t around when the gift was sold. At the right price (of $1), I would’ve bought it myself just to see what was inside.
I also found a number of mystery boxes on the web, most revealing the items inside and offering photos, and others that kept you partly guessing. I even came across a company that sells mystery boxes of 10 to 35 items (collectibles, jewelry, coins, comics, vintage items, etc.) that it buys at storage-unit and estate sales.
The original owner of the boxes at auction was perhaps trying to put a new spin on the old mystery box. At least two people thought that they each were worth a bid (they were sold separately). The winner was a young man – not a regular because I did not recognize him – who bought all three of them at pretty good prices.
