Known Box/Packing Variants
The 711 is a bit harder to track through time than other 1961 sets, but it appears the 711 breaks from the typical pattern.
There are at least two versions of the 711.
Only produced in 1961-62 were examples without the patent text. There are two versions of this box, based only on very small text present on the box. Examples of the 711's box from Canada will have "Printed in Canada" instead of "Printed in U.S.A."
At some point in 1962-63, the USA 711 was updated to have the patent text:
Box/Overview
Part of Samsonite's initial 1961 release, the 711 Basic Set pushes the limits of LEGO's famous flat box design. Due to its thin nature and large piece count, its size has always made me nervous during handling. I've always had to coddle this thing every time I move it around. I'm genuinely surprised this set was produced in the box it's in.
My copy has been damaged sometime in the past (inevitably due to its size), but I'm really just happy to have gotten to see and handle this set in person. Another thing thing to note is that the girl is strangely holding a yellow brick, when no yellow parts were used in the shown model:
This set's box has the same size footprint as the 717 Junior Constructor and 725 Town Plan, this image should give a good idea as to its relative size:
Printed on the inside of the box is a general assortment of parts generally available in 1961, not comprehensive. While tangential, I find interesting that the flags are not actual images like the other parts, instead they took one image of a blank flag and painted each design in post.
Also, the image on the box shows the European town plan, showing off 1:87 vehicles and other town plan parts that never reached North American shelves. The inner insert is attached at the right and left, and is the exact same one as is on the 708 set:
Here is a rare view of the bottom of the box—rare mainly because of the sheer hassle it is to turn this set upside down (I'd owned mine for years and this is admittedly the first good view I've gotten):
Contents
My copy, while likely not complete, thankfully still has most of its original inserts. The "cups" are made from thick, folded paper (not as rigid as cardstock), not glued or bonded together in any way (I'm unsure if this was intended not). All the inserts simply serve to stage the pieces, as this set would've been originally shrink wrapped. Without the inserts, the pieces would not be level with the lip of the box:
The others are plain corrugated cardboard, nothing special. Some of the windows fit snugly in the holes, others never want to stay in:
Mine is odd, as it appears two "feet" meant to support the weight of the pieces at the center were never punched down—that'd explain why my copy is so wavy! (Yes, I did do the honors of breaking them in, I think this set deserves a bit of a break. They surprisingly add a lot more integrity to the box). I wonder if my missing insert is part of the reason the feet were never used, or if it was simply a matter of ignorance:
My set (while I can never confirm if these exact originally came with this particular set) is mostly ABS with very few cellulose pieces. The two 4x4 corner bricks (red and white) both are cellulose, along with most of the windows. One of the 2x1x2 windows are ABS and so are both the doors.
Curiously, some of the white 1x2 bricks are ABS, and some are cellulose. All my 1x2's share the older LEGO logo, but only the cellulose ones have the logo oriented the wrong direction (top):
As is common, my 4x4 corner bricks and 2x8/2x10 bricks all have the standard LEGO logo. All other pieces have the Samsonite logo/taller stud.
Comparing this set's contents with my 708 Basic Set and other surviving 711's, I believe this to be a later set. An educated guess would be ~1964, but it's only a guess.
Along with the majority tall stud Samsonite logo parts (each stud was so much taller because they are older ones that were reworked), a good indicator are the trees, as mine here are the unpainted pines that Samsonite produced, not the original painted ones that were imported from Denmark for awhile.
The manual has no use, as it is the generic LEGO instruction booklet that appeared across 1961-65, it does not contain any catalog images/useful insights.
Historical Examples
This set is fortunate, as we have a few images of its contents as it would've looked. This one from The San Francisco Examiner, December 8th, 1963:
The next is a 1963 Jordan Marsh catalog. Notice my copy is missing the black rail insert. I'm unsure if mine ever had an insert like that or if some copies missed it:
It's inclusion at least makes sense, as the two "feet" create a void that is very easy for pieces to fall into and that insert would've prevented that.
The 711 box also has a mockup box available to us, though it is not fully visible:
