I recently saw a list of several model RR manufacturers from the 1940s...among them a company named Jewel. Were the plastic boxes that many model RR cars currently come in, originally produced by the Jewel Company...Is that why they are often called "jewel cases" or "jewel boxes"? I've always wondered if it might have been a not-so-subtle jab at the expense of some rolling stock...but had a hard time seeing a plastic box as offering much protection or security for the "treasure" it was carrying, so the association with a jewel case seemed a little weak to me. But I suppose the plastic might have been a little stronger than the flimsy cardboard that Birthday and Christmas Lionel trains were packaged in in the mid to late 1950s. Any thoughts or speculations?
