William that would be the 700 wooden box set.  Here is the oldest (1957) German 700 box with 2 sliding lids that make a 1950s Masonite Town Plan board....

 

Here are the 4 different German 700 boxes....

Upper left 1957, upper right 1958, lower left 1959, lower right 1960-62.

 

If the wooden box has room for a 2 piece board, then the set is either the 700 set "mit inhalt" (with contents), or 700K Educational set... both have 2 piece Town Plan boards.  If the box only has room for 1 piece (box top  only without board layout on the other side)... then it is the 700 set "leer" (empty)... and it was just sold as an empty box without a 2 piece board...

 

Images from my 2800 page computer desktop online "Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide", which I spent 10 years working on.

Edited March 3, 20196 yr by LEGO Historian
Correction

Thank you for the information. I really appreciate it I have enjoyed your collectors guide.

7 hours ago, Collector245 said:

Thank you for the information. I really appreciate it I have enjoyed your collectors guide.

 

Thank!  The best is yet to come... all current guide owners will get free upgrades to the next edition which will have over 4000 pages (update instructions will be emailed to current owners to download).  I have many collector friends from around the world who have contributed many items that are not even found in the Vault or Archives in Billund.  Many of the photos in the current computer desktop online guide will be upgraded with spectacularly better photos.  Many of my LEGO friends have greatly improved their photography skills!!  

That German 700 wooden box set you have actually came in a slightly larger version that was only sold in Denmark and Sweden as a Institutional/Educational set number 700K.  These are not mentioned in any LEGO catalog, and were a surprise to me when they first showed up about a year ago.

Here is a 1957 "museum quality" Swedish version.  If you notice, the image on the cover is the same size as on the slightly smaller 700 wooden box set of Germany... TLG used the same size image, but on a slightly larger box.  These larger sets were sold to schools and institutions.  I was surprised to learn that TLG marketed these sets to Beauty Parlors and Barber Shops as well as schools/institutions.  If you were getting your hair done.... you could bring your children along... and they would be well behaved by playing with the stores large LEGO set with Town Plan board.  What a clever idea!!  

 

Also included in the free upgrades will be the addition of bringing the computer desktop guide up to the present.  So the 73 chapter guide will end up at about 150 chapters!  

Edited March 4, 20195 yr by LEGO Historian