22 Cartridge boxes

When I was a boy I wanted a 22 Rifle but that was not to be until I was well into my teens. My step-dad who was a very good man, gave me a very nice 22 which I still have. My passion for old cartridge boxes grow out of this relationship with my step-dad. When he gave me the 22 he also gave me several old boxes of 22 ammo. Being a young man I did not see the old boxes of 22 as anything more then ammo. I learned quickly that there was ammo for shooting and there was collecting ammo. A lot of the old ammo that my step-dad gave me would not fire. Now that I look back it mite have had something to do with its age and chemistry. Ammo has what is called shelf life and when it's close to 100 years old, it has exceeded it. What I really noticed was the beautiful art work and vivid colors. Some of the boxes even had coupons or little advertizement slips inside. The older boxes opened from the top not the sides as they do now. The casings (area behind the bullet) have changed from copper to brass, for very good reasons. The 22 short was the first patten metallic cartridge and has a very big following in the ammo circle. If you run across a box of 22's or any other caliber and it appears to be factory sealed, remember this if you break the seal you have reduced it value if you want to resell it latter. Displaying the boxes is easy to do and they are made for shadow boxes. They are not meant for high heat and are not toys. I have quite a few examples in all calibers, what I like in most of them is the art work. Out of the 4 examples I have pictured above the oldest is the first box made by Winchester as is the next box both being made before the turn of the century. The box with smokeless printed in bold red letters across the top is made at the turn of the century when black power was out and the "new' smokeless power in. But to confuse matters there was a power called "less smoke" for a short time between the two powers, black and smokeless. The box stamped U.S. was made prior to the turn of the century and was not a US government made item but a privet company, later brought up by Remington around 1933. I have taken pictures of some of the Art work of the boxes I have and I will show several examples in a different listing. 3 of the boxes above my step-dad gave me and no they would not fire. Hardbrake